Paul Prattles On

Welcome Back! Rivalry Week was everything we all hoped it would be! There were exciting finishes, upsets, near upsets, and conference/division races decided on the field, and no weird tiebreaker rules had to be consulted. All-in-all a fantastic weekend of college football! On to the recaps! FBS Games Ball State stomped Buffalo 20-3 to become bowl eligible. Buffalo ends their season at 4-8. Western Michigan defeated Northern Illinois 42-21 to keep the Huskies from winning the MAC West title outright.  Fresno State routed San Jose State 40-9 to keep alive their hopes of a MWC West championship, but it was not to be. The Spartans finish at 5-7. Ole Mis s won the Egg Bowl over Mississippi State 31-21. San Diego State clinched the MWC West title with a 27-16 victory over Boise State , coming back from a 16-3 deficit. Texas finishes 5-7 with a 22-17 win over Kansas State , breaking their 6-game losing streak. Central Michigan finishes in a tie for 1st in the MAC West thanks to a ...

Welcome Back! With only 1 week remaining in the regular season, the path for every team is now quite clear. This will be my last Conference Call.  I will present each conference alphabetically.   I hope you enjoy reading this feature! AAC Clinched: Houston Cincinnati Eliminated: SMU, ECU, UCF, Tulsa, Memphis, Navy, Temple, Tulane, USF ACC Atlantic Contenders : Wake Forest- Needs a win over Boston College Clemson- Needs a WF loss and an NC St loss NC State- Needs a win over UNC and a WF loss Eliminated :  Syracuse, Louisville, FSU, Boston College Coastal Clinched : Pittsburgh- Needs 2 wins, or 1 win and 1 loss by UVA Eliminated: Virginia, Virginia Tech, Miami, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, Duke Big 12 Clinched : Oklahoma State Contenders : Baylor- Needs a win over TT and an OU loss Oklahoma- Needs a win over OSU or a Baylor loss Eliminated : Iowa State, Kansas State, Texas, Texas Tech, West Virginia, TCU, Kansas Big Ten East Contenders : Ohio State- Needs a win over M...

Welcome Back! This past week was my 2nd best week of the season, as I was 57-9, or .864. This makes me 577-195 overall, a 74.7% winning percentage. At this rate, I'll be lucky to finish at 75%. But I'm off to an ok 1-1 start in the early games this week. Last year, I finished at 71.8%, which was  WAY  below my usual average (I'm usually around 75%).  You should know that I only only pick who wins, not against the spread.  I'm not into gambling, and I certainly wouldn't use my picks to gamble with (if you do, that's on  YOU! ). I don't have inside information, I don't scour injury reports, I don't have a research staff, and this isn't my full time job; it's just a hobby, but I have been following college football for right around 50 years, and I've seen a lot of it.  My goal each year is to be correct 80% of the time over a full season, but I've never actually achieved that.  Most years, I'm right around 75%, but I think my high ha...

Welcome Back! The 4th CFP Rankings came out last night, and there was a shakeup in the 2-4 spots. Ohio State moves to #2, Alabama drops to #3, and Cincinnati moves into the #4 spot. I feel the committee got this part absolutely right. There are 5 SEC teams, 5 Big Ten teams, 3 Big 12 teams, 2 Pac 12 teams, 4 ACC teams, 2 Independents, 2 AAC teams, and 1 each from the MWC, and the CUSA. The Sun Belt and the MAC are not represented. I don't list the full top 25 because that information is easily available elsewhere. Check out how the conferences are doing, how each division is doing, and who is already bowl eligible or eliminated from bowl consideration. I've also included the number of wins each team needs to be bowl eligible, their remaining schedule, and their chances of getting there.  There are lots of fantastic games this week, so check out the "Games I'm Looking Forward To" at the bottom. I hope you enjoy reading through all the info below! Which Conference is...

Welcome Back! Before I get into the rankings, we have some early games this week. Tuesday, November 2 Buffalo @ Ball State - The Cardinals have lost 3 of 4, but the Bulls are on a 3-game losing streak. This is a rematch of last year's MACCG, won by Ball St 38-28. BSU leads the series 10-2, with 1 loss coming in the 2008 MACCG, but the teams have met rather infrequently, with the 1st 2 matchups in 1969 and 1970. Ball St wins. Western Michigan  @ Northern Illinois - The Broncos have lost 3 of their last 4, with their only win over hapless Akron. The Huskies have clinched the MAC West and are merely waiting to see who they will play in the CG. WMU leads the series 26-20, but the home team has won each of the last 6 games. That trend will continue as NIU wins. Power Rankings There is massive movement in my rankings this week, as I have dropped my final preseason factor, and there is a major "market correction". This is my 3rd year doing these, and its gotten better each year,...