College football

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@(25)Virginia Tech -4 Pittsburgh. No idea about this one. A little help?
Thanks . The Vegas spread is down to 3.5. So, go:
Pittsburgh +4 @(25)Virginia Tech.
0-28, that was a horrible switch .
(12)Michigan -9 @Indiana.
The Vegas spread is up to 10. Cool, -9 is a gift.
39-14 .
(24)Texas A&M +13 @(4)Georgia. Upset!
Almost, 13-19, I'll take the spread win.
Texas +5.5 @(13)Baylor.
Bad idea.
@Navy -3.5 (21)SMU. AP & Vegas disagree.
Vegas is correct, barely, 35-28 . Bye-bye top 25, Shrub school.
(18)Memphis -14 @South Florida.
Sweet, a rout.

Damn, @(14)Wisconsin missed the 24-point spread over Purdue by 3. Big game vs MN next week, winner plays OH St in the Big 10 Championship. I'll probably root for 2-loss Wisconsin since a 1-loss MN is more likely to challenge 1-loss OR for a Playoff slot.

I'm 8-6, tied for 11th, 3 points behind the leader. I can't win 1st, but surprisingly I can still attain a 4-way tie for 2nd if I win out the last 6 games.

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Arkansas +44 @(1)LSU. Is the LSU coach as much of an asshole as Dabo?
I thought Orgeron was being an asshole, then he wasn't .
Temple +10.5 @(17)Cincinnati.
13-15 Cincinnati . Weird one. The difference was a late blocked Temple PAT that was returned for 2 Cincinnati points.
(6)Oregon -14.5 @Arizona St.
The Vegas spread is down to 13.5, but I'll stick with my Ducks.
NOOOOOOO!!! Oregon almost came back, but uh-uh. Go MN, win the Big 10 and the National Championship!
TCU +18 @(8)Oklahoma. Knock it out of the top ten.
Ooooh, coulda won, 24-28, and I’ll take the spread win.

I'm 11-7, tied for 6th, just 2 points behind the leaders. I can't win 1st, but can still attain a 5-way tie for 2nd, $6.65 (woohoo), if I win out the last 2 games.

Edit:

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(20)Boise St -7.5 @Utah St.
The Vegas spread is up to 9. Cool, -7.5 is a gift.

Yep, killed it, 10-1! Great Bowl coming.

Dammit, (7)Utah beat the 22.5 point spread vs @Arizona by 5.5. I finish 12-8, including the 2 Offline games the AL teams played, so really a mediocre, again, 10-8. Tied for 9th out of 19, yawn, 3 points behind the winner.

[Vrede too]

Cal Bears beat the Stanford Cardinals for the first time in 10 years.

Congrats. Beating @UCLA next week = Bowl.

Same for Washington vs Washington State, O Really, or Washington State gets a Bowl. Colorado, seriously?

MD has lost 6 in a row, just now to NE .

[Vrede too]

AP Rankings

1 LSU (11-0) Will beat Texas A&M on 11/30, Georgia on 12/7.
2 Ohio State (11-0) Go Wolverines on 11/30.
3 Clemson (11-0) Back to not having beaten a single ranked team. FCS ranked Wofford doesn't count.
4 Georgia (10-1) Ugh.
5 Alabama (10-1) All of decent and wholesome America is counting on you, billy.pilgrim.
6 Utah (10-1) Ugh.
7 Oklahoma (10-1) Ugh.
8 Florida (9-2)
9 Minnesota (10-1) Will beat Wisconsin on 11/30, Ohio State on 12/7.
10 Michigan (9-2)
11 Baylor (10-1) Beat Oklahoma on 12/7!
12 Penn State (9-2) Down from #9, good.
13 Wisconsin (9-2)
14 Oregon (9-2) Down from #6, awww.
15 Notre Dame (9-2)
16 Auburn (8-3) Best 3-loss team!
17 Memphis (10-1)
18 Cincinnati (10-1)
19 Iowa (8-3)
20 Boise State (10-1) Good Bowl coming.
21 Oklahoma State (8-3)
22 Appalachian State (10-1) Up from #23, good Bowl coming.
23 Virginia Tech (8-3) @Virginia on 11/29, winner shames Clemson in the ACC Championship.
24 Navy (8-2)
25 USC (8-4)
(27) Virginia (8-3) Virginia Tech on 11/29, winner shames Clemson in the ACC Championship.
(28) Texas A&M (7-4) Will be 7-5 after playing LSU on 11/30.

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@Virginia +2 (23)Virginia Tech. Fri 11/29 12:00 PM ET. Tough deciding who I want to shame Clemson. Your opinions?
(19)Iowa -4.5 @Nebraska.
(20)Boise St -12.5 @Colorado St. 11-1 coming!
@(17)Memphis -10 (18)Cincinnati. Memphis has better music and will keep Navy out of the AAC Championship.
(22)Appalachian St -12 @Troy. 11-1 coming!
The above games are all on Friday.
@(10)Michigan +9 (2)Ohio St. Won't that mess up the polls?
@South Carolina +25 (3)Clemson. Maybe the GA-shaming South Carolina will show up again.
@(9)Minnesota +2 (13)Wisconsin. 1-loss Minnesota is the one that still has a shot at making the Playoffs, but I don't hate Wisconsin.
@(16)Auburn +4 (5)Alabama. Narrow spread, respect! Please beg Mrs.pilgrim to wear the vest for me. It will be the redemption of a disappointing season.
@Houston +7.5 (24)Navy. Sink it out of the rankings and the AAC Championship.

At the moment I'm going 13-6 for underdogs, ut-oh.

5 games between ranked teams, 4 involving a top ten team and Ohio St - Michigan is 2 top ten teams, nice! 6 games with single digit spreads.

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Ohio St jumps LSU to No. 1 in CFP rankings with 2 weeks left

I was going to quote, but it's all interesting to me:

Ohio St - LSU comparison;
Final 4 teams history;
Group of Five teams;
Competitive games still to play;
Scenarios for contenders to get in - Alabama, Utah, Oklahoma and Baylor, Minnesota (yippie!), even 2-loss Wisconsin.

I'd argue that the #2 spot is preferable if it means playing untested #3 Clemson in the semis.

Playoff Selection Committee Poll

Besides Ohio St taking #1, the biggest differences with the AP are:

Florida (9-2) dropping from #8 to #11.
Michigan (9-2) dropping from #10 to #13.
Baylor (10-1) moving up from #11 to #9.
Penn State (9-2) moving up from #12 to #10.
Appalachian State (10-1) dominated, but dropped from #24 to #25, grrr.

In general, the PSC is automatically harsher on 2-loss teams than the AP is, and I think I remember that from prior years.

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Final Yahoo! spreads.

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@Virginia +2 +2.5 (23)Virginia Tech. Fri 11/29 12:00 PM ET. Tough deciding who I want to shame Clemson. Your opinions?
(19)Iowa -4.5 -5.5 @Nebraska.
(20)Boise St -12.5 -13.5 @Colorado St. 11-1 coming!
@(17)Memphis -10 -11 (18)Cincinnati. Memphis has better music and will keep Navy out of the AAC Championship.
(22)Appalachian St -12 -13 @Troy. 11-1 coming!
The above games are all on Friday.
@(10)Michigan +9 (2)Ohio St. Won't that mess up the polls?
@South Carolina +25 +27 (3)Clemson. Maybe the GA-shaming South Carolina will show up again.
@(9)Minnesota +2 +2.5 (13)Wisconsin. 1-loss Minnesota is the one that still has a shot at making the Playoffs, but I don't hate Wisconsin.
@(16)Auburn +4 +3.5 (5)Alabama. Narrow spread, respect! Please beg Mrs.pilgrim to wear the vest for me. It will be the redemption of a disappointing season. Gamblers inching towards Auburn from the initial spread .
@Houston +7.5 +8.5 (24)Navy. Sink it out of the rankings and the AAC Championship.
@(21)Oklahoma St +13 (7)Oklahoma. An upset would be sweet!

At the moment I'm going 13-6 for underdogs, ut-oh.

5 games between ranked teams, 4 involving a top ten team and Ohio St - Michigan is 2 top ten teams, nice! 6 games with single digit spreads.

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The only game today is Ole Miss(4-7) @MissSt(5-6) at 7:30 PM ET. I'll bet ESPN wishes it could redo that scheduling. I sure don't care.

[billy.pilgrim]

The only game today is Ole Miss(4-7) @MissSt(5-6) at 7:30 PM ET. I'll bet ESPN wishes it could redo that scheduling. I sure don't care.

What a pitiful example of the SEC allowing only one team to use artificial noise makers.

Noise is a great factor in college ball, but allowing State to be the only sec team that gets to use artificial noise during play calling is wrong headed in so many ways. It cost Ol Miss this game and is little different than the bullshit the sec made A&M stop when they joined the sec and could lead to other teams demanding thunder sticks and blue fields.

[Vrede too]

What a pitiful example of the SEC allowing only one team to use artificial noise makers.

Noise is a great factor in college ball, but allowing State to be the only sec team that gets to use artificial noise during play calling is wrong headed in so many ways....

Why is that?



Crap, 5 top 25 games being played today, all of which I'm betting on, but only:

@Virginia +2.5 (23)Virginia Tech
@(17)Memphis -11 (18)Cincinnati

yawns, are on TV. Thanks a lot, BTN, CBSS and ESPN+. I can’t watch:

(19)Iowa -5.5 @Nebraska, oh well
(20)Boise St -13.5 @Colorado St, damn
(22)Appalachian St -13 @Troy, CRAP! 2nd week in a row.

Bastards.

Otoh, I can, but mostly won't watch mediocre:

Texas Tech at Texas
Toledo at Central Michigan
Missouri at Arkansas
Washington State at Washington (some mild interest to me)
West Virginia at TCU (well, I do hate TCU)
South Florida at UCF (very, very slight interest to me)

[billy.pilgrim]

What a pitiful example of the SEC allowing only one team to use artificial noise makers.

Noise is a great factor in college ball, but allowing State to be the only sec team that gets to use artificial noise during play calling is wrong headed in so many ways....

Why is that?



Crap, 5 top 25 games being played today, all of which I'm betting on, but only:

@Virginia +2.5 (23)Virginia Tech
@(17)Memphis -11 (18)Cincinnati

yawns, are on TV. Thanks a lot, BTN, CBSS and ESPN+. I can’t watch:

(19)Iowa -5.5 @Nebraska, oh well
(20)Boise St -13.5 @Colorado St, damn
(22)Appalachian St -13 @Troy, CRAP! 2nd week in a row.

Bastards.

Otoh, I can, but mostly won't watch mediocre:

Texas Tech at Texas
Toledo at Central Michigan
Missouri at Arkansas
Washington State at Washington (some mild interest to me)
West Virginia at TCU (well, I do hate TCU)
South Florida at UCF (very, very slight interest to me)

I have no idea why one team is allowed to do what no other sec teams are allowed - unless it's their promise to stop the bell ringing when the other team lines up ( or the excessive whining they do whenever it is discussed).

They get fined $60,000 for doing it.
State went from no bowl to a bowl with their win last night. They'll make a million +/- from the bowl and bring their fucking bells even louder next year.

I don't have a problem with the bells, as long as they do the ringing at the appropriate time.

The fix is easy. First admit that cowbells are artificial noise makers.
And admit that a $60,000 fine is not a deterrent to a million dollar payday.

Then put the refs in control.
1 warning
Then 5 yard penalty
The 10
Then 15

State will have security confiscating cow bells by the wheelbarrow load.

Or the $60,000 fine could be for each occurrence.

[Vrede too]

I have no idea why one team is allowed to do what no other sec teams are allowed - unless it's their promise to stop the bell ringing when the other team lines up ( or the excessive whining they do whenever it is discussed).

They get fined $60,000 for doing it.
State went from no bowl to a bowl with their win last night. They'll make a million +/- from the bowl and bring their fucking bells even louder next year.

I don't have a problem with the bells, as long as they do the ringing at the appropriate time.

The fix is easy. First admit that cowbells are artificial noise makers.
And admit that a $60,000 fine is not a deterrent to a million dollar payday.

Then put the refs in control.
1 warning
Then 5 yard penalty
The 10
Then 15

State will have security confiscating cow bells by the wheelbarrow load.

Or the $60,000 fine could be for each occurrence.

Thanks, but your on your own with this one. If it's cowbells, I'm okay with it.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cVsQLlk-T0s



I wish that I could cowbell the networks, the NCAA and/or my cable company for making today's anticipated day of football suck.

[O Really]

We get Huskies-Cougars, but other than that, it's scraps. Just as well, though. After being rained in yesterday, we're getting outside today.

[Vrede too]

We get Huskies-Cougars, but other than that, it's scraps. Just as well, though. After being rained in yesterday, we're getting outside today.

Don't take it personally, but this year Huskies-Cougars IS "scraps."

Texas routed Texas Tech, cool. Bowl coming .

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@Virginia +2.5 (23)Virginia Tech. Fri 11/29 12:00 PM ET. Tough deciding who I want to shame Clemson. Your opinions?
Thanks for the help . If I had know that UVA had lost 15 straight to VT, I might have picked differently. Winning 48-yard field goal with 1:23 left, then a strip-6 for insurance, 39-30 in a great game . UVA's 1st ever ACC Championship Game, beating Clemson will put them in the Orange Bowl. 12 of 19 in the pool got it wrong .

(19)Iowa -5.5 @Nebraska.
Leading 24-10 at halftime .

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Dammit, Iowa kicked a 48-yard field goal to win 27-24. Would have been better to go to OT and retain the possibility of beating the 5.5 point spread. But, only 3 picked NE.

I'm 1-1. 10-way tie for the lead.

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(20)Boise St -13.5 @Colorado St. 11-1 coming!
Got the win , missed the spread by 6.5, crap.

@(17)Memphis -11 (18)Cincinnati. Memphis has better music and will keep Navy out of the AAC Championship.
Got the win , missed the spread by 1, crap.

I'm 1-3, tied for 8th, 2 points out of the lead .

[O Really]

Don't take it personally, but this year Huskies-Cougars IS "scraps."

Says he who doesn't live with Lady O.

[Vrede too]

Says he who doesn't live with Lady O.

The rout does give them state bragging rights and ensure a Bowl at 7-5. So, congratulate her on non-scraps victory!

13.5-point underdog WV hung on to beat TCU by 3 .

13-point favorite App St is up 34-13 at the half, and the pool's solo leader picked Troy

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(22)Appalachian St -13 @Troy. 11-1 coming!

48-13!


I'm 2-3, tied for 7th, just one point out of the lead. Tomorrow could be triumph or crash and burn. I picked differently from the majority, several times the large majority, 9 out of 14 games.

No. 25 Appalachian State pummels Troy to remain in Group of 5 race

They may be the fourth team in the running (or third after today’s results), but No. 25 Appalachian State (11-1, 7-1 Sun Belt) did what it needed to make sure they remain in the conversation for a spot in the Cotton Bowl. The top team in the Sun Belt took care of business in their regular-season finale with a 48-13 victory at Troy (5-7, 3-5 Sun Belt). the loss by Troy eliminates the Trojans from bowl eligibility this season, while Appalachian State will play for a conference title next week with hopes of potentially wiggling into the Cotton Bowl as the highest-ranked Group of Five champion....

Appalachian State will now begin preparing for the Sun Belt Conference Championship Game next week against Louisiana. A win will be necessary to keep any hopes of playing in the Cotton Bowl, but the Mountaineers will likely need a considerable amount of help as well. The Sun Belt Conference Championship Game will be played at 12 PM ET next Saturday, which means Appalachian State will do some scoreboard watching if they manage to top Louisiana next week....

The Mountaineers will need Cincinnati to win at Memphis in next week’s American Athletic Conference championship game in the middle of the afternoon, but even then the fate may be left in the hands of the selection committee, and both AAC contenders may finish ahead of Appalachian State anyway. Appalachian State would also need some help from Hawaii, who will look to score a big upset at Boise State. The Broncos, like Memphis and Cincinnati, entered the week ranked ahead of Appalachian State and it’s still possible all three remain in front of the Mountaineers when the next College Football Playoff rankings are released on Tuesday night.

The bottom line for Appalachian State is just win next week and then let the rest of the pieces fall where they may. It may be a bit of a long shot, but the hopes and dreams will live on for one more week at the very least.

I guess that I'll have to bet against Memphis and Boise State next week.

TCU got knocked out of a Bowl. Yay.

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@(10)Michigan +9 (2)Ohio St. Won't that mess up the polls?
@South Carolina +27 (3)Clemson. Maybe the GA-shaming South Carolina will show up again.

Along with GA > GA Tech I got creamed, slaughtered, trounced in the 3 early games. I'm tied for last, not out of the money yet, but it ain't looking good.