Week 12, seems like we just got started and the season is rapidly heading to an end. For a number of teams the hopes and goals of the season are already gone and they are just playing out the string but there are many others still playing for playoff position or just hoping to get into the playoffs.
Official playoff rankings come out Tuesday, rankings for FBS teams based on AP poll.
Even more are out of the playoffs but are either going to a bowl or are on the verge of qualifying.
There are currently 43 BCS level teams that have 5 or 4 wins and enough games left on their schedules to reach 6 wins and qualify for some kind of bowl. Of course many of those play each other and some others still have games on the schedule against highly ranked teams where they will be prohibitive underdogs.
Speaking of underdogs, it has become common for power conference teams to schedule some overmatched team in the last few weeks of the season to add an easy win to their record while having a week for their regulars to rest and heal up. The SEC is notorious for this.
We have some of those this week, we also have some that are just happening because the top and bottom teams in the same conference happen to be scheduled.
Tuesday and Wednesday get ready for MACtion as G5 teams strive to spend bowl season in dream locations like Montgomery Alabama, Frisco Texas, and can’t ignore winter in Boise, Idaho.
Tuesday night’s best bet is Western Michigan (5-4) at Bowling Green (5-4.) Winner goes bowling, loser gets two more tries.
Wednesday night Eastern Michigan (5-4) is at Ohio (6-3) looking for that sixth win again against the conference leader.
One team might as well be making plans to go bowling now. Miami (OH) (5-4) is hosting Kent State (0-9) who has known from the start of the season they aren’t going anywhere. Kent is working on redefining bad. They have lost their last three by a combined 120-27.
Thursday night only has one game on the schedule. East Carolina (5-4) is at Tulsa (3-6.) ECU has won 2 in a row, Tulsa lost 4 out of 5.
Friday has a former PAC 12 rivalry with two teams going opposite directions. UCLA (4-5) at Washington (5-5) with teams still hoping for some kind of bowl. Bruins have won 3 in a row, Huskies lost 3 of their last 4 against a tougher schedule.
Friday also has what is usually a hard fought local rivalry. The boot game has Wyoming (2-7) at CSU (6-3.) Rams have been hot, winning 4 in a row. Wyoming beat a lousy New Mexico last week but have been generally terrible. Not likely to happen but an upset would make a lot of Cowboys fans very happy despite the lousy season.
Late game is a bad Big 12 game with Houston (4-5) at Arizona (3-6.)
Saturday has a light schedule in terms of high consequence games.
Early is (17)Clemson (7-2) at Pitt (7-2) who just fell out of the rankings, Clemson still has an outside shot at the playoff.
Not likely but (3) Texas (8-1) can’t sleep on Arkansas (5-4.) Razorbacks have lost 3 of 5 but have a history of upsets and the Horns in the past have dropped some hard to explain games.
(25)Tulane (8-2) at Navy (7-2.) Tulane just got back into the rankings while Navy and Army have been one of the big stories this year even with Navy dropping a couple games recently.
You would think that a game involving a ranked 7-2 team against a 9-1 team would be a highlight of the day. Nope. Typical SEC fashion (9) Alabama (7-2) has scheduled Mighty Mercer (9-1.) Yes an FCS school to fatten up on and include on the season ticket package.
Not important but maybe entertaining would be Syracuse (6-3) at Cal (5-4.) Cal is looking for bowl eligibility and has lost 3 of their last 5 but 2 of those were by one point including to then undefeated Miami.
(21)LSU (6-3) who is dropping like a stone in the polls after losing 2 in a row to ranked teams is at Florida (4-5) who is in real danger of missing a bowl. Gators fans aren’t happy and may be even more so if the Tigers take out their recent frustrations on them.
Top 25 match-up, barely. (24)Mizzouri (7-2) at (23) South Carolina (6-3) with both hoping to stay in the rankings. Both teams have won 3 of their last 4 with each team's losses to Alabama.
Can they both lose? Cornhuskers were ranked for a few weeks this year, now they have lost 3 in a row and are in danger of not making a bowl, again. Nebraska (5-4) is in LA to play USC (4-5) who has only won 1 of their last 5 but could extend the suffering of the red polyester hordes. As bad as they have been, SC is almost a 10 point favorite.
Early evening with a couple games with playoff implications.
(13)Boise State (8-1) at San Jose State (6-3) is looking to remain the highest ranked conference champ from a non-power 4 conference.
(6)Tennessee (8-1) at (11)Georgia (7-2.) Both trying to stay in position for a playoff bid.
Late game could be an upset special. Kansas (3-6) is at (7)BYU (9-0.) Cougars barely escaped against Utah last week. Kansas has lost 6 games this season but only one by more than one score and last week knocked off ranked Iowa State
Blowout of the week has New Mexico State (2-7) at (15) Texas A&M (7-2.) Bet on the Aggies to win this one with 100% confidence. The A&M Aggies are coming off a loss, the NMSU Aggies have looked lost all season.
Outside of the already mentioned games don't look for a lot of movement at the top of the rankings. (1)Oregon (10-0) is at Wisconsin (5-4.) (2)Ohio State (8-1) plays Northwestern (4-5) at Wrigley Field.
(4)Pedo State(8-1) is at Purdue (1-8.) Purdue could end up looking like a bunch of plucked chickens in this one. Purdue fans might need to spend more time drinking Boilermakers than watching them in this one.
(5)Indiana (10-0) gets a bye week (a real one, not a game against Purdue or Nebraska that serves the same purpose) to get ready for their battle at Ohio State next week, a game that could be the biggest in the modern history of their program.
For a change of pace the garbage game of the week doesn’t involve a school from the Rocky Mountain region. Instead we can hold our noses as Florida Atlantic (2-7) is at Temple (2-7.)
Locally Air Force (2-7) hosts Oregon State (4-5.)
Northern Colorado as usual keeps finding new lows. Last week they lost to a 2 win team by 4 TDs. Some say they should give up football, others say they already have.
This week UNC (1-9) is home against Northern Arizona (6-3.)
Season is winding up for local small schools.
(7)CSU Pueblo has all but locked up the conference championship. ()Western Colorado is second and in line to get a playoff berth as well.
In the final week of the regular season (7)CSU Pueblo (9-1,8-0) is at Chadron State (3-7,2-6)
(12)Western Colorado (9-1,7-1) goes to Colorado Mesa (7-3,6-2.) Mesa could take second place from them with a win.
Colorado Mines (24)(7-5,5-3) finishes hosting Fort Lewis (3-7,2-6.) Strange looking at the records but this has been a disappointing season for Mines and a very positive one for Fort Lewis.
The new bottom team is Adams State (0-10,0-8) hoping for a merciful end against South Dakota Mines (5-5,4-4.) At least they won’t have to take the long bus trip home after their 11th loss of the season.
Official playoff rankings come out Tuesday, rankings for FBS teams based on AP poll.
Even more are out of the playoffs but are either going to a bowl or are on the verge of qualifying.
There are currently 43 BCS level teams that have 5 or 4 wins and enough games left on their schedules to reach 6 wins and qualify for some kind of bowl. Of course many of those play each other and some others still have games on the schedule against highly ranked teams where they will be prohibitive underdogs.
Speaking of underdogs, it has become common for power conference teams to schedule some overmatched team in the last few weeks of the season to add an easy win to their record while having a week for their regulars to rest and heal up. The SEC is notorious for this.
We have some of those this week, we also have some that are just happening because the top and bottom teams in the same conference happen to be scheduled.
Tuesday and Wednesday get ready for MACtion as G5 teams strive to spend bowl season in dream locations like Montgomery Alabama, Frisco Texas, and can’t ignore winter in Boise, Idaho.
Tuesday night’s best bet is Western Michigan (5-4) at Bowling Green (5-4.) Winner goes bowling, loser gets two more tries.
Wednesday night Eastern Michigan (5-4) is at Ohio (6-3) looking for that sixth win again against the conference leader.
One team might as well be making plans to go bowling now. Miami (OH) (5-4) is hosting Kent State (0-9) who has known from the start of the season they aren’t going anywhere. Kent is working on redefining bad. They have lost their last three by a combined 120-27.
Thursday night only has one game on the schedule. East Carolina (5-4) is at Tulsa (3-6.) ECU has won 2 in a row, Tulsa lost 4 out of 5.
Friday has a former PAC 12 rivalry with two teams going opposite directions. UCLA (4-5) at Washington (5-5) with teams still hoping for some kind of bowl. Bruins have won 3 in a row, Huskies lost 3 of their last 4 against a tougher schedule.
Friday also has what is usually a hard fought local rivalry. The boot game has Wyoming (2-7) at CSU (6-3.) Rams have been hot, winning 4 in a row. Wyoming beat a lousy New Mexico last week but have been generally terrible. Not likely to happen but an upset would make a lot of Cowboys fans very happy despite the lousy season.
Late game is a bad Big 12 game with Houston (4-5) at Arizona (3-6.)
Saturday has a light schedule in terms of high consequence games.
Early is (17)Clemson (7-2) at Pitt (7-2) who just fell out of the rankings, Clemson still has an outside shot at the playoff.
Not likely but (3) Texas (8-1) can’t sleep on Arkansas (5-4.) Razorbacks have lost 3 of 5 but have a history of upsets and the Horns in the past have dropped some hard to explain games.
(25)Tulane (8-2) at Navy (7-2.) Tulane just got back into the rankings while Navy and Army have been one of the big stories this year even with Navy dropping a couple games recently.
You would think that a game involving a ranked 7-2 team against a 9-1 team would be a highlight of the day. Nope. Typical SEC fashion (9) Alabama (7-2) has scheduled Mighty Mercer (9-1.) Yes an FCS school to fatten up on and include on the season ticket package.
Not important but maybe entertaining would be Syracuse (6-3) at Cal (5-4.) Cal is looking for bowl eligibility and has lost 3 of their last 5 but 2 of those were by one point including to then undefeated Miami.
(21)LSU (6-3) who is dropping like a stone in the polls after losing 2 in a row to ranked teams is at Florida (4-5) who is in real danger of missing a bowl. Gators fans aren’t happy and may be even more so if the Tigers take out their recent frustrations on them.
Top 25 match-up, barely. (24)Mizzouri (7-2) at (23) South Carolina (6-3) with both hoping to stay in the rankings. Both teams have won 3 of their last 4 with each team's losses to Alabama.
Can they both lose? Cornhuskers were ranked for a few weeks this year, now they have lost 3 in a row and are in danger of not making a bowl, again. Nebraska (5-4) is in LA to play USC (4-5) who has only won 1 of their last 5 but could extend the suffering of the red polyester hordes. As bad as they have been, SC is almost a 10 point favorite.
Early evening with a couple games with playoff implications.
(13)Boise State (8-1) at San Jose State (6-3) is looking to remain the highest ranked conference champ from a non-power 4 conference.
(6)Tennessee (8-1) at (11)Georgia (7-2.) Both trying to stay in position for a playoff bid.
Late game could be an upset special. Kansas (3-6) is at (7)BYU (9-0.) Cougars barely escaped against Utah last week. Kansas has lost 6 games this season but only one by more than one score and last week knocked off ranked Iowa State
Blowout of the week has New Mexico State (2-7) at (15) Texas A&M (7-2.) Bet on the Aggies to win this one with 100% confidence. The A&M Aggies are coming off a loss, the NMSU Aggies have looked lost all season.
Outside of the already mentioned games don't look for a lot of movement at the top of the rankings. (1)Oregon (10-0) is at Wisconsin (5-4.) (2)Ohio State (8-1) plays Northwestern (4-5) at Wrigley Field.
(4)Pedo State(8-1) is at Purdue (1-8.) Purdue could end up looking like a bunch of plucked chickens in this one. Purdue fans might need to spend more time drinking Boilermakers than watching them in this one.
(5)Indiana (10-0) gets a bye week (a real one, not a game against Purdue or Nebraska that serves the same purpose) to get ready for their battle at Ohio State next week, a game that could be the biggest in the modern history of their program.
For a change of pace the garbage game of the week doesn’t involve a school from the Rocky Mountain region. Instead we can hold our noses as Florida Atlantic (2-7) is at Temple (2-7.)
Locally Air Force (2-7) hosts Oregon State (4-5.)
Northern Colorado as usual keeps finding new lows. Last week they lost to a 2 win team by 4 TDs. Some say they should give up football, others say they already have.
This week UNC (1-9) is home against Northern Arizona (6-3.)
Season is winding up for local small schools.
(7)CSU Pueblo has all but locked up the conference championship. ()Western Colorado is second and in line to get a playoff berth as well.
In the final week of the regular season (7)CSU Pueblo (9-1,8-0) is at Chadron State (3-7,2-6)
(12)Western Colorado (9-1,7-1) goes to Colorado Mesa (7-3,6-2.) Mesa could take second place from them with a win.
Colorado Mines (24)(7-5,5-3) finishes hosting Fort Lewis (3-7,2-6.) Strange looking at the records but this has been a disappointing season for Mines and a very positive one for Fort Lewis.
The new bottom team is Adams State (0-10,0-8) hoping for a merciful end against South Dakota Mines (5-5,4-4.) At least they won’t have to take the long bus trip home after their 11th loss of the season.
