2021 College Football Discussion and Pick'em Thread

[GeorgiaModerate]

Some really interesting games this week.

#6 Michigan @ #8 Michigan State
#9 Iowa @ Wisconsin  Wisconsin beat Purdue and Purdue beat Iowa, so now Iowa has to beat Wisconsin.  It's the circle of life.
Texas @ #16 Baylor
Miami (FL) @ #17 Pittsburgh
Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech
Indiana @ Maryland
#22 Iowa State @ West Virginia
#1 Georgia vs Florida
Texas Tech @ #4 Oklahoma
Florida State @ Clemson
Boston College @ Syracuse
Purdue @ Nebraska
TCU @ Kansas State
UL Monroe @ Appalachian State
Wyoming @ San Jose State
UTEP @ Florida Atlantic
#10 Ole Miss @ #18 Auburn
#12 Kentucky @ Mississippi State
#19 SMU @ Houston   Houston just struggled to beat East Carolina at home.
#20 Penn State @ #5 Ohio State
Louisville @ NC State
UCLA @ Utah
Virginia @ BYU
Fresno State @ #21 San Diego State  The Aztecs have had a lot of good luck, and I don't think it's run out yet.
Washington @ Stanford

[GeorgiaModerate]

538 has a fun article this morning: College Football Fans Can’t Stop Rushing The Field. But Which Games Are Worth It?  They note that there have been at least 15 instances this season of fans rushing the field after a home victory, which is more than in all of the 2018 or 2019 seasons. 

So they came up with a metric to determine which wins are really worth rushing the field for.  The most rush-worthy win this season was, unsurprisingly, Texas A&M over Alabama, followed by Appalachian State over Coastal Carolina.  The least worthy was Boston College over Missouri, followed by Kansas over South Dakota. 

Kansas fans seem to be especially desperate rush-prone:

No team has lost more games in the playoff era than the Kansas Jayhawks (13-75, .148 win percentage), which also means that each home victory is a cause for celebration. Going off the work of my FiveThirtyEight colleague Alex Kirshner, Kansas has won 11 home games since 2014 and rushed the field after six of them, or 54.5 percent.

[Orwell]

#6 Michigan @ #8 Michigan State
#9 Iowa @ Wisconsin
Texas @ #16 Baylor
Miami (FL) @ #17 Pittsburgh
Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech
Indiana @ Maryland
#22 Iowa State @ West Virginia
#1 Georgia vs Florida
Texas Tech @ #4 Oklahoma
Florida State @ Clemson
Boston College @ Syracuse
Purdue @ Nebraska
TCU @ Kansas State
UL Monroe @ Appalachian State
Wyoming @ San Jose State
UTEP @ Florida Atlantic
#10 Ole Miss @ #18 Auburn
#12 Kentucky @ Mississippi State
#19 SMU @ Houston  
#20 Penn State @ #5 Ohio State
Louisville @ NC State
UCLA @ Utah
Virginia @ BYU
Fresno State @ #21 San Diego State
Washington @ Stanford

[GeorgiaModerate]

#22 Iowa State @ West Virginia

Which one?

[NewYorkExpress]

#24 Coastal Carolina pulling away from Troy as they lead 28-14 in the third quarter.

[GeorgiaModerate]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChrisVannini/status/1453895883804786690

I’m surprised any conference would consider Liberty with the sexual assault scandal hanging over them.

[Ancestral Republican]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChrisVannini/status/1453895883804786690
I’m surprised any conference would consider Liberty with the sexual assault scandal hanging over them.

Because Conference USA is truly desperate. UConn football? I give the conference one more year tops.

[NewYorkExpress]

https://mobile.twitter.com/ChrisVannini/status/1453895883804786690
I’m surprised any conference would consider Liberty with the sexual assault scandal hanging over them.

Conference USA is a pretty good fit for Liberty, and given the penalties the NCAA gave Baylor were pretty toothless (i.e, non-existent), it's rather obvious a conference was going to scoop up Liberty eventually.

I'm more surprised by UConn football going to Conference USA rather than dropping down to FCS.

Conference USA isn't a fit for them at all, and while the Big East doesn't sponsor football, there are several FCS conferences that would be natural homes for UConn if they had chosen to drop down.

Off the top of my head, I think their football program would fit quite nicely in the Colonial Athletic Association and the Northeast Conference, with most other sports (especially basketball) remaining in the Big East.

[Donerail]

Because Conference USA is truly desperate. UConn football? I give the conference one more year tops.

There are a handful of programs that are worse, I suppose — not this season, but as far as long-term program outlook. One such school is in Las Cruces.

[NewYorkExpress]

Because Conference USA is truly desperate. UConn football? I give the conference one more year tops.

There are a handful of programs that are worse, I suppose — not this season, but as far as long-term program outlook. One such school is in Las Cruces.

Conference USA would have better off reaching into the FCS ranks and picking up North Dakota State and South Dakota State than adding UConn and New Mexico State.

[Sprouts Farmers Market ✘]

The Northeast Conference is private schools only and has a 40 scholarship maximum.

If UConn dropped down, they would regularly be between 8th and 12th in the Colonial (much like Idaho in the Big Sky), so it's probably best to stay where they are and take six $1M+ paydays a year and still be in the public eye.

C-USA has proven that they remain a completely idiotic conference with no foresight. They have an opportunity to lap the American by selecting the right FCS schools with good programs that could translate to the FBS level (NDSU, SDSU, kinda Missouri State and the UxD's) or if those are uninterested, at least better than the MAC (with UTC, JSU, KSU) but no. The only things rumored are Lamar, Tarleton State and McNeese State (joining already weak SHSU and SFA), who can barely compete at the FCS level and now UConn. Zero vision, zero future.

New Mexico State is a good add. UTEP wants to be relevant in basketball again (alongside WKU) and secures that rivalry. Liberty and UConn are only hurting themselves by latching their brands onto this mess going nowhere.

[Terry the Fat Shark]

Week 9

Saturday, October 30th

#6 Michigan @ #8 Michigan State Noon EDT FOX

#9 Iowa @ Wisconsin Noon EDT ESPN

Texas @ #16 Baylor Noon EDT ABC

Miami (FL) @ #17 Pittsburgh Noon EDT ACCN

Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech Noon EDT ESPN3

Indiana @ Maryland Noon EDT

#22 Iowa State @ West Virginia 2 PM EDT ESPN+

#1 Georgia vs Florida at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL 3:30 PM EDT CBS

Texas Tech @ #4 Oklahoma 3:30 PM EDT ABC

Florida State @ Clemson 3:30 PM EDT ESPN

Boston College @ Syracuse 3:30 PM EDT ESPN3

Purdue @ Nebraska 3:30 PM EDT ESPN2

TCU @ Kansas State 3:30 PM EDT ESPNU

UL Monroe @ Appalachian State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN+ Why is Appalachian State a 27 point favorite?

Wyoming @ San Jose State 4 PM EDT FS2

UTEP @ Florida Atlantic 6 PM EDT ESPN+

#10 Ole Miss @ #18 Auburn 7 PM EDT ESPN

#12 Kentucky @ Mississippi State 7 PM EDT SECN

#19 SMU @ Houston 7 PM EDT ESPN2

#20 Penn State @ #5 Ohio State 7:30 PM EDT ABC

Louisville @ NC State 7:30 PM EDT ACCN

UCLA @ Utah 10 PM EDT ESPN

Virginia @ BYU 10:15 PM EDT ESPN2

Fresno State @ #21 San Diego State 10:30 PM EDT CBSSN

Washington @ Stanford 10:30 PM EDT FS1

[GeorgiaModerate]

UL Monroe @ Appalachian State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN+ Why is Appalachian State a 27 point favorite?

Appalachian State should be a heavy favorite (I was surprised you put this game on the list), although 27 points might be a little much.  Let's look at their common opponents: Georgia State and Coastal Carolina.  App State won both, beating Georgia State 45-16 and Coastal 30-27.  ULM lost both, to GSU 55-21 and Coastal 59-6.

ESPN's FPI gives App State a 96.6% chance of winning.

[Greedo punched first]

Week 9

Saturday, October 30th

Indiana @ Maryland Noon EDT

Isn’t this game on a BTN overflow channel? I have the overflow channel on the Fox Sports app. Do other areas and cable services have it on a cable box channel? My area and service has it only on the app.

[JGibson]

Week 9
Saturday, October 30th

#6 Michigan @ #8 Michigan State Noon EDT FOX

#9 Iowa @ Wisconsin Noon EDT ESPN

Texas @ #16 Baylor Noon EDT ABC

Miami (FL) @ #17 Pittsburgh Noon EDT ACCN

Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech Noon EDT ESPN3

Indiana @ Maryland Noon EDT

#22 Iowa State @ West Virginia 2 PM EDT ESPN+

#1 Georgia vs Florida at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL 3:30 PM EDT CBS

Texas Tech @ #4 Oklahoma 3:30 PM EDT ABC

Florida State @ Clemson 3:30 PM EDT ESPN

Boston College @ Syracuse 3:30 PM EDT ESPN3

Purdue @ Nebraska 3:30 PM EDT ESPN2

TCU @ Kansas State 3:30 PM EDT ESPNU

UL Monroe @ Appalachian State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN+

Wyoming @ San Jose State 4 PM EDT FS2

UTEP @ Florida Atlantic 6 PM EDT ESPN+

#10 Ole Miss @ #18 Auburn 7 PM EDT ESPN

#12 Kentucky @ Mississippi State 7 PM EDT SECN

#19 SMU @ Houston 7 PM EDT ESPN2

#20 Penn State @ #5 Ohio State 7:30 PM EDT ABC

Louisville @ NC State 7:30 PM EDT ACCN

UCLA @ Utah 10 PM EDT ESPN

Virginia @ BYU 10:15 PM EDT ESPN2

Fresno State @ #21 San Diego State 10:30 PM EDT CBSSN

Washington @ Stanford 10:30 PM EDT FS1

[GeorgiaModerate]

Changing my pick in Iowa-Wisconsin to the Badgers.

[100% pro-life no matter what]

#6 Michigan @ #8 Michigan State Noon EDT FOX

#9 Iowa @ Wisconsin Noon EDT ESPN

Texas @ #16 Baylor Noon EDT ABC

Miami (FL) @ #17 Pittsburgh Noon EDT ACCN

Virginia Tech @ Georgia Tech Noon EDT ESPN3

Indiana @ Maryland Noon EDT

#22 Iowa State @ West Virginia 2 PM EDT ESPN+

#1 Georgia vs Florida at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, FL 3:30 PM EDT CBS

Texas Tech @ #4 Oklahoma 3:30 PM EDT ABC

Florida State @ Clemson 3:30 PM EDT ESPN

Boston College @ Syracuse 3:30 PM EDT ESPN3

Purdue @ Nebraska 3:30 PM EDT ESPN2

TCU @ Kansas State 3:30 PM EDT ESPNU

UL Monroe @ Appalachian State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN+

Wyoming @ San Jose State 4 PM EDT FS2

UTEP @ Florida Atlantic 6 PM EDT ESPN+

#10 Ole Miss @ #18 Auburn 7 PM EDT ESPN

#12 Kentucky @ Mississippi State 7 PM EDT SECN

#19 SMU @ Houston 7 PM EDT ESPN2

#20 Penn State @ #5 Ohio State 7:30 PM EDT ABC

Louisville @ NC State 7:30 PM EDT ACCN

UCLA @ Utah 10 PM EDT ESPN

Virginia @ BYU 10:15 PM EDT ESPN2

Fresno State @ #21 San Diego State 10:30 PM EDT CBSSN

Washington @ Stanford 10:30 PM EDT FS1

[sting in the rafters]

Walker 3 for MSU is a beast, dude's killing UM on runs off the edge.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Cincinnati struggling at 1-6 Tulane, leading 14-12 at the half.

[Dereich]

The cocktail party is lively as ever. A LOT of anti-Biden stuff. At least two planes flying with messages of “Let’s go Brandon” with lots of chants both teams are joining saying it too.

[Fight for Trump]

Meanwhile, UMass can't even get a C-USA invitation. If they want to play football, they need to temper their basketball ambitions (Calipari is ancient history now) and join the MAC. They'll struggle to even schedule the other leftover schools going forward.

I agree that NMSU is a good add to give UTEP a buddy. The Las Cruces area is very much on the up, and the program has potential.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Changing my pick in Iowa-Wisconsin to the Badgers.

That's one of the very few times that changing my pick has worked out.

[GeorgiaModerate]

Illinois, which beat Penn State last week, lost to Rutgers today.

[Fight for Trump]

Illinois, which beat Penn State last week, lost to Rutgers today.

I still have no idea how they managed to win last week.

[Ancestral Republican]

Pitt falls to Miami in probably one of the worst officiated games of the entire season, capped off by a safety in the end zone that was ruled to not be one.