Random Thoughts: THE PAC IS WHACK!

The Pac-12 has amazingly completed a 12-member Circle of Incompetence: Arizona State > Washington > Oregon > Colorado > Cal > Arizona > UCLA > Utah > Southern Cal > Oregon State > Wazzu > Stanford > Arizona State.

The Ducks deserved to lose after this B.S.^^^

Washington 37 Oregon 34 - With 1:30 to go in a tie game, Oregon’s Dan Lanning decided to go for a first down on 4th & 1 from the Ducks’ own 34-yard line and failed. The move basically handed the win to UW as the Huskies ran a couple of plays and kicked the game winning field goal with 51 ticks remaining. Michael Penix torched the Dux for 408 passing yards and two TDs .

Oregon’s longshot hopes for a playoff spot are now dead and buried.

Arizona 34 UCLA 28 - We knew the Bruins were pretenders. But losing at home against the woeful 3-win team is embarrassing. Zona scored 10 unanswered points in the final 6 and a half minutes for the road upset.

Southern Cal 55 Colorado 17 - Congrats for beating up one of the worst teams in the nation. According to Jeff Sagarin’s College Football Ratings, the Trojans have the 52nd strongest schedule.

SEC

Where has this play been all year?

Alabama 30 Ole Miss 24 - The Tide got off to a sluggish start trailing 17-7 in the second quarter when an OM fumble was recovered by Terrion Arnold. The Bama DB ran the ball into the end zone but a stupid ref blew the play dead. But this time, it worked out for Alabama as they would score a touchdown six plays and 2:15 later to end the half with some momentum. Bama led 30-24 late with the Rebs driving. A huge sack by Byron Young on 3rd & 10 set Ole Miss back and they could not convert the 4th & 16 with 46 seconds to go.

Jase McClellan (19 RUSH, 84 YDS) stepped up big on offense and Byron Young (6 solo, 5 asst, 2 sacks) anchored the defense.

Georgia 45 Mississippi State 19 - UGA got off to their typical slow start (17-12 at the break) but took over in the second half.

The stupid two-point conversion chart card claimed another victim. After returning a punt for a touchdown just before halftime, MSU climbed to within 17-12. Mike Leach decided to go for two. In the second quarter. It failed and those good feelings going into the locker room switched back to the guys in red helmets.

LSU 13 Arkansas 10 - With starting quarterback KJ Jefferson not playing, Arky had no offense. And it is too bad because LSU quarterback Stephen Garcia Jayden Daniels (8-15, 86 YDS, 0 TD, 1 INT, 19 RUSH, 10 YDS, LOST FUM, 7 SACKS) was pretty dang awful. You have to think if Jefferson was healthy, the Tigers probably would have lost. Harold Perkins had four sacks and two forced fumbles for LSU. Drew Sanders had 12 tackles and a sack for the Hogs.

About the only thing the ‘Cocks did right. ^^^

Florida 38 South Carolina 6 - The Gators rushed for 374 and held SCar to 44.

Tennessee 66 Missouri 24 - It was 28-24 in the third until fUT scored 38 straight. They ran up the score and padded stats.

Auburn 13 Texas A&M 10 - Aubie just won the Solar System Super Bowl. The Aggies have lost 6 straight.

Vanderbilt 24 Kentucky 21 - wILL leVIs iS fIRsT roUnD TaLEnT. The Wildcats QB was a pathetic 11-23 for 109 YDS and tossed an INT. He was also sacked four times for -16 YDS.

With injured AJ Swann out, Vandy went with former starter Mike Wright who passed for 184 yards with a score and ran 126 yards and a touchdown.

DABO COACHING TREE

West Virginia 23 Oklahoma 20 - Brent Venables’s Sooners led 20-13 heading into the fourth quarter but allowed ten unanswered points including a 25 yard game-winning field goal at the buzzer. Okie (5-5) was 1-11 on third down conversions and 0-2 on 4th. WVU was 7-19 and 3-4.

Pitt 37 Virginia 7 - This game was over after 16 seconds. At the beginning of the season, every bozo with a microphone was proclaiming UVa quarterback Brennan Armstrong the next big thing. he has 7 touchdowns, 12 interceptions and a 54.7% completion rate. He has regressed under Tony Elliott.

The Cavs (3-7) are not going bowling.

SMU 41 USF 23 - Jeff Scott was fired before this game but his fingerprints are all over the program.

D’OH!

Boston College 21, #16 NC State 20 - Before Saturday, the Wolfpack was supposed to be the third best team in the ACC. And then they pull this crap at home, no less, to a conference doormat. NCSU had led 20-7 but allowed a comeback including a touchdown in the waning moments.

Purdue 31, #21 Illinois 24 - The Spoilmakers do it again, ending some poor team’s delusions of grandeur. The Illini lost their second straight game, both at home, and fall to second in the Big Ten West standings behind Purdue. With Michigan on deck, Illinois’s hopes of a division or conference championship may have been dashed.

That tracks.

UConn 36 Liberty 33 - The Huskies led 21-10 but the Libbys came storming back to lead 33-28. A fourth quarter touchdown by UConn would clinch their first bowl eligible season since 2015 and second since 2010.

INCLUSIVITY SWEEPSTAKES

Center Florida 38 Tulane 31 - This win catapults Gus Malzahn’s 8-2 team to the top of the non-Power 5 NY6 slot and making the Aubies pain all the more hilarious.

Coastal Carolina 26 Southern Miss 23 - Although they are 9-1, CCU is lower ranked.

OTHER STUFF

TCU 17 Texas 10 - The Frogs limited the Longhorns to paltry 199 total yards and 1 of 13 on third downs but they were not too much better with 283. This was an ugmo/no offense game.

Ohio State 56 Indiana 14 - CJ Stroud stayed in most the game and was still passing up until the final possession. Nice padding.

Clemson 31 Louisville 16 - The Cards QB Malik Cunningham was hurt on the last play of the second quarter and it was all she wrote for them. CU did their usual muddling around (lost three fumbles, gave up several big plays) and made it look like a blowout.

Michigan 34 Nebraska 3 - The Cornhuskers managed only 146 total yards and 8 first downs.

ANOTHER WACKY TWO POINTS THE OTHER WAY

CRAZIEST POINT SPREAD COVER OF THE WEEK

Rutgers (+10) scores a touchdown on a 4th & 29 with 47 seconds remaining. They cover the spread but lose the game 27-21.

CEASE AND DESIST

PROTHRO OF THE WEEK

THESE GUYS ALMOST MAKE TAMU LOOK NORMAL

BRAVADO OF THE WEEK

DICKS OF THE WEEK

First off, was it necessary to fake an extra point against godawful Colorado up three+ touchdowns, Lincoln? Secondly, the flip is bad sportsmanship. Can you imagine what Saban would do if one of his players did that? Save that “look at me crap” for the guys who play on Sundays.

MOST CARTOONISH HELMET OF THE WEEK

KAYSHON BOUTTE/JORDAN ADDISON PEACE OUT WATCH

• Kayshon Boutte was targeted 6 times against Arkansas and had 4 catches for 49 yards and no scores. He still has only 1 touchdown on the season.
• Against lowly Colorado, Southern Cal WR Jordan Addison had one catch for two yards - a play that took place on the Trojans’ first offensive snap. Addison was targeted only twice.

STOP TRYING TO BE NAJEE

TEAM SPIRIT OF THE WEEK

BEST CAMERA WORK OF THE WEEK

STATIONARY RUNNING BACK OF THE WEEK

Missy State running back Dillon Johnson had 6 rushes for 9 yards against UGA.

NAME OF THE WEEK

West Virginia placekicker Casey Legg.

STATS OF THE WEEK

• Central Michigan’s Bert Emanuel Jr. is probably a name you need to learn. This kid is good. In only his second career game, the true freshman ran for 293 yards and 3 TDs in a win over Buffalo.
• TCU and Texas combined for 140 yards in the first half, the fewest in any half of a Big 12 game since Colorado-Texas in 2009. 39 of those yards came in the 1st quarter, the fewest combined total yards in a 1st quarter in any FBS game this season.
• Auburn outgained Texas A&M, 73 to minus-2 in the third quarter.
• Against Nebraska, Michigan was flagged ONE TIME. #MustBeNice
• Iowa’s offense gained 146 yards. They scored 24 points thanks to a pick-6, a blocked punt, a 41 yard punt return that set them up deep, and a Nebraska turnover on downs.

GAMEDAY SIGN OF THE WEEK

THE WACKY WORLD OF DESI

GameDay is heading to Bozeman, Montana because they like frigid weather.

Desmond Howard is still a nincompoop.

ADOPT-A-TEAM NOMINATIONS

¯\_ツ_/¯

COUSINS

• Troy (8-2) - The Trojans run their win streak to 7 straight with a close 10-9 win over Army. Next is a visiting UL Monroe (+15.5).
• South Alabama (8-2) - The Jags keep ten wins in their sights with a 38-21 triumph over Texas State. USA heads to Southern Miss as a 7.5 point favorite.

THAT ANNOYING GUY WHO PICKS THROUGH THE M&Ms AND TAKES ALL THE GREEN ONES BECAUSE “THEY MAKE YOU HORNY, HYUCK!”

• UAB (5-5) - The Dragons get back on the winning side with a 41-21 victory over North Texas. A sure loss to LSU (-15) in on tap.

SALUTE TO OUR TROOPS

Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

• Army (3-6) - The Black Knights missed a 44-yard field goal with 13 ticks left on the clock for a heartbreaking 10-9 loss to Troy. UConn and their surprising 6-5 record come to town as a 10 point underdog.
• Air Force (7-3) - The Falcons dominated New Mexico 35-3 and should do the same to sad-ass Colorado State (+21.5). But it is a big rivalry game. So, ya never know.
• Navy (3-7) - The Midshipmen rallied from a 35-16 deficit for a tough 35-32 loss to Notre Dame. Sadly, the Middies are eliminated from bowl eligibility. A trip to Center Florida (-16) is next on the docket.

Odds/lines are provided by DraftKings and subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

ELIMINATED FROM PLAYOFF CONTENTION

Eliminated: all non-Power 5 incl. Houston, Cincinnati, BYU, FSU, Pitt, Boston College, Wake, Virginia Tech, Duke, Virginia, Miami-FL, NC State, Syracuse, Louisville, Georgia Tech, Notre Dame, Illinois, Purdue, Nebraska, Iowa, Wisky, Minnie, Maryland, Northwestern, Sparty, Penn State, Rutgers, Indiana, Okie, Okie Lite, Baylor, Iowa State, Kansas, West Virginia, Texas Tech, Texas, Kansas State, Cal, Stanford, Oregon State, Colorado, Arizona State, Arizona, UCLA, Utah, Washington State, Washington, Mizzou, Vandy, Florida, Auburn, South Carolina, Missy State, Arky, Texas A&M, LSU, Kentucky. NEW: Oregon, Ole Miss, Alabama.

Endangered: Tennessee, Southern Cal. NEW:

Extremely Endangered: Clemson - it’s just one loss but BOY was that a bad loss. UNC - ain’t played no one, Pawwwl.

A way WAY WAY too early look at the College Football Playoff (CFP) picture:

DraftKings NCAAF Championship Winner 2022-23 Odds:

1. Georgia +180 to +100 to -120
2. Ohio State +180 to +200 to +240
3. Michigan +1500 to +900 to +700
4. Tennessee +1600 to +1600 to +1200
5. TCU +3500 to +2500
6. LSU to +4000 to +4000
7. Southern Cal +4000
8. Clemson +1600 to +4000 to +5000

• ACC - Clemson was humiliated by Notre Dame and is getting destroyed on the airwaves. Could UNC slide in the back door?
• Big 12 - TCU keeps on winning.

• Big Ten - Could the Illini give Michigan problems? How about Ohio State at Maryland? Might one or both get caught looking ahead... to each other?
• PAC-12 - Thankfully, our nation’s Oregon nightmare is over. UCLA probably wasn’t getting in but at least we don’t have to hear the whining now. Southern Cal is the last hope but the Trojans’ resume is REALLY weak. Their best win is Oregon State. They are @UCLA, vs Notre Dame, and possibly the PACCG.
• SEC - Georgia looks like the surest bet to be in the CFP. Tennessee will have to sit back and wait.
• Indies - Nope
• Non-Power 5 - Nap.

RANK ‘EM IF YOU GOT ‘EM

Tonight at 7pm is the unveiling of the third College Football Playoff rankings according to the CFP Committee. There is not much reason to think the top 4 will change. Below is the AP:

1. Georgia
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. TCU
5. Tennessee
6. LSU
7. Southern Cal
8. Alabama
9. Clemson

LET’S GO BOWLING!

• Of the 130 FBS teams, only FOUR are still undefeated: Georgia, Michigan, Ohio State, and TCU. Ten teams have one loss each.
• 65 FBS teams are bowl eligible for 84 slots including... UConn???
• Nine SEC teams are in: Georgia, Tennessee, LSU, Alabama, Ole Miss, Florida, South Carolina, Kentucky, and Mississippi State.
• Arkansas needs to beat Ole Miss or @Mizzou. Mizz needs to beat NMSU and Arky.
• The Crimson Tide is trending towards the Orange Bowl against UNC or Clemson.

LET’S GO BLOWING!

• Colorado and Northwestern are both still stuck on one win at 1-9. UMass, USF, and Akron also hold that same record.
• 29 teams have more than 6 losses on the season including Texas A&M (3-7). LOL.
• Vanderbilt and Auburn staved off the dreaded defeat No. 7 for another week.

Krazy Kristi’s “SHUT UP!” of the Week goes to sainthood being bestowed on Reggie Bush. We got these idiots with microphones saying he should get his Heisman back and all the stats and trophies reinstated because “he jess did wut all them players iz doin’ now!” The compensation rules may have changed, but they were still rules and he still knowingly broke them. Broke them, smashed them to smithereens, and ran them through a wood shredder. Furthermore, he was getting benefits that other players across the nation were not getting. So, just stop.

HEISMAN HYPE

ODDS

Below are the top Heisman picks in order of the money lines.

Odds are provided by DraftKings and many more options can be seen at that link including Pitt RB Israel Abanikanda at +20000. [Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.]

1. QB C.J. Stroud (JR, Ohio State) +220 to +350 to +260 to +140 to +160 to -130 to +110 to +100 to +140
2. QB Hendon Hooker (SR, Tennessee) +4000 to +1600 to +1200 to +1100 to +450 to +200 to +280 to +350
3. QB Drake Maye (Soph, UNC) ???? to +4000 to +550
4. RB Blake Corum (JR, Michigan) ???? to +1800 to +1800 to +1200 to +1400 to +750 to +550
5. QB Caleb Williams (Soph, Southern Cal) +700 to +600 to +320 to +600 to +500 to +1300 to +800 to +1400 to +700 to +1200
6. QB Stetson Bennett XIV (8th YR SR, UGA): +1800 to +1400 to +1800 to +1800 to +2800 to +3000 to +3000 to +
7. QB Bryce Young (JR, Alabama) from +400 to +300 to +340 to +350 to +800 to +1500 to +1800 to +2200 to +2500 to +8000
8. QB Bo Nix (SR, Oregon) from ???? to +3000 to +800 to +8000

PERCEPTIONS

• Drake Maye is the new girl at school that everyone is crushing on.
• Everyone is sucking up to C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes even though they have not played anyone worth a damn.
• Blake Corum - see above.
• Hendon Hooker’s name is still in there because everyone loves a good come-out-of-nowhere story.
• Bo Nix screwed the pooch.

WHO SHOULD WIN

• TBH, no one player has stood out as the best. We’ll see if Maye can win out, which means beating NC State and Clemson twice. Same with Stroud. Win out and we’ll talk.

THE SICK REPORT

Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images

• Southern Cal RB Travis Dye left Friday night’s game against Colorado on a cart after a leg injury. The Trojans do not expect him back on the field this season. Losing Dye is big blow for So Cal. The 23-year old had 884 rushing yards this season, second-best in the Pac-12. He also is averaging 6.1 yards per carry and has nine touchdowns.
• Ohio State RB Miyan Williams went down awkwardly on his right ankle and had to be helped to a cart and taken to the locker room in the first half. Williams took over the rushing workload after TreVeyon Henderson went down. It could spell trouble for anOSU if they have to go without both those guys.
• Illinois running back Chase Brown left in the final minute of the 31-24 loss to Purdue on Saturday with a right leg injury. Brown is the nation’s leading rusher with 1,442 yards and 7 touchdowns. He also has 3 receiving scores. The Illini face Michigan on Saturday.
• Ninth-year senior Louisville quarterback Malik Cunningham was knocked out of the game against Clemson with a shoulder injury. His status is unknown but Medicair should cover his hospital bills.
• Coastal Carolina quarterback Grayson McCall will miss the rest of the regular season recovering from a foot injury.

R.I.P.

• Alabama co-founder and guitarist Jeff Cook died at 73. He was one of three mainstay members of the group with Randy Owen and Teddy Gentry. Cook was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease four years earlier and stopped touring regularly with the band in 2018.
• Three Virginia football players were shot and killed: junior receiver Lavel Davis Jr., junior receiver Devin Chandler, and junior defensive end D’Sean Perry. Former Cavalier player Christopher Darnell Jones Jr. is now in custody. Two other students were wounded. One of the injured students is junior running back Mike Hollins who was shot in the back. The other’s identity is unknown at this time. The shooting took place on a charter bus after students returned to campus from a field trip.

DRAMA

• As if things could not get any worse in College Station, Moose Muhammad claimed in a tweet that Jimbo Fisher benched the receiver for wearing arm sleeves. Wait. What? Maybe there’s more to the story but Jimbo was not talking and his silence does not make for a good look. A&M was already without top running back Devon Achane and a few OL on a struggling offense. Muhammad has 30 catches for 441 yards and three touchdowns. The Aggs probably could’ve used his talents at Auburn on Saturday.
• Nebraska starting safety Myles Farmer was been suspended from the team after being ticketed on suspicion of drunken driving.

KOACHES KORNER

It was a week late, but Aubie got INTERIM COACH FEVER. #HireCadillacYouCowards

Arizona State - OUT: Herm Edwards, INTERIM: Shaun Aguano L (2-5)
Auburn - OUT: Bryan Harsin, INTERIM: Cadillac Williams L (1-1)
Charlotte - OUT: Will Healy, INTERIM: Peter Rossomando L (1-2)
Colorado - OUT: Karl Dorrell, INTERIM: Mike Sanford L (1-4)
Georgia Tech - OUT: Geoff Collins, INTERIM: Brent Key L (3-3)
Nebraska - OUT: Scott Frost, INTERIM: Mickey Joseph L (2-5)
South Florida - OUT: Jeff Scott, INTERIM: Daniel Da Prato L (0-1)
Wisconsin - OUT: Paul Chryst, INTERIM: Jim Leonhard L (3-2)

• Despite West Virginia’s upset of Oklahoma on Saturday, the school fired their AD Shane Lyons on Monday. There is a pretty good chance that Neal Brown is next. The former Troy coach has not been able to mirror the success he had with the Trojans. In Morgantown, he is 21–24 (13–20) in four seasons. He has never won more than six games in a season and the Mountaineers currently stand at 4-6 with K-State and @ Okie Lite up next.
• Desperate Cal coach Justin Wilcox fired his OC and OL coach after the Gelding Bares accumulated a scant 184 yards (33 rushing) in a 38-10 defeat to Oregon State.
• Due to his appearances on Fox’s Big Noon broadcasts, Urban Meyer has picked up an endorsement deal with Summer’s Eve.
• Fat F*** Phil Fulmer went to a nutritionist who told him he should eat 1200 calories a day. FFPF’s response was “Okay and how many at night?”

TEEVEE

THIS WEEK

(Below is an abbreviated list of highlighted games of interest with lines provided by DraftKings. If you REALLY need to know about the big North Alabama-Memphis showdown, you can find the details here.)

Tuesday, November 15

Two MAC night games on various ESPNs.

Wednesday, November 16

Three MAC night games on various ESPNs.

Thursday, November 17

SMU at Tulane (-3) 6:30/7:30 ESPN

Friday, October 19

USF at Tulsa (-11.5) 9pm/9pm ESPN2
Carmen San Diego State (-14.5) at New Mexico 8:45/9:45 FS1

Saturday, October 20

CUPCAKE SATURDAY!

SEC

East Tennessee State at Mississippi State (n/a) 11am/noon SEC+ - Nope
UMass at Texas A&M (-33) 11am/noon SEC+ - How much effort will Aggie give?
Florida (-15) at Vanderbilt 11am/noon SECN
Georgia (-22.5) at Kentucky 2:30/3:30 CBS - Will Levis is about to get his bell rung.
Western Kentucky at Auburn (-6.5) 3pm/4pm SECN - Cadillac is an AWBURN Mayun!
Tennessee (-21) at South Carolina 6pm/7pm ESPN
Ole Miss (-3) at Arkansas 6:30/7:30 SECN - Lotta hate here.
New Mexico State at Missouri (-28) 6:30/7:30 ESPNU - Pass
UAB at LSU (-15) 8pm/9pm ESPN2 - Bleh

OTHERS WORTH A PEEK

Illinois at Michigan (-17) 11am/noon ABC - Michy looking ahead?
TCU (-3) at Baylor 11am/noon FOX - 118th meeting with a lot on the line.
Ohio State (-27) at Maryland 2:30/3:30 ABC - Taulia has not been the same QB since injuring a knee in mid-October.
Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (-7) 6:30/7:30 ABC - BEDLAM!
Southern Cal (-3) at UCLA 7pm/8pm FOX - Battle for Los Angeles

ZZZZZZZZzzzzzz...

Utah at Oregon (-3) 9:30/10:30 PM ESPN - I can’t understand why the PAC wants to put such an important game on so late.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.

SABAN vs. MACK, POP & BEAR

Below is a count of career FBS/Division I-A win totals for coaches.

For those of you new to RBR Random Thoughts, we count all on-field wins at the FBS/Division I-A level. So, before you go squawking about Frank Beamer, 42 of his wins came at Murray State. Mack Brown had six victories in one season with Appalachian State when they were still in what was known at I-AA (FCS today). Brian Kelly won 118 games with something called Grand Valley State. So, let’s stop talking about his win record with such reverence. In addition, we don’t recognize NCAA sanctioned forfeits. If you won on the field, it counts in our books.

Mack Brown keeps pace with the GOAT by eking out a 36-34 win over Wake.

#ALABAMA

• After the Ole Miss game on Saturday, Nick Saban mentioned that cornerback Eli Ricks is “okay” after leaving the game early on. “He is okay. His head is the issue. We have not tested him in the concussion protocol, but I saw him in the locker room. He’s okay.”
• There was never an explanation given for Jahmyr Gibbs absence during the broadcast though Saban told reporters after the game that the Tide running back had “twisted his ankle.”
• DL Byron Young was recognized as SEC Defensive Player of the Week for his career highs in 11 total tackles (six solo) and two sacks.
• Placekicker Will Reichard was named Special Teams Player of the Week with his three field goals from 39, 23, and 49 yards and three extra points. He is Alabama’s all-time points leader.
• The Iron Bowl will be the SEC on CBS Game of the Week, November 26 at 2:30pm CT/3:30pm ET. What are the odds that Gary mentions a certain game from 2013 that will not be spoken on this feature?

GAME 11: Saturday, November 19, 2022

Austin Don’t Peay Your Pants (7-3) at Alabama Crimson Tide (8-2)

Tuscaloosa, AL ~ 11:00am CT/Noon ET, SEC+

• Now in his third season, AP is led by Scotty Walden who is barely older than Hendon Hooker (24) and Stetson Bennett XVII (25) at age 32. Walden got his first coaching job at age 22.
• Tuscaloosa forecast calls for a high of 52° with sunny skies and a chance of rain at 10%.
• TV Announcers: Mike Morgan and Dave Steckel with Lauren Sisler on the sidelines.
• Alabama Radio too!
• I don’t believe the Governors have ever played Alabama.
• DraftKings nor any other legal bookmaker has a point spread or Over/Under on this game because it’s going to be something weird and unpredictable.

Odds/lines subject to change. T&Cs apply. See draftkings.com/sportsbook for details.