Standings:
1.) Draper 30-11 (1-7 upset)
2.) Schweinfurth 29-12 (1-7 upset)
3.) Seeberg 28-13 (2-6 upset)
4.) Hoying 27-14 (2-6 upset)
As the ranks of the undefeated continue to dwindle,
the top teams find themselves outside the realm of marquee matchups for the
most part this week. Particularly one team deep in the championship hunt, with
nothing to do but sit and stew for another seven days, which may or may not be
to their benefit...
Oregon Ducks @ Utah Utes
Draper: Utah has that Jesse Pinkman approach of continuing to win when they really have no right to. The difference between USC and Oregon is that the Ducks have a functioning Oline and a Grinchless defense. Rice Eccles Stadium is a tough place to play, but I'd argue that Washington's stadium is tougher and the Ducks were a missed FG away from victory against a legit top 10 team offense. This seems like a bad bet, but I'm going to keep fading Kyle Whittingham's squad. I don't think they can keep up. Ore: 30--Utah: 17
Hoying: There may be only one top dog in the Pac-12 right now, but all the rewards are still on the table for these two usual conference standard-bearers. Lost in the sauce of the dramatic UW win over the Ducks was the fact that Oregon outplayed them for most of the afternoon and was one 4th-and-short conversion away from salting the game away. Oregon continues to operate at a high level week to week, while their opponent this week somehow always manages to make it look hard, even when scoring a big road upset against USC last week. Yes, they managed to hit the 34 point mark for the second week in a row, but that was against a horrible Trojan defense. I think I’d rather have 10 of Notre Dame’s players on the field than 11 of USC’s. Weird things happen in the mountains but Oregon gets the stops it needs and refuses to slow down. Ore: 27—Utah: 20
Hoying: There may be only one top dog in the Pac-12 right now, but all the rewards are still on the table for these two usual conference standard-bearers. Lost in the sauce of the dramatic UW win over the Ducks was the fact that Oregon outplayed them for most of the afternoon and was one 4th-and-short conversion away from salting the game away. Oregon continues to operate at a high level week to week, while their opponent this week somehow always manages to make it look hard, even when scoring a big road upset against USC last week. Yes, they managed to hit the 34 point mark for the second week in a row, but that was against a horrible Trojan defense. I think I’d rather have 10 of Notre Dame’s players on the field than 11 of USC’s. Weird things happen in the mountains but Oregon gets the stops it needs and refuses to slow down. Ore: 27—Utah: 20
Schweinfurth: This is the game that Utah
typically rises up and ruins the season of a PAC-12 national championship
contender. Here’s the issue, Utah isn’t the same as we’ve seen the last few
years. Cam Rising was just declared out for the year and the QB play hasn’t
been the same without him. Oregon seems very well rounded this year, and they
have BoNix. I really don’t think the Utes have the firepower to upset the Ducks
this year. Ore: 38—Utah: 28
Seeberg: Well the Utes proved me wrong again, summoning an offense from nowhere to outlast USC last week. Of course, summoning an offense against whatever the Trojans roll out on defense every week is pretty easy by comparison. The Ducks, however, are a more complete team particularly in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and points won't be as easy to come by now that Cam Rising has officially been shut down for the season. A 1-loss PAC-12 team is a likely playoff participant this year and Bo Nix and Co. know it. Ducks pull away late. Ore: 31--Utah: 20
Seeberg: Well the Utes proved me wrong again, summoning an offense from nowhere to outlast USC last week. Of course, summoning an offense against whatever the Trojans roll out on defense every week is pretty easy by comparison. The Ducks, however, are a more complete team particularly in the trenches on both sides of the ball, and points won't be as easy to come by now that Cam Rising has officially been shut down for the season. A 1-loss PAC-12 team is a likely playoff participant this year and Bo Nix and Co. know it. Ducks pull away late. Ore: 31--Utah: 20
Duke Blue Devils @ Louisville Cardinals
Draper: College football is weird. Duke is up on cloud nine and falls just short of a huge Notre Dame upset. They push FSU in the first half at homecoming no less then get blown out once Riley Leonard leaves. The Cardinals dominate the Irish then faceplant against a bad Pitt team. I love what Mike Elko has done in Durham. This team showed no fear in Tallahassee and was actually in control before the injury. I'm going out on a limb in saying that Duke MIGHT be the 2nd or 3rd best team in the ACC. With Riley Leonard, they're a threat to anyone. Without, they could be dangerous with a stout defense. I'm going to roll with DA DUKIES BABY. Duke: 20--UL: 17
Hoying: Ah yes, another “& Friends” installment of the ongoing “Florida State & Friends” season unrolling to the east. There must be a dearth of worthy teams out there because both of these manage to continue to be ranked for some reason. As predicted last week, Duke was burnt toast the second Riley Leonard left the game, even though the Blue Devils had the lead and the ball at that point. They didn’t score again, and I’m not sure if they will this week either after seeing how Louisville bullied the otherwise competent Notre Dame ground game a couple of weeks ago. Either the Pitt game the following week was a letdown the size of the inevitable fizzle at the end of the Connor Stalions investigation (brace yourselves, you know nothing is going to happen), or the ACC is just impossible to predict below the top team. I’m still not sold on Louisville but Duke is done until I see any signs of life behind center. Duke: 6—UL: 24
Hoying: Ah yes, another “& Friends” installment of the ongoing “Florida State & Friends” season unrolling to the east. There must be a dearth of worthy teams out there because both of these manage to continue to be ranked for some reason. As predicted last week, Duke was burnt toast the second Riley Leonard left the game, even though the Blue Devils had the lead and the ball at that point. They didn’t score again, and I’m not sure if they will this week either after seeing how Louisville bullied the otherwise competent Notre Dame ground game a couple of weeks ago. Either the Pitt game the following week was a letdown the size of the inevitable fizzle at the end of the Connor Stalions investigation (brace yourselves, you know nothing is going to happen), or the ACC is just impossible to predict below the top team. I’m still not sold on Louisville but Duke is done until I see any signs of life behind center. Duke: 6—UL: 24
Schweinfurth: Duke hasn’t looked the same since
the loss to Notre Dame. Granted, losing your QB tends to do that to a team.
Louisville has looked very good this year. Jeff Brohm seems to know how to get
the best out of his teams. Duke is a great story, but Louisville looks like one
of the top ACC teams. Duke: 21—UL: 35
Seeberg: On this week's edition of "are we sure this isn't a basketball blog?" is Duke vs. Louisville as a ranked matchup. Quite frankly I don't trust either of these teams much. Remember, Louisville lost to Pitt and only managed a 1-score win against the lowly Hoosiers. Of the four primary units in this game I trust Duke's D most, and good defense travels. Blue Devils pour more dirt on the ACC's feeble playoff hopes. Duke: 24--UL: 17
Seeberg: On this week's edition of "are we sure this isn't a basketball blog?" is Duke vs. Louisville as a ranked matchup. Quite frankly I don't trust either of these teams much. Remember, Louisville lost to Pitt and only managed a 1-score win against the lowly Hoosiers. Of the four primary units in this game I trust Duke's D most, and good defense travels. Blue Devils pour more dirt on the ACC's feeble playoff hopes. Duke: 24--UL: 17
Tennessee Volunteers @ Kentucky Wildcats
Draper: Man....I just don't care. Tennessee is still talking about last year's victory over Bama with...nothing else to care about since. Kentucky is.....Kentucky. This is a tough game to get excited for. Joe Milton has his moments slinging the rock, but this is simply another midlevel SEC East game (translation: who cares). Vols have better talent although it's closer than in the past. Vols take down the Cats in Lexington. UT: 28--UK: 20
Hoying: Speaking of blue-clad basketball blue bloods, Kentucky is still hanging out near the bottom of the top 25, and that win over Florida just looks better every week. That’s the same Florida, you may recall, that knocked off Tennessee back in September. Like every team Alabama plays, the Vols looked great last week in the first half against Alabama until the Saban effect kicked in and the Tide mechanically ground out another 27 points to UT’s zero. Of course, that’s arguably better than getting blown out at home by Missouri like UK did last week. The September triangle of Kentucky > Florida > Tennessee sure feels like a long time ago, and even with one of Tennessee’s top CB’s, Kamal Hadden, out for the season, a strong UT running game will be more than the ‘Cats can handle or counter. UT: 24—UK: 20
Hoying: Speaking of blue-clad basketball blue bloods, Kentucky is still hanging out near the bottom of the top 25, and that win over Florida just looks better every week. That’s the same Florida, you may recall, that knocked off Tennessee back in September. Like every team Alabama plays, the Vols looked great last week in the first half against Alabama until the Saban effect kicked in and the Tide mechanically ground out another 27 points to UT’s zero. Of course, that’s arguably better than getting blown out at home by Missouri like UK did last week. The September triangle of Kentucky > Florida > Tennessee sure feels like a long time ago, and even with one of Tennessee’s top CB’s, Kamal Hadden, out for the season, a strong UT running game will be more than the ‘Cats can handle or counter. UT: 24—UK: 20
Schweinfurth: Don’t look now, but the Vols have
found a running game. Joe Milton, he of the bionic arm, is running the ball and
torching defenses. Kentucky has played well, but Georgia busted that bubble
hard. The Vols are playing a bit better defense, and it may be enough with
Tennessee’s offense. They really just need one stop. UT: 45—UK: 42
Seeberg: SERIOUSLY, are we sure this isn't a basketball site? Craziness. Both teams are reeling a bit as the Vols try to figure out what happened in the 2nd half against 'Bama while the Wildcats have gone down in back-to-back weeks, albeit to UGA and an improved Missouri team. UK, at least, is coming off a bye and this game has a similar feel to the contest against the Gators a few weeks back: conference rival coming to their place with a cast-off Big 10 QB at the helm. Apologies to my master's alma mater, but the Wildcats right the ship. UT: 24--UK: 31
Seeberg: SERIOUSLY, are we sure this isn't a basketball site? Craziness. Both teams are reeling a bit as the Vols try to figure out what happened in the 2nd half against 'Bama while the Wildcats have gone down in back-to-back weeks, albeit to UGA and an improved Missouri team. UK, at least, is coming off a bye and this game has a similar feel to the contest against the Gators a few weeks back: conference rival coming to their place with a cast-off Big 10 QB at the helm. Apologies to my master's alma mater, but the Wildcats right the ship. UT: 24--UK: 31
THE Ohio State University Buckeyes @ Wisconsin Badgers
Draper: I know Camp Randall can be a House of Horrors...but the Badgers just aren't very good. While they could easily win the B1G West, that's just irrelevant. There will be so much talk about Luke Fickell going up against the alma mater, but he's done it once before (and got destroyed). There's really no reason to expect a surprise here unless the Buckeyes a) forget how to play on the road or b) feel they are unstoppable. In response to a, I give you Notre Dame. In response to b, I don't see the offense patting itself on the back after last week's win. The team knows what's in front of them and no slipups can happen before TTUN. I think Day will have the team focused. The defense will crack early on a broken play, but the offense gets a semblance of the running game going as well as keeping multiple receivers involved. Getting Egbuka back could take some pressure off Marv and open up more Cade Stover action as well. Workmanlike win for the Bucks and we count the days. OSU: 34--UW: 10
Hoying: Soooo, where is this team’s head right now? This week, I’ve read approximately 100 articles and forum threads about a certain team not playing in this game, to maybe 3 or 4 about Wisconsin. The coaches and players are saying the right things, but are they completely dialed in? You can bet the Badgers are: Luke Fickell knows a thing or two about this program and he’s itching for a chance to give a better performance than the 42-0 walloping his Bearcats earned back in 2019. I always have to check to confirm, but the two head coaches in this game were never on Ohio State’s staff at the same time; Fick had just departed to Cincinnati when Day was brought in to fix Tim Beck and Ed Warinner’s mess. One wonders if Fick would have turned down the UC job, if we would have a different head coach...Anyway, there’s actual non-hypothetical football this week, and like most Ohio State games this season (decade? millennium?) it’s a total mismatch. The Badgers had a nice comeback win against Bert and the Illini last week, but the week before, with all of their goals for the season still in front of them, they put up 6 points at home in a multiple score loss to Iowa. The nation’s joke team! And since then they’ve only lost their starting QB out of an offense that was already sputtering in its transition to a more open pass-first system under Fickell. This is a team with a very, very low ceiling, one that is no real threat to do any damage on offense against the resurgent Silver Bullets. Outside of a slew of turnovers or baffling decisions by McCord (Lincoln Kienholz time, baby!) this one should not be particularly close, but some message board rust and post-Penn State hangover stops this from being the laugher it could be. OSU: 27—UW: 10
Hoying: Soooo, where is this team’s head right now? This week, I’ve read approximately 100 articles and forum threads about a certain team not playing in this game, to maybe 3 or 4 about Wisconsin. The coaches and players are saying the right things, but are they completely dialed in? You can bet the Badgers are: Luke Fickell knows a thing or two about this program and he’s itching for a chance to give a better performance than the 42-0 walloping his Bearcats earned back in 2019. I always have to check to confirm, but the two head coaches in this game were never on Ohio State’s staff at the same time; Fick had just departed to Cincinnati when Day was brought in to fix Tim Beck and Ed Warinner’s mess. One wonders if Fick would have turned down the UC job, if we would have a different head coach...Anyway, there’s actual non-hypothetical football this week, and like most Ohio State games this season (decade? millennium?) it’s a total mismatch. The Badgers had a nice comeback win against Bert and the Illini last week, but the week before, with all of their goals for the season still in front of them, they put up 6 points at home in a multiple score loss to Iowa. The nation’s joke team! And since then they’ve only lost their starting QB out of an offense that was already sputtering in its transition to a more open pass-first system under Fickell. This is a team with a very, very low ceiling, one that is no real threat to do any damage on offense against the resurgent Silver Bullets. Outside of a slew of turnovers or baffling decisions by McCord (Lincoln Kienholz time, baby!) this one should not be particularly close, but some message board rust and post-Penn State hangover stops this from being the laugher it could be. OSU: 27—UW: 10
Schweinfurth: In most years this game would terrify
me. The Buckeyes have not won a game in Madison by more than 10 points since
2000. While that’s an interesting stat, the Bucks have owned Wisconsin since
the B1G moved to East/West divisions. Another thing that allows me to breathe, the
Badgers are injured. Tanner Mordecai is out and the offense is switching
philosophies. The Buckeye defense is returning to their Silver Bullet roots.
Last week was one of the most dominant performances I have seen in a long time.
While this has the makings of a trap game, this Buckeye team seems to be
building toward the end vs. peaking too early as they have the past two years. Just
throw it up to Marv. OSU: 38—UW: 17
Seeberg: Guys, don't look now, but the Badgers have this one at home and at night. Weird stuff happens up there. Not Purdue-level weird, but yikes-let's-just-get-the-hell-out-of-here-with-a-win weird. Last three trips? an L and two overtime Ws. Granted, this isn't your older brother's Wisconsin squad, but that doesn't change the nailbiting history. Wisconsin's QB situation (or lack thereof) does provide more confidence this go around, as does the supposed better bill of health for the Buckeye skill players (though let's be honest, every time Treveyon has "a great week of practice" I add a week or two to his time on the shelf). I still expect this one to be competitive for a half or so, but the newly rechristened Silver Bullets should get a turnover or two to give the offense a short field. Take care of the ball, take FGs when they are presented, and get Route Man Marv the ball please. UW: 10--OSU: 27
Seeberg: Guys, don't look now, but the Badgers have this one at home and at night. Weird stuff happens up there. Not Purdue-level weird, but yikes-let's-just-get-the-hell-out-of-here-with-a-win weird. Last three trips? an L and two overtime Ws. Granted, this isn't your older brother's Wisconsin squad, but that doesn't change the nailbiting history. Wisconsin's QB situation (or lack thereof) does provide more confidence this go around, as does the supposed better bill of health for the Buckeye skill players (though let's be honest, every time Treveyon has "a great week of practice" I add a week or two to his time on the shelf). I still expect this one to be competitive for a half or so, but the newly rechristened Silver Bullets should get a turnover or two to give the offense a short field. Take care of the ball, take FGs when they are presented, and get Route Man Marv the ball please. UW: 10--OSU: 27
Upset Special
Draper: Indiana over Penn State (#10 falls again!)
Hoying: BYU over Texas
Schweinfurth: Cal over USC
Seeberg: Kansas over Oklahoma
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