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I noticed Welborn mentioned the, "SC State Title," in his historical piece this week. Weird. I didn't know we were playing the Citadel today. Yeah, I may have used that line a few times this week. This is rivalry week. This is when you drag up the most embarrassing moments from your rivals history and parade it in front of them. Luckily, we have a cornucopia of very fresh material this year. Since I've been talking trash to my sister-in-law all week (she did her undergraduate there), I'll refrain from rehashing the same old tired jokes here. I fully expect the Tigers to do all the talking for me this afternoon.
#1 Clemson at South Carolina
Kickoff at 12:00pm EST
TV: ESPN
I'll be on the road this afternoon, leaving my in-laws south Georgia farm and headed back to "civilization." However, if I were home, here are the other games I'd try to check in on.
#8 Ohio State at #10 Michigan
Kickoff at 12:00pm EST
TV: ABC
Obviously, there's no way I'm turning to a B1G game during the Clemson game. I don't want to miss any shots of the sad faces around Willy-Brice. However, this might be an actual game. While Michigan had a bad loss to Utah to start the year, they've looked pretty good since. No one can forget how they acquired their second loss, but let's not forget that they were one wacky play away from beating the same Michigan State team that just beat Ohio State and looks like one of the favorites to make the playoffs. Ohio State, on the other hand, has kept on winning, despite the fact that they couldn't settle on a QB (or stay out of trouble once they did). They haven't looked great all year and Mich St finally took them down. Can they bounce back from their first loss? Or has Meyer lost the locker room completely? I'm guessing that its closer to the latter. Big Blue 27 - Buckeyes 24
Georgia at Georgia Tech
Kickoff at 12:00pm EST
TV: ESPN2
This game means nothing to me, nor does it mean anything for the ACC, SEC, or CFP championships. There is no reason for this game to be of interest to anyone outside the state of Georgia. But, I married a little Georgia peach, and her family is split almost 50/50 Dawgs and Jackets. So, while I won't be watching this game, I'll have a good idea of what's happening based on who's cheering and who's moaning in the other room. Dawgs 31 - Bees 24
#14 North Carolina at NC State
Kickoff at 3:30pm EST
TV: ABC/ESPN2
Our ACC championship opponent has a tricky rivalry game just after ours. UNC has been able to put up points on just about everybody they've played not named South Carolina. They're defense, however, has been on and off, looking serviceable some weeks and awful other weeks. NC State has been on again, off again, as well. They scored along with us, but they've struggled to score in their other three losses. Their defense has been just as inconsistent. State definitely has the ability to beat UNC, though I don't believe it'll happen. Tar Heels 41 - Pack 31
#13 Florida State at #12 Florida
Kickoff at 7:30pm EST
TV: ESPN
I don't much care for either of these teams, and that's putting it as nicely as I can. However, if the doomsday CFP scenario is going to come to fruition, Florida State needs to beat Florida (who then needs to beat Alabama). Florida has made their way through a middling SEC with only one loss. They're talented, as usual, but they've struggled against Vandy, USCjr, and FAU the last three weeks. Florida State, too, is a talented team, though they're in rebuilding mode this year. Will the Jimbo to LSU rumors be a distraction? Will Florida find an offense? This game feels like a coin flip, but I think it'll either be a close Florida win or a big FSU victory. I don't usually get into the conference pride, but, "ACC! ACC! ACC!" Noles 34 - Gators 17
#6 Notre Dame at #9 Stanford
Kickoff at 7:30pm EST
TV: FOX
It's hard to imagine Notre Dame sneaking into the playoffs unless mayhem truly reigns. Losing this game would surely take them out of the conservation. That would usually be enough for me to pull for Stanford. However, if Notre Dame wins, it would likely slow down the Christian McCaffery Heisman talk. I don't know if Deshaun can play himself into serious contention this late, but if Stanford goes down, it would surely help. Who actually wins though, I have no idea. Stanford has looked dominant at times and weak at times. ND has zero quality wins and just barely escaped BC last week. Your guess is as good as mine. Cardinal 27 - Irish 24
#3 Oklahoma at #11 Oklahoma State
Kickoff at 8:00pm EST
TV: ABC
The Big "12" round robin tournament finally reaches its grand finale. With TCU beating Baylor, this is now the Big "12" championship game. Ok St has played a lot of close games this year, winning them all until Baylor came to town. Does that prove that they're a scrappy team? Or does it prove that they're weak? OU has one of the worst losses of any of the playoff contenders. They've rebounded well, though their close win over TCU last week is a little less impressive when you remember that Boykin and Doctson were both out. Ok St has an outside chance at the CFP. OU would almost certainly be in if they win. Will the Pokes play spoiler and potentially cause the Big "12" to miss the playoffs again? Or will OU stamp their ticket? I'm cheering for mayhem, but I just can't see it happening here. Sooners 45 - Cowboys 34
ESPN
South Florida
FS1
Texas Tech
Texas
ESPN2
Miami (FL)
Pittsburgh
ABC
CBSS
Western Michigan
ESPN3
CBS
Missouri
Arkansas
Oregon State
(17) Oregon
FOX
(20) Washington State
Washington
(4) Iowa
Nebraska
Boise State
San Jose State
ESPNU
Buffalo
(7) Baylor
(19) TCU
Cincinnati
ESPNN
Iowa State
West Virginia
BTN
Indiana
Purdue
Maryland
Rutgers
FSN
(8) Ohio State
(10) Michigan
ASN
(1) Clemson
South Carolina
Virginia Tech
Virginia
Georgia
Georgia Tech
SECN
Louisville
Kentucky
Boston College
Syracuse
Duke
Wake Forest
FCS
PAC12
Colorado
(23) Utah
ABC/ESPN2
(14) North Carolina
NC State
(2) Alabama
Auburn
Penn State
(5) Michigan State
Wisconsin
Minnesota
UTEP
(22) UCLA
USC
(16) Northwestern
Illinois
BYU
Kansas State
Kansas
Vanderbilt
Tennessee
Connecticut
(18) Mississippi
(21) Mississippi State
(6) Notre Dame
(9) Stanford
(13) Florida State
(12) Florida
Texas A&M
LSU
(3) Oklahoma
(11) Oklahoma State
Arizona State
Cal