Paul Prattles On

Welcome Back! We sure had some fantastic games this past week! So many upsets, so many close finishes. It's why we all love CFB! This week is the only week of the season where EVERY FBS team has a game, and none are against FCS teams.  Today, I will present the various scenarios for each conference championship game. AAC Tulane and Army have already clinched spots. Still to be determined is which team will host the other. If both teams win this week- or both teams lose- whoever is ranked highest in the CFP Rankings will host. If one wins and the other loses, then the winning teams will host. ACC SMU has clinched one spot in Charlotte. If Miami wins at Syracuse, it will take the other slot. If Miami loses, then Clemson will take their place. Big XII This is the most convoluted of all the conferences. Four teams- Arizona State, BYU, Colorado, and Iowa State- are tied at the top with 6-2 records. Unfortunately, none of them play each other this weekend. The easiest to figure out is if...

Welcome Back! Last week was another terrible week, way below my usual standards, as I was 38-17, a winning percentage of just 69.1%. There are 65 games this week, ten more than last week. Games are much harder to predict now that we have moved into conference play, where there are all these rivalries. Overall, I am 539-192, a percentage of 73.7%, and a decrease of 0.4% from last week. I'm now below 75% overall, which means I will probably finish there unless I have a really good final 2 weeks. So far, I am 4-2 after the early games, which is a good start. Thanks MACtion! So... on with the picks! Saturday, November 23 Indiana @ Ohio State - The Buckeyes lead this series by the ridiculous record of 79-12-5, a winning percentage of .849! OSU has won the last 29 meetings (one of those was vacated, so technically it's 28), and that streak is only broken by a 27-27 tie in 1990. The Hoosiers haven't defeated the Bucks since 1988, and haven't won in Columbus since 1987. IU actu...

Welcome Back! I'm still working on my picks for Saturday, but I wanted to get these out in case I don't finish before Saturday morning. Thursday, November 21 NC State @ Georgia Tech - The Yellow Jackets lead the series 20-11, winning 3 of the last 4 (since 2011), and 13 of the last 17 (since 1995),  hut the Wolfpack won the last meeting, 23-13 in 2020. NC State is 5-5/2-4, and is in danger of missing a bowl for the 1st time since 2019, as after this game, they travel to Chapel Hill to take on their biggest rival, the Tar Heels. GT has already clinched a bowl at 6-4/4-3, but a win here would mean their 2nd consecutive winning record in the ACC since they had 4 in a row from 2011-2014 under former HC Paul Johnson. They have their own rivalry game in a week, but that one's not a conference game. Jackets win. Friday, November 22 Temple @ UTSA - The Roadrunners won 48-34 last year, their only prior meeting. This will be the 1st game for interim HC Everett Withers for the Owls, b...

Welcome Back! Before I get to this week's interesting tidbits, there are some games being played tonight. Wednesday, November 20 Buffalo @ Eastern Michigan - The Eagles lead the series 7-4, winning 24-11 last year, but the Bulls have won 3 of the last 4 (since 2018), and the last 2 played in Ypsilanti. Buffalo is having a good season at 6-4/4-2, and they still have a chance at a MAC CG slot, but they have to win both of their remaining games. EMU started the season 5-2, but after losing 3 in a row, the Eagles are in danger of missing a bowl altogether, with this game being the easier of their last 2 matchups. E Mich is only 3-2 at home (1-2 in the MAC), and UB is 2-3 on the road (2-1 in the MAC). Buffalo wins. Ohio @ Toledo - The Rockets lead the series 33-21-1, winning the last 2, and 17 of the last 20 (since 1985), but the 2 teams have split the last 4 meetings. The Bobcats won the last time they played in Toledo in 2016 (which was their 1st win there since 1967), but the Rockets...

Welcome Back! Personal Note : I apologize for not getting my TWIF Notes published yesterday, but I have decided to end that particular blog, as it simply takes up too much of my time. If any of you liked it, or if it was your favorite, I apologize. I hope you understand. I am also considering making this my last year of doing this blog in-season as a regular feature, and I'm still undecided on my whether I will continue my preseason team and conference previews. Moving back into full time teaching has put a strain on my time. Before I present my Power Rankings, this week continues those maddening mid-week games. But I think this is the last of them! Here are my picks for tonight's games. Tuesday, November 19 Akron @ Kent State - The Zips lead the series 36-28-2, winning 31-27 last year, but the Golden Flashes have won 4 of the last 5, and 5 of the last 7 played in Kent (since 2010), including the last 2. These are 2 of the worst teams in the FBS (see my rankings below), but Akr...