College Football - Week of 11/1

[Andy]

Top 25 games

-----------------

(1) Texas at (6) Texas Tech (8 pm, ABC)

Arkansas State at (2) Alabama (3 pm)

Nebraska at (4) Oklahoma (8 pm, ESPN)

(5) Florida at (8) Georgia (3:30 pm, CBS)

Washington at (7) USC (6:30 pm, FSN/CSN)

Iowa State at (9) Oklahoma State (3:30 pm, ABC – Regional)

(10) Utah at New Mexico (9:30 pm, The Mountain)

(11) Boise State at New Mexico State (7 pm)

(12) TCU at UNLV (8 pm, CSTV)

(14) Missouri at Baylor (3 pm)

Tulane at (15) LSU (8 pm)

(16) Florida State at Georgia Tech (3:30 pm, ABC – Regional)

(17) BYU at Colorado State (6 pm, The Mountain)

(19) Tulsa at Arkansas (2 pm)

Northwestern at (20) Minnesota (12 pm, ESPN2)

Wisconsin at (22) Michigan State (12 pm, ESPN)

(23) Oregon at California (3:30 pm, ABC – Regional)

(24) South Florida at Cincinnati (7:30 pm Thursday, ESPN)

 

Other games of interest

------------------------------

West Virginia at Connecticut (12 pm)

Central Michigan at Indiana (12 pm, Big Ten – Regional)

Michigan at Purdue (12 pm, Big Ten - Regional)

Auburn at Ole Miss (12:30 pm)

Kansas State at Kansas (12:30 pm, FSN/CSN)

Pittsburgh at Notre Dame (2:30 pm, NBC)

Kentucky at Mississippi State (2:30 pm)

Duke at Wake Forest (3:30 pm, ESPN360)

Iowa at Illinois (3:30 pm, ABC – Regional)

Tennessee at South Carolina (7 pm, ESPN2)

Louisville at Syracuse (7 pm, ESPNU)

Arizona State at Oregon State (10:15 pm, FSN/CSN)

 

Bucknell at Holy Cross (12:30 pm)

North Dakota at Southern Illinois (3 pm)

Northern Iowa at Western Illinois (7 pm)

 

Other nationally televised games

-----------------------------------------

Buffalo at Ohio (7 pm Tuesday, ESPNU)

Houston at Marshall (8 pm Tuesday, ESPN2)

Air Force at Army (12 pm, ESPNU)

Temple at Navy (3:30 pm, CSTV)

Clemson at Boston College (3:30 pm, ESPNU)

East Carolina at Central Florida (8 pm Sunday, ESPN)

 

Wofford at Appalachian State (8 pm Friday, ESPN2)

Brown at Penn (12 pm, Versus)

South Carolina State at Delaware State (1 pm, ESPNU)

Edited October 26, 2008 by Andy

[Vanilla Ice]

Beat Wake and Duke is mostly going to be bowl-eligible for the first time since 1994

[manbearcub]

I will be excited to see how many points Okey St can put up on ISU.

[Butterscup1679666578]

First time I won't see a Mizzou game all year. Stupid non-TV game.

[shnsajax]

Last game of the brutal 4 game stretch. Before this weekend I was more worried about OSU than Tech, now I am more worried about Tech than I was about OSU. McCoy should have a better game, but this might be the biggest game ever played in Lubbock.

[snoodmonger]

who cares anymore

[Flames24Rulz]

who cares anymore

 

Yeah, that's how I feel about Illinois and the rest of the year. Just finish this terrible season already.

[bcl412]

who cares anymore

 

Yeah, that's how I feel about Illinois and the rest of the year. Just finish this terrible season already.

 

I hope Illinois feels the same way this weekend. If Iowa wins out they still have a very, very outside chance of getting a share of the Big Ten Title (However that would require beating Penn State, having MSU or Indiana beat PSU and then having someone beat OSU).

[Warpticon]

Arkansas has proven over the last few weeks, while going 1-2, that they're basically a middle-of-the-pack caliber SEC team - some experience. The score in their last 3 games combined is 66-66. On the other hand, their two primary weaknesses this year have been:

 

a) turning yards produced by a pretty decent offense into points

b) pass defense.

 

Doesn't bode well for the matchup against Tulsa.

[hawkeyecub]

who cares anymore

 

Yeah, that's how I feel about Illinois and the rest of the year. Just finish this terrible season already.

 

I hope Illinois feels the same way this weekend. If Iowa wins out they still have a very, very outside chance of getting a share of the Big Ten Title (However that would require beating Penn State, having MSU or Indiana beat PSU and then having someone beat OSU).

 

Very, very outside is about right.

 

I'm just hoping we can go 3-1 and get to a New Year's Day bowl game.

[Transmogrified Tiger]

I can't believe Utah and Boise State are tied for 7th in the computer polls. Hopefully Utah, BYU, and TCU all make sure each other end up with at least a loss or two, and somebody knocks off Boise State before they get a BCS berth they don't deserve.

[dew1679666265]

There's really only two things I'm hoping for from the Vols the rest of the year.

 

#1 - DO NOT lose to Steve Spurrier. However we do it, we need desperately to beat that man.

 

#2 - Beat Vandy and Kentucky. I don't dislike either, but I won't hear the end of it if we lose to the Commodores, and I'd like to see the streak (close to 20 years, I believe) of beating Kentucky alive.

 

Otherwise, the Vols can do their worst. With this horribly anemic offense and the strong possibility of two of the past four years under .500, if this season costs Fulmer his job, it's probably deserved.

[ISUCubsFan]

I can't believe Utah and Boise State are tied for 7th in the computer polls. Hopefully Utah, BYU, and TCU all make sure each other end up with at least a loss or two, and somebody knocks off Boise State before they get a BCS berth they don't deserve.

 

Boise plays some crappy teams the rest of the way, so I doubt they lose again. Even if they lose and everyone in the MWC ends up with another loss (also unlikely) Tulsa and/or Ball State would end up in the top 16 with an undefeated run. At this point I'm not sure you won't get 2 BCS busters if Ohio State gets another loss and no one in the Pac8 steps up. And I don't think there are 4 BCS conference at large teams that deserve a spot over Boise St. or Utah when you consider the Big12 and SEC are limited to 2 bids each. 6 conference champs, Big12 and SEC at large, Ohio State, and then who?

 

Also, I apologize in advance to anyone who gets Iowa State-Oklahoma State as regional coverage. If USC wasn't playing Washington it would probably be the biggest blowout of the day.

[Guest]

I can't believe Utah and Boise State are tied for 7th in the computer polls. Hopefully Utah, BYU, and TCU all make sure each other end up with at least a loss or two, and somebody knocks off Boise State before they get a BCS berth they don't deserve.

 

So basically you want a two of the Big 10/ACC/Big East/Pac-10 to get two bids? I don't think there's any doubt that the Big 12 and SEC deserve two bids as do Penn State (I'm assuming they win the conference) and USC. We don't really have any choice in giving the Big East and ACC champions a bid bit I don't think there are second teams from any of those four conferences a second big. I mean, I'd much rather see a TCU/BYU/Utah/Tulsa/Boise State than a UConn/Pittsburgh or Florida State/Maryland/Virginia/Georgia Tech or Ohio State/Michigan State/Minnesota (lol) or Oregon/Cal/Oregon State.

[Andy]

That's a good point, ISU...I've been rooting pointlessly for some catastrophic circumstance of upsets to hit TCU, Utah and Boise, but I'm probably best off just rooting for continued chaos. There is no way the ACC or Pac-10 will get an eligible at-large team into the mix, and if Ohio State loses again they might not get in there either. Whoever is best of the Big 12 and SEC group will get a bid, but now that I think about it Ball State probably has a decent shot to get a BCS bid after all. If they can run the table.

[Guest]

I can't believe Utah and Boise State are tied for 7th in the computer polls. Hopefully Utah, BYU, and TCU all make sure each other end up with at least a loss or two, and somebody knocks off Boise State before they get a BCS berth they don't deserve.

 

Boise plays some crappy teams the rest of the way, so I doubt they lose again. Even if they lose and everyone in the MWC ends up with another loss (also unlikely) Tulsa and/or Ball State would end up in the top 16 with an undefeated run. At this point I'm not sure you won't get 2 BCS busters if Ohio State gets another loss and no one in the Pac8 steps up. And I don't think there are 4 BCS conference at large teams that deserve a spot over Boise St. or Utah when you consider the Big12 and SEC are limited to 2 bids each. 6 conference champs, Big12 and SEC at large, Ohio State, and then who?

 

Also, I apologize in advance to anyone who gets Iowa State-Oklahoma State as regional coverage. If USC wasn't playing Washington it would probably be the biggest blowout of the day.

 

I believe that to get two BCS busters, the bowl would have to actually select one of them as an at-large over a BCS school because I the non-BCS schools can only earn one auto bid. Not saying the bowls wouldn't, but I don't think it's very likely.

[Guest]

That's a good point, ISU...I've been rooting pointlessly for some catastrophic circumstance of upsets to hit TCU, Utah and Boise, but I'm probably best off just rooting for continued chaos. There is no way the ACC or Pac-10 will get an eligible at-large team into the mix, and if Ohio State loses again they might not get in there either. Whoever is best of the Big 12 and SEC group will get a bid, but now that I think about it Ball State probably has a decent shot to get a BCS bid after all. If they can run the table.

 

I forgot about the need for an at-large team to be in the top-14. The second best Pac-10 team is Oregon at No. 24, the second best Big East team is UConn at No. 25 (South Florida is tops at No. 23) and the second best ACC team is North Carolina at No. 22. And if OSU loses again they might drop down which would mean the BCS bowls would have no choice but to select two non-BCS schools, assuming there are two in the top-14.

[ISUCubsFan]

That's a good point, ISU...I've been rooting pointlessly for some catastrophic circumstance of upsets to hit TCU, Utah and Boise, but I'm probably best off just rooting for continued chaos. There is no way the ACC or Pac-10 will get an eligible at-large team into the mix, and if Ohio State loses again they might not get in there either. Whoever is best of the Big 12 and SEC group will get a bid, but now that I think about it Ball State probably has a decent shot to get a BCS bid after all. If they can run the table.

 

I forgot about the need for an at-large team to be in the top-14. The second best Pac-10 team is Oregon at No. 24, the second best Big East team is UConn at No. 25 (South Florida is tops at No. 23) and the second best ACC team is North Carolina at No. 22. And if OSU loses again they might drop down which would mean the BCS bowls would have no choice but to select two non-BCS schools, assuming there are two in the top-14.

 

Yeah, a lot still needs to happen, but having 6 non-BCS teams in the top 20 that are in position to take up top 14 slots helps a lot. Boise, Utah, and TCU should be rooting for BYU, Ball State, and Tulsa to help keep the Minnesotas and Michigan States of the world out.

[Andy]

Tyrone Willingham does everyone in Seattle a favor and resigns/is fired effective the end of 2008.

[fiver]

Yeah, so does anyone remember before the season started when I asked RedFlash to make a wager on the Iron Bowl? I'm pleased he declined.

[TruffleShuffle]

Spreads for some games of interest this weekend:

 

Iowa @ Illinois (-1.5) ... battle for the alamo bowl?

West Virginia (-4) @ UConn ... pretty important game, at least as far as the lousy big east goes

NW'ern @ Minnesota (-6) ... probably the two most surprising big ten teams

Auburn @ Ole Miss (-6) ... how the mighty have fallen

Pitt @ Notre Dame (-5.5) ... which pitt team shows up?

Florida (-5.5) @ Georgia ... already signs that the "smart money" is going on Uga

Texas (-6) @ Texas Tech ... thought the line would be lower

Michigan @ Purdue (-1.5) ... big ten toilet bowl? no, that's indiana vs purdue.

washington st @ stanford (-30) ... hard to believe stanford is favored by 30 over anyone, but wazzu is horrid

florida st (-1.5) @ ga tech ... pretty important game, at least as far as the lousy acc goes

[Derwood]

a quick look back at the preseason poll shows why we shouldn't have preseason polls:

 

Clemson and WVA were top 10. OSU was #2

 

the current top 3 were ranked 11th, 22nd and 23rd

[B]

I'll probably go to the Louisiana Tech/Fresno game. Tech has disappointed after starting out with a win over Miss St.

[TruffleShuffle]

I'll probably go to the Louisiana Tech/Fresno game. Tech has disappointed after starting out with a win over Miss St.

 

fresno st has been really disappointing too. they lost at home to hawai'i, who isn't good this year, and they needed a 58 yard field goal (wow, by the way!) to beat terrible utah st on saturday.

[SouthSideRyan]

I'll probably go to the Louisiana Tech/Fresno game. Tech has disappointed after starting out with a win over Miss St.

 

Probably cause every team they've played since is better than Miss St.