ncaa football

Abby Picks, Year Five, Week Five

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Abby watched Scott Van Pelt’s “Bad Beats” ESPN segment last Monday night with great disinterest.  She dropped two games in the final seconds v the spread to fall just below .500 for the week.  Stuff happens.

This was after a great week 3, so all is well for the hound.  Pound for pound she likes a lot of what she sees this week.

  1. Tulane at Houston -2 1/2 – Friday Night Lights in Texas.  Dana Holgersen ripped the Cougars up one side and down the other after their mistake-filled lethargic effort v Rice last week.  Expect Houston to come out like their hair is on fire.  One bone.
  2. Michigan St +7 1/2 at Maryland and Purdue + 12 1/2 at Minnesota- The Big 10 Parlay of the Day.  Michigan St cannot be as bad as they looked last week, can they?  Minnesota cannot be as good as they looked last week, can they?  One bone to win three bones.
  3.  Iowa St -3 at Kansas – Dorothy Special – Head Coach Lance Leipold is a wizard and might find the yellow brick road filled with gold later this year.  But, don’t mistake Matt Campbell for the Tin Man.  He’s turned down more offers than you can count on one hand. Two bones.
  4. Kentucky at Ole Miss -7 –  This line looks like Vegas is screaming for you to take Kentucky.  Abby likes to zig when others zag.  One bone.
  5. Texas A&M ML +155 at Mississippi St –  The Aggies stumbled to another victory last week after Arkansas fumbled away what would have been a 21-0 lead.  Abby expects more of the same out of the Aggies this week with Reveille’s help.  Two bones to win three bones.
  6. Oklahoma -6 at TCU-  Abby has licked her chops for this game all week.  She expects the Sooners to win comfortably to erase the bad memory of last Saturday.  Two bones.
  7. LSU at Auburn +8 1/2 –  This yearly rivalry game always brings the unexpected.  Always.  Who would have thought LSU would be a road favorite by nearly 9 after they shot themselves in the foot 9 times v FSU a month ago?  LSU is minus four starters and Auburn has a dead man walking for a head coach.  Always. One bone.
  8. Georgia -14 (first half) at Missouri- Kirby Smart was smarting after his Dawgs slept through their win over Kent St. last week.  Georgia won’t be held back by a leash this week, especially in the first two quarters.  One bone.

Woof!!

 

Abby Picks, Year 4 Week 8

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Skunked!  Well not totally, but Abby’s picks stunk at a minimum last week.

The only thing you can do when a dog gets skunked is to wash her down with some tomato juice and hope that it doesn’t happen again.

Luckily she has a lot of padding on her paws to cushion the 2-6 performance last week.  Overall she’s 24-18 in the won/loss column, 37-26 in bones, and the hunch bet won to bring that year long to a solid 6-1.

Moving along.

  1. Memphis -2 at UCF — In a Friday night coin flip game take the better team on the road and hope they can win at the very end of what will be a back and forth game.  One bone.
  2. Texas St at Georgia St -10 1/2 and Colorado at California – 8 — Two lines caught Abby’s eyes this week that looked like weird outliers v the teams’ performance to date.  Georgia St and California have no business being big favorites in these games.  So, Abby says take them in a parlay.  One bone to win three bones.
  3.  Oregon +1 at UCLA — Abby’s going with the better team on the road again in another coin flip game.  Cristobal is an under-the-radar, underrated coach.  One bone.
  4. Mississippi St at Vanderbilt +21 —  Vandy is not good and that’s being polite.  If Miss St loses this game Mike Leach will be called not good and that’s being polite.  He won’t, but the Bulldogs won’t cover either.  One bone.
  5. LSU ML at Ole Miss —  Who knows if LSU will play for themselves or come out dead flat with the Coach O news this week?  Abby doesn’t love LSU to win but loves the value in the bet.  One bone to win three bones.
  6. USC at Notre Dame -6 1/2 — For the third time the bet is the better team but this time ND is the home team.  Expect it close for three quarters then the Irish pour it on.  One bone.

Six bones to win ten, four chalks, three dogs, and one big can of tomato juice.

Woof!

 

Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 4

Posted on by thependulumswings staff
  1. Faithful reader number one, after reviewing Abby’s picks last Saturday night, suggested that Abby take a bow.  Bow? Wow!  Faithful reader number two suggested that a steak was in order over the normal chow.  Wow.

As Judge Smails famously told his grandson, Spaulding in Caddyshack, “you’ll get nothing and like it.” Three weeks does not make a season.  But it is a good start.  With ten wins and six losses, sixteen bones won v six lost, and the hunch bet advancing to 3-0, it’s time for week four.

  1.  Wisconsin -6 v Notre Dame —  Soldier Field is the awesome setting for this early fall midwest scrum.  Abby is so mystified by this line that she’s going 100% against her thought.  That thought is that the wrong team is favored.  One bone.
  2.  Miami OH at Army -7 —  Can the Army make it four in a row versus the spread?  They’ll give it a go.  One bone.
  3.  Florida International at Central Michigan -11 — Cent Mich ran into an angry LSU team last week.  Two weeks ago they nearly beat Missouri.  Abby expects a rebound. Two bones.
  4.  Texas Tech at Texas -8 — The much-maligned Longhorns begin what might be their final stroll through the BIG 12.  They might start slow, but talent will take over in the second half.  Two bones.
  5.  Nebraska at Michigan St. -5 — Michigan St. might well be the best team in Michigan.  Is this the year they bust through and be the best team in the BIG 10 East?  Doubtful, but if they want to they need to take care of an average foe in the Cornhuskers first.  One bone.

Five home chalks get picked by a dog that likes underdogs!

Texas A&M might have their hands full in Arlington this weekend v a surging Arkansas program.  This is strength v strength.  The Ark O line v the A&M D line.  Abby, on a hunch, likes under 47.

Woof!

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Three quick weeks in we’ve hit the quarter pole in a twelve-game schedule.  What do we make of the action thus far? It’s interesting as always, but conference play starts this week and we’ll be a lot smarter because of it soon.   Get your nuggets below.

  1.  ESPN ran this Sunday AM headline, “Bama Looks Beatable!”  Perhaps.  Another way to describe their 31-29 win over a well-coached Florida team in The Swamp would be: True sophomore Bryce Young, making his third start ever, led Bama into the hostile Swamp, scored 31 against a good defense that anchors the #11 ranked team in America, and won.  Saban has raised the bar so high that our perspective and ESPN’s headlines are jaundiced.
  2.  Georgia held on to the second spot working the not-so-game SC Gamecocks, 40-13.  That Oct 30th largest outdoor cocktail party that we don’t call the largest outdoor cocktail party anymore between the Gators and the Bulldogs should be quite the alcohol-fueled duel.  The Bulldogs will be glad they are hosting very pesky Arkansas and Kentucky prior and not traveling to play them before the first fan bellies up on Halloween weekend. The pollsters left Florida at #11, deservedly so, after the 2 point loss.
  3. Oregon took the week off after beating THE in the Shoe.  Well, not really.  They beat Stoney Brook 48-7 in the northwest rain.  After a 75 yard drive to start the game, the Ducks held SB to only 169 yards of offense for the remainder of the game with subs waddling in liberally.  The difference between Oregon and the rest of the PAC 12 is that they play legit D.
  4.  The BIG 10 wants in on the fun as well.   Iowa, yes Iowa, is now #5, Penn St. is #6 and THE OSU is #10.  They’re celebrating the 30 points that the Hawkeyes put up on Kent St. Saturday like it’s a corn crop safely in the silo.  Iowa has no O, but it has a playoff quality D.  Penn St. now has a single-digit win over Wisconsin(there) and Auburn(home) as two solid resume builders. That white-out scene in Happy Valley is quite the sight.
  5. It wasn’t pretty, but now #6 Cincinnati stayed undefeated after beating a good Big Ten team 38-24 on the road.  Indiana kept it close for a while. The Bearcats strategically scheduled no one this week to build up to a trip to South Bend next week.   An impressive win there would put Cincinnatti in the playoff conversation.  Though after ND, they play no one ranked in the top 25 as of now.
  6.  Texas A&M (7), Ole Miss (13), and Arkansas (16) give the SEC West four teams ranked in the top 16.  Florida kept it close with the juggernaut known as Bama.  Can any of these three shoot the moon, er, Bama? The best chance is three weeks away in College Station it seems.
  7. But, A&M needs to be focused this week on the opponent at hand-Arkansas in Fayetteville.  Sam Pittman has done quite a job resurrecting the Hogs.  The Razorbacks had one lonely win v 23 losses in SEC play from 2017-19 before Pittman took the steering wheel in 2020. There were a few chuckles when he was announced as the next pig expected to get smoked at the luau.  No more.   Whooo Pig!  The Aggies are an early six-point favorite on the road.
  8.  The BIG 12 has Oklahoma at #8 and Kansas St. #25.  Where’s the beef? It’s lean in cattle country.  Oklahoma’s win 23-16 over Nebraska wasn’t exactly what the Sooners needed to push higher.
  9. Life is good in Provo. Coming off last year’s 11-1 season, the BYU Cougars have secured a membership in the Big 12.   Now, BYU sits proudly at #15.  They’ve beaten three PAC 12 schools in three weeks.  Arizona, Utah, and Arizona St. are all early 2021 skins on the Cougars wall. Arizona St. had a chance to raise their profile and the PAC 12 South’s a bit on Saturday but wasn’t quite ready for primetime.  The other shoe dropped when UCLA gave up 75 yards in 6 plays in only 40 seconds and lost at the buzzer 40-37 to Fresno St.  UCLA dropped to #24 in the process.  In the PAC 12, it’s Oregon, and pray for rain.  Wait!
  10. Some eyebrow-raising early lines are out.  Wisconsin is a 5 1/2 point favorite over Notre Dame in Soldier Field.  Florida St is just a 2 1/2 point home dog to Louisville.  Memphis beat Moo St. Saturday but are only an at-home 3 1/2 point pick over UTSA.  And Michigan St is a slim 4 1/2 point home choice over Nebraska.

 

Abby Picks, Year 4, Week 2

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

While Wisconsin, Nebraska, Washington, and LSU disappointed their fan base in week one last week, Abby hit the ground like a bloodhound.  She hunted down three winners v two losers, five tasty bones up v three down, and hit her hunch.

That said you’re only as good as your next week, not your last in the gambling game.  She approaches week two cautioning herself not to overread week one.

Now, to the picks.

  1.  Western Kentucky at Army -6 –That said, Army got it done in week one.  She’s marching with the cadets again.  Either you stop their three-headed run game or you lose.  One bone.
  2. Pittsburgh at Tennessee +3 — The Volunteers and their beautiful bluetick coonhound Smokey stands their home ground.  Abby likes them straight up, but will take the three and run.  Two bones.
  3.  Buffalo at Nebraska -13 —  Scott Frost is coaching for his job.  Expect the Huskers to be hungover from the corn mash they took last week by Bielema and the Fighting Illini, but pull away in the second half.  Two bones.
  4.  Texas at Arkansas +7 — Texas pulled away impressively from U of Louisiana, formerly known as U of Louisiana Lafayette, formerly known as U of Southwestern Louisiana in Sark’s debut.  What’s in a name anyway? It’s all about the chant.
  • Raise your arms above your head during the patented (yes patented)  Hog Call, yell “Wooo” and wiggle your fingers for a few seconds.
  • Next, bring both arms straight down with fists clenched while yelling, “Pig.”
  • Then extend your right arm with the “Sooie.”
  • Repeat these steps two more times and finish by yelling.
  • Win two bones.

5.  Stanford +17 at USC —  If you look back at last week, you’d think Abby has gone doggone mad.  Did she mention that it’s important to not read too much into week one?  She’ll zig here when others zag.  One bone.

Washington travels three time zones to Ann Arbor to face the Michigan Wolverines for a 7 pm kick.  Under the lights, the over/under is low at 49 points.  Abby thinks lower, and that Washington will give Michigan a battle in a field position/field goal-filled defensive struggle.  She likes under 49 on a hunch.

Woof!

 

 

Blowing Smoke Following the Science?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Follow the science.  That’s been an often-used narrative since mid-March in the year of COVID-19.  It’s been the “go-to” when you are told to not go to bars for example.  It’s also been the barometer to gauge success in reopening America to the degree that it has in the regions that have.

It’s taken the place of ” we don’t have enough ventilators.”  Or, ” we don’t have enough ICU beds.”  Or, “we don’t have enough tests.”

Which brings us to the restart of the sports world.  In general MLB and the NBA have restarted with few problems save a rogue Miami Marlin who broke from protocol and infected a dozen or so Marlin teammates.

The NFL teams are in week two-plus of a delayed fall camp.  As of this AM, the NFL has administered 58,397 COVID-19 tests to 8,573 players between August 12 and August 20.  How many tests were positive?  Zero.

Remember, follow the science.  And, it seems if you do you will find that humans who test negative will continue to test negative while in close proximity.  And,  if they follow mask, social distance, and good hygiene practices when they are elsewhere they will continue to test negative.  The NBA even eliminated the “elsewhere” except for Lou Williams who went elsewhere for a brief gentlemen’s club social (not distance) gathering, but we digress.

So, “following the science” of the above seems to bellow “play ball.”  Except the BIG 10 and PAC 12 pouted, took the ball, and went home at least until Spring.

No one in the PAC 12 has been heard from and it seems that few care.  But, in the BIG 10, they care.  And, they’re mad.  Actually this long ESPN expose’ on how the BIG 10 came to an abrupt U-turn on the road back to football and all fall sports states that players, coaches, parents, some presidents, and administrators aren’t just mad, they’re furious.

So what brought them to this cancellation?  The new commissioner, Kevin Warren, has been nearly silent since the announcement but admitted that he should have been more communicative.  Supposedly the school presidents voted to shut down.  Those same presidents have been quite reluctant to speak on the record about the vote, if one actually took place, and how they individually voted if there was a vote.

The league went from an Aug 5 schedule announcement to an Aug 11 cancellation.  Pancakes don’t flip that fast.

As one Big 10 coach told ESPN, “We’re just left in the dark. Why wouldn’t you communicate? Why wouldn’t you respond? I don’t get it. Something’s just off.”  So much for transparency.

“Been in this league for 20-plus years,” a league source told ESPN. “This has been embarrassing.”

More directly from the article- “Warren on Wednesday sent an open letter providing more details about what the league considered, including troubling trends of COVID-19 spread, contact tracing difficulties and concerns about having reliable rapid tests.”

He went on to reiterate that the decision to postpone “will not be revisited.”   You’ll get no football and you will like it.

The father of one player called the open letter “just a bunch of regurgitation and smoke-blowing.”

All of this makes the state of Iowa the state of confusion.   BIG 10 member Iowa isn’t playing.  Big 12 member Iowa St is.  Make sense?

In a week or two, or in a month or two, the SEC, ACC, and the BIG 12 might regret their attempts to put on the proverbial shoulder pads.  Ask them now and they will tell you that they are following the science.

Does the “follow the science” argument in the passionate BIG 10 and in the dispassionate PAC 12 seem like, well, just a bunch of regurgitation and smoke blowing?

A short time will tell.

 

 

 

 

 

Again.

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

Last fall on a sun-drenched early November Saturday two undefeated SEC powerhouses clashed in an epic, 60-minute, deep south battle.  When it was done, LSU had outscored Alabama 46-41.

But really NCAA football won.  It was another battle for the ages.  And, all felt mostly right in America for those nearly four hours of real-world escape while watching it.  Heck, even the leader of the free world paused from his busy schedule as Donald J. Trump watched it in person.

A star was crowned that day.  Joe Burrow went on to an undefeated season for the ages, a national championship, and a Heisman Trophy.

Just three months later, COVID-19 hit.  Down went college sports and college in-person attendance.  Down went the stock market.  Down went Trump’s approval ratings.  Down went employment.  And, down went our spirit.

And, now just four months after that, COVID-19 still hits.  But, employment has started to go back up.  The stock market has gone up, up, up.   Maybe there is hope?  But.  Down went George Floyd.  Down went statues.  The south took a flag down.  Down goes police funding.   Up goes violent crime before, during, and after peaceful protests.  As a result our nation’s spirit has sagged even further.

So, it’s time for college football to lift us up again, isn’t it?  Not so, or not so fast my friend, says the Big 10.  We’ll find out more today as their presidents meet.  They floated the cancel idea over the weekend.  The response was mixed at best.  The Big 10 has led the way in canceling sports since March.

Not so fast either says the PAC 12.  They are going to delay until October at a minimum it seems.  What does a delay accomplish?  Does the PAC 12 play football?  We digress.

The Big 10 was looking for all to fold as they did last Spring.  It isn’t happening.  Not yet anyway.

#WeWantToPlay is a movement started just this weekend spearheaded by Justin Lawrence, the Clemson QB and odds on Heisman favorite.  It has other notables behind it like Ja’Marr Chase, the LSU Fred Biletnikoff winner for the best WR.  The hashtag is trending #1 on Twitter as we write.

Maybe the players have an important voice after all. And, unlike the #United movement comprised of mostly PAC 12 players it doesn’t ask for 50% revenue sharing.  It just asks that the programs keep the players safe.  The PAC 12 players must think they are tax collectors or NBA players.  They are the only two that can scrape 50% from your top line.

Nick Saban, perhaps the loudest voice in the head coaches’ room said, “Look, players are a lot safer with us than they are running around at home. We have around a 2% positive ratio on our team since the Fourth of July. It’s a lot higher than that in society. We act like these guys can’t get this unless they play football. They can get it anywhere, whether they’re in a bar or just hanging out.”

Scott Woodward, LSU AD stated, “As we have said since the beginning, we are patiently working through each and every variable following the direction of our Return to Safety and MedicalGuidance Task Force. I believe our student-athletes want to play. We owe it to them to make every effort to do so safely.”

It sounds like Alabama and LSU want to get it on again and aren’t waiting till 2021 to do so.

So, is it up to the south to rise again?  The ACC seems inclined to follow the SEC.  The Big 12 is listening carefully.

If the Big 10 cancels, the carpetbaggers will head south.

Again.

 

 

 

Ten Piece Nuggets-NCAA Football?

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

It’s Ten Piece Nuggets time.  Usually the nuggets are provided to satisfy.  Today they likely will leave you hungry for more, for more college football that is.  Yesterday a story broke that, if it plays out, will likely mean NCAA football will not play out this fall.  Our nuggets are questions and we want answers.

  1.  What has changed in the months, weeks, and days leading up to now that has the power brokers of the Power 5 conferences thinking that they may not want to play this fall after all?  The answers are 1) a pesky spike in the virus, and 2) the PAC 12 “United” group of players demands we suppose.  Neither should be any surprise to anyone.  As for the virus, it ‘s been on the rise for eight weeks now and seems to be leveling again.  As for the demands, it’s 2020.  Everyone has demands these days.
  2. If the Big 10 folds its cards for the season, why do the other Power 5 Conference Commissioners feel the need to follow suit?   Peer pressure we presume.  If your conference played and a hot spot team or three broke out heaven forbid the scorn that they would receive that could have been avoided.  Really?  Would a “breakout” this fall inside of a team or three surprise anyone as they planned for fall?  Does it now?
  3. If you move it to spring as is being suggested do you play January to April?  If the answer is yes, did anyone look the old Farmer’s Almanac?  The average daily high temperature in Madison, WI, home of the Badgers, is roughly -12.  That “-” sign means minus!  Ditto for February and two thrids of March.
  4. If you move it to spring as is being suggested do you play in April till July?  If the answer is yes, did anyone look at the average temperature in June in Miami?  It’s around 95 degrees with 95% humidity.  In July it’s wetter and worse.  Lastly, do you think that the virus magically disappears in spring 2021?
  5. If you move it to spring, do you lose essentially all of the players who would prefer to train exclusively for the NFL Combine and/or on-campus Pro Day workouts?  The opt out number this fall was only 21 total players announced at this point.  It will be 15 times that this spring.  The NFL Draft is in late April.    Do you think the NFL will change that to accommodate the NCAA?  If you do, BBR has some beautiful land for sale for you just south of Miami.  It’s taken on a bit of water, but nothing like the rise that the ocean will have in the next eight years when climate change really kicks in.
  6.  Is the reason for the likely cancellation due to player safety?  Is there a safer place than being on campus when fellow students aren’t?  Is there a better place than having a full-time nutritionist and testing 2x a week right at your fingertips?  Or, should we say right up, then down, your nose?
  7. If regular kids can’t go to school, why should they be “forced” to play football?  They aren’t being forced, Karen.  Opt-outs are receiving full scholarship benefits in today’s kinder gentler world anyway.
  8. What if some of them contracted the virus during a game and took it home to older loved ones in their families?  Sure, that’s a concern.  But that is a concern no matter where you are and what you are doing.  If you cut them loose from the “bubble” that they are basically in right now, isn’t that a bigger concern?  Have you been to a bar lately?  Do you think any/many of them might venture out, then venture home?
  9. Do you think any of these school presidents, conference commissioners, and NCAA who hahs have asked the players what they want to do?  Doubtful.  They’ll let you opt-out if you want to on your own for now.  But, when it comes to the big decision to play or not, they’ll tell you what you are going to do and you will like it!
  10.  Or, is this all about the fan experience?  By that we mean the “money collection” experience?  No fans mean no parking, no food and beverage, no private seat license revenue, no ticket sales, no suite sales, etc.  We tend to doubt that since they can clearly see what the NHL, MLB, and NBA have done.  There is plenty of NCAA TV revenue to go around.
  11. (Lagniappe)  Will any conference go rouge?  We hope so.  Our bet is on the SEC and maybe, just maybe, the BIG 12.

Are you ready for some football?  It sounds like you might need to tune into the NFL where money talks and players kneel.

Disappointment From Coast to Coast, Part Two

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The NCAA Football regular season ink is dry, and the dye is mostly cast.

For many teams the season’s promise was bright as summer turned to fall.  Now, as fall turns to winter, that promise has turned darker than late afternoon post the change in daylight savings time.  You set you clocks back while some team’s performance set their programs back.

So who are they?  Who are those teams that fell significantly short of meeting the expectations of their followers?  Disappointment can and does come from a few angles.  The program’s history builds in annual minimum standards.  A new, and maybe highly paid, coach can further that.  A good recruiting year or three can further that.  Some teams are bad but somewhat expected.  Some are disappointing and somewhat unexpected.

In part one we selected Washington out of the PAC 12 as the most disappointing.  Evidently, head coach Chris Petersen was disappointed as well.  He stepped down yesterday citing a need to “recharge.”  Today we continue with part two of our series scanning each of the Power 5 conferences to select the most disappointing performance.

 

ACC

Most Disappointing

Usually in year two of a new coaching staff’s run the ascent begins.  After all, you have two years of your own recruits.  You may have run off a few that you don’t want.  The transfer portal can accelerate your personnel transformation.  You have instilled the weight and nutritional training that you want to shape your team.  Your culture is, or better be, in place.  Your staff has had two springs and two falls to “coach em up.”  If it’s a big time program money/budgets are generous to accomplish all of the above.

“Usually” is the key word.  For Florida St. the 2018 and first half of the 2019 season was all the boosters, alumni, AD, and school administration needed to see “usually” would not turn into their reality.  Willie Taggert, nine games into year two and 21 games in in total was fired.  Several losses in 2019 were downright embarrassing.  A season opening home loss to Boise St. was followed by a one point win over Louisiana Monroe.  Clemson and Miami both worked FSU over.   Discipline lacked and class attendance declined. And, then it was over.

Taggert, 43, had ascended rapidly in the head coaching world.  Western Kentucky’s success lead to USF’s turnaround which led to a major jump to the helm at Oregon.  One year in at Oregon, Taggert jumped ship to coach the Seminoles.

Florida St. missed the bowl season in 2018 (the first time since 1981), and won six and lost six in 2019.  That’s only good enough for a tie for fourth in the Atlantic side of the ACC. They also will be buying out Coach Taggert for a smooth 20 million per the contract that he didn’t finally sign, but will expect to collect from.  Taggert finished 9-12 in his 1 3/4 years there. His ACC record was a miserable 6-9 in a conference that isn’t from top to bottom that feared.  The team was 4-5 when he was let go.

Clemson is the standard that FSU aspires to compete with.  When you finish behind Louisville and Wake Forest, and tied with Boston College, Clemson is more than a few hydration bottles ahead of you.

Florida St. is easily the most disappointing team in the ACC.

Also Considered

FSU took the prize and second place wasn’t close.  However, the continued noise emanating from South Beach isn’t due to partying about the Miami Hurricanes football team.  They finished 6-6 as well.  They began 2018 ranked 3rd in the U.S.  They end 2019 as an afterthought in the ACC.  A parade of coaches have come and gone since that program has been relevant on the national stage.

Syracuse, finishing 5-7, also underwhelmed.  The Orangemen were upstarts for two straight years registering some nice upsets along the way.  This year was a step backwards.

 

Ten Piece Nuggets- NCAA Football

Posted on by thependulumswings staff

The latest AP Top 25 Poll is out.  But, it almost could be reprinted from last week.  There was very little change except one significant one.  Onto the Ten Piece Nuggets which we will keep pretty lean today.  Thanksgiving and stuffed turkey is near.

  1.  Three of the top five won by convincingly beating  significantly inferior opponents.  Two won against good opponents.  Penn St. came to Columbus, Ohio as did College Game Day.  THE OSU helped Penn St back in, but won 28-17.   Texas A&M came to Athens, GA.  It was mostly rock em sock em defense as Georgia prevailed 19-13.
  2.  LSU’s win over Ar-Kansas and Georgia’s win over A&M set up a # 1 v. #5 SEC Championship game in two weeks.  Of course they must take care of business this week for it to be a 1v 5 matchup.  LSU hosts the Aggies while Georgia stays in state busing down to Georgia Tech.  The Tigers are favored by 17 while Georgia is favored by 28.
  3.  THE clinched the East BIG 10 Division and awaits the winner of the showdown this week in Madison, WI.  The Badgers host the Golden Gophers.   The winner of that contest wins the West BIG 10 Division.  It’s rivalry week across the fruited plains.  Ohio St has a date with Michigan.  Badgers, Gophers, Wolverines, and Buckeyes are three bad animals and one poisonous nut.  Whatever.
  4.  Alabama sits at #5 while Utah moved up one to #6.  We suspect that the playoff committee will slot them that way as well.  They both have to win out and have a watchful eye on the traffic above.  Alabama struggled (ahem) to get by Western Carolina 66-3.  The Iron Bowl v hated Auburn awaits.  In a betting line that is sure to raise a few eyebrows Bama is only a 3 1/2 point road favorite.  Does a Bama win combined with a Georgia loss put the Crimson Tide back in the final four?  Probably.
  5. Utah hosts Colorado and the Buffaloes stand in the way of a trip to the PAC 12 Championship game for Utah.  USC is done at 8-4 but only two of those losses are v PAC 12 opponents and they handed the Utes their only loss.  So, Utah must herd the Buffaloes to advance.  And, if they did, and knocked off two loss Oregon is that enough to jump Alabama into fourth should one of those above stumble?
  6. It would give Utah a one more win and only one loss resume v Bama’s resume.  Bama needs to beat Auburn of course or the point is moot.  Utah is a big 29 point favorite over Colorado.
  7.  Fear the Fork!  Oregon must not have feared it.  They went into Tempe with the same road to the playoffs hopes as described above for Utah.  They left Tempe with their second loss in hand.  The Sun Devils prevailed 31-28.  The Ducks lost more than a few feathers dropping from 6th all of the way down to 14th.  Rivalry week sends the Oregon St. Beavers to Eugene as 18 point underdogs.  At this point the Ducks can only win the rivalry game and play spoiler v. Utah in the conference championship game.
  8.  Minnesota climbed back into the top 10 at #9.  What does a win at Wisconsin, then a BIG 10 Championship game win over THE, combined with a Utah loss, and a Georgia loss do for them?  Probably nothing.  But, impossible is nothing.
  9.  Virginia Tech is playing solid late season football.  The Pittsburgh Panthers were shut out by the Hokies 28-0 on Saturday.  The Hokies entered the poll last week at #25 and moved up two to #23 this week.  In October and November Tech has six victories and a one point loss to Notre Dame to show for it’s efforts.  A season opening loss to woeful Boston College is way back in the rear view window now.  Tech is a team that you don’t want to draw in the bowl pairings.
  10. Texas was smarter than everyone else they told us when they spurned overtures from the SEC when rival A&M joined.  Texas was smarter than everyone else they told us when the hired Tom Herman.  Tom Herman must be smarting after his pregame no helmet on headbutt of a player with a helmet on attempted to motivate the Longhorns v. Baylor.  Baylor won 24-10.  Texas hosts Texas Tech this weekend.  They need the win to insure a winning season as they stand currently at 6-5.  The Longhorns are a nine point favorite in a game that will be lost among other rivalry week games that are relevant and actually are rivalries.

Turkey is good.  Nuggets are better!