CFW Week 11 Forecast – Wolverines-Lions, Ole Miss-Dawgs, Utes-Huskies
College football and Wordle don’t mix
Saturday night, I, as often is the case, was up past midnight watching college football. It was one of those late, late shows. Or should I say late, late games. I was deeply involved in the Oregon State-Colorado game. The Buffaloes were rallying in the second half.
Checking my cell phone during a timeout, I noticed one of my friends – Judy Sherling – had posted her Wordle result. Judy, by the way, is a big Georgia Bulldog fan. Anyway, it dawned on me (a few hours before dawn) that the day’s new Wordle puzzle was available to be played. I had never done a Wordle shortly after midnight before.
My normal Wordle time is between 6:00 and 7:00 in the morning. I’m sitting in my comfy chair, with my feet propped up and a cup of strong black coffee in my hand. Well, Saturday night, I was sitting in my comfy chair, and my feet were propped up. However, it was 12:15 in the morning and I didn’t have a cup of strong black coffee in my hand.
Still, I thought, why not do Wordle. Keep in mind, I was still watching the Oregon State-Colorado game and occasionally checking in on the UCLA-Arizona game. Normally, I conquer Wordle with my third or fourth word. But Saturday night, I was struggling. I had entered five words and still had no success. Finally, on my sixth and final try, I conquered Wordle.
Then it dawned on me, although dawn hadn’t arrived yet – you can’t watch college football and play Wordle at the same time. Wordle takes concentration. Watching college football takes concentration. No wonder it took me six tries. I’m lucky I got it in six tries. My mind was on the college football game.
Later that afternoon, I noticed most of my friends got that day’s Wordle in three or four tries. And it took me six. I’m never doing Wordle again while I’m watching a college football game. They don’t mix. I learned my lesson.
But, but maybe all I needed was a cup of strong black coffee.
There are five marquee games this week – two in the SEC, two in the Pac-12 and one in the Big Ten. The one in the Big Ten is perhaps the biggest game of the five. The Michigan Sign Stealers, formerly the Wolverines, put their undefeated record on the line at Penn State. Will all of the sign-stealing noise finally get to Michigan? Or will the Wolverines blow it off? This is a biggie. No doubt about that. Big Ten East implications are riding high.
The biggest game in the SEC takes place in Athens, Georgia, again this week. Last week it was Missouri. This week the Dawgs host Ole Miss. This week it is Lane Kiffin’s turn to try and knock off Georgia. Missouri gave the Dawgs a game. Ole Miss may give Uga more than a game.
Speaking of Missouri, the second biggest game this week in the SEC is Tennessee at Missouri. There are two perspectives on these teams. Missouri is having a better-than-expected season. A loss and Tiger fans will still be generally happy. Tennessee, on the other hand, was supposed to have a good season. A third loss and Vols fans will be unhappy. Josh Heupel will be unhappy. Smokey will be unhappy too.
A third SEC game this week carries a lot of interest – Alabama at Kentucky. The Tide looked good against LSU last week. Quarterback Jalen Milroe looked extremely good. But can the Tide maintain that high. The Wildcats could take the air out of their sails. Keep your eyes on Lexington.
The biggest of the two Pac-12 games takes place in Seattle. The Utes come calling on the Huskies. Utah had an easy time last week, thumping Arizona State. Washington had a tough time last week, outscoring USC. The Husky could be tired. The Ute should be relaxed. A good offense (Washington) against a good defense (Utah). It should be interesting.
The other biggie in the Pac-12 – the conference doesn’t disappoint – is USC at Oregon. The Ducks can’t wait to have a rematch against Washington. But first they have to take care of business at hand. And that means stopping Caleb Williams and the Trojans. Look for a wild time in the Duck Pond.
A third Pac-12 game promises to be interesting – Arizona at Colorado. Arizona jumped into the Top 25 this week. The Wildcats are one of the hottest teams in the country. But are they about to run out of steam? You have this feeling that Coach Prime and his Buffaloes are about to turn one of these games around. After starting out 3-0, Colorado has lost 5 of its last 6 games. Could Ralphie break out of the corral?
In the ACC this week, you need to have your eyes on two locations – Tallahassee, Florida and Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The Hurricanes of Miami invade Tallahassee to take on the Seminoles of Florida State. These days, the Hurricanes are the hurtin’ Hurricanes. Their winds have been sheared. They are barely a tropical wave. Will it be a breeze for the Noles?
Speaking of hurtin’, in Chapel Hill, that’s what North Carolina is – hurtin’. The Tar Heels have lost their last two ACC games to the likes of Virginia and Georgia Tech. Now the Dookies come into Chapel Hill – Duke-North Carolina. The Dookies are hurtin’ too – more like limpin’. They have some injuries. Whenever the Dookies and the Heels get together, it’s generally an interesting time.
The feature game in the Big 12 is West Virginia at Oklahoma. The Sooners are on a downer. The Eers are on an upper. Will they flip-flop in Norman?
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas. The MWC has a big game in Sin City – Wyoming at UNLV. The Cowboys better stay off The Strip. In the Entertainment Capital of the World, this game should be entertaining, to say the least.
In addition to Michigan-Penn State, there is a second game in the Big Ten that, if nothing else, rouses our curiosity – Rutgers at Iowa. Curious to see if either team can score. This isn’t one of my Top 10 games, but if I were predicting the score, I would say: Iowa 9, Rutgers 8.
And last but not least, a venture into the Sun Belt – Texas State at Coastal Carolina. Both teams are on highs. But one is going to come down to a low. This promises to be a good game.
After 10 weeks, seven teams remain undefeated. They are Florida State (ACC), Michigan and Ohio State (Big Ten), Liberty (C-USA), Washington (Pac-12), Georgia (SEC) and James Madison (Sun Belt).
The Top 6 teams in this week’s CFP Rankings are 1. Ohio State (9-0), 2. Georgia (9-0), 3. Michigan (9-0), 4. Florida State (9-0), 5. Washington (9-0), and 6. Oregon (8-1). Tulane, the only Group of Five team in the rankings, is 23.
Personally, my Top 6 are 1. Ohio State, 2. Washington, 3. Georgia, 4. Florida State, 5. Michigan, and 6. Texas. I have Oregon at 7.
This week, Ohio State hosts Michigan State and Georgia entertains Ole Miss. Michigan is at Penn State and Florida State is home against Miami (Florida). Washington hosts Utah, while Oregon entertains California. Texas travels to TCU and Tulane visits East Carolina.
The Top 5 teams in this week’s FCS Coaches Poll are 1. South Dakota State (9-0), 2. Furman (8-1), 3. Montana (8-1), 4. Idaho (7-2), and 5. Montana State (7-2). South Dakota State got all 26 of the first-place votes. Florida A&M (8-1) is 9th and Harvard (7-1) is 19th in the FCS Coaches Poll.
In the Division II Coaches Poll, West Florida (7-3) is 25th.
College football Week 11 began Tuesday night with three games – all MACtion. In the first contest, Ball State scored 10 points in the final 3:44 of the game to rally and beat Northern Illinois, 20-17. The teams were even in all stats except possession. Ball State dominated ball control 34:50 to 25:10.
Next up Western Michigan beat Central Michigan in a wild game. WMU led at halftime, 21-7. At the end of the third quarter, CMU led 28-21. Then WMU scored 17 unanswered points in the fourth quarter to beat CMU, 38-28. WMU quarterback Hayden Wolff passed for 333 yards and three touchdowns.
In the night cap, Ohio scored 20 points, all in the second half, to beat Buffalo, 20-10. Buffalo led at halftime, 3-0. Ohio is 7-3.
MACtion continued Wednesday night with three more games. In the first of the three, Miami (Ohio) downed Akron, 19-0. Miami had 50 yards passing. Akron had 36 yards rushing. Miami is 8-2.
In the second contest, Bowling Green trounced Kent State, 49-19. The Falcons racked up 476 total yards. The finale saw Toledo crush Eastern Michigan, 49-23. With less than five minutes to go in the game, Toledo led 49-9. EMU scored two touchdowns in the final 4:27 of the contest. Rockets quarterback Dequan Finn passed for 407 yards and three touchdowns. Toledo has won nine games in a row. The Rockets are 9-1.
In its defense, did you see where Michigan claims that several Big Ten schools have been stealing and sharing the Wolverines’ signals? The Pac-12 is the Conference of Champions. Maybe the Big Ten should be the Conference of Thieves.
College basketball coach Gary Colson died last week. Through 34 seasons, Colson was the head coach at Valdosta State (1958-1968), Pepperdine (1968-1979), New Mexico (1980-1988) and Fresno State (1990-1995). He had 563 wins. In college, he played basketball for Lipscomb University (1953-1956) in Nashville. With his efforts and lobbying, Colson, more than any other coach, was responsible for getting the rules committee to approve the 3-point shot in college basketball. A native of Logansport, Indiana, Gary Colson was 89.
Swamp Mama and I are off to the Panhandle this weekend. Gator Babe has a birthday – sweet 16 on Monday. We will be in Central Time, so those late, late shows will be one hour earlier for me. Maybe I should give Wordle another midnight try.
Enjoy your college football weekend!
Touchdown Tom
November 9, 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. Michigan (9-0) at Penn State (8-1) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – The Big Ten East picture will be clearer after this game. If Penn State loses, the Nittany Lions will be out of the picture. However, if Michigan loses, we could be looking at a three-way tie for the Big Ten East. That assumes Michigan beats Ohio State on November 25. If the Wolverines lose to Ohio State, then the Buckeyes will be going to the Big Ten title game. And, of course, we are assuming here that Michigan, Ohio State and Penn State win their other conference games. The Wolverines have won the last two games against the Nitts. Penn State last won during the COVID season of 2020 when nobody cared who won. Michigan quarterback J.J. McCarthy is a serious Heisman candidate. He’s in the Top 5. The Wolverines play good offense and defense. But Penn State does too. The Wolverines sing, “Sign, sign. Everywhere a sign.” – Michigan 30, Penn State 20.
RUNNER-UP: 2. Ole Miss (8-1) at Georgia (9-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Last week it was Missouri. This week it is Ole Miss. Next week Tennessee. Georgia is definitely into the tough part of its schedule. The Dawgs will definitely score on Ole Miss. The Magnolias have no defense. But Ole Miss does have a good offense. So, it could be a case of who outscores who. But in the end, Georgia’s defense comes through. Uga throws a Dart – Georgia 34, Ole Miss 24.
REST OF THE BEST: 3. Utah (7-2) at Washington (9-0) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Washington already has wins over Arizona, Oregon and USC. A win over Utah will add to their resume. That may boost them into the Top 4 of the CFP Poll. Utah plays good defense and has an average offense. Washington plays good offense and has an average defense. That leaves the door open for lots of possibilities. The Husky takes the Ute for drinks at Harry’s Bar – Washington 26, Utah 18.
4. Tennessee (7-2) at Missouri (7-2) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – Missouri suffered a tough loss at Georgia last week. The Tigers could be spent. Tennessee was on a cruise against Connecticut. The Vols should be rested. How will each respond. Both teams are talented on offense. Both are so-so on defense. If this game was in Knoxville, I’d pick Tennessee. But it is in Columbia. Truman purrs – Missouri 35, Tennessee 33.
5. USC (7-3) at Oregon (8-1) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 10:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Washington last week, Oregon this week, USC is going from the frying pan into the fire. Both teams are strong on offense. Bo Nix drives Oregon. Caleb Williams drives USC. Both put the pedal to the metal. The difference is on defense. Oregon has one and USC doesn’t. That is a problem for the Trojans. Disco Duck – Oregon 47, USC 38.
6. Miami (Florida) (6-3) at Florida State (9-0) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Everyone’s talking about Michael Penix and Bo Nix, but Florida State’s Jordan Travis is in the Heisman mix too. Very much so. Saturday afternoon in Tallahassee, Travis will have the Canes all mixed up. This has been a disappointing year for Miami and it’s about to get worse. The Noles smoke ’em – Florida State 33, Miami 24.
7. Alabama (8-1) at Kentucky (6-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN – Now, a lot of people think this is a trap game for Alabama. The Tide is coming off a big win over LSU. Can they stay up for Kentucky. The Wildcats aren’t as good as the Tide, but Kentucky is no pushover. So, some have Alabama on the upset alert. The Wildcats will have to play a near perfect game to have a chance. That chance is one in a thousand – Alabama 36, Kentucky 21.
8. West Virginia (6-3) at Oklahoma (7-2) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – West Virginia enters the game on a two-game winning streak. Oklahoma enters on a two-game losing streak. Somebody’s streak has to end. OU quarterback Gabriel Dillon can be deadly with his passes. That’s a challenge for the WVU defense. The Mounties can be deadly with their running game. That will be a challenge for the OU defense. The Sooners win the challenge – Oklahoma 31, West Virginia 27.
9. Duke (6-3) at North Carolina (7-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN – Duke quarterback Riley Leonard, on the injury slate, is listed as day-to-day. Without Leonard, the Dookies have no chance of beating North Carolina. With Leonard, the Dookies have a chance. With or without Leonard, the Duke defense should play well. They generally have this season. But it will be hard to stop UNC quarterback Drake Maye. The Devil looks good in a blue dress, but he doesn’t look good in Heels – North Carolina 30, Duke 25.
10. Wyoming (6-3) at UNLV (7-2) – (MWC vs. MWC) – 10:45 pm ET, Friday, FS1 – This should be one of those exciting MWC encounters. Lots of points may be scored. If the game was played in Laramie, I’d pick Wyoming. But in Las Vegas I have to go with the Rebels. UNLV is having a great season. The Rebels don’t want to disappoint the home crowd. The Cowboys are busted in Vegas – UNLV 29, Wyoming 22.
There are three interesting and intriguing games you should keep an eye on this weekend. They are Arizona (6-3) at Colorado (4-5) – (Pac-12 vs. Pac-12) – 2 pm ET, Saturday, PAC12N….. Texas State (6-3) at Coastal Carolina (6-3) – (Sun Belt vs. Sun Belt) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….. and Rutgers (6-3) at Iowa (7-2) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, BTN.
YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:
Florida (5-4) at LSU (6-3) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, SECN – After Florida’s debacle against Arkansas, it is hard to imagine the Gators doing well in Baton Rouge. But just when you think the Gators are down and out, Billy Napier surprises you. Just ask South Carolina. LSU quarterback Jayden Daniels suffered a bad hit to the head in the Alabama game last week. He may or may not be cleared to play against Florida. If he is cleared, it is probably over for the Gators. If he doesn’t play, then Florida may have a chance. Last year, Daniels almost single handedly beat Florida in Gainesville. Mike scratches Albert – LSU 34, Florida 28.
Maryland (5-4) at Nebraska (5-4) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, Peacock – I don’t know what happened to Nebraska last week. Well, yeah, I do – turnovers. If the Huskers can kick that turnover disease, then they should be able to handle Maryland. The Huskers don’t have the best offense in the world, but Nebraska’s defense should be able to contain the Terps. Like Nebraska, Maryland is an up-and-down team. The Terps will be down in Lincoln – Nebraska 28, Maryland 24.
Texas (8-1) at TCU (4-5) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Watching TCU play this season, it’s hard to imagine that the Frogs played for the national championship last season. The difference between this year’s team and last year’s team is like the difference between night and day. The Frogs are downright woeful. Texas is not woeful. That is for certain. The Longhorns had a close call last week. There will be no close calls this week. Bevo gets it on – Texas 33, TCU 13.
Minnesota (5-4) at Purdue (2-7) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – The difference between Minnesota and Purdue? Minnesota is very unpredictable. Purdue is very predictable. You never know how the Gophers are going to play. You always know how the Boilers are going to play – bad. Regardless of who wins, I don’t think I will be surprised. But I think Pete gets lost in a Gopher hole – Minnesota 27, Purdue 23.
ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:
Temple at South Florida – (AAC vs. AAC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Alabama A&M at Bethune-Cookman – (SWAC vs. SWAC) – 1 pm ET, Saturday….
Stetson at Valparaiso – (Pioneer vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Chowan at West Florida – (Gulf South vs. Gulf South) – 2 pm ET, Saturday….
Oklahoma State at UCF – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN….
FIU at Middle Tennessee State – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
East Carolina at Florida Atlantic – (AAC vs. AAC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….
Lincoln (CA) at Florida A&M – (Ind. vs. SWAC) – 6 pm ET, Saturday….
Quotes of the Weeks
“The only thing that matters to us is playing the way we can and not worrying about anything else,” Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin.
Touchdown Tom
https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com
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