Football Future-see 2015: Week Nine

This is one of the most chaos-filled college football seasons in recent memory. There is still no true #1 team in the nation, but Ohio State is finally starting to look like the top ranking that the AP and Coaches insist on giving them. Now we’re approaching the home stretch for the season, and playoff resumes are beginning to take shape. It’ll be interesting, though, to see how the playoffs shape up. Anyway, this week, we have conference games from the Big XII, the SEC, and the Big Ten. We also have Notre Dame vs Temple, and the first ever appearance on the blog by William & Mary.

RECORD

Week One	9-1
Week Two	4-1
Week Three	3-2
Week Four	2-3
Week Five	2-3
Week Six	3-2
Week Seven	5-0
Week Eight	3-2
Week Nine	4-1
Week Ten
Week Eleven
Week Twelve
OVERALL	35-15	.700

The Games:

West Virginia at 5 TCU (Thursday, 7:30pm, ESPN)

The door has opened in the Big XII for TCU to take control, due to the unfortunate injury of Baylor’s starting QB. West Virginia, meanwhile, simply has not played up to the level they grew accustomed to over the last few years. TCU should be able to make a statement here. Trevone Boykin might very well put up some big numbers here, as the Mountaineers have lost three straight conference games. The only trick here is, TCU has to face a possibly Top Ten ranked Oklahoma State next week, so this has trap game written all over it. Still, I think TCU rolls, especially in the second half.

Final Score: TCU 40, West Virginia 24
CORRECT: TCU won 40-10

11 Florida vs Georgia (Saturday, 3:30pm, CBS)

While I really hope Georgia can find a way to win this game, I’m just not sure they can. Now, it’s a rivalry game, so the stats don’t really matter ( see Texas vs Oklahoma from earlier this year). But ever since Nick Chubb went down with one of the more gruesome injuries in college football history, the Dawgs have been totally deflated. They ended up losing to Tennessee and then playing a field goal battle with Missouri. Florida, meanwhile, has been playing well, their loss to LSU notwithstanding. The Gators are back, and they can put their stamp on the SEC East with a win in the World’s Largest Outdoor Non-Alcoholic Fun-For-The-Whole-Family Party. I hope Georgia wins, but I just cannot make that call right now. Florida wins.

Final Score: Florida 21, Georgia 14
CORRECT: Florida won 27-3
***There may be a scathing Georgia post coming soon...***

(FCS #9) James Madison Dukes at (FCS #16) William & Mary Tribe (Saturday, 4:00pm, NBCSN)

Why James Madison vs William & Mary? Why not James Madison vs William & Mary? The slate for the FBS is not all that great this week, and this game features two fairly strong lower-tier teams. James Madison is coming off a tough loss to Richmond, in which they lost QB Vad Lee for the remainder of the year, but they’re still tough. I’m looking for the Dukes to roll over the Tribe, especially after halftime. JMU wins.

Final Score: James Madison 38, William & Mary 24
INCORRECT: William & Mary won 44-41

9 Notre Dame at 21 Temple (Saturday, 8:00pm, ABC)

Notre Dame has overcome every injury they’ve faced. Now they must travel to Temple to face an Owls team that is simply on fire. ESPN’s College GameDay is going along for the ride. Can Notre Dame keep up their run? Or is this the game in which the Irish throw away their playoff chance? Is this the game in which Temple announces itself as a major player in the Top 25? I’m leaning toward Notre Dame, as they seem to have a sort of magic this year. Their biggest remaining test, barring next week’s match-up with potentially-ranked Pitt, is a season ending date at Stanford. Irish win, but Temple may keep it close.

Final Score: Notre Dame 24, Temple 20
CORRECT: Notre Dame won 24-20 (Nailed it!)

15 Michigan at Minnesota (Saturday, 8:00pm, ESPN)

Michigan should’ve beaten Michigan State, but now they get a chance to rebound with a conference game against Minnesota. The Wolverines are still playing at a high level, and one miscue should not be enough to doom them in the conference. They still have a big date with Ohio State to come. Minnesota, meanwhile, is 4-3, but they’ve lost to every ranked team they’ve played, and Michigan is better than every opp
CORRECT: Michigan won 29-26

Right Wing Top Ten

Week Three of the poll features some big changes.

NR = Not Ranked the previous Week

NC = No Change from previous week

+ = Moved Up

-  = Moved Down

Dropped Out: Florida State, Texas A&M

15. Michigan Wolverines (NR)

14. Florida Gators (NR)

13. Oklahoma State Cowboys (-1)

12. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (+1)

11. Utah Utes (-10)

10. Oklahoma Sooners (+4)- Oklahoma just put a beating on one of the better offenses in the Big XII.

9. Iowa Hawkeyes (+1)- Anyone else realize that Iowa is still undefeated?

8. Michigan State Spartans (-1)- Sparty hasn’t been playing to their potential lately, and it has cost them in this poll.

7. Ohio State Buckeyes (+2)- Ohio State is finally playing like a top-ranked team.

6. Stanford Cardinal (+2)- Stanford now has the rightful claim to the title of best team in the PAC-12.

5. TCU Horned Frogs (+1)- TCU has an rather unfortunate opening to claim the top spot in the Big XII, now that Baylor has lost their starting QB.

4. Alabama Crimson Tide (+1)- Alabama is looking at next week as their chance to reclaim the SEC’s throne.

3. Baylor Bears (NC)- Baylor has a great offense, but they just lost their starting QB, Seth Russell, to injury for the remainder of the season.

2. LSU Tigers (+2)- LSU is playing good football, but a big game next week with Alabama will tell the story of their season.

1. Clemson Tigers (+1)- Clemson just went to South Beach and laid the worst beating in history on Miami. It was so bad Miami fired their coach, so Clemson gets the top spot this week.

Right Wing Playoff Prediction

This prediction comes from the way in which the teams are currently ranked, and how I think the rest of the season will play out. This is what I think the committee will present as their playoff field.

Orange Bowl

#1 Ohio State  vs   #4 TCU Horned Frogs

Cotton Bowl

#2 Clemson Tigers  vs   #3 Alabama Crimson Tide