FAVORITE TEAMS

AAC: 0-1, OVERALL: 6-11

USF (4-4) – BYE

TULSA (2-6) at Tulane– lost 38-26

• Tulsa forced two interceptions on Tulane quarterback Justin McMillan, but that didn’t stop him from single-handedly scoring four touchdowns. Tulsa struggled to score in the first and third quarter and that was enough to hand them their seventh loss and eliminate them from bowl contention. They were close to coming back in the fourth quarter, but Tulane’s offense bled out time late in the fourth and scored to finish things off. Tulsa hosts UCF, which could most likely be a loss. They proved that they’re competitive, but their too inconsistent on offense. If their defense forces UCF to struggle just a little bit, it could be a much closer game.

 

ACC: 2-0, OVERALL: 13-4

VIRGINIA (5-3) at North Carolina– won 38-31

• Virginia playedwell on the road and their offense tore things up by, of course, quarterback Bryce Perkins. He tallied nearly 500 yards of total offense and five touchdowns. It was the road game the Cavaliers needed to down Mack Brown’s Tarheels and control the tiebreaker in the ACC Coastal from UNC and Pitt. They’re home for the rest of the season, starting with Georgia Tech. However, they must not underestimate the unpredictable 2-6 Yellow Jackets.

 

#23 WAKE FOREST (6-1) vs. NC State– won 44-10

• Wake Forest flatout destroyed NC State from the beginning. There was no stopping Wake Forest’s dominant passing game, led by quarterback Jamie Newman and receiver’s Kendall Hinton, Scotty Washington, and Sage Surratt. Their next game’s on the road at Virginia Tech, and Lane Stadium won’t be an easy game to win at.

 

BIG TEN: 1-0, OVERALL: 15-2

#14 MICHIGAN (6-2) at Maryland– won 38-7

• Michigan takes a breather after running over the Terps, but there isn’t much to say about Michigan in general. They’ll run over the lesser opponents, but they have yet to prove that they’ve made a statement this season. Notre Dame may be one thing, but not defeating top ranked players on a consistent basis to get them in playoff position are reason’s Michigan’s not meeting expectations. The last three games after their bye week will be the toughest finish to their season. Indiana’s included because they’re quietly winning games with only two losses.

 

#13 MINNESOTA (8-0)– BYE

 

BIG 12: 1-0, OVERALL: 11-5

#22 KANSAS STATE (5-2) at Kansas– won 38-10

• Kansas State becomes bowl-eligible after winning the Sunflower Showdown. An underrated prediction accomplished after what was the most riskiest pick made. They travel down to Texas to face the Longhorns. Last season, they nearly came away with an upset at home. Can the Wildcats eliminate the Longhorns from a conference title game return with a win in Austin???

 

IOWA STATE (5-3)– BYE

 

C-USA: 2-0, OVERALL: 9-9

FIU (4-4) vs. Old Dominion– won 24-17

• FIU comes away with a win over Old Dominion. They won four of their last five games after starting 1-3 and are a win or two away from bowl-eligibility. Guess who their next opponent is for that sixth win? FAU. That would be a key win the Panthers need to hurt their rival’s conference title hopes.

 

NORTH TEXAS (3-5) vs. UTEP– won 52-26

• North Texas runs over UTEP for their fourth win to stay alive for bowl-eligibility. Now they must deal with Louisiana Tech on the road. The last three matchups have been won by the road team. Could North Texas do it again despite losing four of the last five to Louisiana Tech? Believe it or not, North Texas has won more of this matchup away from home than only once at home.

 

INDEPENDENT: 0-1, OVERALL: 3-6

ARMY (3-5) at Air Force– lost 17-13

• Army now has five straight losses and is won loss away from being eliminated from bowl contention. At one point, Army looked like the team that was Top 25 worthy. Their next two games should be winnable and must recover in time before heading to Hawai’i and back to America for a two week break before facing Navy in their last game.

 

MAC: 2-0, OVERALL: 9-8

MIAMI (OH) (4-4)– BYE

WESTERN MICHIGAN (5-4)– BYE

 

MWC: 2-0, OVERALL: 12-6

NEVADA (4-4) vs. New Mexico– won 21-10

• Nevada needed that win over one of the two worst teams in the Mountain West conference. Let’s expect a loss in Nevada’s next game at San Diego State and move forward to Fresno State. Not only will Fresno State have another game on the road against San Diego State, but Nevada will have a bye week prior to that matchup. I’m being hypothetical here, but if Fresno State loses the next two games, this is likely a do-or-die game for the Bulldogs while Nevada aims for bowl-eligibility. I may list that on my Top 5 Games to Watch if that happens.

 

AIR FORCE (6-2) vs. Army– won 17-13

• The Falcons get a big win over their rival Army. They could see themselves winning 10 games. They should defeat New Mexico, but their last two games will be tricky. Colorado State’s on a three-game winning streak and could see four if they defeat UNLV, while Wyoming has a proven defense in the Mountain West.

 

PAC-12: 1-0, OVERALL: 13-4

ARIZONA STATE (5-3)– BYE

#7 OREGON (7-1) at USC– won 56-24

• Oregon was down early against USC before tearing them apart and breaking the spirit of the Coliseum by scoring 56 points. That’s the most allowed by the Trojans since 2016 against Alabama and the most allowed at the Coliseum since 2012 to none other than the #2 Oregon Ducks after scoring 62 points. They host struggling Arizona, but lets not assume this as a win yet since Oregon somehow lost badly to them last year.

 

SEC: 1-0, OVERALL: 12-5

MISSOURI (5-3)– BYE

#11 AUBURN (6-2) vs. Ole Miss– won 20-14

• Even though quarterback Bo Nix passed for a career-high 340 yards, the offense was anything but good. Ole Miss didn’t either, but their backup quarterback John Rhys Plumlee made a huge contribution and nearly upset Auburn. Auburn’s defense held firm and ruined Ole Miss’s chance getting closer to bowl-eligibility. There hasn’t been an answer on offense as far as consistency goes. The run game needs more work if Bo Nix is able to produce those numbers again. Thankfully, they rest for a week before Georgia comes into town with hopes of keeping their SEC title and playoff hopes alive.

 

SUN BELT: 1-1, OVERALL: 12-5

ARKANSAS STATE (4-4) at UL Monroe– won 48-41

• Running back Marcel Murray eclipsed his career rushing yard mark from last month and quarterback Layne Hatcher played well in the passing game to win an expected shootout over UL Monroe. Arkansas State needs two more wins to become bowl-eligible for the eighth time in nine seasons. Their next game’s against Coastal Carolina for a potential sixth win.

 

#20 APPALACHIAN STATE (7-0) vs. Georgia Southern– lost 24-21

• Georgia Southern had Appalachian State from the beginning and prevented their comeback. The miscues by App State’s quarterback and receivers along with the wind created difficulty on offense until the fourth quarter. Attempting a three-score comeback wasn’t enough to cover up their mistakes, and that led to their first loss of the season. It also ended their hopes of a New Year’s Six Bowl appearance. That also puts them in a tough spot for a conference title game because Georgia Southern owns the tiebreaker. They travel to South Carolina and could still go unbeaten against non-conference opponents.

 

TOP 10 UNDERRATED TEAMS AS OF NOVEMBER 3RD