2020 College Football Discussion and Pick 'Em Thread

[GeorgiaModerate]

Tulsa-Houston has been postponed.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/YahooSportsCFB/status/1331374351220805632

[GeorgiaModerate]

Put another way: imagine if Auburn or Oklahoma State played BYU's schedule. Does anyone think they wouldn't be 9-0 right now? Me neither.

I was thinking something similar to this.  I've watched Cincinnati play a couple times this year.  They are no doubt a good team -- but at best they're Auburn/Oklahoma State level of good, not Alabama/Notre Dame level.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Vanderbilt football, which finds itself in need of a place-kicker, could turn to women's soccer player Sarah Fuller.

Appearing on 102.5 The Game in Nashville on Wednesday, coach Derek Mason confirmed that Fuller "is an option for us."

The Vanderbilt Hustler first reported that Fuller practiced with the football team Tuesday with many of the team's specialists in quarantine because of COVID-19 testing.

If Fuller plays Saturday against Missouri, it is believed that she would be the first woman to participate in a Power 5 football game.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30386218/vanderbilt-soccer-sarah-fuller-option-kick-football-team-coach-says

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/CecilHurt/status/1331629950110150662

[GeorgiaModerate]

#15 Iowa State @ #20 Texas
Nebraska @ Iowa
#2 Notre Dame @ #25 North Carolina
UCF @ South Florida
Stanford @ Cal
#9 Oregon @ Oregon State

Maryland @ #12 Indiana
#24 Tulsa @ Houston off
Penn State @ Michigan
Arkansas @ Missouri off
Kent State @ Buffalo
Ball State @ Toledo
Georgia Southern @ Georgia State
Minnesota @ #18 Wisconsin off
#22 Auburn @ #1 Alabama
Colorado @ #19 USC
Pittsburgh @ #4 Clemson
Mississippi State @ Ole Miss
San Jose State @ Boise State
Rutgers @ Purdue
LSU @ #5 Texas A&M
Arizona @ UCLA
#14 Oklahoma @ West Virginia off
Troy @ Appalachian State

[GeorgiaModerate]

I'm switching my pick in the Alabama/Auburn game to Auburn.

Got it.

[GeorgiaModerate]

My Commodores are getting more attention today than we've gotten in years

Well, for years people have been saying they play like girls.  Today it might be true.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The most Vandy football thing ever is to have a player ready to make history but never give her a chance to score by never getting into field goal range (yes, I know she had a kickoff, but I wanted to see her have a chance to kick an extra point or field goal).

Naw, it could have been worse.  Something like this: she gets an attempt and makes the kick, but there's a penalty on Vandy that nullifies it and pushes them back a few yards.  On the second try, it's either blocked or the holder fumbles the snap and they don't get the kick off.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Michigan loses to previously winless Penn State.  Is Harbaugh done?

[GeorgiaModerate]

Syracuse, trailing 36-29, was deep in N.C. State territory with the clock winding down.  After being sacked, the Syracuse QB spiked the ball to stop the clock.  Unfortunately, he had overlooked that it was fourth down.  Oops.

[GeorgiaModerate]

WEEK 13 RESULTS

Seven games were canceled or postponed.  Donerail won the week at 14-4, a game ahead of Dereich.  Full results:

14 Donerail
13 Dereich
12 dfw, ExtremeRepublican, GeorgiaModerate
11 Dingo Joe
10 JGibson
 9 NY Express

There were 8 unanimous picks:

Iowa-Nebraska
Notre Dame-North Carolina
UCF-South Florida
Oregon-Oregon State (wrong)
Indiana-Maryland
Toledo-Ball State (wrong)
Clemson-Pitt
App State-Troy

And 4 games with a single dissenter:

Buffalo-Kent State
Alabama-Auburn
Purdue-Rutgers (dissenter was right)
Texas A&M-LSU

The win moved Donerail back into first place overall, a single game ahead of Dereich and dfw.  Year to date standings (256 games):

178 Donerail
177 Dereich, dfw
173 ExtremeRepublican
172 GeorgiaModerate
160 Jgibson
158 NY Express
145 DINGO Joe
141 Illiniwek
 16 JacksonHitchcock

[GeorgiaModerate]

Florida State/Duke canceled, replaced with Miami (FL)/Duke

If we are allowed to change picks to account for the changed matchup for Duke, I'd like to change my pick to Miami (FL)

Any picks for FSU/Duke won't count, just like all the other canceled or postponed games we've had. 

Since dfw is the one who decides which games will be picked, I'll defer to him on whether Miami/Duke should be added as a replacement. 

[GeorgiaModerate]

USC-Washington State has been moved from Friday to Sunday.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Liberty-Coastal Carolina and Kent State-Miami (Ohio) have been canceled.  Coastal picked up BYU as a replacement opponent, which is a pretty interesting game.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Louisiana @ Appalachian State

#5 Texas A&M @ #22 Auburn
#8 Northwestern @ Minnesota canceled
West Virginia @ #13 Iowa State
#17 Texas @ Kansas State
Liberty @ #20 Coastal Carolina canceled
#23 Oklahoma State @ TCU
Ball State @ Central Michigan
Fresno State @ Nevada
Penn State @ Rutgers
Boston College @ Virginia
Miami @ Duke
South Carolina @ Kentucky
Arkansas @ Missouri
#4 Ohio State @ Michigan State
Memphis @ Tulane
Kent State @ Miami (OH) canceled
Nebraska @ Purdue
Bowling Green @ Akron
Eastern Michigan @ Western Michigan
#12 Indiana @ #16 Wisconsin
Buffalo @ Ohio
Maryland @ Michigan canceled
Florida Atlantic @ Georgia Southern

Washington State @ #18 USC

[GeorgiaModerate]

Vandy-Georgia canceled, not so much because of covid, but because Vandy has had so many players leave the program in recent weeks that even a small number of injuries or covid cases/contact traced players brings Vandy below the SEC's threshold.

This is downright embarrassing, but maybe slightly less embarrassing than what would have happened on the field.

Georgia was a 35.5 point favorite before this happened, so yes it's probably a merciful ending.

[GeorgiaModerate]

ESPN has a long but interesting article about the history of the old Southwest Conference and the factors that led to its breakup:

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/30424417/i-wishof-well-demise-southwest-conference-25-years-later

[GeorgiaModerate]

Missouri with a FG at the end to beat Arkansas 50-48 in a wild one.  Arkansas led 33-23 at the end of three quarters; there were 42 points total scored in the fourth.  

[GeorgiaModerate]

Terrific finish to BYU-Coastal!  A BYU receiver was stopped just short of the goal line on the final play, and Coastal won 22-17.

[GeorgiaModerate]

There is no serious Heisman contender that we can look back upon for this season. Trask is the only choice among the media annointed candidates. I'd probably offer a vote to Devonta Smith if it weren't such a close race amongst mediocrity.

Justin Fields is the best player in college football. He's getting screwed by tOSUs scheduling woes.

Sometimes I think about where Georgia would be if he'd stayed with them.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Disappointed at not betting on Stanford or Cal, as I saw potential. (I had a tiny piece of Cal, but Kentucky is playing too well for it to pay) Still think there's a bit of value left tonight. Have Fresno State +5.5, ASU moneyline, Oregon State moneyline and +14.5, and a bet that I really hate but made anyway, Wyoming ATS for the parlays.

Well, at least Oregon State only lost by 6.

[GeorgiaModerate]

WEEK 14 RESULTS

Five games were canceled.  The week was won by dfw at 15-5, a game ahead of three other people.  Full results:

15 dfw
14 Dingo Joe, GeorgiaModerate, Jgibson
13 Donerail, ExtremeRepublican
12 Dereich
10 Illiniwek
 9 NY Express

There were 7 unanimous picks:

App State-Louisiana (wrong, except for CraneHusband who I'm not including because it was the only game he picked)
Iowa State-West Virginia
Miami (FL)-Duke
Kentucky-South Carolina
Ohio State-Michigan State
Western Michigan-Eastern Michigan (wrong)
USC-Washington State

And 4 games with a single dissenter:

Texas A&M-Auburn
Texas-Kansas State
Nevada-Fresno State
Purdue-Nebraska (dissenter was right)

dfw moved into first place overall with the win, a game ahead of Donerail.  Year to date standings (276 games):

192 dfw
191 Donerail
189 Dereich
186 ExtremeRepublican, GeorgiaModerate
174 Jgibson
167 NY Express
159 DINGO Joe
151 Illiniwek

[GeorgiaModerate]

The Tulsa-Cincy game is kind of weird as they've both clinched spots in the conference title game which means they'll play the week after too (at a neutral site).  I saw chatter that the conference might cancel this week's game and just play the conference championship, but I think Tulsa protested because if, in the unlikely chance, they sweep Cincinnati, they might get a New Year's Bowl.

I think the same thing happened in the AAC last year with Memphis and Cincinnati, i.e. they played the last regular season game against each other with their division championships already clinched.  But the regular season game was still meaningful because the winner became the host of the conference title game.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Can you please give me the point for my prediction? It would be so funny to see me at the bottom with one point  yet perfect percentage

OK, I'll also add back JacksonHitchcock (I had decided to drop non-regular players from the standings).

Year to date standings (276 games):

192 dfw
191 Donerail
189 Dereich
186 ExtremeRepublican, GeorgiaModerate
174 Jgibson
167 NY Express
159 DINGO Joe
151 Illiniwek
 16 JacksonHitchcock
   1 CraneHusband