Paul Prattles On

Welcome Back! I had another mediocre week, going 42-15, a winning percentage of 73.4%. There are 49 games this week, the fewest since Week 6 also had 49. Games are much harder to predict now that we have moved into conference play, where there are all these rivalries. Overall, I am 438-139, a percentage of 75.9%, and a decrease of 0.3% from last week. I'm below 80% overall, and won't get back there, but I can still reach my "realistic" goal of 75%, but I'm getting awfully close to dropping below that, as I have been below 75% for the last 6 weeks. So far, I am 4-1 after the early games, which is a good start. So... on with the picks! Thursday, October 31 Tulane @ Charlotte - This will be the 1st time these teams will ever meet on the gridiron. The Green Wave are one of the leaders in the AAC standings, while the 49ers have lost 2 in a row, and are 3-5 overall, though they are 2-2 in the AAC. Tulane wins. Friday, November 1 Georgia State @ UConn - In their 1st meet

Welcome Back! Personal Note : I will be traveling this weekend, and so may be late getting my picks posted, maybe as late as Friday afternoon or evening. Rest assured the Thursday Night prediction has already been written, and if I'm wrong, I'll admit it. This also means that I won't see any of the games this weekend, and so I may not post a TWIF Notes on Monday, as I usually do most of my work and research on Sunday, and that is when I'll be flying back home.  Before I get to this week's interesting tidbits, there are some games being played tonight. Wednesday, October 30 Jacksonville State @ Liberty - The Gamecocks lead the series 4-1, winning in 1981, 1982, 2016 and 2017, but the Flames won 31-13 last year. JSU sits in a tie with WKU atop CUSA, as they have won 4 in a row. LU suffered their 1st defeat of the season- and their 1st in the regular season since 2022- but it was a doozy, as they inexplicably lost to new FBS and CUSA member Kennesaw State, who came in

Welcome Back! Before I present my Power Rankings, this week continues those maddening mid-week games. Here are my picks for tonight's games. Tuesday, October 29 New Mexico State @ FIU - This is the 1st time the teams will play in Miami, as the Aggies lead 2-1 in games played in Las Cruces. Each team is 1-3 in CUSA, and each has a 1-score loss to Liberty, a loss to Sam Houston, and a 1-score win over La Tech. Who knows... the Panthers win at home...I guess... Louisiana @ Texas State - Before the season started, it was expected that this would be a battle for 1st place in the SBC West, and in a sense it is, but the expected roles are reversed. It is the Ragin' Cajuns that are 3-0 in the conference, and the Bobcats being the chasers at 3-1. TSU has never beaten UL in 10 tries, and only last year did they lose by less than 10 points (34-30 in Lafayette). Louisiana's only loss was by 8 to Tulane at home. Both teams were idle last week, so I'm rolling with the Ragin' Caju