FAVORITE TEAMS

AAC: 0-1, OVERALL: 7-13

USF (4-5) vs. #17 Cincinnati– lost 20-17

•  While Cincinnati running back Michael Warren II carried and the defense held strong, the rest struggled. Unfortunately for USF, Cincy won the game by a field goal. What’s worse was USF’s kicker missed four-straight field goals and those kicks were the difference that could’ve helped them win. They’re one loss away from elimination from bowl-eligibility. They host Memphis for their home season finale and must play with desparation to stay alive.

TULSA (3-7)– BYE

ACC: 0-1, OVERALL: 14-6

VIRGINIA (7-3) – BYE

WAKE FOREST (7-2) at #3 Clemson– lost 52-3

•  There was nothing Wake Forest could do to stop or run past Clemson. Clemson had them in every facet of the position. It was an expected loss that dropped Wake Forest from second place in the Atlantic to fourth place behind Clemson, Florida State, and Louisville. They host Duke next week and they’re desperate to stay alive for bowl-contention.

 

BIG TEN: 1-1, OVERALL: 17-3

#15 MICHIGAN (7-2) vs. Michigan State– won 44-10

•  Michigan started slow before lighting fire down Michigan State. Quarterback Shea Patterson had Michigan State’s number by throwing for four touchdowns. Michigan’s defense also forced two interceptions and kept them to 54 rushing yards. Michigan plays at Indiana and the Hoosiers have made the Wolverines sweat the last two times they’ve visited Bloomington.

#8 MINNESOTA (9-0) at #20 Iowa– lost 23-19

•  Minnesota’s handed their first loss of the season against Iowa, and it was somehow expected coming from a top team that failed in Kinnick Stadium the past few seasons. Minnesota has work to do and must hope Wisconsin loses one more time so the Gophers win the division. Otherwise, the road to the Big Ten conference title game goes through the Badgers. They cap off their last road game of the season at Northwestern.

 

BIG 12: 1-1, OVERALL: 12-8

#24 KANSAS STATE (6-3) vs. West Virginia– lost 24-20

•  Kansas State could’ve easily ran away with this game but West Virginia was resilient enough to stay in due to turnovers and penalties. West Virginia quarterback Jarret Doege threw for three touchdowns to help win the game. Kansas State loses two-straight and is out of the Big 12 title race. They go to Lubbock this weekend and that will be a sneaky game the Red Raiders could potentially win.

IOWA STATE (5-4) vs. #19 Texas– won 23-21

•  Iowa State won a dramatic game over ranked Texas, and quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Breece Hall played big. Iowa State’s defense succeeded in holding the Texas run game to 54 yards, which was enough to keep the Longhorns one-dimensional and force quarterback Sam Ehlinger to play quarterback more often. Iowa State’s last two games are against the state of Kansas to cap off their regular season.

C-USA: 0-0, OVERALL: 9-11

FIU (5-5)– BYE

NORTH TEXAS (4-6)– BYE

INDEPENDENT: 1-0, OVERALL: 4-6

ARMY (4-6) vs. VMI– won 47-6

•  Army came out slow before easily running over VMI behind the legs of Kelvin Hopkins Jr and company. They have a week off before heading to Honolulu. They have time to adjust to Hawai’i’s passing attack and hopefully win that game before dealing with Navy on December 14th.

 

MAC: 2-0, OVERALL: 13-8

MIAMI (OH) (5-4) vs. Bowling Green– won 44-3

• Miami (OH) wrecked Bowling Green beginning with an pick-six. After that, Brett Gabbert went off with 225 passing yards and three touchdowns to just one interception. Miami (OH) not only won the game, but they won the division after Kent State made a dramatic comeback in the fourth quarter to upset Buffalo.

WESTERN MICHIGAN (6-4) at Ohio– won 37-34 OT

• Western Michigan stays atop of the West division and is one win away from a conference title appearance. They played a hard-fought game against Ohio, but failed to stop Nathan Rourke for the majority of the game while Western Michigan running back LeVante Bellamy struggled. However, he Bellamy capped off the overtime win with a rushing touchdown to save the Broncos season. They have a bye before their last game against Northern Illinois.

MWC: 1-0, OVERALL: 14-6

NEVADA (6-4)– BYE

AIR FORCE (7-2) at Colorado State– won 38-21

•  It was a tricky game as expected, but Air Force made a big play to retake the lead and then ultimately end the game on a 99-yard pick six. Quarterback Donald Hammond III had a big game with three passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown. Their next game’s at New Mexico and that game was originally scheduled two weeks ago.

PAC-12: 1-1, OVERALL: 14-6

ARIZONA STATE (5-4) at Oregon State– lost 35-34

•  Arizona State loses their fourth straight game and they were a 2-point conversion away from ending it their losing skid. They host my underrated team, Oregon, and they’re playing with a lot riding in front of them before the conference title game. If Arizona State wants to salvage their season for bowl-eligibility, this is their biggest opportunity at home.

#6 OREGON (8-1) vs. Arizona– won 34-6

•  Oregon runs over Arizona with no signs of slowing down. With the North division in their palms, they must finish off their schedule strong to be the only undefeated Pac-12 team. They head to Tempe this weekend to play against my underrated team, Arizona State. They’re currently on a four-game skid, but this team will play four quarters against nearly anybody.

SEC: 0-2, OVERALL: 12-8

MISSOURI (5-4) vs. #11 Florida– lost 23-6

•  Missouri’s defense showed some fight, but their offense had less to none to score any touchdowns. Missouri’s three-game winning streak to Florida ends and they’re now two games without a touchdown. Everyone, including me, is questioning Missouri’s motivation to play football and it’s less than hopeful that they’ll finish the season with six wins. Tennessee’s motivated to get their sixth win and go bowling this season, so maybe expect Missouri to lose this game too.

#12 AUBURN (7-2) vs. #4 Georgia– lost 21-14

•  Auburn’s defense is a nationally-ranked defense, but this offense hasn’t met expectations. They struggled against a good Georgia defense for three quarters before finally doing anything in the fourth. The Tigers struggled to run the ball effectively and true freshmen quarterback Bo Nix was forced to carry this team once again. Whatever he did when he made a big play against Oregon hasn’t worked for him when he stepped into SEC play. They play Samford this weekend before hosting Alabama for their season-finale.

 

SUN BELT: 2-0, OVERALL: 15-5

ARKANSAS STATE (5-4) vs. Coastal Carolina– won 28-27

•  Arkansas State wins by way of a game-winning touchdown with a few seconds left. Coastal Carolina’s defense forced turnover after turnover to keep themselves alive while running back CJ Marable carried. Arkansas State struggled to run the ball, so quarterback Layne Hatcher helped get the Red Wolves their sixth win. They host Georgia Southern and their seventh win guarantees them bowl-eligibility.

#25 APPALACHIAN STATE (8-1) at Georgia State– won 56-27

•  It looked like it was a game that Georgia State could potentially upset App State, but quarterback Zac Thomas and company made sure they run away with a win in the second half. Appalachian State seems safe to finish off the rest of their season with only Texas State and Troy left.

 

TOP 10 UNDERRATED TEAMS AS OF NOVEMBER 17TH

*Teams highlighted green indicates they’re division champions