Rivalry week gave us several upsets by Texas, Vanderbilt, Cal and a few nailbiter wins across the country including Alabama, Georgia and Oklahoma. This week belongs to the Conference Title games, and all hell could break lose in the ACC if Duke beats Virginia. With Texas’s win over A&M, tons of media support have rained down claiming the Longhorns are getting shafted (even before the rankings are released) for scheduling a tough non-conference opponent. The funny thing is the committee has put an emphasis on quality losses, just ask Notre Dame. The loss to a 4-8 Florida, and it being Texas’s third loss of the season is what makes it a difficult debate. The Gators had a tough schedule, but Texas was Florida’s only win against a foe with a winning record, and the Longhorns struggled in overtime against Kentucky and Mississippi State. Calling it now, if BYU loses to Texas Tech they will move down, meaning Miami will be right behind Notre Dame forcing the committee to move the Canes over the Irish this Sunday.
Marquee Matchup
#1 Ohio State vs. #2 Indiana: Folks around the College Football world continue to claim that league titles are worthless. Try telling that to the Hoosiers as they head into this rematch from a year ago. Also, the Buckeyes haven’t won the Big Ten since 2020. You can throw out the 2024 game between Ohio State and Hoosiers. The line of scrimmage is vastly improved for Indiana as well as the quarterback position. Indiana’s non-conference slate was weak; however, impressive victories at Oregon and Iowa, along with a magical comeback drive over Penn State, have the Hoosiers battle-tested. Ohio State bookended their season versus solid competition with Texas and Michigan. In between the Buckeyes didn’t really get fully tested beyond 3rd quarters at Washington. Something to think about is the possible letdown spot for Ohio State after getting over a 4-year hump of a bitter rival in Michigan.
The Pick: Ohio State –4.5
- Sayin to play well
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Buckeyes win on ground
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OSU offensive line advantage
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#3 Georgia vs. #9 Alabama:
The Bulldogs must have a better start than the previous two losses to the Crimson Tide. Georgia needs to finish drives with points, given they rushed for 227 yards back in September. Also, the Bulldogs must get more out of their passing game. Turnovers will be key, of course; a category Alabama has slipped in of late after starting out very strong. Bama’s ground game has improved; however, they’ve taken a slight step back in passing offense. The Crimson Tide had more rushing yards than passing last week versus Auburn. Kirby Smart’s Alabama problem is another talking point, but Smart will put that to bed for now.
The Pick: Georgia –2.5
- Bulldogs to get off to better start
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Tide must establish the run
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Stockton to play well
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Under The Radar
#20 Tulane vs. #24 North Texas:
The winner of this AAC tilt will earn a trip to the playoffs. Tulane has losses to an overmatched Ole Miss squad and as a favorite to UTSA. That said the Green Wave gathered solid victories by dominating Northwestern and beating Duke. Can Tulane win the time of possession? If so, it will likely come from Tulane running the ball against a poor North Texas rush defense. The Mean Green surrenders 208 yards on defense per outing. Tulane QB Jake Retzlaff has litany of experience at the power 4 level. The juggernaut that is the Mean Green offense is hard to ignore, especially facing a below average passing defense. The only thing that sticks with this college football podcaster was the 2nd half of the USF game. South Florida ran them off the field, putting up 63 points. Something to note, in the last two meetings Tulane has walked away with a victory.
The Pick: North Texas –2.5
- Win Time of Possession
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Tulane has won last two meetings
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North Texas Defense to be difference
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Saturday Upset Special
Miami (OH) upsets Western Michigan as a small underdog sitting around +2.5 points.
Hardcore Barnburner
Boise State vs UNLV: To be fair it is a shame New Mexico, who went 2-1 in what came down to computers judging 4 teams in the Mountain West. UNLV went 0 and 2 losing to New Mexico. Anyway, this conference title matchup will be a hardcore barnburner. UNLV offense facing the Boise State defense will be the key to winning. 56-31 was the score on October 18th, and unless the Running Rebels can hang, this may be another blowout. UNLV has played better in recent weeks. Also, Broncos QB Maddux Madsen returns.
The Pick: Boise State –5.5
Against The Spread
Troy +23.5 versus James Madison
The College Ball Show:
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Quick Hits Recap & My Top 4 Plus 6 More
-My Top 4: Ohio State, Indiana, Georgia, & Oregon.
-Plus 6 More: Texas Tech, Ole Miss, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Alabama, & Miami.
-Ohio State ended Michigan’s 4-year dominace with a 27-9 win in Ann Arbor.
-The trend continues 24 straight times the winner rushes for more yards. Ohio State had 186 rush yards to Michigan’s 100.
-Michigan scored their fewest points in the rivalry since 2010.
-Notre Dame has won 10 in a row by double digits, ending their regular season with a 49-20 victory over Stanford.
-Alabama extended their Iron Bowl success streak to 6 in a 27-20 win over Auburn.
-Minnesota’s win over Wisconsin in a fitting cold and snowy afternoon 17-7 gives the Gophers the series lead over the Badgers 64-63-8. The rivalry dates to 1891, (longest in FBS) and the trophy the play for is Paul Bunyan’s Axe.
-Vanderbilt’s 2nd half destruction of Tennessee gave the Commodores their very first 10-win season. Vandy QB Diego Pavia had 433 total yards in 2 touchdowns in the 45-24 win.
-Texas Tech had their largest conference road win in school history with a 49-0 thrashing of West Virginia.
-The Mountaineers loss by the largest margin ever at home dating back to 1891.
Written by Chris Carlson Host of The College Ball Show available under The Rope A Dope Radio Podcast Umbrella on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker, I-Heart Radio, Amazon Podcasts, Google Podcasts & More! Follow on Twitter
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