CFW Week 9 Forecast – Bo Nix takes on Utah
The world’s largest outdoor cocktail party
After three-straight weeks of a super marquee game – OU-Texas, Oregon-Washington and Penn State-Ohio State – there are no games matching undefeated teams this week.
The best of the bunch Saturday is in the Pac-12 – 8th-ranked Oregon at 13th-ranked Utah. That should be a good one. Both teams are 6-1. It’s another chance for Oregon quarterback Bo Nix to have a shining moment. Nix needs a boost if he wants to get back into the Heisman race. Oregon won last year, 20-17.
Another potentially wild game in the Pac-12 Saturday is Oregon State at Arizona. Watch out Beavers, the Wildcats can’t be taken lightly. Meanwhile, Coach Prime has his Buffaloes in L.A. – Colorado at UCLA.
What are you drinking? It’s that time of the year. The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party takes place in Jacksonville on the banks of the St. Johns. Yes, there are alligators in the St. Johns River. Georgia hopes they will be mild ones. Undefeated and No. 1-ranked Georgia tangles with 26th-ranked Florida.
Florida-Georgia first met in 1904. Or was it 1915. The two schools disagree over that. They have played every year since 1926, except for a war-time interruption in 1943. The game has been played in Jacksonville every year since 1933, except for two years in the 1990s when the Gator Bowl stadium was being rebuilt.
In 1904, Georgia beat Florida Agricultural College, 52-0. Florida Agricultural College was located in Lake City, Florida. Although Florida Ag was a predecessor to the University of Florida located in Gainesville, it was not considered to be UF. So, Florida doesn’t recognize the 1904 game. Georgia does. The Gainesville University of Florida first played Georgia in 1915. Florida recognizes that meeting as the first encounter in the series.
Georgia won the 1915 game too – 37-0. In fact, the Dawgs won the first 6 games in the series (7, if you count 1904). Florida’s first win came in 1928 – a 26-6 win over Georgia. The Dawgs lead the series 54-44-2 (55-44-2, if you count the 1904 game). Since 1990, Florida has won 22 of the 33 games. But recently, Georgia has won 8 of the last 12 games.
The SEC has another good rivalry taking place Saturday – 21st-ranked Tennessee at Kentucky. Both teams are 5-2. This rivalry is older than the Florida-Georgia rivalry. Tennessee and Kentucky began playing in 1893. After the first 10 games, the Wildcats led the series 6-3-1. However, since then, the Vols have dominated the rivalry. Tennessee leads the series 82-26-9. You can’t get much more dominant than that.
The ACC offers 20th-ranked Duke at 18th-ranked Louisville. Will Duke quarterback Riley Leonard play? An alternative in the ACC is Clemson at NC State. Dabo Swinney may not be able to return home if the Tigers lose.
After the big win over Penn State last week, 3rd-ranked Ohio State takes on Wisconsin in Madison. Badgers coach Luke Fickell goes up against his old team. Elsewhere in the Big Ten, I don’t know who Michigan is stealing signs from this week.
The two front-runners in the Big 12 hope to keep rolling on Saturday. Sixth-ranked Oklahoma visits Kansas. The Wildcats can be feisty. And 7th-ranked Texas hosts BYU. The Longhorns will be without quarterback Quinn Ewers.
The MWC has a showcase game – UNLV at Fresno State. Both teams are 6-1. The feature game in the MAC has Miami at Ohio. Both teams are 6-2.
The Sun Belt Conference has two top-notch encounters. First, it will be an intrastate rivalry: Georgia State (6-1) at Georgia Southern (5-2). That game is tonight. Then on Saturday, it will be Troy (5-2) at Texas State (5-2). Will George Strait be at the game? Strait graduated from Texas State with a degree in agriculture. Also, Louisiana at South Alabama should be interesting.
There are nine teams still undefeated this week. They are Florida State (ACC), Oklahoma (Big 12), Michigan and Ohio State (Big Ten), Liberty (C-USA), Air Force (MWC), Washington (Pac-12), Georgia (SEC) and James Madison (Sun Belt). All but Liberty are ranked in the Top 25.
Sam Houston (C-USA) is the only winless team.
The Top 5 teams in this week’s AP Poll are 1. Georgia (7-0), 2. Michigan (8-0), 3. Ohio State (7-0), 4. Florida State (7-0), and 5. Washington (7-0). Georgia got 38 of the 63 first-place votes. Michigan got 19, Ohio State got 3 and Florida State got 3 of the first-place votes. Duke (5-2) is 20th in the AP Poll.
Three Group of Five teams are ranked in the AP Poll. Air Force (7-0) is 19th, Tulane (6-1) is 22nd and James Madison (7-0) is 25th.
The Top 5 teams in this week’s Coaches Poll are 1. Georgia (7-0), 2. Michigan (8-0), 3. Ohio State (7-0), 4. Florida State (7-0), and 5. Washington (7-0). Georgia got 58 of the 64 first-place votes. Michigan got 4 and Ohio State got 2 of the first-place votes. Duke (5-2) is 21st in the Coaches Poll.
Three Group of Five teams are ranked in the Coaches Poll. Air Force (7-0) is 19th, Tulane (6-1) is 23rd and James Madison (7-0) is 25th.
This week, Georgia plays Florida in Jacksonville and Michigan is off. Ohio State is at Wisconsin and Florida State visits Wake Forest. Washington plays at Stanford.
The Top 5 teams in this week’s FCS Coaches Poll are 1. South Dakota State (7-0), 2. Montana State (6-1), 3. Furman (6-1), 4. Incarnate Word (6-1), and 5. Montana (6-1). South Dakota State received all 26 first-place votes. Florida A&M (6-1) is 14th and Harvard is (5-1) is 23rd in the FCS Poll.
In the Division II Coaches Poll, West Florida (6-2) is 18th.
College football Week 9 commenced on Tuesday evening, with two games. In the first game, New Mexico State slipped by Louisiana Tech, 27-24. State was the better rushing team. La Tech was the better passing team. Tech also had two turnovers and State had none. New Mexico State improved to 6-3.
In the second game, Liberty outscored Western Kentucky, 42-29. The teams combined for 967 total yards. Liberty improved to 8-0.
Action continued Wednesday night with two games. Jacksonville State clobbered FIU, 41-16. The Jax State defense held FIU to 31 yards rushing. Jax State improved to 6-2. In the night cap, UTEP kicked a 32-yard field goal with 0:03 on the clock to beat Sam Houston, 37-34. Trailing 27-13 late in the third quarter, UTEP scored 21 unanswered points to take its first lead in the game at 34-27. Sam Houston tied the score at 34-34 with 6:02 to go in the game.
Clemson has hired a media consultant to explore the school’s future conference alignment. Media consultant Chris Bevilacqua has been hired to determine Clemson’s best conference options – to remain in the ACC or seek membership elsewhere in either the Big Ten, SEC or Big 12.
While Clemson has hired a consultant, reports continue to surface saying Virginia, North Carolina, Clemson and Florida State will pull out of the ACC in 2025 to join the Big Ten and/or SEC. Meantime, recent reports hint that ACC members Louisville, Pitt, Virginia Tech and NC State are looking into membership in the Big 12 in 2025.
Army will join the American Athletic Conference (AAC) as a football only member, starting with the 2024 season. Army is the replacement for SMU, which is joining the ACC in 2024.
“Who is the man who would risk his neck for his brother man? (Shaft) Can you dig it?.... Richard Roundtree, noted for being the first black action hero for his portrayal of private detective John Shaft in the 1971 film “Shaft,” died on October 24. “Shaft” had four sequels released between 1972 and 2019. The “Theme From Shaft,” sung by Isaac Hayes, reached No. 1 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The song was on the chart for 13 weeks during the fall and early winter of 1971. In other movies, Roundtree appeared opposite of such actors as Laurence Olivier, Ben Gazzara, Clint Eastwood, Burt Reynolds and Samuel L. Jackson, among others. Richard Arnold Roundtree, a native of New Rochelle, New York, was 81.“….Who’s the cat that won’t cop out when there’s danger about.? (Shaft) Right on.”
“To your call once more we rally. Alma mater hear our praise. Where the Wabash spreads its valley. Filled with joy, our voices raise….” Terry Dischinger, an All-American college basketball player and a All-Star NBA player, died. Dischinger played college basketball at Purdue (1959-1962) and 12 seasons for four NBA teams – the Chicago Zephyrs, Baltimore Bullets, Detroit Pistons and Portland Trailblazers (1962-1973). Eight of his 12 NBA seasons were with the Pistons. Dischinger was the youngest member of the 1960 USA Olympic basketball team which won the gold medal in Rome. His teammates included Jerry West, Oscar Robertson and Jerry Lucas. Graduating from Purdue, Dischinger had a degree in chemical engineering. When he retired from the NBA, he entered Dental School at the University of Tennessee and graduated valedictorian of his class. He practiced orthodontics for the remainder of his career. A native of Terre Haute, Indiana, Terry Gilbert Dischinger was 82. “….From the skies in swelling echoes. Come the cheers that tell the tale. Of your victories and your heroes. Hail Purdue! We sing all hail!”
Touchdown Tom
October 26, 2023
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for
This Week’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games….and then some
GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. Oregon (6-1) at Utah (6-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Last week, Utah was on the road facing a Top 25 team. This week, the Utes are at home facing a Top 25 team. Last week, the Utes won, beating USC. This week, the Utes are not going to win. Why? Because Oregon has a defense. USC did not have a defense. Oregon also has an offense, one of the best in the country. Still, this should be a good game. Both teams play solid football. Utah probably has the better defense. But Oregon’s is good. Oregon definitely has the better offense. Therein lies the difference. Webbed feet rule – Oregon 27, Utah 18.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Georgia (7-0) vs. Florida (5-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Ah, the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party. Drinks will be served at 3:30. Florida fans might as well drink a lot. That way they can forget the outcome. Georgia is going to win. There is no doubt about that. It’s just a matter of how close the Gators can keep the score. I said that Georgia would win. But it actually could be a close game. The Gators have the ability to keep it close. Then again, it could be a rout. Florida’s day is coming. Just not this year. Uga bites Albert – Georgia 32, Florida 24.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Duke (5-2) at Louisville (6-1) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Last week Duke was on the road against a Top 25 team – Florida State. This week the Dookies are on the road against a Top 25 team – Louisville. It doesn’t get any easier for the Dookies. It remains to be seen if Duke quarterback Riley Leonard will suit up for the game. Last week, Leonard left the Florida State game with an ankle injury. If Leonard plays, the Dookies have a chance. If he doesn’t, it’s curtains for Duke. Regardless, it should be close. The Birdies poopy on Dooky – Louisville 27, Duke 21.
4. Ohio State (7-0) at Wisconsin (5-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – Watch out. The Buckeyes could have a letdown this week. That was a big win last week over Penn State. But this is another week. The Buckeyes have to get that big win out of their heads. Wisconsin may keep this game close for a while. The Badgers can play decent defense. It’s their offense that has a problem. The Badgers offense is up and down. It may take Ohio State a full half to get over the Penn State win. Then the Buckeyes will roll in the second half. A good ole slobber-knocker in Madison. Brutus melts the Cheese – Ohio State 28, Wisconsin 16.
5. Oklahoma (7-0) at Kansas (5-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – Last week against UCF, Oklahoma was still recovering from the win over Texas. And it took them a while to recover. UCF almost beat the Sooners. This week, OU won’t need to recover. They’ve had their scare. This week, it’s Kansas who will be scared. The Jayhawks are good, but the Sooners are better. Wagons ho! – Oklahoma 31, Kansas 27.
6. Oregon State (6-1) at Arizona (4-3) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – This is going to be a tricky game for Oregon State. Arizona is deceptively good. The Wildcats can strike on offense. However, Arizona’s defense is a little weak. The Beavers need to take this game seriously. Otherwise, they are going to get knocked off. Arizona is like a wine. The Wildcats have been improving with age. Oregon State is the better team. However, the Beavers can’t let their guard down. Benny kicks sand in Wilbur’s face – Oregon State 30, Arizona 27.
7. BYU (5-2) at Texas (6-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Like Oklahoma, Texas had trouble recovering from the OU-Texas game. Last week, the Longhorns darn near lost to Houston. That should be out of their system by now. The Horns should be prime to put a pasting on BYU. Texas will be playing without quarterback Quinn Ewers. He’s sidelined for a while with a joint sprain in his shoulder. The replacement at quarterback is Maalik Murphy – not Arch Manning. However, if Murphy has problems, I’m sure the Arch will appear. BYU may make this encounter interesting for a while. But not for long. Bevo horns Cosmo – Texas 27, BYU 18.
8. Tennessee (5-2) at Kentucky (5-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Kentucky had the week off, getting over the back-to-back losses to Georgia and Missouri. Tennessee didn’t have the week off, getting over the loss to Alabama. That could play to the Wildcats favor. Look for Kentucky to come out strong. But the Vols should get their act together. Tennessee quarterback Joe Milton actually had a decent game against Alabama. Milton had 271 yards passing and 59 yards rushing. He completed 68.3% of his passes against the Tide. Kentucky is a different animal. But the Vols should cope. Davy Crockett skins a Cat – Tennessee 27, Kentucky 19.
9. UNLV (6-1) at Fresno State (6-1) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – This has the potential to be a great game in the Mountain West Conference. Both teams are having good seasons. It’s good to see UNLV winning the way they are. Usually, the Rebels are one of the worst teams in the MWC. This year, UNLV is one of the best teams in the MWC. Fresno State is always good. And it is a home game for the Bulldogs. Fresno State’s only loss was by 5 points to Wyoming. UNLV’s only loss was a non-conference game. Looks like the Rebels will suffer their first conference loss. The Bulldogs have better poker faces – Fresno State 29, UNLV 25.
10. Colorado (4-3) at UCLA (5-2) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – It doesn’t get any easier for Coach Prime and his Buffaloes. UCLA is a respectable ball club. And the Bruins play defense. That will be the difference in the game. Both teams can play offense. But UCLA also plays defense. Colorado doesn’t. The Buffaloes need two more wins to become bowl eligible. That could be their incentive to win. Time is running out. It’s still running out as the Buffs fall to 4-4. The Bruins aren’t Buffaloed – UCLA 34, Colorado 22.
There are five other interesting and intriguing games you should keep an eye on. They are Georgia State (6-1) at Georgia Southern (5-2) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 7:30 pm ET, Thursday, ESPN2….. and Clemson (4-3) at NC State (4-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, CWN.
Also, Miami (Ohio) (6-2) at Ohio (6-2) – (MAC vs. MAC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBSSN….. Louisiana (4-3) at South Alabama (4-3) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 5 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….. and Troy (5-2) at Texas State (5-2) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
West Virginia (4-3) at UCF (3-4) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FS1 – West Virginia is in a funk. The Mountaineers can’t win for losing. The coach is frustrated. The players are frustrated. The fans are angry. UCF is looking for its first Big 12 win. The Knights will probably achieve it against the Mounties. UCF almost go it against Oklahoma last week. Both teams have had their ups and downs this season. This one could go either way. But the Knights are in a better frame of mind. The funk continues – UCF 26, West Virginia 23.
Purdue (2-5) at Nebraska (4-3) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FS1 – Three-straight wins for Nebraska? It hasn’t happened in a long time, but it’s possible. One win away from being bowl eligible. That would be the case for the Huskers if they win Saturday. Their record would become 5-3. A lot is on the line for Nebraska. The problem is Nebraska has a lot of injuries. That could play to Purdue’s favor. But the Boilers are weak on defense. That should play to Nebraska’s favor. Huskers quarterback Heinrich Haarberg threw two interceptions last week. Hopefully, he has that problem out of his system. But he rushed for 72 yards. Hopefully he continues the running. Purdue is down, but the Boilers won’t be a pushover. Three-straight wins and smelling a bowl game. The Corn is smooth as silk – Nebraska 22, Purdue 17.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORUDA:
Jacksonville State (6-2) at FIU (4-4) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 7 pm ET, Wednesday, CBSSN….
Florida Atlantic (3-4) at Charlotte (2-5) – (AAC vs. AAC) – 7:30 pm ET, Friday, ESPN2….
Florida State (7-0) at Wake Forest (4-3) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ABC….
Stetson (3-4) at Drake (4-3) – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Bethune-Cookman (1-6) at Grambling (3-4) – (SWAC SWAC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday….
Virginia (2-5) at Miami (5-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN….
Prairie View A&M (3-4) at Florida A&M (6-1) – (SWAC vs. SWAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPNU….
Valdosta State (7-1) at West Florida (6-2) – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 5 pm ET, Saturday….
Quotes of the Week
“That is North Carolina. Sadly, it has been the embodiment of Mack Brown. He has done a phenomenal job, but he just always has that game. That’s really too bad because that program probably deserved better,” Paul Finebaum, on North Carolina’s loss to Virginia.
“I’ve said many times Kyle Whittingham is one of the best coaches in college football. Now he is the best. He’s the best coach in college football,” Fox Sports analyst Urban Meyer.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
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