2021 College Football Discussion and Pick'em Thread

[Donerail]

This is actually happening... A devastating blow to the entire sport. What is the point of like 8-10 teams fighting it out for the right to play Clemson in the title game? I don't get it. Unless playoff expansion goes forward to and we get 3 loss SEC teams in the playoffs.

I think that's the key to it — this doesn't happen if there's not a 12-team playoff. Not a chance that Oklahoma would give up what's basically been an auto-bid for them.

[Donerail]

That's not going to happen.

[Donerail]

Just add Ohio State and Clemson to the SEC NFL Development League and get it over with, already. Drop any veneer of amateurism and just pay the players wages, too.

OUT: Mizzou, USC (the bad one), Vandy, UK, Arkansas, both Mississippis
IN: Oklahoma, Texas, Miami, FSU, Clemson, UCLA, USC (the good one)

Who (among ESPN executives) says no?

[Donerail]

UCLA is in because they're hot and sexy and UCLA. Miami is in because they're extremely cool and Miami. Kentucky is Kentucky. Realignment is about three things: football, TV money, and vibes (not necessarily in that order)

[Donerail]

No school is going to leave the #1 revenue conference for the #4 revenue conference. Only way USC is leaving the SEC is if they get kicked out.

[Donerail]

I must strenuously object to the idea that Nebraska vs Illinois is "interesting," except in the way a car crash is "interesting," but I have no objections to starting then.

[Donerail]

I must strenuously object to the idea that Nebraska vs Illinois is "interesting," except in the way a car crash is "interesting," but I have no objections to starting then.

Will you not be stopping and watching?

Nahhh, I'm on the west coast now sadly, and those Saturday AM kickoffs are always tough. I might catch the second half if it's competitive, will watch the UCLA game if not

[Donerail]

Sources: Coach Scott Frost under Nebraska investigation for improperly large $20mil buyout and mediocre athletic performance. NCAA infractions would create leverage to lower buyout and remove Frost at a manageable price, sources said.

[Donerail]

Week 0/1

Saturday, August 28th
Nebraska @ Illinois
UTEP @ New Mexico State (and I thought watching Illinois football would be bad, jesus christ)

Thursday, September 2nd
Boise State @ UCF
East Carolina @ Appalachian State
#4 Ohio State @ Minnesota

Friday, September 3rd
#10 North Carolina @ Virginia Tech
Michigan State @ Northwestern

Saturday, September 4th
#19 Penn State @ #12 Wisconsin
Stanford vs Kansas State
Army @ Georgia State
#1 Alabama vs #14 Miami (FL)
#17 Indiana @ #18 Iowa
Marshall @ Navy
West Virginia @ Maryland
Northern Iowa @ #7 Iowa State
#23 Louisiana @ #21 Texas
Syracuse @ Ohio
Oregon State @ Purdue
Texas Tech @ Houston
#5 Georgia @ #3 Clemson
UTSA @ Illinois
#16 LSU @ UCLA
Nevada @ California

Sunday, September 5th
#9 Notre Dame @ Florida State

Monday, September 6th
Louisville @ Ole Miss

[Donerail]

Real good special teams play there, Nebraska!

(If you're not watching the game, that's sarcasm.)

Are you referring to the safety, the missed extra point, or the 26-yard punt?

[Donerail]

Kansas fans just stormed the field after a 17-14 victory over FCS South Dakota

[Donerail]

Looks like Oklahoma will hold on.  Meanwhile, UConn football continues to circle the drain, losing to Holy Cross 38-28.

UConn has assembled a remarkably soft schedule, with games against three of the absolute worst teams in FBS (Vandy, Middle Tennessee, UMass), two FCS opponents (Holy Cross and Yale), and a handful of teams in the bottom half of FBS (Fresno, Purdue, Army, Wyoming). I'm not sure what Houston will be this season, but it's very possible they only play two teams above .500. Going winless against that slate would be a remarkable feat.

They also play Clemson.

[Donerail]

North Carolina is obviously much better than Vanderbilt, but you can make a case for anyone else in the SEC beating them. The lower half teams in the SEC tend to recruit as well as UNC or better, and put a similar number of players in the NFL draft. And I didn't say UNC would be last in the SEC, just 11th or worse if they were the SEC's 15th team.

I'm going to go ahead and say that Carolina is better than Mississippi State. This is just really bleak.

[Donerail]

North Carolina is obviously much better than Vanderbilt, but you can make a case for anyone else in the SEC beating them. The lower half teams in the SEC tend to recruit as well as UNC or better, and put a similar number of players in the NFL draft. And I didn't say UNC would be last in the SEC, just 11th or worse if they were the SEC's 15th team.

I'm going to go ahead and say that Carolina is better than Mississippi State. This is just really bleak.

Mississippi State plays NC State next week, so we'll get a better data point to answer that question. I think NC State is approximately as good as UNC, maybe a little better or worse.

I don't know how you could come to that conclusion. Carolina is currently 18th in the Massey composite, which seems fair. NC State is 45. To put that into SEC terms, it's roughly the gap between LSU and Kentucky.

Edit: though that gap may not be that large, LSU...

[Donerail]

LSU getting run out of the Rose Bowl — this is getting out of hand. Coach O might get fired this season.

[Donerail]

Iowa (My upset pick of the day, though I wouldn't be shocked if the betting lines have Iowa favored)
Michigan (The other upset pick. The Wolverines look like they actually have a Quarterback)

You can grab Iowa +4.5 if you're feeling confident. But the line is Michigan -1, so that's not an upset.

[Donerail]

Fourth targeting call of the night, I'd expect nothing less from these two teams.

[Donerail]

Week 2

Saturday, September 11th
Illinois @ Virginia
Western Kentucky @ Army
#11 Oregon @ #4 Ohio State
Pittsburgh @ Tennessee
Tulsa @ Oklahoma State
Rutgers @ Syracuse
Toledo @ #9 Notre Dame
#6 Texas A&M @ Colorado
Georgia Southern @ FAU
Buffalo @ Nebraska
California @ TCU
Air Force @ Navy
#18 Iowa @ #7 Iowa State
Houston @ Rice
Appalachian State @ #14 Miami (FL)
#21 Texas @ Arkansas
NC State @ Mississippi State
North Texas @ SMU
Missouri @ Kentucky
#20 Washington @ Michigan
Vanderbilt @ Colorado State
San Diego State @ Arizona
#24 Utah @ BYU
Stanford @ #15 USC
Hawai'i @ Oregon State

[Donerail]

Why is Notre Dame at home against a MAC team even on there lol. A home Notre Dame game NBC doesn't even want to put on TV, lol.

I think we should have picked Kansas/Coastal Carolina instead (though Coastal Carolina is running away with that game right now).

Yes, Coastal won by 27. I bet on Kansas at +28. LOL!!!

Great👏teams👏cover👏

[Donerail]

This is a tough game to pick because, on the one hand, Colorado State also just got the sh**t beat out of them by an FCS team. On the other hand, South Dakota State is a better football program than Vandy.

[Donerail]

Remember to cancel your Peacock subscription

[Donerail]

Week 3

Friday, September 17th

UCF @ Louisville
Maryland @ Illinois

Saturday, September 18th

Nebraska @ #3 Oklahoma
#8 Cincinnati @ Indiana
#15 Virginia Tech @ West Virginia
Michigan State @ #24 Miami (FL)
Minnesota @ Colorado
Nevada @ Kansas State
Purdue @ #12 Notre Dame
#1 Alabama @ #11 Florida
Florida State @ Wake Forest
USC @ Washington State
Mississippi State @ Memphis
Northwestern @ Duke
Ball State @ Wyoming
Charlotte @ Georgia State
Utah @ San Diego State
#22 Auburn @ #10 Penn State
Virginia @ #21 North Carolina
Utah State @ Air Force
Tulane @ #17 Ole Miss
Oklahoma State @ Boise State
#19 Arizona State @ #23 BYU
Fresno State @ #13 UCLA
San José State @ Hawaii

[Donerail]

Why stop at Riley? Why not include Saban, if we're including people who have zero interest in this opening? Not even sure that Cristobal would leave a comfortably humming program to go try to muck out Heritage Hall. He's at least a reasonable target, but another well-resourced and historically great program has already tried to pry away Cristobal and failed.

Realistic names here, besides Cristobal, are James Franklin, if they can pry him away from Penn State, and Luke Fickell. USC's new AD is the ex-AD at Cincinnati and hired Fickell, so the relationship is there already.

[Donerail]

And with his coaching job against UCF tonight, Scott Satterfield might have earned himself an interview with USC.

That was the rumor (basically confirmed to have happened) last season. But since they just hired him this offseason, I don't see USC moving on from Beamer, even if they're going to be one of the worst teams in the SEC this season.

[Donerail]

And with his coaching job against UCF tonight, Scott Satterfield might have earned himself an interview with USC.

That was the rumor (basically confirmed to have happened) last season. But since they just hired him this offseason, I don't see USC moving on from Beamer, even if they're going to be one of the worst teams in the SEC this season.

I meant the one in California, where the job just opened up, not South Carolina.

oh, lol, no