Odds and Ends 10-5-22

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Welcome Back!

On Wednesdays I have my Odds and Ends.  This is where I present interesting statistics that you can't easily find elsewhere. Check out the bottom for my pick for tonight's game.

Enjoy!

Inter-conference results 

With most of the out-of-conference games completed, I will revisit this again at the end of the season. Otherwise, you'll just be looking at incremental changes each week, which can be kind of boring. For example, we only had 12 non-conference games this week, and 5 were against FCS teams. Look for this at or near the end of the season, when I'll devote one whole blog to just this section.

I will do the same on the "Which Conference is Best" and Which Division is Best" sections as well.


Intra-conference results

Here is how the divisions are stacking up against each other within each conference:

The SEC West is 4-0 against the SEC East
The Big Ten East is 5-3 against the Big Ten West
The ACC Atlantic is 2-1 against the ACC Coastal
The MWC Mountain is 2-3 against the MWC West
The SBC East is 3-1 against the SBC West
the MAC East is 1-0 against the MAC West

So far, the SEC continues to have the most lopsided results.



Undefeated/Winless teams

The following teams are currently undefeated (listed alphabetically):

Alabama
Clemson
Coastal Carolina
Georgia
James Madison
Kansas
Michigan
Ohio State
Oklahoma State
Ole Miss
Penn State
Syracuse
TCU
Tennessee
UCLA
USC


The following teams are currently winless (also listed alphabetically):

Colorado
Colorado State

There are now 16 (out of 131) undefeated teams in FBS, a reduction of 5 from last week. There are only 2 winless teams, as 1 team earned their 1st win last weekend.

Here are the undefeated and winless teams by conference (# undefeated listed first):

SEC 4/0
Big Ten 3/0
Big 12 3/0
ACC 2/0
SBC 2/0
Pac 12 2/1
AAC 0/0
CUSA 0/0
Ind 0/0
MAC 0/0
MWC 0/1

In addition, there are 11 teams with only 1 win, but no wins over an FBS opponent, as 8 teams earned their 1st FBS win this past week. Those teams are:

Akron
Arizona State
Army
Central Michigan
Fresno State
Hawaii
La Tech
Northern Illinois
Stanford
UMass
USF

Two of these teams are P5 teams, both from the Pac 12; 3 are from the MAC, 2 are Independents, 2 are from the MWC (both were off this week), 1 is from CUSA, and 1 is from the AAC. 

Bowl eligible/eliminated 

Next week, I'll start listing those teams that are bowl eligible, as some teams will be earning their 6th win already. Probably within a week or 2, I'll be adding those who have been eliminated from a bowl.


Updates on my playoff picks 

Georgia has looked vulnerable each of the last 2 weeks, so I'm not sure they will make it in at this point. Alabama has looked iffy all year (except when playing Vandy), and with QB Bryce Young injured (not sure for how long), their chances may be up in the air. Ohio State still looks like a strong choice, as does Utah, who must win all the rest of their games to make it in. Of those I didn't pick, Clemson looks like the best bet to make it in. Other possibilities are Oregon or USC (or whoever else emerges as an undefeated or 1-loss Pac 12 champion), or an undefeated or 1-loss Big 12 champion.


Games I'm Excited About


UNLV @ San Jose State- Can the Rebels seize control of the MWC West Division? Can the Spartans recapture the magic from 2020?

Tennessee @ LSU- Can the Volunteers stay undefeated, or will they be looking ahead to their big game with Alabama next week? Have the Tigers turned the corner, and are they ready to challenge for 2nd in the SEC West?

Texas vs Oklahoma (Dallas)- Can the Longhorns get revenge for last year's loss? Will the Sooners actually lose 3 games in a row for the 1st time since 1998, and be 0-3 in the Big 12 for the 1st time since that same year?

Arkansas @ Mississippi State- Can the Razorbacks bounce back from 2 straight losses? Can the Bulldogs continue their roll and win their 3rd straight?

Missouri @ Florida- Will the Tigers give a 3rd straight SEC foe a run for their money before folding, or will they finish the job this time? Could the Gators actually start the season 0-3 in the SEC for the 1st time since 1986 under HC Galen Hall?

TCU @ Kansas- Will the Jayhawks continue their magical, unbeaten season and qualify for a bowl after just 6 games, and achieve more wins than their last 3 seasons combined? Are the Horned Frogs the new favorites in the Big 12?

Georgia Southern @ Georgia State- Have the Panthers put their horrid start behind them, and can they turn their season around like they did last year? Can the Eagles overcome their disappointing loss to CCU last week and break their 2 game losing streak to Ga State?

Auburn @ Georgia- Can the Bulldogs pull out of the malaise they've played in the last 2 games and put together a solid 4 quarters again? Can the Tigers pull off the massive upset and perhaps save HC Bryan Harsin's job for yet another week?

Utah @ UCLA- Are the Utes really the team to beat in the Pac 12, and are they really CFP contenders? Are the Bruins for real, and are they capable of pulling the upset and taking charge of the Pac 12 race?

Washington State @ USC- Can the Trojans continue their hot streak and stay undefeated? Will the Cougars win for the 4th straight time in this series, and for the 3rd year in a row?

BYU @ Notre Dame- Are the Cougars ready to take over as the best Independent program (just before they move to the Big 12)? Can the Fighting Irish build off of their win over UNC a couple of weeks ago and go on a hot streak and finish the season strong?

Iowa @ Illinois- Can the Hawkeyes find enough offense to give their defense some help? Can the Illini score enough to win and take charge of the Big Ten West?

Texas A&M @ Alabama- Can the Aggies pull off the upset for the 2nd year in a row, but this time on the road? Will the Crimson Tide have the services of QB Bryce Young, and will it matter?

FSU @ NC State- Can the Wolfpack bounce back from their loss to Clemson and stake their claim to 2nd place in the ACC Atlantic? Can the Seminoles bounce back from their loss to Clemson and stake their claim to 2nd place in the ACC Atlantic?


Wednesday, October 5

SMU @ UCF- This game was originally scheduled to be played last Saturday, but was postponed due to Hurricane Ian, first to Sunday, and then to today. With both teams off this coming Saturday, I guess this made sense to play on Wednesday. The Knights lead the series 8-2, but the Mustangs won last year, 55-28. Though they are 2-2, SMU's 2 losses are to P5 teams. UCF is 3-1 with their loss to a P5 team also, but they do have a win over a P5 team as well. UCF wins at home.




Feel free to leave a comment. Check out yesterday's Power Rankings, and come back tomorrow for Paul's Picks! 

Until next time, may you and your loved ones be blessed!    

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