Andy

Top 25 games (1) Georgia at Kentucky (7:30 pm, ABC) UTSA at (2) Texas (7 pm, ESPN) (4) Alabama at Wisconsin (12 pm, FOX) (5) Ole Miss at Wake Forest (6:30 pm, CW) (24) Boston College at (6) Missouri (12:45 pm, SEC Network) Kent State at (7) Tennessee (7:45 pm, SEC Network) (9) Oregon at Oregon State (3:30 pm, FOX) Ball State at (10) Miami (3:30 pm, ACC Network) (12) Utah at Utah State (4:30 pm, CBSSN) (13) Oklahoma State at Tulsa (12 pm, ESPN2) (20) Arizona at (14) Kansas State (8 pm Friday, FOX) Tulane at (15) Oklahoma (3:30 pm, ESPN) (16) LSU at South Carolina (12 pm, ABC) Arkansas State at (17) Michigan (12 pm, BTN) (18) Notre Dame at Purdue (3:30 pm, CBS) Northern Iowa at (23) Nebraska (7:30 pm, BTN - Regional) Other nationally available games Thursday Arizona State at Texas State (7:30 pm, ESPN) Friday UNLV at Kansas (7 pm, ESPN) Saturday TV Memphis at Florida State (12 pm, ESPN) North Texas at Texas Tech (12 pm, FS1) Cincinnati at Miami (OH) (12 pm, ESPNU) Louisiana Tech at NC State (12 pm, ACC Network) UMass at Buffalo (12 pm, CBSSN) Texas A&M at Florida (3:30 pm, ABC) West Virginia at Pittsburgh (3:30 pm, ESPN2) Nevada at Minnesota (3:30 pm, BTN - Regional) Prairie View at Michigan State (3:30 pm, BTN - Regional) Troy at Iowa (4 pm, FS1) Appalachian State at East Carolina (4 pm, ESPNU) UAB at Arkansas (4:15 pm, SEC Network) Kennesaw State at San Jose State (7 pm, TruTV) Colorado at Colorado State (7:30 pm, CBS) Indiana at UCLA (7:30 pm, NBC) UCF at TCU (7:30 pm, FOX) New Mexico at Auburn (7:30 pm, ESPN2) Air Force at Baylor (7:30 pm, FS1) Eastern Illinois at Northwestern (7:30 pm, BTN - Regional) Toledo at Mississippi State (7:30 pm, ESPNU) Maryland at Virginia (8 pm, ACC Network) BYU at Wyoming (9 pm, CBSSN) San Diego State at California (10:30 pm, ESPN) New Mexico State at Fresno State (10:30 pm, TruTV) Saturday Streaming (all ESPN+ unless noted) Central Michigan at Illinois (12 pm, Peacock) Coastal Carolina at Temple (2 pm) Morgan State at Ohio (3:30 pm) VMI at Georgia Tech (3:30 pm) Washington State vs Washington - at Lumen Field in Seattle (3:30 pm, Peacock) South Carolina State at Georgia Southern (6 pm) Colgate at Akron (6 pm) FIU at Florida Atlantic (6 pm) Gardner-Webb at Charlotte (6 pm) NC Central at North Carolina (6 pm) UConn at Duke (6 pm) UTEP at Liberty (6 pm) Virginia Tech at Old Dominion (6 pm) Bethune-Cookman at Western Michigan (6:30 pm) Hawaii at Sam Houston (7 pm) Jacksonville State at Eastern Michigan (7 pm) South Florida at Southern Miss (7 pm) Vanderbilt at Georgia State (7 pm) Western Kentucky at Middle Tennessee (7 pm) Rice at Houston (8 pm)

I'd be happier for him if he hadn't been making weak -EV decisions in service of playing not to lose for 3 quarters, but luckily for him his opponent sucked eggs

Make-a-Wish team of this sport. They only exist so nothing programs can celebrate their biggest wins in history against them. I'm out on Freeman as a coach. Nice guy. Can clearly get his team up for a big-time opponent. Recruits well. But he's being given every advantage ND coaches have asked for for generations and this horsefeathers platter is what he served up with it. You learn what an ND coach is in year 3, and we've learned he ain't it.

I try not to have this happen when the Cubs are good, but obviously that hasn't been a problem much lately.

Top 25 games Tennessee Tech at (1) Georgia (2 pm, ESPN+) Western Michigan at (2) Ohio State (7:30 pm, BTN) (3) Texas at (10) Michigan (12 pm, FOX) South Florida at (4) Alabama (7 pm, ESPN) Northern Illinois at (5) Notre Dame (3:30 pm, NBC) Middle Tennessee at (6) Ole Miss (4:15 pm, SEC Network) Boise State at (7) Oregon (10 pm, Peacock) Bowling Green at (8) Penn State (12 pm, BTN - Regional) Buffalo at (9) Missouri (7 pm, ESPN+) Baylor at (11) Utah (3:30 pm, FOX) Florida A&M at (12) Miami (6 pm, ESPN+) Utah State at (13) USC (11 pm, BTN) (24) NC State vs (14) Tennessee - in Charlotte (7:30 pm, ABC) Houston at (15) Oklahoma (7:45 pm, SEC Network) Arkansas at (16) Oklahoma State (12 pm, ABC) (17) Kansas State at Tulane (12 pm, ESPN) Nicholls at (18) LSU (7:30 pm, ESPN+) (19) Kansas at Illinois (7 pm, FS1) Northern Arizona at (20) Arizona (10 pm, ESPN+) Iowa State at (21) Iowa (3:30 pm, CBS) Jacksonville State at (22) Louisville (3:30 pm, ESPN+) (23) Georgia Tech at Syracuse (12 pm, ACC Network) Appalachian State at (25) Clemson (8 pm, ACC Network) Other nationally available games Friday BYU at SMU (7 pm, ESPN2) Western Illinois at Indiana (7 pm, BTN) Duke at Northwestern (9 pm, FS1) Saturday TV Pittsburgh at Cincinnati (12 pm, ESPN2) Akron at Rutgers (12 pm, BTN - Regional) Troy at Memphis (12 pm, ESPNU) Army at Florida Atlantic (12 pm, CBSSN) McNeese at Texas A&M (12:45 pm, SEC Network) South Carolina at Kentucky (3:30 pm, ABC) California at Auburn (3:30 pm, ESPN2) South Dakota at Wisconsin (3:30 pm, FS1) Eastern Michigan at Washington (3:30 pm, BTN - Regional) Michigan State at Maryland (3:30 pm, BTN - Regional) Charlotte at North Carolina (3:30 pm, ACC Network) Idaho at Wyoming (3:30 pm, TruTV) Temple at Navy (3:30 pm, CBSSN) UTSA at Texas State (4 pm, ESPNU) Virginia at Wake Forest (7 pm, ESPN2) Georgia Southern at Nevada (7 pm, TruTV) San Jose State at Air Force (7 pm, CBSSN) Colorado at Nebraska (7:30 pm, NBC) Alcorn State at Vanderbilt (7:30 pm, ESPNU) Texas Tech at Washington State (10 pm, FOX) Liberty at New Mexico State (10:15 pm, ESPN2) Mississippi State at Arizona State (10:30 pm, ESPN) Oregon State at San Diego State (10:30 pm, CBSSN) Saturday Streaming (all ESPN+ unless noted) Rhode Island at Minnesota (12 pm, Peacock) Missouri State at Ball State (2 pm) St. Francis at Kent State (2:30 pm) Duquesne at Boston College (3:30 pm) UMass at Toledo (3:30 pm) Albany at West Virginia (6 pm) Central Michigan at Florida International (6 pm) East Carolina at Old Dominion (6 pm) Gardner-Webb at James Madison (6 pm) South Alabama at Ohio (6 pm) Sam Houston at UCF (6:30 pm) Cal Poly at Stanford (7 pm) Chattanooga at Georgia State (7 pm) Eastern Kentucky at Western Kentucky (7 pm) UL Lafayette at Kennesaw State (7 pm) Samford at Florida (7 pm) SE Louisiana at Southern Miss (7 pm) Texas Southern at Rice (7 pm) Tulsa at Arkansas State (7 pm) UAB at UL Monroe (7 pm) William & Mary at Coastal Carolina (7 pm) Stephen F. Austin at North Texas (7:30 pm) Long Island at TCU (8 pm) Southern Utah at UTEP (9 pm)

Bad feeling that Hendricks is making his last appearance tonight and going out with another whimper.

It's fun to laugh (and I am), but I try not to take too many victory laps, at least until ND wins more regular-season games in a season than Kelly does. I definitely have more fun following my team with Marcus Freeman coaching it, though.

This inning is the return of the May Cubs

You most certainly haven't. I read today that 1930 is the only time since the turn of the 20th century that we have scored more runs in a 10 game span.

FWIW my wife (who has a knack for these things) looked at it and said it was foul. About ready to have her apply for the New York umpire position

Why in the world is Washington trying to take extra bases left and right this inning when every hitter they send up is hitting lasers

It's not even Saturday yet and Minnesota has lost to N Carolina at home after their QB broke his leg during the game, MSU had to hold off a final drive to beat Florida Atlantic, and Wisconsin was losing to Western Michigan in the 4th quarter until a Wisconsin punt randomly bounced sideways and hit a Bronco to swing the momentum. Not the greatest start for the B1G. Shout out to Illinois, though, for doing what they were supposed to do to FCS Eastern Illinois.

As for actual games being played, I am super unconfident about Notre Dame this weekend. The starting OL has 6 career starts combined and they're going into one of the toughest road environments in the country (ND was pretty woof-y on the road last year). And A&M has a ton of talent and now has a good/not half-assing it coach.

I'm very skeptical of this because everything that can be applied to giving more teams a chance to make it also applies to ensuring the superpowers can basically never miss a CFP again. That said I completely agree with what you said in this post about G5s getting to play. It was the only legitimate reason to expand the CFP and I'm glad it stuck (and it better continue to stick, though as the B1G and SEC begin running the sport going forward, I'm nervous about it).

Why on God's green earth is Kyle still in this game

God knows there are bigger priorities than watching sports and I'm not here to tell anyone how to spend their time, but I just can't possibly understand this line of thinking. Take it from a fan with firsthand experience in this area: "A chance to make a postseason" =\= "a chance to win the championship." After 3 or 4 times of the #7-10 type teams getting blasted to pieces by the teams that are going to keep being better than they are in the playoff, I imagine many who follow the sport will be right back to the same complaints. IMO, if it's impossible for you to enjoy anything about following your team without a postseason carrot involved, that's a decision you make. I'm not calling it right or wrong, it's just not why I personally became a sports fan.

Might be the least deserved 2 outs in the history of baseball. 108 mph rocket double that missed being a HR by literal inches and another laser for a double play line out. And now the ump is hosing Seiya again. Fun

On that topic, my least favorite subplot of this offseason, and there have been a lot of bad ones, was "can (fill in team here) follow the Michigan blueprint?" No, they cannot. Forgetting all the off-field nonsense, the 2023 playoff contained either 0 or 1 top-5 teams besides UM (by most advanced metrics) because Georgia, Oregon and Ohio State, who all graded out as better than anyone besides Michigan that was in the playoff, all missed the playoff. Good luck to any relative upstart hoping to replicate that sequence of events.

ND snark aside, I agree. The only reason this playoff got bigger was for TV money, and the CFP didn't even really get that much of that compared to the numbers being thrown around when the topic was first broached. Like I saw a Tweet earlier about 'now Ole Miss has hope,' and I thought 'to do what exactly?' In the 4-team world, it was at least theoretically possible for Ole Miss (and they're just an example) to take out their top SEC competition and set themselves up for a title because they wouldn't have to face a bunch of those teams again in the playoff. Now they will. ETA - I should add that I know darn well some of the games will be fun and social media will clown on people like me when they are. Football being fun has never been at issue for me.

It exists in the most technical sense. The CFP mandates at least 8 to be considered a conference for selection purposes. The NCAA mandates 6 for its tournaments. However, conferences have a two-year grace period if they fall below 6 to get back to 6. That is where the Pac-2 currently sits. Oregon State and Washington State have a 6-game scheduling agreement with the MWC for this year, and general consensus is there will be some sort of merger at some point between the parties - but it hasn't happened yet and doesn't have to happen until 2026.

I have no idea how Swanson managed to turn on that way inside pitch but please score

Clearly so he could do what he did. But then, Assad apparently has no interest in allowing us to win so it doesn't matter

Real live football today. As much as the changes of the last couple years have turned me off, I still find myself looking forward to it.

PCA is as fun as anyone in baseball, holy crap