CigarSmokinFootball

Week 11 Preview

 
Good Morning America! The Cubs hadn’t won the World Series since 1908, but they did it this year. A millionaire businessman with no political experience pulled the upset Tuesday night (this was an Act of God) and we now have President-Elect Donald Trump. What does this mean for college football? It means there are no more distractions, thankfully, and we can get back to watching college football games on Saturdays!

 
16 West Virginia vs Texas– Like a Phoenix rising from the ashes, the Longhorns have revived yet again. They upset #8 Baylor, which no one thought they’d be able to do, and that includes the people, students, faculty members, and die-hard UT fans across the land. They scored one more point than the Bears, and that’s enough. Then they had a shoot-out with the Texas Tech Red Raiders, and the Horns slipped by again. West “By Golly” Virginia has sustained one loss, at Oklahoma State. Away from Morgantown, these Mountaineers are unpredictable. They recovered against Kansas, so did everyone else except Massachusetts, so maybe they’ve gotten the kinks worked out. WVU has the bigger problem in this game. They don’t believe in defense;- oh, they’re doing better than yester- year, but they won’t drink the Kool-aide, so they’re not true believers. Playing defense is for the guys who can’t play offense. Texas’s defense has been key to them turning their season around. Look for WVU to score, but they’re going to struggle against the Longhorns’ defense and the Mountaineers are not going to stop Texas. Longhorns pull the upset. Say it isn’t so:- Texas, at home, is underdog to West “By-Golly” Virginia.

Mississippi State vs 1 Alabama– A week ago the MSU Bulldogs were floating face down in the river, a search and rescue team brought their boat alongside to pull up the lifeless body. But, a strange thing happened on the way to the morgue. State came back to life and beat up the #4 Aggies. How did that happen? Easily. Mississippi State entered the game ready to play ball and the Aggies did not. Now they have their sights set on erecting a sea wall to stop the Crimson Tide. That’s not going to be easy. Alabama out-dulled LSU last week. The Bulldogs’ defense is not as good as LSU’s, but they shouldn’t be taken lightly. Alabama has all the advantages, they have momentum, talent, they’re at home, and the Tide has everything to lose if they don’t come out in this game with a decisive win. Don’t think Miss State’s Bulldogs will staunch the Tide, but, after the Presidential Campaign, anything can happen. Ask Hillary. Roll Tide

9 Auburn vs Georgia– This is a rivalry game, hence, all bets are off. Auburn has found their groove and they’re playing like they want a spot in the Playoff. They’re ranked in the top ten entering this Saturday, and are favored by 10 points. The Tigers love to hang onto the ball, take time off the clock, and rely on a miracle play or two for the win. Somehow or another, they do this more frequently than dictated by the laws of chance. Is Auburn this good, or is it unmitigated luck? The first time, it could be luck, and even the second, but not as many times as the Tigers do it. Auburn is that good, folks. Georgia is struggling under new coach Kirby Smart. The defense, which was his responsibility during his Alabama sojourn, hasn’t found their identity. The offense is just as bad, but they do have a winning record. Auburn should walk all over the Dawgs, but this is going to be a closer game than most people think. It’ll come down to the fourth quarter. Isn’t it time for the Dawgs to work a miracle against Auburn? Nah. Tigers win with points to spare.

24 LSU vs 25 Arkansas– The Battle for the Golden Boot! (Because the two states together look like a boot and the trophy is gold) LSU is coming off its defeat by Alabama. They put all they had into that game, but it wasn’t enough, as in, zero points. It had to be heart-breaking for them because they had a players-only meeting before the game, and everything. Big WOW! They better recover in a hurry, or have another meeting, cause the Hogs are smelling blood. Arkansas got spanked by Auburn a few weeks ago, there’s just no other way to put it, and then the Razorbacks came back and crushed Florida. It’s typical Bielema;- his teams are tough in November. Either LSU or Arkansas will win this game. They both need the victory but only one gets it. If only LSU could have a banner day with Fournette… .

Ole Miss vs 8 Texas A&M – In the Orthopaedic Bowl, these teams will do their best to field twenty-two healthy bodies and secure a win. Ole Miss has lost their Shining Star, QB Chad Kelly, for the season due to an ACL tear. Coach Hugh Freeze has a big decision about who to start, Shea Patterson or Jason Pellerin. Right now, not even Freeze knows. What we do know is that the Rebels have no running game so they are going to have to throw the ball. It’ll be interesting to watch and find out. A&M also lost their starting QB in Trevor Knight, to a shoulder injury. All season, writers have said the Aggie ground attack had improved, but I’m unconvinced. We have two teams with no running game, no star quarterback, and questionable defenses facing off. This game could go either way. The Daughter will, of course, be watching and screaming for her Aggies.

20 USC vs 4 Washington – In 2013 Head Coach Chris Peterson at Boise State, was interviewed by USC for the Head Coaching job. They rejected him. Washington, however, said they wanted him, so off to Seattle he went. Any chance the Trojans are regretting that decision? You bet they are. USC lost to Alabama in a major way to start this year’s campaign. Since that disaster, they have replaced their Quarterback, rebuilt their running game, and taught their defense to hold the line. Now it’s time to show what they’ve got. Washington is riding high, but, like, say, Michigan, or Ohio State, they haven’t convinced everyone that they’re really good. They have no choice but go big or go home. They have no one left on their schedule to make up to The Committee for a loss. The Huskies shouldn’t lose this weekend, either. It’ll be a tighter game than some expect, but I’m a believer that the W’s are for real. At least, until Washington State.

Minnesota vs 19 Nebraska – The Gophers have been flying under the radar, so to speak, but they are now 7-2 and they need a big victory to attract The Committee’s eyes. This is that perfect storm Saturday. In a weak conference, the Wisconsin losses to Penn State and Iowa loom large. The Cornhuskers, on the other hand, have lost two straight after marching through their soft pre-league games. They played well against Wisconsin but wilted against Ohio State. They need to stop the bleeding. Ski-U-Mah is not as dynamic as Ohio State, but they are as solid as Wisconsin. Nebraska has too many questions that have yet to be answered. It’s going to most likely be a bit slow, but Minnesota accelerates the Huskers’ downward spiral. Gopher coach enjoys a Dilly Bar on the sidelines, if it’s cold enough.

 
Short Smokes

 
Baylor tries to stop Oklahoma, but, even without Mixon, OU defense TRUMPs Baylor’s offense.

 
South Carolina wades into the swamp and gets bitten by the Gators

 
Kentucky needs one more win to go bowling? What better place to get it than in Knoxville? Pipe dream, Vols win.

 
Iowa State and Kansas are both at 1-8, but ISU is playing better. Cyclones ruffle Jayhawk feathers.

 
Rutgers and Michigan State are both 2-7, and both are playing prevent football, not to lose. This never works, Spartans figure it out first.

 
Penn State beats Indiana

 
Northwestern mauls Purdue

 
NC State bites the Orange in Syracuse

 
Virginia just might, MIGHT, defeat Miami…most likely not, but, they might!

 
Vanderbilt gets to .500 with win over dysfunctional Missouri

 
Pittsburgh has a good chance to upset Clemson. So did Louisville, and Florida State, and NC State. It’s a chance

 
Illinois is not going to improve their record against Wisconsin

Georgia Tech meets the other engineering school, in Virginia, but can’t figure out the equation for stopping the Hokies.

 
Ohio State plays Maryland. Yawn.

 
Oklahoma State makes one more tackle than Texas Tech

 
Stanford and Oregon used to be an eagerly anticipated game, not so much this year. Cardinal wins

 
Louisville shouldn’t have any problems with Wake Forest. Shouldn’t. Upset alert!

 
Memphis hosts South Florida and the Tigers are underdogs

 
Michigan faces a team with a winning record! Iowa is only 5-4, but it’s a winning record. Pulling for the Hawkeyes, but they don’t have it in them. Michigan is probably the best college football team not to play anybody this year. Yet.

 
Oregon State beats UCLA, but it’s not going to be an upset

 
Colorado downs Arizona

 
Washington State reinforces its undefeated PAC-12 record with win against California

North Alabama ends its regular season by defeating Mississippi College. The Choctaws will be devoured by the Lions.