2020 College Football Discussion and Pick 'Em Thread

[GeorgiaModerate]

Oklahoma-Texas is never going to end.  OU just had a short FG try to win in 3OT -- and the kicker shanked it.

[GeorgiaModerate]

The football gods are fickle.  Pitt's kicker made a career long 58-yard FG during the game -- and then missed the tying extra point at the end of OT, costing Pitt the game.

[GeorgiaModerate]

-No insane college football Saturday can be complete without some controversy, and Auburn only escaped lowly (or are they??) Arkansas because the refs let the ruling on the field of an incomplete pass stand on a really bizarre play where an attempted spike (after a mishandled snap) went backwards (so it should have been a fumble).  The SEC later tried to go back and say that there was no clear recovery, but that's questionable at best to me.  Auburn then kicks the game winning field goal after being gifted another chance.

Yes, the refs completely blew that one.  Even if there was no clear recovery, the ball would have been spotted a few yards behind the original line of scrimmage.  This would have made the FG try longer, and the kicker just barely made it as it was.

[GeorgiaModerate]

WEEK 6 RESULTS

First place is currently a tie between Dingo Joe and myself, pending the outcome of the delayed Coastal Carolina-Louisiana game on Wednesday (he picked Coastal, I picked the Cajuns).  Florida Atlantic at Southern Miss was postponed; if it comes back in a later week you'll need to pick it again.  Full results:

16 Dingo Joe, GeorgiaModerate
15 dfw, Donerail
14 ExtremeRepublican, JGibson, NY Express
12 Dereich, Illiniwek

There were 10 unanimous picks:

South Carolina-Vanderbilt
Syracuse-Duke (wrong)
Georgia-Tennessee
BYU-UTSA
Arkansas State-Central Arkansas
Auburn-Arkansas
TCU-Kansas State (wrong)
Alabama-Ole Miss
Louisiana Tech-UTEP
LSU-Missouri (wrong)

And 7 games with one dissenter:

Florida-Texas A&M (dissenter was right)
Louisiana-Coastal Carolina (pending)
North Carolina-Virginia Tech
Iowa State-Texas Tech
Troy-Texas State
FIU-Middle Tennessee (dissenter was right)
Clemson-Miami

Year to date standings (107 games):

77 Donerail
75 Dingo Joe, Extreme Republican
74 dfw, GeorgiaModerate
71 Dereich
69 Illiniwek
66 JGibson
65 NY Express

[GeorgiaModerate]

Vanderbilt-Missouri is also off this week.

[GeorgiaModerate]

#17 SMU @ Tulane
#15 BYU @ Houston

#8 Cincinnati @ Tulsa
Pittsburgh @ #13 Miami (FL)
#14 Auburn @ South Carolina
Kentucky @ #18 Tennessee
Navy @ East Carolina
Texas State @ South Alabama
South Florida @ Temple
Liberty @ Syracuse
Kansas @ West Virginia
Army @ UTSA
Western Kentucky @ UAB
Louisville @ Notre Dame
LSU @ #10 Florida postponed
Duke @ NC State
UCF @ Memphis
Ole Miss @ Arkansas
#11 Texas A&M @ Mississippi State
Virginia @ Wake Forest
Marshall @ Louisiana Tech
#7 Oklahoma State @ Baylor postponed
Vanderbilt @ Missouri postponed
#3 Georgia @ #2 Alabama 
Boston College @ #23 Virginia Tech

[GeorgiaModerate]

@NY Express: you didn't pick Miss. St-Texas A&M (please reply with the pick rather than editing your OP).

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://ugawire.usatoday.com/2020/10/14/alabama-hc-nick-saban-tests-positive-for-covid-19-georgia-football/


Man, I wish this didn't happen. I wanted UGA to beat U of A fair and square, but now they have a lame excuse if they lose

If the Alabama/Georgia game doesn't get postponed, I am switching my pick in that game to Georgia.

OK, I've switched it to Georgia.

[GeorgiaModerate]

WEEK 6 RESULTS

First place is currently a tie between Dingo Joe and myself, pending the outcome of the delayed Coastal Carolina-Louisiana game on Wednesday (he picked Coastal, I picked the Cajuns).  ...

Coastal Carolina won last night, giving first place for the week to Dingo Joe (he was the only one to pick them).  The updated results are:

17 Dingo Joe
16 GeorgiaModerate
15 dfw, Donerail
14 ExtremeRepublican, JGibson, NY Express
12 Dereich, Illiniwek

Year to date standings (108 games):

77 Donerail
76 Dingo Joe
75 Extreme Republican
74 dfw, GeorgiaModerate
71 Dereich
69 Illiniwek
66 JGibson
65 NY Express

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://twitter.com/EricBoehlert/status/1317086717359378434

[GeorgiaModerate]

Southern Miss at UTEP (not a pick'em game) has been postponed due to COVID.

[GeorgiaModerate]

So in tonight's SMU Tulane game...

Early in the 4th quarter, SMU up by 3, Tulane with the ball, 3rd and 19.  They complete a pass and pick up some yardage, but not a first down (and not real close to one).  SMU accepts the penalty and sends them back.  This makes it 3rd and 29, rinse and repeat: Tulane completes a pass, not a first down, and gets ANOTHER holding penalty -- which SMU accepts again, setting up 3rd and 39.

On 3rd and 39, Tulane completes a long pass for the first down and shortly follows up with a TD to take the lead.  What was SMU thinking by not declining either of the holding penalties???  They tried to get cute and it came back to bite them.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Memphis-UCF in a wild one, currently 43-37 with about 9 minutes left.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Memphis, which trailed 35-14 in the third quarter, came back to win 50-49.  UCF had a chance to win at the end, but their kicker just missed a 40-yard FG.  There were 35 points scored in the fourth quarter (21 by Memphis, 14 by UCF).  One of the most exciting games I've seen in a long time!

[GeorgiaModerate]

This Bama-Georgia game is shaping up to be an instant classic, but I have a flight I have to leave for before the crack of dawn tomorrow.  I just feel like, if I go to sleep, something insane is going to happen that I'll miss!

I seem to recall switching my pick in that game twice (I guess the switch back to Alabama never got recorded)

It did.

[GeorgiaModerate]

WEEK 7 RESULTS

dfwlibertylover won the week with an impressive 18-3, a game ahead of Dereich and NewYorkExpress.  Four games were postponed (Cincinnati-Tulsa, LSU-Florida, Vanderbilt-Missouri, and Oklahoma State-Baylor); if they come back in a future week you'll need to pick them again.  Full results:

18 dfw
17 Dereich, NY Express
16 Donerail, ExtremeRepublican, GeorgiaModerate
14 Dingo Joe
12 Jgibson
11 Illiniwek

There were 6 unanimous picks, all correct:

South Alabama-Texas State
West Virginia-Kansas
Army-UTSA
UAB-Western Kentucky
Notre Dame-Lousiville
Texas A&M-Miss. State

And 7 games with a single dissenter:

SMU-Tulane
BYU-Houston
Miami-Pitt
Auburn-South Carolina (dissenter was right)
Tennessee-Kentukcy (dissenter was right)
Temple-South Florida
Va. Tech-Boston College

For the season, we have a tight battle with 5 people clustered within 3 games of the top.  Year to date standings (129 games):

93 Donerail
92 dfw
91 ExtremeRepublican
90 DINGO Joe, GeorgiaModerate
88 Dereich
82 NY Express
80 Illiniwek
78 Jgibson

[GeorgiaModerate]

NY Express: you left out Wyoming-Nevada.  Friendly suggestion: proofread your picks to make sure you've picked all the games.  (You also left out 3 NFL games this weekend, but I didn't finish entering picks into the spreadsheet until games had already started, so didn't mention it.)

[GeorgiaModerate]

Illinois @ #14 Wisconsin
Louisiana @ UAB

Nebraska @ #5 Ohio State
#23 NC State @ #14 North Carolina
Kansas @ #20 Kansas State
Georgia Southern @ #25 Coastal Carolina
Auburn @ Ole Miss
Oklahoma @ TCU
Temple @ Memphis
Florida State @ Louisville
Tulane @ UCF
#3 Notre Dame @ Pittsburgh
#17 Iowa State @ #6 Oklahoma State
#8 Penn State @ Indiana
#19 Virginia Tech @ Wake Forest
Baylor @ Texas
Iowa @ Purdue
Kentucky @ Missouri
South Carolina @ LSU
Utah State @ Boise State
Wyoming @ Nevada
#18 Michigan @ #21 Minnesota
Hawaii @ Fresno State
#9 Cincinnati @ #16 SMU
Air Force @ San Jose State

[GeorgiaModerate]

Once again, Auburn benefits from a horrible non-call from the officials.

[GeorgiaModerate]

WEEK 8 RESULTS

For the first time this season, none of our games was postponed.  Dingo Joe and Donerail shared first place for the week at 18-7.  Full results:

18 Dingo Joe, Donerail
17 Dereich, Illiniwek
16 dfw, ExtremeRepublican, Jgibson
15 GeorgiaModerate
13 NY Express

There were six unanimous picks:

Wisconsin-Illinois
Ohio State-Nebraska
Kansas State-Kansas
Memphis-Temple
Notre Dame-Pitt
Penn State-Indiana (wrong)

And eight games with a single dissenter:

North Carolins-NC State
Coastal Carolina-Georgia Southern
UCF-Tulane
Virginia Tech-Wake Forest (incredibly prescient dissenter was right)
Kentucky-Missouri (dissenter was right)
LSU-South Carolina
Boise State-Utah State
Air Force-San Jose State (dissenter was right)

Donerail opened up a little bit of cushion in the overall standings, but there are still a bunch of people within striking distance.  Year to date results (154 games):

111 Donerail
108 dfw, DINGO Joe
107 ExtremeRepublican
105 Dereich, GeorgiaModerate
97 Illiniwek
95 NY Express
94 Jgibson

[GeorgiaModerate]

At least we got one weekend in with no postponements.  It might end up being the only one.

[GeorgiaModerate]

#5 Georgia @ Kentucky
Memphis @#7 Cincinnati
Michigan State @ #13 Michigan
#16 Kansas State @ West Virginia
#20 Coastal Carolina @ Georgia State    I've become a believer in Coastal.
Purdue @ Illinois
UCF @ Houston
North Texas @ UTEP postponed
Troy @ Arkansas State
#9 Wisconsin @ Nebraska canceled
#17 Indiana @ Rutgers
UAB @ Louisiana Tech
TCU @ Baylor
LSU @ Auburn
Northwestern @ Iowa
Texas @ #6 Oklahoma State
Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt
Virginia Tech @ Louisville
#3 Ohio State @ #18 Penn State
Arkansas @ #8 Texas A&M
Missouri @ #10 Florida
Navy @ #22 SMU
#24 Oklahoma @ Texas Tech
San Diego State @ Utah State
Nevada @ UNLV

[GeorgiaModerate]

No Trevor Lawrence (COVID) seems to equal some problems for Clemson.

Boston College leads 14-7 early in the first quarter.

BC just had a 97-yard fumble return for a TD and now leads 21-7.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Georgia beats Kentucky 14-3.  That was one of the quickest games I've seen in a long time.

[GeorgiaModerate]

I am not having a good week in picks so far.