2020 College Football Discussion and Pick 'Em Thread

[7,052,770]

Actually, now that I think about it, why can't our first game be September 7 (BYU @ Navy)?

Why can't it be September 4 (South Alabama @ Southern Miss)?

[NewYorkExpress]

Actually, now that I think about it, why can't our first game be September 7 (BYU @ Navy)?

Why can't it be September 4 (South Alabama @ Southern Miss)?

First, there are two games scheduled on that date. Central Arkansas is scheduled to play UAB @ UAB.

Second, I certainly don't see a reason why the games on the 4th and 5th can't be included, it's just the schedule is a lot more sparing of decent matchups (The best we've got that week are Middle Tennessee @ Army, Arkansas State @ Memphis, SMU @ Texas State and BYU @ Navy. Only the last of those is particularly interesting to me, anyways.)

[GeorgiaModerate]

Memphis running back Kenneth Gainwell has opted out of the season due to concerns over COVID-19.  His family has already lost four members to the disease.  Gainwell (terrific name for a running back!) was a second-team preseason All-American and probably the best non-P5 player in the country.

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29774924/memphis-rb-kenneth-gainwell-opting-prepare-2021-draft

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Actually, now that I think about it, why can't our first game be September 7 (BYU @ Navy)?

Why can't it be September 4 (South Alabama @ Southern Miss)?

Want there to be a ample time since it's the first week we are playing (so as many people as want to join can and I can get the word out) and also dont think its really worth playing 2 games in the week 1 unless they were more significant games (no offense to those teams)

[Terry the Fat Shark]

So we'll go with the September 12th start date, I will post the pick em (with all 22 games) as soon as the schedules are lined up.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Penn State football doctor: 30-35% of COVID-19-positive Big Ten athletes had myocarditis

During a State College Area school board of directors meeting on Monday night, Wayne Sebastianelli — Penn State’s director of athletic medicine — made some alarming comments about the link between COVID-19 and myocarditis, particularly in Big Ten athletes. Sebastianelli said that cardiac MRI scans revealed that approximately a third of Big Ten athletes who tested positive for COVID-19 appeared to have myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle that can be fatal if left unchecked.

“When we looked at our COVID-positive athletes, whether they were symptomatic or not, 30 to roughly 35 percent of their heart muscles (are) inflamed,” Sebastianelli said. “And we really just don’t know what to do with it right now. It’s still very early in the infection. Some of that has led to the Pac-12 and the Big Ten’s decision to sort of put a hiatus on what’s happening.”

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Note: TCU-SMU, Baylor-Louisiana Tech, and Oklahoma State - Tulsa postponed due to covid

Week 2 (first picking) matchups:

Thursday, September 10th

UAB @ Miami 8:00 PM EDT ACCN

Saturday, September 12th

Syracuse @ #18 North Carolina Noon EDT ACCN

Louisiana @ #23 Iowa State Noon EDT ESPN

Eastern Kentucky @ WVU Noon EDT FS1

Charlotte @ Appalachian State Noon EDT ESPN2

The Citadel @ USF 1 PM EDT ESPN+

UL Monroe @ Army 1:30 PM EDT CBSSN

Duke @ #10 Notre Dame 2:30 PM EDT NBC

Arkansas State @ Kansas State 3:30 PM EDT FS1

UTSA @ Texas State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN2

Campbell @ Georgia Southern 3:30 PM EDT ESPNU

Georgia Tech @ FSU 3:30 PM EDT ABC

Austin Peay @ Pittsburgh 4 PM EDT ACCN

Missouri State @ #5 Oklahoma 7 PM EDT (no network listed)

#1 Clemson @ Wake Forest 7:30 PM EDT ABC

Tulane @ South Alabama 7:30 PM EDT ESPN2

UTEP @ #14 Texas 8 PM EDT LHN

Western Kentucky @ Louisville 8 PM EDT ACCN

Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech 8 PM EDT ESPN+

Coastal Carolina @ Kansas 10 PM EDT FS1

[GeorgiaModerate]

For the benefit of any new players, here’s how it works:

Anytime after dfwlibertylover posts the week’s games, make your picks by replying in this thread one or more times.  Don’t send them by PM to either him or me.  You can either copy the list of games and bold your predicted winners, or just post your list of winners. 

If bolding your winners, games with zero or both teams bolded will not be counted.  If listing your winners, slight errors in team names will be counted if the intent is unambiguous.  For example, in the Georgia Tech vs Florida State game, writing “Florida” would be counted as a pick of Florida State, but “Georgia State” would not be counted.  I (or anyone) may point out such errors so you have a chance to correct them, but this is not guaranteed to happen – ultimately, you’re responsible for getting your picks posted correctly.

Your pick for a game must be posted before the official start time for that game.  This is a hard cutoff.  You can change any of your picks by making a subsequent post, as long as it's before the game start time.  Please don’t edit your original post, as this is easy for me to miss and could also raise timestamp questions. 

You don’t have to post your whole list at once.  For example, in a week with Friday and Saturday games, you could optionally post only the Friday game picks by Friday, and then follow up with the Saturday games on Saturday morning.  Or if you forget and miss the Friday games, you can still post picks for Saturday's games.

Each correct pick is worth one point.  After all of the week’s games are complete (usually on Sunday morning) I’ll post the results for that week and the year-to-date standings.

[NewYorkExpress]

Miami (I like UAB, and I think they've got a great shot to win Conference USA, but the Hurricanes are the better team. I wouldn't be surprised if they were a serious contender to make the ACC Championship Game.)

SMU (I think the Mustangs are a slightly better team than the Horned Frogs)

Syracuse (I have a habit of picking Syracuse against ranked opposition, and North Carolina is a far weaker team than Clemson has been the past few years. If this is the week Syracuse pulls off a big upset, this is it, not against Clemson or Notre Dame.)

Iowa State (The Rajun Cajun's have good talent, but the Cyclones are a superior team. Don't be surprised if they end up in the Big Twelve title game)

West Virginia (The Mountaineers aren't going to be particularly good this season, but they're still much better than the Colonels.)

Appalachian State (The Best team in the Sun Belt walks away with a season opening win)

Baylor (Baylor is the clearly superior team here)

South Florida (This could be somewhat close if South Florida has it's eyes on Notre Dame next week, but they aren't losing to an FCS team)

Louisiana-Monroe (I guess Army's the early favorite? This one seems like a real tossup to me, and might be the closest game on the schedule)

Notre Dame (Duke isn't that bad a team, and I could see an upset here, but this is more of a mismatch than Syracuse/North Carolina. If Notre Dame loses, it likely will be against Clemson.)

Kansas State (Kansas State is a stronger team, and Arkansas State will be coming off a difficult rivalry game the previous week.)

Texas State (It's a rivalry game, so anything can happen, but Texas State is the stronger team)

Campbell (I think one of the FCS teams will beat an FBS team this week, and Campbell beating Georgia State seems to be the most obvious pick)

Pittsburgh (The Panthers are probably one of the weaker teams in the ACC, but they are far stronger in almost every way to almost any FCS team)

Oklahoma (The Sooners are easily the best team in the Big Twelve. If they actually figure out how to play Defense, they might actually win a National Title.)

Clemson (I'll be surprised if this one is even close. At this moment, Clemson is the class of the ACC by a mile, and only season-ending injuries to Trevor Lawrence or Travis Etienne could really derail them.)

Oklahoma State (It's a rivalry game, so anything theoretically could happen, but Oklahoma State is a far superior team to Tulsa)

Tulane (another coin toss game in my opinion, and I'm not sure who wins. Going with my gut and taking the Green Wave)

Texas (The Longhorns are the superior team, by far-though I am surprised they are ranked as high up as they are)

Louisville (The Cardinals are a far superior team to Western Kentucky in my opinion)

Texas Tech (The Red Raiders are superior to an FCS opponent)

Coastal Carolina (Kansas has been horrible against pretty much all FBS opposition for over a decade now, and I see no reason why that trend won't continue in the season opener this year. With no FCS opponents on the schedule, Kansas could go winless.)

[Donerail]

Thursday, September 10th
UAB @ Miami

Friday, September 11th
SMU @ TCU

Saturday, September 12th
Syracuse @ #18 North Carolina
Louisiana @ #23 Iowa State
Eastern Kentucky @ WVU
Charlotte @ Appalachian State
Louisiana Tech @ Baylor
The Citadel @ USF
UL Monroe @ Army
Duke @ #10 Notre Dame
Arkansas State @ Kansas State
UTSA @ Texas State
Campbell @ Georgia Southern
Georgia Tech @ FSU
Austin Peay @ Pittsburgh
Missouri State @ #5 Oklahoma
#1 Clemson @ Wake Forest
Tulsa @ #15 Oklahoma State
Tulane @ South Alabama
UTEP @ #14 Texas
Western Kentucky @ Louisville
Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech
Coastal Carolina @ Kansas

[NewYorkExpress]

https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29812490/tcu-delaying-opener-smu-positive-coronavirus-tests

Following multiple COVID-19 positive test results, TCU/SMU has been postponed.

[Dereich]

UAB @ Miami 8:00 PM EDT ACCN ([God I hope I'm wrong. I would LOVE to see the Blazers win this)
Syracuse @ #18 North Carolina Noon EDT ACCN
Louisiana @ #23 Iowa State Noon EDT ESPN
Eastern Kentucky @ WVU Noon EDT FS1 (As I'm writing this EKU is down 28-0 to Marshall)
Charlotte @ Appalachian State Noon EDT ESPN2
Louisiana Tech @ Baylor Noon EDT FOX EDIT 2: another one bites the dust
The Citadel @ USF 1 PM EDT ESPN+
UL Monroe @ Army 1:30 PM EDT CBSSN
Duke @ #10 Notre Dame 2:30 PM EDT NBC
Arkansas State @ Kansas State 3:30 PM EDT FS1
UTSA @ Texas State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN2
Campbell @ Georgia Southern 3:30 PM EDT ESPNU
Georgia Tech @ FSU 3:30 PM EDT ABC
Austin Peay @ Pittsburgh 4 PM EDT ACCN
Missouri State @ #5 Oklahoma 7 PM EDT (no network listed)
#1 Clemson @ Wake Forest 7:30 PM EDT ABC
Tulsa @ #15 Oklahoma State 7:30 PM EDT (no network listed) Edit: lol, RIP
Tulane @ South Alabama 7:30 PM EDT ESPN2
UTEP @ #14 Texas 8 PM EDT LHN
Western Kentucky @ Louisville 8 PM EDT ACCN (Real tempted to pick WKU on this one. I don't believe Louisville at all)
Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech 8 PM EDT ESPN+
Coastal Carolina @ Kansas 10 PM EDT FS1 ("NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP COACH LES MILES LOSES 9-6 TO COASTAL CAROLINA" is both possible and very 2020)

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Tulsa-Oklahoma State postponed a week. Tulsa didn't get enough practice due to covid protocols.

[JGibson]

Thursday, September 10th

UAB @ Miami 8:00 PM EDT ACCN

Saturday, September 12th

Syracuse @ #18 North Carolina Noon EDT ACCN

Louisiana @ #23 Iowa State Noon EDT ESPN

Eastern Kentucky @ WVU Noon EDT FS1

Charlotte @ Appalachian State Noon EDT ESPN2

Louisiana Tech @ Baylor Noon EDT FOX

The Citadel @ USF 1 PM EDT ESPN+

UL Monroe @ Army 1:30 PM EDT CBSSN

Duke @ #10 Notre Dame 2:30 PM EDT NBC

Arkansas State @ Kansas State 3:30 PM EDT FS1

UTSA @ Texas State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN2

Campbell @ Georgia Southern 3:30 PM EDT ESPNU

Georgia Tech @ FSU 3:30 PM EDT ABC

Austin Peay @ Pittsburgh 4 PM EDT ACCN

Missouri State @ #5 Oklahoma 7 PM EDT (no network listed)

#1 Clemson @ Wake Forest 7:30 PM EDT ABC

Tulsa @ #15 Oklahoma State 7:30 PM EDT (no network listed)

Tulane @ South Alabama 7:30 PM EDT ESPN2

UTEP @ #14 Texas 8 PM EDT LHN

Western Kentucky @ Louisville 8 PM EDT ACCN

Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech 8 PM EDT ESPN+

Coastal Carolina @ Kansas 10 PM EDT FS1

[NewYorkExpress]

Thursday, September 10th

UAB @ Miami 8:00 PM EDT ACCN

Saturday, September 12th

Syracuse @ #18 North Carolina Noon EDT ACCN

Louisiana @ #23 Iowa State Noon EDT ESPN

Eastern Kentucky @ WVU Noon EDT FS1

Charlotte @ Appalachian State Noon EDT ESPN2

Louisiana Tech @ Baylor Noon EDT FOX

The Citadel @ USF 1 PM EDT ESPN+

UL Monroe @ Army 1:30 PM EDT CBSSN

Duke @ #10 Notre Dame 2:30 PM EDT NBC

Arkansas State @ Kansas State 3:30 PM EDT FS1

UTSA @ Texas State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN2

Campbell @ Georgia Southern 3:30 PM EDT ESPNU

Georgia Tech @ FSU 3:30 PM EDT ABC

Austin Peay @ Pittsburgh 4 PM EDT ACCN

Missouri State @ #5 Oklahoma 7 PM EDT (no network listed)

#1 Clemson @ Wake Forest 7:30 PM EDT ABC

Tulsa @ #15 Oklahoma State 7:30 PM EDT (no network listed)

Tulane @ South Alabama 7:30 PM EDT ESPN2

UTEP @ #14 Texas 8 PM EDT LHN

Western Kentucky @ Louisville 8 PM EDT ACCN

Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech 8 PM EDT ESPN+

Coastal Carolina @ Kansas 10 PM EDT FS1

Really bold of you to pick Kansas, when they haven't beaten an FBS team in about a decade.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

Rank BYU top 10 next week! If there are 10 better teams than that, I sure haven't seen them. Gunner sinks the ship! Gunner for Heisman! You hear he's Danny Ainge's nephew? How'd that happen!

[NewYorkExpress]

Rank BYU top 10 next week! If there are 10 better teams than that, I sure haven't seen them. Gunner sinks the ship! Gunner for Heisman! You hear he's Danny Ainge's nephew? How'd that happen!

I'll be more impressed if they beat Houston on October 16.

Also, they had a Romney on their roster last year. Spencer Romney. (May be unrelated, may be Mitt's great-grandson. I couldn't find any evidence on Wikipedia.)

[100% pro-life no matter what]

Rank BYU top 10 next week! If there are 10 better teams than that, I sure haven't seen them. Gunner sinks the ship! Gunner for Heisman! You hear he's Danny Ainge's nephew? How'd that happen!

I'll be more impressed if they beat Houston on October 16.

Also, they had a Romney on their roster last year. Spencer Romney. (May be unrelated, may be Mitt's great-grandson. I couldn't find any evidence on Wikipedia.)

They're distant relatives of Mitt Romney

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Baylor-Louisiana Tech postponed due to covid

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Really bold of you to pick Kansas, when they haven't beaten an FBS team in about a decade.

Unfortunately not true, they beat TCU back in 2018, Texas back in 2016 or 2017, they just beat Boston College last year

[7,052,770]

Really bold of you to pick Kansas, when they haven't beaten an FBS team in about a decade.

Unfortunately not true, they beat TCU back in 2018, Texas back in 2016 or 2017, they just beat Boston College last year

Also Texas Tech last year. Les Miles is an outstanding coach and should have them competitive again once he has a few years to replenish the roster.

[DINGO Joe]

Actually, now that I think about it, why can't our first game be September 7 (BYU @ Navy)?

Why can't it be September 4 (South Alabama @ Southern Miss)?

Just saw that after Southern Miss lost the game, the coach quit.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Thursday, September 10th

Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech 8 PM EDT ESPN+

Coastal Carolina @ Kansas 10 PM EDT FS1

Really bold of you to pick Kansas, when they haven't beaten an FBS team in about a decade.

I think Houston Baptist is the bold pick there.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Thursday, September 10th
UAB @ Miami

Friday, September 11th
SMU @ TCU  POSTPONED

Saturday, September 12th
Syracuse @ #18 North Carolina
Louisiana @ #23 Iowa State
Eastern Kentucky @ WVU
Charlotte @ Appalachian State
Louisiana Tech @ Baylor  POSTPONED
The Citadel @ USF
UL Monroe @ Army
Duke @ #10 Notre Dame
Arkansas State @ Kansas State
UTSA @ Texas State
Campbell @ Georgia Southern
Georgia Tech @ FSU
Austin Peay @ Pittsburgh
Missouri State @ #5 Oklahoma
#1 Clemson @ Wake Forest
Tulsa @ #15 Oklahoma State
Tulane @ South Alabama
UTEP @ #14 Texas
Western Kentucky @ Louisville
Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech
Coastal Carolina @ Kansas

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Thursday, September 10th
UAB @ Miami

Friday, September 11th
SMU @ TCU  POSTPONED

Saturday, September 12th
Syracuse @ #18 North Carolina
Louisiana @ #23 Iowa State
Eastern Kentucky @ WVU
Charlotte @ Appalachian State
Louisiana Tech @ Baylor  POSTPONED
The Citadel @ USF
UL Monroe @ Army
Duke @ #10 Notre Dame
Arkansas State @ Kansas State
UTSA @ Texas State
Campbell @ Georgia Southern
Georgia Tech @ FSU
Austin Peay @ Pittsburgh
Missouri State @ #5 Oklahoma
#1 Clemson @ Wake Forest
Tulsa @ #15 Oklahoma State
Tulane @ South Alabama
UTEP @ #14 Texas
Western Kentucky @ Louisville
Houston Baptist @ Texas Tech
Coastal Carolina @ Kansas

Not sure if I posted yet or not, but saw on the local news last night Oklahoma State - Tulsa is also now postponed due to covid