2023 College Football - Week 12: Conference Chaos
Nov 16, 2023 23:07:10 GMT -6
Funkytown and FSUVike like this
Post by Uncle on Nov 16, 2023 23:07:10 GMT -6
There's just two weeks left the 2023 College season and we're just one week away from "Rivalry Week", and although there are some Conferences with their Championship games already set (ie, Alabama and Georgia will meet in the SEC Championship), other conferences have a bit of chaos going on to determine who's getting there...
Outside of some exciting Conference races, there are a few other exciting matchups w/ no Conference Championship implications, plus, this Saturday could very well be the final college game for USC QB Caleb Williams...
...and not to mention there are a number of head coaches on the hot seat and a few other notable job openings out there...with a loss in Week 12 and nothing to play for, there might be a "Black Monday" before the upcoming "Black Friday" annual shopping chaos...
Friday, 11/17 - Evening Game
Colorado @ Washington St - 10:30PM ET (FS1); spread is Washington St -4.5
The season hasn't exactly played out the way both of these 4-6 teams wanted: Coach Prime's Buffaloes started off as the talk of the country and then reality set in, while the Cougars also started off hot and then started committing a whole bunch of turnovers. The winner of this one will keep a slimmer of hope alive for a bowl game while the loser is out. Even though Colorado has lost five out of the last six, four of those five losses were only 1-score games - they just can't close it out in the 4th as they don't have the OL/DL to hold up. It's a tough environment to play "on the Palouse" in Pullman, but I'm thinking that Coach Prime wants this one a bit more and the Cougars might save up all of their energy for the Apple Cup rivalry game next weekend vs Washington. This is a nice little primetime QB battle between two QB's I expect to return to college in 2024: Colorado's Shedeur Sanders vs Washington St's Cam Ward. On a weekend where you'll likely see the last college game of the first overall pick in the 2024 Draft, here's a chance to see the possible frontrunner for the first overall pick in the 2025 Draft.
Saturday, 11/18 - Early Afternoon Games
#10 Louisville @ Miami - Noon ET (ABC); spread is Louisville -1
The Cardinals are just 1 win away from appearing in their first ever ACC Championship game and a showdown with #4 FSU. All that's standing in their way? A win in a place they've never won before - Coral Gables, Miami; Louisville is 0-6-1 all-time in Miami. It would be the Cardinals’ first 10-win season since 2013 and their first with 7 ACC victories since Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson led them to a 7-1 mark. The Hurricanes have had another disappointing season in Mario Cristobal’s second year and they might have played their "Super Bowl" at Doak Campbell last week vs FSU and it's quite possible the team might pack it in. Louisville has not looked good on the road this season - eeking out a win @ NC State and losing @ Pitt, so although the Hurricanes may not put up much of a fight, Louisville can't shoot themselves in the foot. Louisville has been one of the surprise teams of the 2023 College Season under 1st yr HC Jeff Brohm and they might just continue a season of "firsts" with their first ever win in Miami.
SMU @ Memphis - Noon ET (ESPN2); spread is SMU -7.5
The Mustangs have one of the best offenses in the country, will be joining the ACC in 2024 and have their sights set on an appearance in the AAC Championship. The AAC seems to be down to 3 teams with Tulane, UTSA and SMU all undefeated in Conference Play, with Tulane & UTSA meeting next week during "Rivalry Week". However, there is a 4th team in-the-mix for the AAC Championship with only 1 Conference loss - Memphis. The Tigers could really cause AAC chaos with a home win and make things difficult for SMU to get to the AAC Championship.
#22 Utah @ #17 Arizona - 2:30PM ET (PAC-12 Network); spread is Arizona -1
While both teams are 7-3, only Arizona has a shot to get to the PAC-12 Championship, albeit a small one as they need to win out and get significant help with teams above them losing. Still though, like Louisville, Arizona is one of this season's good stories as they were just 1-11 in 2021. They already have 3 wins vs Top 25 teams and a win at home vs Utah gives them #4 and possibly a very nice bowl game. The Utes have a really strong defense, and they've put up a heck of a fight last week @ Washington, but their season was derailed when QB Cam Rising couldn't come back from the torn ACL he suffered in last year's Rose Bowl. The Utes will not be going to a 3rd straight Rose Bowl game this time around.
Saturday, 11/18 - Mid-Afternoon Games
#1 Georgia @ #18 Tennessee - 3:30PM ET (CBS); spread is Georgia -10.5
The Bulldogs have turned it up another notch last week as they completely routed #9 Ole Miss "between the hedges" in Athens and I get the feeling we're about to see another stomping as Tennessee got waxed themselves in Columbia last week. Last season, Tennessee won a great home game vs Alabama, but I don't see lighting striking twice at Rocky Top for two consecutive seasons unless QB Joe Milton III plays the game of his life, and even then I'm not sure it'll be enough as the Bulldog offense is rolling and the Volunteer defense just isn't that good. It'll be a win for the Volunteers if they keep this within 2 TD's.
UCLA @ USC - 3:30PM ET (ABC); spread is USC -6.5
There are a couple storylines in this one. First, this is likely Caleb Williams final collegiate football game as even though the Trojans have qualified for a Bowl game, it might not be a New Year's Day game and Williams will likely opt out to start the pre-Draft process. And honestly, the Bruins defense is very good, so it's not like UCLA is going to lay down and let Caleb do what he wants; this is an early rivalry game ahead of "Rivalry Week" next week and there won't be many hugs for Caleb out there. Speaking of storylines, the other one in this one is UCLA HC Chip Kelly, who is likely going to be fired after this one, win or lose. Williams has a slim lead in total TD's this season with 40, two more than Jayden Daniels at 38 - and if Caleb is going to go out a winner to end his college career, he'll likely need a big day to keep that lead.
UNLV @ Air Force - 3:30PM (CBS Sports Network); spread is Air Force -3
Potentially the best story (and most under the radar) this season is UNLV - who entered this season a decade removed from their last winning record - are now tied for first in the Mountain West with Air Force, which makes this matchup crucial. The Rebels will play in a bowl game for just the 5th time in the Division I era, so even if they don't win in a tough environment in Colorado Springs - who will be playing their 1st home game since mid-Oct - this season has been a massive success. Air Force was rollin' along at 8-0 a few weeks ago and a clear frontrunner to get into a New Year's Day Bowl, but 2 straight losses to teams below .500 have certainly derailed that a bit. The Runnin' Rebels have a stout defense and they'll need every bit of it as they take on a potent Air Force rushing attack.
Saturday, 11/18 - Evening Games
#21 Kansas St @ #25 Kansas - 7PM ET (FS1); spread is Kansas St -8.5
This might be the first time in the history of the "Sunflower Showdown" that both of these teams are ranked heading into the matchup. And not only are these teams ranked, there's a bit on-the-line here with K-State still in the hunt for a BIG XII Championship appearance if they win in Lawrence and then at home next weekend vs Iowa St. Kansas has QB injury concerns as their starting QB, Jalon Daniels (who announced this week he's returning for the 2024 season), is out and their backup (who beat Oklahoma a few weeks back) suffered an injury last week that caused them to lose at home to Texas Tech. If their backup QB, Jason Bean, can go for this rivalry game, the Jayhawks will get to 8 wins and probably find themselves in a decent bowl game heading into 2024.
#5 Washington @ #11 Oregon St - 7:30PM ET (ABC); spread is Oregon St -2.5
The premier game of Week 12 is in Corvallis, with the Beavers looking to end the Michael Penix, Jr. Heisman hype. Penix has been great at home vs Oregon & Utah and solid on the road at USC, but this one will likely be his toughest test of the season as the Beavers are going to be fired up to possibly knock Washington out of the CFP, and possibly out of the PAC-12 Championship game. With a win, the Beavers could inject some "chaos" into the PAC-12 since most people expect a Washington/Oregon rematch and if Oregon St can pull off wins vs Washington here and vs Oregon next week in the "Civil War" game on "Black Friday", they'll be in. Washington had trouble with Utah in Husky Stadium in Week 11 and Oregon St is built very similar to Utah - really balanced team with stout OL/DL and a strong running game. If former Clemson QB and current Oregon St QB DJ Uiagalelei can step-up his performance, the Beavers will be very tough to beat at home in primetime. If Penix is going to hear his name called early in the 2024 Draft, he needs to shine bright in these primetime games. This should be a fun matchup.
#7 Texas @ Iowa St - 8PM ET (FOX); spread is Texas -7.5
Texas is in the driver's seat to get to the BIG XII Championship, but the other team is anyone's guess as there are several teams with 2 Conference losses behind them that are in the mix and one of those teams is Iowa St. Even though Texas QB Quinn Ewers is back after an injury, they lost star RB Jonathan Brooks to a torn ACL last week which will put all the pressure on the shoulders of Ewers. Further, Texas has been giving up some yards on defense as their pass defense has allowed 247 yards per game to rank 107th in the nation. The Cyclones had a bad start, going 2-3 and losing to Ohio, but they are well coached, have a balanced offense and a strong defense. Plus, Ames isn't easy to play at, especially at night in primetime. The Longhorns have been living a bit too dangerously lately, only covering once in their last five games and if they're not careful, they could find themselves not only out of the any CFP conversations, but out of the BIG XIII Championship, too.
Outside of some exciting Conference races, there are a few other exciting matchups w/ no Conference Championship implications, plus, this Saturday could very well be the final college game for USC QB Caleb Williams...
...and not to mention there are a number of head coaches on the hot seat and a few other notable job openings out there...with a loss in Week 12 and nothing to play for, there might be a "Black Monday" before the upcoming "Black Friday" annual shopping chaos...
Friday, 11/17 - Evening Game
Colorado @ Washington St - 10:30PM ET (FS1); spread is Washington St -4.5
The season hasn't exactly played out the way both of these 4-6 teams wanted: Coach Prime's Buffaloes started off as the talk of the country and then reality set in, while the Cougars also started off hot and then started committing a whole bunch of turnovers. The winner of this one will keep a slimmer of hope alive for a bowl game while the loser is out. Even though Colorado has lost five out of the last six, four of those five losses were only 1-score games - they just can't close it out in the 4th as they don't have the OL/DL to hold up. It's a tough environment to play "on the Palouse" in Pullman, but I'm thinking that Coach Prime wants this one a bit more and the Cougars might save up all of their energy for the Apple Cup rivalry game next weekend vs Washington. This is a nice little primetime QB battle between two QB's I expect to return to college in 2024: Colorado's Shedeur Sanders vs Washington St's Cam Ward. On a weekend where you'll likely see the last college game of the first overall pick in the 2024 Draft, here's a chance to see the possible frontrunner for the first overall pick in the 2025 Draft.
Saturday, 11/18 - Early Afternoon Games
#10 Louisville @ Miami - Noon ET (ABC); spread is Louisville -1
The Cardinals are just 1 win away from appearing in their first ever ACC Championship game and a showdown with #4 FSU. All that's standing in their way? A win in a place they've never won before - Coral Gables, Miami; Louisville is 0-6-1 all-time in Miami. It would be the Cardinals’ first 10-win season since 2013 and their first with 7 ACC victories since Heisman Trophy winner Lamar Jackson led them to a 7-1 mark. The Hurricanes have had another disappointing season in Mario Cristobal’s second year and they might have played their "Super Bowl" at Doak Campbell last week vs FSU and it's quite possible the team might pack it in. Louisville has not looked good on the road this season - eeking out a win @ NC State and losing @ Pitt, so although the Hurricanes may not put up much of a fight, Louisville can't shoot themselves in the foot. Louisville has been one of the surprise teams of the 2023 College Season under 1st yr HC Jeff Brohm and they might just continue a season of "firsts" with their first ever win in Miami.
SMU @ Memphis - Noon ET (ESPN2); spread is SMU -7.5
The Mustangs have one of the best offenses in the country, will be joining the ACC in 2024 and have their sights set on an appearance in the AAC Championship. The AAC seems to be down to 3 teams with Tulane, UTSA and SMU all undefeated in Conference Play, with Tulane & UTSA meeting next week during "Rivalry Week". However, there is a 4th team in-the-mix for the AAC Championship with only 1 Conference loss - Memphis. The Tigers could really cause AAC chaos with a home win and make things difficult for SMU to get to the AAC Championship.
#22 Utah @ #17 Arizona - 2:30PM ET (PAC-12 Network); spread is Arizona -1
While both teams are 7-3, only Arizona has a shot to get to the PAC-12 Championship, albeit a small one as they need to win out and get significant help with teams above them losing. Still though, like Louisville, Arizona is one of this season's good stories as they were just 1-11 in 2021. They already have 3 wins vs Top 25 teams and a win at home vs Utah gives them #4 and possibly a very nice bowl game. The Utes have a really strong defense, and they've put up a heck of a fight last week @ Washington, but their season was derailed when QB Cam Rising couldn't come back from the torn ACL he suffered in last year's Rose Bowl. The Utes will not be going to a 3rd straight Rose Bowl game this time around.
Saturday, 11/18 - Mid-Afternoon Games
#1 Georgia @ #18 Tennessee - 3:30PM ET (CBS); spread is Georgia -10.5
The Bulldogs have turned it up another notch last week as they completely routed #9 Ole Miss "between the hedges" in Athens and I get the feeling we're about to see another stomping as Tennessee got waxed themselves in Columbia last week. Last season, Tennessee won a great home game vs Alabama, but I don't see lighting striking twice at Rocky Top for two consecutive seasons unless QB Joe Milton III plays the game of his life, and even then I'm not sure it'll be enough as the Bulldog offense is rolling and the Volunteer defense just isn't that good. It'll be a win for the Volunteers if they keep this within 2 TD's.
UCLA @ USC - 3:30PM ET (ABC); spread is USC -6.5
There are a couple storylines in this one. First, this is likely Caleb Williams final collegiate football game as even though the Trojans have qualified for a Bowl game, it might not be a New Year's Day game and Williams will likely opt out to start the pre-Draft process. And honestly, the Bruins defense is very good, so it's not like UCLA is going to lay down and let Caleb do what he wants; this is an early rivalry game ahead of "Rivalry Week" next week and there won't be many hugs for Caleb out there. Speaking of storylines, the other one in this one is UCLA HC Chip Kelly, who is likely going to be fired after this one, win or lose. Williams has a slim lead in total TD's this season with 40, two more than Jayden Daniels at 38 - and if Caleb is going to go out a winner to end his college career, he'll likely need a big day to keep that lead.
UNLV @ Air Force - 3:30PM (CBS Sports Network); spread is Air Force -3
Potentially the best story (and most under the radar) this season is UNLV - who entered this season a decade removed from their last winning record - are now tied for first in the Mountain West with Air Force, which makes this matchup crucial. The Rebels will play in a bowl game for just the 5th time in the Division I era, so even if they don't win in a tough environment in Colorado Springs - who will be playing their 1st home game since mid-Oct - this season has been a massive success. Air Force was rollin' along at 8-0 a few weeks ago and a clear frontrunner to get into a New Year's Day Bowl, but 2 straight losses to teams below .500 have certainly derailed that a bit. The Runnin' Rebels have a stout defense and they'll need every bit of it as they take on a potent Air Force rushing attack.
Saturday, 11/18 - Evening Games
#21 Kansas St @ #25 Kansas - 7PM ET (FS1); spread is Kansas St -8.5
This might be the first time in the history of the "Sunflower Showdown" that both of these teams are ranked heading into the matchup. And not only are these teams ranked, there's a bit on-the-line here with K-State still in the hunt for a BIG XII Championship appearance if they win in Lawrence and then at home next weekend vs Iowa St. Kansas has QB injury concerns as their starting QB, Jalon Daniels (who announced this week he's returning for the 2024 season), is out and their backup (who beat Oklahoma a few weeks back) suffered an injury last week that caused them to lose at home to Texas Tech. If their backup QB, Jason Bean, can go for this rivalry game, the Jayhawks will get to 8 wins and probably find themselves in a decent bowl game heading into 2024.
#5 Washington @ #11 Oregon St - 7:30PM ET (ABC); spread is Oregon St -2.5
The premier game of Week 12 is in Corvallis, with the Beavers looking to end the Michael Penix, Jr. Heisman hype. Penix has been great at home vs Oregon & Utah and solid on the road at USC, but this one will likely be his toughest test of the season as the Beavers are going to be fired up to possibly knock Washington out of the CFP, and possibly out of the PAC-12 Championship game. With a win, the Beavers could inject some "chaos" into the PAC-12 since most people expect a Washington/Oregon rematch and if Oregon St can pull off wins vs Washington here and vs Oregon next week in the "Civil War" game on "Black Friday", they'll be in. Washington had trouble with Utah in Husky Stadium in Week 11 and Oregon St is built very similar to Utah - really balanced team with stout OL/DL and a strong running game. If former Clemson QB and current Oregon St QB DJ Uiagalelei can step-up his performance, the Beavers will be very tough to beat at home in primetime. If Penix is going to hear his name called early in the 2024 Draft, he needs to shine bright in these primetime games. This should be a fun matchup.
#7 Texas @ Iowa St - 8PM ET (FOX); spread is Texas -7.5
Texas is in the driver's seat to get to the BIG XII Championship, but the other team is anyone's guess as there are several teams with 2 Conference losses behind them that are in the mix and one of those teams is Iowa St. Even though Texas QB Quinn Ewers is back after an injury, they lost star RB Jonathan Brooks to a torn ACL last week which will put all the pressure on the shoulders of Ewers. Further, Texas has been giving up some yards on defense as their pass defense has allowed 247 yards per game to rank 107th in the nation. The Cyclones had a bad start, going 2-3 and losing to Ohio, but they are well coached, have a balanced offense and a strong defense. Plus, Ames isn't easy to play at, especially at night in primetime. The Longhorns have been living a bit too dangerously lately, only covering once in their last five games and if they're not careful, they could find themselves not only out of the any CFP conversations, but out of the BIG XIII Championship, too.
... and neither is this Chris guy.