Standings:
1.) Schweinfurth 17-8 (0-6 upset)
2.) Draper 16-9 (1-5 upset)
2.) Seeberg 16-9 (2-4 upset)
4.) Hoying 13-12 (1-5 upset)
The second half of the season kicks off not with a bang but with a volley, as eight teams within the top 15 face off against each other. But in the era of the 12-team playoff, none of these may mean as much as the Battle of Mid staging up north as two erstwhile powerhouses try to stay on course just to play 13.
Alabama Crimson Tide @ Tennessee Volunteers
Draper: Bama just got snakebitten in a truly even contest vs. the Dawgs last week (and they were hosed at the end). Regardless, an L is and L and no one will care in 2 weeks. Tennessee almost pulled off the upset at home vs. the Longhorns, but I don't know if they have enough in the tank without standout freshman QB Faizon Brandon. This game will have HUGE implications for Kalen Deboer's future in Tuscaloosa. Honestly, he cannot afford to drop this one. Last week was a standstill, but this is a game you can drop when the team looks back to the top tier. The Tide roll in Knoxville because you can't spell Citrus without UT (this joke makes a lot more sense back when bowls mattered). Bama: 34--Tenn: 17
Hoying: Starting a true freshman at QB rarely works out well unless your name is Trevor Lawrence or Tua Tagovailoa. And it hasn't worked out well for Tennessee, who have been just ghastly through the air this season. Turning to RS freshman George MacIntyre after Faizon Brandon went down against Texas hasn't exactly helped matters either, as the Vols struggled to beat SEC basement dwellers Auburn and Arkansas. The run game is all right, certainly better than Alabama's, but the Tide didn't exactly dim their image with a hard-fought closely decided match against #1 Georgia last week. Tennessee does create a lot of havoc in the backfield, which leads to a lot of 3rd down stops, but we saw last week that Alabama QB Keelon Russell can create on his own even when his receivers aren't open. Things aren't going to get any easier for UT anytime soon, time to drop that fraudulent ranking off their name. Bama: 27--Tenn: 17
Schweinfurth: I’ve gotta say, Bama is pretty decent. A loss to Georgia really isn’t that big of a deal here. Meanwhile, Tennessee is who I thought they were. Meh. Bama should roll here and fire up the cigars. Bama: 35—Tenn: 10
Seeberg: Not much needs said here. Bama is pretty solid, Tennessee is…meh? Bama pulls away in the second half. Bama: 31—Tenn: 17
Pennsylvania State Nittany Lions @ Michigan Wolverines
Draper: Why? Michigan appears to be returning to "what we thought they were" while Penn State just looks dead in the water. This shows you the volatility of college football and the extreme success OSU has had over the last..60-70 years. Franklin can't win the big one but wins 10 games every year...then they move on and it looks over. TTUN may suck at offense (they do) but their defense is still pretty good. I don't see how the Lions go on the road and score enough to matter. I lean the under, but scUM gets a win they can pretend matters. PSU: 10--UM: 17
Hoying: Wait, Penn State and Michigan are playing a game to see who gets to pull their season out of a nosedive? Tell me we're not reliving the dumbest year in modern history again! No, the calendar hasn't turned back to 2020, but these teams' fortunes have. Matt Campbell has brought Iowa State style mediocrity to Penn State, where the only happy thought in the valley is the upcoming schedule of trash after trash. But the Lions will have to get by Michigan first, who are facing the terrifying prospect of having their season highlight be a buzzer trailing Hail Mary victory against a directional MAC team. Whatever you want to say about Michigan, their defense is pretty great and would almost definitely not give up 413 yards on the ground to a Chip Kelly offense (don't ask me how I know). Yeah, Bryce Underwood is worse than worthless but the biggest beatdown the Wolverines ever put on PSU was when Wilton Speight was quarterback. Penn State doesn't really have anything to threaten Michigan with on either side of the ball, not even leading rusher...James Peoples?!? The Cheat Weasels continue their slog toward bowl eligibility. PSU: 20--UM: 24
Schweinfurth: Both of these teams suck. There, I said it. Yes, Penn State may have the people’s champ, but they aren’t great. Michigan is going to move off of Underwood here and start a freshman. Yikes. Enjoy the slop fest while we try to avoid the game traffic (in the forbidden city for a hockey tournament). PSU: 13—UM:14
Seeberg: Avert your eyes if you’re queasy, this one won’t be a pretty watch. I trust neither of these teams but still have a modicum of faith in Whittingham and home field advantage. Close enough. PSU: 13—UM: 17
Missouri Tigers @ Mississippi Rebels
Draper: The SEC's Circle of Mid continues. Win a huge game? Bomb the next... Mizzou look like they might be a team to look at to make a little noise....HAH! This feels like the trap that we keep falling into in SEC-country. The Tigers roll into the Grove but Ole Miss already took out one set of Tigers, why not another? Chambliss feels due for another big game where he wills the so-so offense outside of him to a home victory. Mizz: 20--Miss:37
Hoying: Does anybody know that this is a top 15 matchup? Does anybody really care? Ole Miss continues to garner a lot of praise for squeaking by Louisville (3-3) and LSU (4-2) before getting blasted by freefalling Florida. I'm getting the feeling that the farther they get from Lane the worse they're going to become, and pasting Vanderbilt last week didn't really do anything convince me otherwise. I'm not sure Missouri is any great shakes either but they have been a great deal more consistent of late, including kicking off the "Florida are frauds" campaign. I like the Tigers to keep rolling behind their punishing defense, getting one last tuneup next week at Arkansas before a punishing November slate. Mizz: 27--Miss: 24
Schweinfurth: More overrated SEC slop. I don’t believe in either team. Ole Miss might be better, but Mizzou doesn’t win big SEC games. Roll with the Rebs, I guess. Mizz:21—Miss: 24
Seeberg: Hate that Mizzou is the latest beneficiary of the SEC rankings. Still don’t trust them since the Gators are garbage. Plus it’s fun to see Lane’s former team succeed. Go Rebs Mizz: 27—Miss: 38
Notre Dame Fighting Irish @ Brigham Young Cougars
Draper: The first of the 2-game season for Notre Dame kicks off in Provo. I'm VERY tempted to call for the upset as the Cougs are a very solid team and LaVell Edwards Stadium will be on fire (if anyone has tickets for under $300, let me know!). The Irish have looked fine and won by a reasonably solid margin every week, but they certainly haven't won every game comfortably. Bear has been fantastic, but the loss of LJ Martin will really hamper the run game for the Cougars. I have a feeling this game will be back and forth, but I think the Irish squeak out a victory. If the Cougs were healthy, I'd flip the switch, but sadly, the Irish stay alive. ND: 24--BYU: 20 (Seriously, I'm in Utah and and hoping to go to the game. I will take whatever charity you'd like to send!)
Hoying: I know everyone likes to dog on Notre Dame's schedule this season (this is their first appearance on Let's Go Bucks! for one) but BYU's might be even worse, because they play in the Big 12. The same Big 12 that hasn't had a win in the CFP since TCU knocked Cheaters v2 out back in 2022 (the Big 12's only ever CFP win, and we thank you for your service). Anyway, has any team looked as good through 6 games as the Irish? I guess taking that extra month off to rest at the end of last season has really paid dividends. But this weekend we'll see if BYU's Pop-Tart Bowl experience proves to be the winning edge in this one. In a normal year this battle of QBs would be a potential Heisman resume lynchpin, but it seems that race is more or less a foregone conclusion at this point. BYU's going to need all the production they can muster as the Irish have the top defensive success rate in the nation, and pair it with an offense producing quality drives 79% of the time. This one gives me a weird feeling. LaVell is going to be rocking as the sunset paints Y Mountain. The Cougs shock the world and move into the driver's seat for a Playoff berth. ND: 23--BYU: 24
Schweinfurth: I’m not sold on BYU yet. They can move the ball, but Notre Dame just looks like a complete team. There is a very slim path for BYU to win this for me. I’ll take the Irish here. ND: 27—BYU:21
Seeberg: Still don’t know if either team is good, but I do think ND can wear the Cougars down over the course of 4 quarters. ND: 31—BYU: 20
THE Ohio State University Buckeyes @ Indiana Hoosiers
Draper: Indiana looks a lot like Texas has looked over the past few weeks. They seem to be begging to be tagged after lucking into a win in Lincoln (and a bit vs the Nerds in Evanston). The Buckeyes seem to be hitting their stride, but the loss of Ja'Kobi Jackson is huge. While I think J.Jackson has been our best RB in my opinion this year, last week showed Bo getting back to form. Regardless, the Hoosiers are more vulnerable through the air, and the Buckeyes are pretty good in that area. JJ needs to feed, but don't forget about McCuin and Inniss returning to the field. I have a feeling we'll see a Legend Bey sighting as well. The keys for the Buckeyes will be: protect Sayin (tough with the shorthanded Oline), stop the run (feel ok in this), and force Hoover into mistakes (feel quite good here). The Buckeyes have seemed (to us fans) mediocre on defense...but they are the #1 defense in SP+ (and #1 offense). The sacks haven't come, but they've caused problems in the backfield and will start a new streak of success for the Scarlet and Gray. OSU: 27--IU: 17
Hoying: Kenyatta Jackson came out after the Buckeyes got rolled for 199 yards on the ground against Illinois and promised that the defense would improve. After two crushing performances against Iowa and Maryland, I think it's safe to say the Silver Bullets are back. And just in time, too, because the Hoosiers are bringing probably the best rushing attack the Buckeyes have seen and possibly will see this season. The good news is that if you can stuff the run (no "hero ball" necessary), Josh Hoover has not quite been Fernando Mendoza this season. Much like last year, I anticipate the defense putting the Buckeye offense in a position to deliver the victory. You may forget that that even with their coordinator out to lunch last year the Ohio State O moved the ball pretty efficiently in the second half until their repeated failures to get one yard when they absolutely needed it. Even with Ja'Kobi Jackson out (indefinitely?) the threat of Julian Sayin running the ball (and not in the most pitiful QB sneaks you've ever seen) should be sufficient to get just enough space to move the chains when the margins are small. Just keep #4 on the field as much as you can, no need to overthink it. I'm convinced the Buckeyes were the better team last year (nothing taken from Indiana, fully enjoy the flowers of rising to meet the moment), and I'm convinced they are this year, too, even if I don't think either team is quite as good as they were last time around. Lock in for four quarters. OSU: 24--IU: 20
Schweinfurth: I feel almost unbothered by the matchup. Maybe I see more potential in the Bucks than the Hoosiers? Indiana has escaped a few games while Ohio State has been tested and, outside of the 4th Quarter in Texas, looked the part. This is a big revenge game for the offense from the BIG Championship Game and it feels as if JJ Smith is going to go off. Not a fan of the injury report that came out Thursday, but the Bucks have enough time this week to adjust. Bucks don’t roll, but they do put this away late. OSU: 31—IU: 17
Seeberg: I hate what I’m about to do here. Unfortunately I trust IU’s O-line and defensive front 7 more than ours. Their coverage on the back end is mediocre, but Sayin actually needs time to make those throws. Sadly, I also trust Cignetti more than Day in the dreaded “Ryan Day four-quarter game” (trademark pending). Day clams up, IU clings to survival. OSU: 17—IU: 20
Upset Special
Draper: Florida over Texas
Hoying: Florida State over Miami
Schweinfurth: MSU over Northwestern
Seeberg: Mississippi State over LSU
