2022 College Football Discussion & Pick'em Thread

[Dereich]

Its is well-known that the coaches don't actually fill out their ballots but leave them to staffers/interns to handle. At least, that's the case now. There was a better case to make when the coaches poll was relevant to the BCS calculations for the actual coaches handling it, but now its safer to assume otherwise unless they come out and say that they did it.

[Dereich]

Week 1

Saturday, August 27th

Nebraska vs Northwestern at Avira Stadium in Dublin, Ireland 12:30 PM EDT FOX

North Texas @ UTEP 9 PM EDT

Vanderbilt @ Hawai'i 10:30 PM EDT CBSSN

Thursday, September 1st

West Virginia @ Pittsburgh 7 PM EDT ESPN

Penn State @ Purdue 8 PM EDT FOX

Friday, September 2nd

Illinois @ Indiana 8 PM EDT FS1

TCU @ Colorado 10 PM EDT ESPN

Saturday, September 3rd

Rutgers @ Boston College Noon EDT ACCN

North Carolina @ Appalachian State Noon EDT ESPNU

NC State @ East Carolina Noon EDT ESPN

Cincinnati @ Arkansas 3:30 PM EDT ESPN Calling it, this is the best game of the week

Oregon vs Georgia at Mercedes Benz Stadium in Atlanta, GA 3:30 PM EDT ABC

Arizona @ San Diego State 3:30 PM EDT CBS

Tulsa @ Wyoming 3:30 PM EDT FS1

Houston @ UTSA 3:30 PM EDT CBSSN

Texas State @ Nevada 5:30 PM EDT

Utah @ Florida 7 PM EDT ESPN

Army @ Coastal Carolina 7 PM EDT ESPN+

Liberty @ Southern Miss 7 PM EDT ESPN+

Memphis @ Mississippi State 7:30 PM EDT ESPNU

Notre Dame @ Ohio State 7:30 PM EDT ABC Fun fact: Ohio State and Alabama are both favored by double digits in every game they play this year. What a fair sport.

SMU @ North Texas 7:30 PM EDT

Louisville @ Syracuse 8 PM EDT ACCN

Boise State @ Oregon State 10:30 PM EDT ESPN

Sunday, September 4th

Florida State @ LSU 7:30 PM EDT ABC  Starting the year with copious amounts of hopium

[Dereich]

LSU (I'm not sure why the line is so close. LSU should crush Florida State in my opinion.)

Because LSU is starting the season coming off a very bad year with a brand new coaching staff while FSU will have both consistency in staff and a cupcake game to shake off any week 1 jitters before this one.

[Dereich]

Northwestern pulls off the upset, beats Nebraska 31-28.

Was this Scott Frost's final game as Nebraska head coach?

No.

[Dereich]

Not even I saw that type of a performance for Vandy coming.  Do I dare adjust my expectations to like 5-7?

Maybe? Elon makes 2, and Northern Illinois and Wake Forest were very good in their conferences last year, but won't have SEC talent.

Beyond that, it's definitely plausible that you could beat Ole Miss, South Carolina, or even Tennessee at home, so that's 7 winnable games.

I'm surprised y'all didn't schedule at 13th game though, some Sun Belt or MAC scrub (or like UMass or something) just to pad in an extra win, since anyone who plays at Hawaii is allowed to do that.

Come on now, "SEC talent" doesn't apply to Vanderbilt. With a quick glance at recruiting rankings, it looks like most of Vandy's classes were in the high 50s and Wakes in the low 60s. Pretty comparable. Northern Illinois is all the way down in the 90s for most of the relevant classes. Although if rankings were all that mattered, my team would have gone bowling the last three years...

[Dereich]

Changing my Saturday pick from Utah to Florida as I'll be there and will singlehandedly put Florida over the top with my cheering.

[Dereich]

Plenty of Florida fans here are counting on beating Utah solely because the weather is so muggy and gross that it’ll sap the spirits of the Utes. Go Gata

[Dereich]

It's been one week and it looks like we already have a conference eliminated from the playoff. #3 Georgia destroying #11 Oregon and taking the PAC-12's best hopes with them 49-3.

Hah. No. An undefeated pac-12 champ gets in no matter what.

[Dereich]

My take on Florida Utah so far: Florida showed it it’s first several drives that it’s the better team on offense, but it’s very clearly less disciplined. If Utah wins today it’s because Florida couldn’t play a clean game like Utah is playing.

[Dereich]

Florida leads #7 Utah 14-13 at halftime.

Also, it's still early, but we could have a very impressive upset on our hands here. #5 Notre Dame leads #2 Ohio State 10-7 late in the Second Quarter.

Shhh. That’s the kind of upset you’ll scare away if you talk about it.

[Dereich]

Florida ESCAPES

[Dereich]

Changing my Saturday pick from Utah to Florida as I'll be there and will singlehandedly put Florida over the top with my cheering.

It’s me. I did this.

[Dereich]

Watching this game while fighting an actual dragon in D&D is the most stressful time I've had in months.

[Dereich]

I hate this sport.

[Dereich]

Nevermind. GO NOLES

[Dereich]

LSU (I'm not sure why the line is so close. LSU should crush Florida State in my opinion.)

[Dereich]

you are welcome Dereich

[Dereich]

New AP Poll:

1-Bama
2-Georgia
3-Ohio St
4-Michigan
5-Clemson
6-Texas A&M
7-Oklahoma
8-Notre Dame
9-Baylor
10-USC
11-Okla St
12-Florida
13-Utah
14-Mich St
15-Miami
16-Arkansas
17-Pitt
18-NC St
19-Wisconsin
20-Kentucky
21-BYU
22-Ole Miss
23-Wake
24-Tennessee
25-Houston

Florida at #12 is uhhh...odd...to me. Looks like a setup for a "top 10 game" at the cocktail party where Georgia will be favored by 20. It also feels like they have no idea what to do outside the top 3.

[Dereich]

Louisville @ UCF 7:30 PM EDT ESPN2
#1 Alabama @ Texas Noon EDT FOX   I'm honestly surprised this made the list. At least "Texas is back" talk ends early this year
South Carolina @ #19 Arkansas Noon EDT ESPN 
Missouri @ Kansas State Noon EDT ESPN2
Duke @ Northwestern Noon EDT FS1
UTSA @ Army Noon EDT CBSSN
Western Michigan @ Ball State 2 PM EDT ESPN+
Tennessee @ #17 Pittsburgh 3:30 PM EDT ABC  The odds can't trick me into believing in Tennessee
Washington State @ #18 Wisconsin 3:30 PM EDT FOX
Colorado @ Air Force 3:30 PM EDT CBS
Memphis @ Navy 3:30 PM EDT CBSSN
#24 Houston @ Texas Tech 4 PM EDT FS1
Iowa State @ Iowa 4 PM EDT BTN  I have faith El Assico will be both the best and the worst game of the week
Virginia @ Illinois 4 PM EDT ESPNU
Kansas @ West Virginia 6 PM EDT ESPN+
Old Dominion @ East Carolina 6 PM EDT ESPN+
UAB @ Liberty 6 PM EDT ESPN+
#20 Kentucky @ Florida 7 PM EDT ESPN
Arizona State @ #12 Oklahoma State 7:30 PM EDT ESPN2
#14 USC @ Stanford 7:30 PM EDT ABC
Boston College @ Virginia Tech 8 PM EDT ACCN
New Mexico State @ UTEP 9 PM EDT ESPN+
#10 Baylor @ #25 BYU 10:15 PM EDT ESPN
Oregon State @ Fresno State 10:30 PM EDT CBSSN
Mississippi State @ Arizona 11 PM EDT FS1

[Dereich]

#1 Alabama @ Texas Noon EDT FOX   I'm honestly surprised this made the list. At least "Texas is back" talk ends early this year

More than happy to eat crow here.

[Dereich]

Is…is this really happening?

[Dereich]

Honestly, even down with 1:29 to go, I still think Bama is going to come out with this. Just like the Auburn game last year.

[Dereich]

I don't think I did very well on the pick-em this week...

[Dereich]

Week 3

Florida State @ Louisville 7:30 PM EDT ESPN  I am absolutely going to do the homer pick here but I am cynical and jaded about the Noles. In my heart of hearts I think they embarrass themselves after LSU by losing a game that stats say they should win
Air Force @ Wyoming 8 PM EDT CBSSN
#6 Oklahoma @ Nebraska Noon EDT FOX
Villanova @ Army Noon EDT CBSSN
Purdue @ Syracuse Noon EDT ESPN2
Cincinatti @ Miami (OH) Noon EDT ESPNU
Western Kentucky @ Indiana Noon EDT BTN
California @ Notre Dame 2:30 PM EDT NBC/Peacock
UNT @ UNLV 3 PM EDT
#12 BYU @ #25 Oregon 3:30 PM EDT FOX
#22 Penn State @ Auburn 3:30 PM EDT CBS  I'm already ready to call this one the stupidest game of the week
Vanderbilt @ Northern Illinois 3:30 PM EDT CBSSN
Troy @ Appalachian State 3:30 PM EDT ESPN+
Kansas @ Houston 4 PM EDT ESPNU
Mississippi State @ LSU 6 PM EDT ESPN
Arkansas State @ Memphis 7 PM EDT ESPN+
Texas Tech @ #16 NC State 7 PM EDT ESPN2
#11 Michigan State @ Washington 7:30 PM EDT ABC I actually agree with the stats that Washington wins this one but this is a homer pick for a friend at MSU
SMU @ Maryland 7:30 PM EDT FS1
UCF @ Florida Atlantic 7:30 PM EDT CBSSN
Louisiana @ Rice 7:30 PM EDT ESPN+
UTSA @ #21 Texas 8 PM EDT LHN
UTEP @ New Mexico 8 PM EDT
#13 Miami (FL) @ #24 Texas A&M 9 PM EDT ESPN  Rooting for the meteor here
Fresno State @ #7 USC 10:30 PM EDT FOX

[Dereich]

#13 Miami (FL) @ #24 Texas A&M 9 PM EDT ESPN  Rooting for the meteor here

I'm watching this live, don't have high hopes.

My condolences