It’s a bad week, until it all of a sudden isn’t.
Revivalry Shift
- TCU-Baylor: Hands down the most contempt active rivalry in the state of Texas, TCU appears to be head and shoulders above Baylor this year but this can be a bit of a record book game.
- Duke-Pitt: Outside of the Revivalry, this is a “go to the farmer’s market” shift. Duke is a greatly improved in year one of Mike Elko, but post-Mark Whipple/Kenny Pickett Pitt is TOUGH. But even still, winner of this game gets to hold their head high and take the second-place finish in the ACC…whatever division they’re in.
- Wisconsin-Nebraska: Yeah man, two teams who fired their coach early in the season made the list. This shift sucks.
- Houston-ECU: If you can wait on it, we should get a good game late in the window. The Pirates are favored by a field goal according to SP+, but what I’m excited for is the fact that ECU’s mini revival has meant that Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium is a TOUGH place to play again. Should be a great atmosphere.
Throw Some D’s Shift
- Texas-Kansas: Unfortunately, Jalon Daniels is out for Kansas still, so things looks a little bleak there but the good news that the Longhorns offense looked less than spectacular last week so hell, the Jayhawks have a shot regardless.
- NC State-llvll: Nothing much to say here apart from that this could be a close game between two good not great teams.
- Western Kentucky-Auburn: What happened last week in Jordan Hare was awesome. It was great to see a hapless program that could have simmed to the end of their season rally around one of their own and create a special moment that will live on forever. But, the game against an absolute shitshow of a Texas A&M team was UGLY and far from convincing. This week, and please don’t laugh, Auburn plays a better Western Kentucky team and comes into the game as an underdog. This could be a fight and one that will really test Cadillac.
- Iowa-Minnesota: Take the under. Doesn’t matter what it is, take it.
Bedlam Shift
- UAB-LSU: It’s going to be cold and wet and this game really doesn’t need to be at 8:00 at all but I think these seniors and team deserve to get their flowers (literally) so I’ll be there at least for the start. Not sure what else to say about it.
- Oklahoma State-Oklahoma: In what will likely be the penultimate Bedlam for a while, the Sooners hold a slight edge, which is fascinating because they need this win to become bowl eligible while Oklahoma State is still in a dogfight for a berth in the Big 12 title game. They call it Bedlam because anything can happen: Oklahoma winning by a little or Oklahoma winning by a lot.
- UCLA-USC: It’s been a minute, but UCLA-USC is a ranked matchup! What a time to be alive friends. Not only that, but depending on how Oregon-Utah shakes out, the Bruins can not only unseat the Trojans from a Pac-12 title game appearance, but also thrust themselves in it (much to the chagrin of the Pac-12 conference offices, I am sure). Here’s to hoping it’s a color-on-color matchup.
- Ole Miss-Arkansas: Remember how cold it was last week in Fayetteville? Yeah, it’s looking to be 15 degrees colder and raining. Have fun Rebs!
Robert Kekaula Memorial Shift
- Utah-Oregon: This is not only a play-in game for this year’s Pac-12 title, but it’s also a grudge match for the Ducks after Utah simply whipped their ass twice in as many weeks to yank the conference title from Oregon. Time to see what Oregon has been up to in the weight room, because that’s where the Utes dominated the Ducks in last year’s meetings.
- San Jose State-Utah State: Could be a halfway decent game.
- Fresno State-Nevada: It’s football.