Standings:
1.) Draper 15-6 (1-5 upset)1.) Hoying 15-6 (1-5 upset)
3.) Schweinfurth 14-7 (1-5 upset)
Well, for a good month (actually bad month) it looked like we weren't going to get any Buckeye football at all this fall. Be thankful for every game we get this season (here's to another five).
Brigham Young Cougars @ Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
Draper: A battle of 2 undefeated teams that have beaten....no one. The Little Sisters of the Poor would be a powerhouse matchup on these schedules. But, to be fair, kudos to these teams stepping out and scheduling an extra game of consequence. Zach WIlson has been fantastic this year, but will the Chanticleers make things more difficult? Probably, but I don't know if it will matter. The interesting dynamic is that BYU feels slighted, while CCU feels empowered with the rankings. I think the Cougars know that they have little to no chance at the playoff so will this motivate a strong performance. The Heisman invite is on Wilson's mind and he needs to step up in this situation to even be considered. Cougars fight for their QB and another undefeated bites the dust. BYU: 40 -- Coast: 31
Hoying: Cincinnati continues to get a lot of love and respect from everybody despite beating nobody of note this year, while one of the teams featured on College Gameday this week has actually done some real work. Coastal Carolina has dealt the only loss to Louisiana, the same Louisiana who opened the season blowing out Big 12-leading Iowa State. BYU doesn't have any fun chain wins like that but they've been obliterating their competition, including dusting the annual class of the Mountain West, Boise State. And both teams are getting it done with excellent defense . The winner of this game still won't have the edge over the Bearcats, but they could stick a lovely feather in their helmet and strut a little swaggier all the same. And the winner will be...BYU. Juggernaut QB Zach Wilson is too much for the Chanticleers to stop. BYU: 38--Coast: 20
Hoying: Cincinnati continues to get a lot of love and respect from everybody despite beating nobody of note this year, while one of the teams featured on College Gameday this week has actually done some real work. Coastal Carolina has dealt the only loss to Louisiana, the same Louisiana who opened the season blowing out Big 12-leading Iowa State. BYU doesn't have any fun chain wins like that but they've been obliterating their competition, including dusting the annual class of the Mountain West, Boise State. And both teams are getting it done with excellent defense . The winner of this game still won't have the edge over the Bearcats, but they could stick a lovely feather in their helmet and strut a little swaggier all the same. And the winner will be...BYU. Juggernaut QB Zach Wilson is too much for the Chanticleers to stop. BYU: 38--Coast: 20
Schweinfurth: I don't think we would realistically be talking about Coastal Carolina if this were a normal year, but hey, 2020. While BYU has to travel cross country on short notice, I really don't think it will matter. This is a step up in competition for CCU and it should be a pretty good wake up call was well. BYU: 45--Coast: 28
Indiana Hoosiers @ Wisconsin Badgers
Draper: Oh Windiana...my kingdom for a Penix. The Hoosiers had a truly special season rolling--n offense with life, a ball-hawking defense, a coach that may not be there next year (movin' on up). The loss of Michael Penix is devastating. Injuries are the worst. Wisconsin looked worse than pedestrian against Northwestern, but what are they going to do when there's nothing of note to play for? One would think they'd make the best of the few games they have, but this is truly a team about which we know nothing. Wins over Illinois and Michigan (who cares) and a loss vs. a mediocre Northwestern just leaves more questions than answers. I honestly wouldn't be surprised with anything in this game. I want the Hoosiers to keep the dream of 9Windiana alive, but I have a feeling the loss of their field general will prove too much. This game may be borderline unwatchable (which is sad as IU was super fun--when they weren't bombing all day over your team). IU: 20 -- Wisc: 21
Hoying: Welcome back, Wisconsin, we missed you. The last time the Badgers had to take a breather, they returned with a vengeance as completely demolished their opponent. Of course, that opponent was the Michigan Wolverines, so the bar is set a little higher this time. Wisconsin had a bit of a puzzling performance in their last outing, giving away 5 turnovers to an opportunistic Northwestern defense, taking themselves out of Big Ten West contention before the dreaded minimum games rule finished the job. We've seen first hand that Indiana's defense is just as capable as Northwestern's at magnifying opposing offenses' mistakes, but something seemed off about the Hoosiers in their last outing as well. Yes, Penix got hurt halfway through and they had to pivot to Jack Tuttle, but he was having a horrible day before he left, just 6 for 19 for 84 yards after carving up the Silver Matadors for 491 yards the week before. At least they got the run game going, but good luck repeating that feat against the Badgers, fresh off giving up 24 yards to Northwestern on 23 carries. Turnovers could make the difference on this one, but I think Paul Chryst smells a classic Wisconsin win here: clamp down on D and don't take too many chances. The Badgers don't have a Montee Ball or a Jonathan Taylor or a Melvin Gordon to lean on this year, but they should be able to do just enough to eke out an ugly win. IU: 14--UW: 17
Hoying: Welcome back, Wisconsin, we missed you. The last time the Badgers had to take a breather, they returned with a vengeance as completely demolished their opponent. Of course, that opponent was the Michigan Wolverines, so the bar is set a little higher this time. Wisconsin had a bit of a puzzling performance in their last outing, giving away 5 turnovers to an opportunistic Northwestern defense, taking themselves out of Big Ten West contention before the dreaded minimum games rule finished the job. We've seen first hand that Indiana's defense is just as capable as Northwestern's at magnifying opposing offenses' mistakes, but something seemed off about the Hoosiers in their last outing as well. Yes, Penix got hurt halfway through and they had to pivot to Jack Tuttle, but he was having a horrible day before he left, just 6 for 19 for 84 yards after carving up the Silver Matadors for 491 yards the week before. At least they got the run game going, but good luck repeating that feat against the Badgers, fresh off giving up 24 yards to Northwestern on 23 carries. Turnovers could make the difference on this one, but I think Paul Chryst smells a classic Wisconsin win here: clamp down on D and don't take too many chances. The Badgers don't have a Montee Ball or a Jonathan Taylor or a Melvin Gordon to lean on this year, but they should be able to do just enough to eke out an ugly win. IU: 14--UW: 17
Schweinfurth: From what I have seen, Indiana's defense is legit. Unfortunately, the Hoosiers are a Penix ACL away from being a legit top 10 team. Kevin Wilson's defense just blitzes from everywhere and it a joy to watch (when it's not against the Buckeyes). I'm not sure Grahm Mertz has seen a defense quite like the way the Hoosiers are going to attack. Wisconsin just seems fairly mediocre to me this year outside of Mertz. I think the Badgers will get forced into some turnovers, but the lack of Penix is really the bigger issue. This is close, so I'll take the team with a healthy QB. IU: 17--UW: 21
Texas A&M Aggies @ Auburn Tigers
Draper: I. Just. Don't. Care. Oooooooooo Texas A&M is coming for you. They beat Florida at home with far more fans than was ok and were wholly unimpressive against bad SEC competition (yes, that does exist). Oh yeah, there's that little matter of getting their doors blown off by Bama. Now what about Auburn? If I'm poo-pooing the Aggies, surely they are the ones I support. Well, speaking of 'meh'... The SEC is Bama (huge gap) Florida, A&M, Georgia, (small gap), EVERYONE ELSE, Vandy. I don't know if Jordan Hare can make the difference, but My initial guess is no. Aggies continue to win unimpressively and the national media will swoon over another blah win. TAMU: 28--Aub: 20
Hoying: Ahhhh..another meaningless game. With the SEC West already wrapped up for the Crimson Tide, there's little to do now but settle the pecking order for the also-rans. Yes, the Aggies could still sneak their way into the Playoff, but they would need a great deal of help (even a great deal more than a 5-0 or 6-0 Ohio State). As for the play of the team itself, people have been raving about A&M for a while now and I gotta say, I just don't see it. Beating Florida is a big deal, but so is getting waxed by Alabama. QB Kellen Mond had an awful day last week against an LSU defense that's been falling all over itself to give up points in bunches to anyone that'll ask (shield your eyes from the Alabama game this week). Auburn is also a big bag of "meh" who didn't have a pulse against Alabama either, but we've seen this movie before. I commend Texas A&M for getting all the way to December this year before the wheels fell off, but there's a hard cap on this program's success until I see definitive proof otherwise. Bo Nix isn't TJ Finley. He's going to give the Aggies some problems this week. TAMU: 24--Aub: 27
Hoying: Ahhhh..another meaningless game. With the SEC West already wrapped up for the Crimson Tide, there's little to do now but settle the pecking order for the also-rans. Yes, the Aggies could still sneak their way into the Playoff, but they would need a great deal of help (even a great deal more than a 5-0 or 6-0 Ohio State). As for the play of the team itself, people have been raving about A&M for a while now and I gotta say, I just don't see it. Beating Florida is a big deal, but so is getting waxed by Alabama. QB Kellen Mond had an awful day last week against an LSU defense that's been falling all over itself to give up points in bunches to anyone that'll ask (shield your eyes from the Alabama game this week). Auburn is also a big bag of "meh" who didn't have a pulse against Alabama either, but we've seen this movie before. I commend Texas A&M for getting all the way to December this year before the wheels fell off, but there's a hard cap on this program's success until I see definitive proof otherwise. Bo Nix isn't TJ Finley. He's going to give the Aggies some problems this week. TAMU: 24--Aub: 27
Schweinfurth: I want to see the Aggies get upset. There is no way they are the 5th best team in the country. However, they are better than Auburn. I'll be rooting hard for the upset, but the Aggies win. TAMU: 27--Aub: 21
THE Ohio State University Buckeyes @ Michigan State Spartans (please)
Draper: Will the Bucks return (please say yes) with a vengeance or a sigh? This will test the mental fortitude of the team. If they really want the 'Ship and believe in this team, hell hath no fury.... I believe they want this and will come out guns blazin. Due to the lack of significant practice, I expect some hiccups in the game play on both sides, but I watched a decent amount of MSU/NW and boy was I not impressed. Rocky Lombardi is going to give 5-10 plays a game that are quality, and a lot of blah. The Spartan defense was nothing that scared me. I'd say that Fields' Heisman campaign is all but dead with the missed games and the putrid IU showing (primarily the ugly ugly INTs), but he can come out and remind the country that he is one of the best AROUND and should continue to be talked about in the top 2 NFL draft picks. I expect the passing game to get back on track as MSU corners are nothing like IU's corners (never thought I'd type that). Olave and Wilson have 100 yard performances, Teague and Sermon combine for 175 on the ground and the Bucks remind the country that they do, indeed, belong in the conversation. OSU: 52 MSU: 24
Hoying: I miss the days when the most interesting aspect of Buckeye games were, you know, the games themselves. We could make a few jokes about how awful Michigan State has looked this year (losing to Rutgers? a 24 point shutout loss to Indiana? losing by 42 to Iowa?) while recalling some awful memories of ghosts of mediocre Spartan past ending magical Ohio State seasons (1972, 1974, 1998). Now it's just waiting on pins and needles, refreshing Eleven Warriors like mad on Friday night as we wait to see what the future holds for the Buckeyes Big Ten and Playoff championship hopes. I don't have much substantively to say about this game. MSU beat an overrated Northwestern team because they were able to flummox Ramsey, and I don't see Fields laying another egg, especially against a team this bad. Rocky Lombardi does not have 400 yards in him no matter what Hooker and Williamson are doing back there. I would just really like this game to be played. I would like to see my favorite players have another chance to shine, and to know that what they've worked so hard for and sacrificed so much for in this hellscape of a year won't be stolen from them without a single defensive breakdown or boneheaded turnover. OSU: 52--MSU: 20
Schweinfurth: I don't even know where to start because we have no idea who is out for the Bucks. From listening to Ryan Day, it sounds like quite a few guys on defense are out. Ohio State is more talented and all around better coached. Look, these are not the Spartans of the last few years, and the Buckeyes will just be happy to play this game. There shouldn't be a second half let down this time. OSU: 49--MSU: 21
Hoying: I miss the days when the most interesting aspect of Buckeye games were, you know, the games themselves. We could make a few jokes about how awful Michigan State has looked this year (losing to Rutgers? a 24 point shutout loss to Indiana? losing by 42 to Iowa?) while recalling some awful memories of ghosts of mediocre Spartan past ending magical Ohio State seasons (1972, 1974, 1998). Now it's just waiting on pins and needles, refreshing Eleven Warriors like mad on Friday night as we wait to see what the future holds for the Buckeyes Big Ten and Playoff championship hopes. I don't have much substantively to say about this game. MSU beat an overrated Northwestern team because they were able to flummox Ramsey, and I don't see Fields laying another egg, especially against a team this bad. Rocky Lombardi does not have 400 yards in him no matter what Hooker and Williamson are doing back there. I would just really like this game to be played. I would like to see my favorite players have another chance to shine, and to know that what they've worked so hard for and sacrificed so much for in this hellscape of a year won't be stolen from them without a single defensive breakdown or boneheaded turnover. OSU: 52--MSU: 20
Schweinfurth: I don't even know where to start because we have no idea who is out for the Bucks. From listening to Ryan Day, it sounds like quite a few guys on defense are out. Ohio State is more talented and all around better coached. Look, these are not the Spartans of the last few years, and the Buckeyes will just be happy to play this game. There shouldn't be a second half let down this time. OSU: 49--MSU: 21
Upset Special
Draper: West Virginia over Iowa State
Draper: West Virginia over Iowa State
Hoying: Illinois over Iowa
Schweinfurth: TCU over OK St.
Schweinfurth: TCU over OK St.
