Week 9 Saturday Preview #3 (10/29/16)

There's no episode of Tribecast this week because of "conflicting schedules" so I have to type a preview out this week and make my picks. I have no clue when the next episode will be, but we hope to be back on track soon. Anyways, here are my picks for this week:

#22 Navy vs South Florida: Navy travels to South Florida this week to take on the Bulls. Navy is coming off a nice win against Memphis while South Florida recently lost to the Temple Owls. I have Navy in this game, mainly because no one in the AAC has been able to stop them. It's like if Houston can't stop them, then who can at this point? I know South Florida only has two losses, but I mean if you can't beat 4-3 Temple, can you really be a challenge to Navy? Navy is winning this game and the AAC, end of story.

#10 West Virginia vs Oklahoma State: This game is a tough one, mainly because this is a battle of my two favorite Big 12 teams. West Virginia comes into this game undefeated, with their only real challenges being Kansas State and BYU, two teams that have struggled a bit this season. Oklahoma State comes into this game with 2 losses, the upset to Central Michigan, which is still controversial, and to Big 12 powerhouse Baylor. So I want to say these teams are even. I am sadly going with Oklahoma State, mainly because they are at home and I think this is finally where they make a stand in the Big 12. Sorry West Virginia. As much as I love you guys, I think this game is an upset.

#14 Florida vs Georgia: Both of these teams are having their ups and downs in the SEC. Georgia's up being beating North Carolina, their downs being almost losing/losing to terribly terrible, awful teams. Florida's ups being an easy schedule, and one down being blowing the lead against Tennessee... Anyways I have Florida because the Bulldogs have no idea what they're doing this year and they just lost to Vanderbilt... Vanderbilt.

#4 Washington vs #17 Utah: I want this game to be close but we know how these games with Washington go now. As much as I want to see them lose, I have Washington in this game. Both of these teams are great this year, Washington being undefeated and Utah only having one loss. But long story short, I have Washington.

#13 Boise State vs Wyoming: This game looks weird but trust me, its going to be good. Boise State comes into this game undefeated, however they almost lost to BYU 28-27... I WAS SO CLOSE TO GETTING THAT UPSET PICK! But yeah, Boise State has had a couple close calls this year. Wyoming has been a program that has struggled most of their existence. But for some reason they are 5-2 this year. I don't know what's going on Wyoming. No one does really. That state is just kind of there. But even though both of these teams are good, I have Boise State because I don't think it's Wyoming's time just yet. Maybe next year.

#7 Nebraska vs #11 Wisconsin: This is my game of the week pick for this week. It looks like it could be an amazing game. But as I type this, I remember that games against two top teams aren't typically close (you know the joke by now...). I see Wisconsin winning this game, so I'm going to go with Wisconsin because they lost to Michigan and Ohio State by a touchdown and Nebraska has had a few close games. I mean if you can contend with the top teams, you're obviously doing something right and if you're having a close game with Indiana, maybe there's a little something wrong. So go Badgers, sorry Nebraska.

#3 Clemson vs #12 Florida State: I have Clemson. I think it's the logical choice. I know Florida State is "back on track" after their struggles in the beginning of the season, but no one can beat Clemson but themselves at this point. Louisville couldn't. NC State almost did and should've but kicking a football is hard. Clemson has a pretty easy road, especially after this game, so Clemson it is.

Well those are my picks for this week. I'm really feeling it with these picks. I expect to do well, as always. Again, sorry there's no Tribecast this week (I know we're all disappointed). Everyone is just busy with school and life. But we'll be back and better than ever! See ya Saturday!

AP Top 25 Week #9

Joke of the Day: The Auburn vs Arkansas game. Here's the AP Top 25 for week 9:

AP Top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Michigan
3. Clemson
4. Washington
5. Louisville
6. Ohio State
7. Nebraska
8. Baylor
9. Texas A&M
10. West Virginia
11. Wisconsin
12. Florida State
13. Boise State
14. Florida
15. Auburn
16. Oklahoma
17. Utah
18. Tennessee
19. LSU
20. Western Michigan
21. North Carolina
22. Navy
23. Colorado
24. Penn State
25. Virginia Tech

Michigan moved up to #2, Clemson moved up to #3, Washington moved up to #4, and Louisville moved up to #5, all because Ohio State lost to Penn State. Ohio State dropped to #6 after their loss to Penn State. Did I mention Ohio State lost to Penn State? Nebraska moved up to #7. They play #11 Wisconsin where they are expected to lose. I want them to win. Baylor is at #8. They should keep slowly moving up until they play now #10 West Virginia to decide the champion of the Big 12. Texas A&M fell to #9 after a close loss to #1 Alabama. Because this loss was to the #1 team, they didn't fall too much because this team is still pretty good. Auburn moved to up #15 after they destroyed now unranked Arkansas 56-3 (hence the joke). I have no comment. LSU jumped to #19 after beating Ole Miss. I forgot Fournette came back so now LSU is relevant again. My bad. Western Michigan is still at #20 after beating Eastern Michigan. MAC teams are bad so those wins don't really help them at all. Navy moved up to #22 after beating the newly discovered Riley Ferguson and the Memphis Tigers. They're gonna win the AAC, no doubt. Three new teams entered the Top 25 this week: #23 Colorado, #24 Penn State, and #25 Virginia Tech. Colorado beat Stanford in a baseball game apparently, with the score being 10-5. Stanford is most likely officially out of contention for the Pac-12 Championship. Penn State is a well deserving #24, somehow managing to survive in the Big 10 this year. It'll be interesting to see how far they move up in the rankings. And Virginia Tech was welcomed back to the Top 25 after beating Miami (FL). I don't trust them really but no one else is really deserving of the spot. That's all I got this week. Listen to my podcast!

Saturday Review #7 (10/22/16)

Ohio State's season was going so well, then all of a sudden, it crashed, just like I did on Friday with my car... Time for the review!

Penn State Upsets #2 Ohio State:

This will be the lamest review of all time but this game stole the show on Saturday. I give all my weekly awards to Penn State. They are the Team of the Week for beating Ohio State, the "Sadder"-Day's Upset for upsetting Ohio State, they have the Play of the Week with the game-winning blocked field goal, Penn State's Grant Haley being Player of the Week for returning the blocked field goal for the win. So obviously this is the Game of the Week. I don't really know what to say here but Penn State upset #2 Ohio State 24-21 off of a blocked field goal return for a touchdown by Grant Haley. This will most likely end up being Game of the Year when I do End of the Season Awards, but we'll see I guess. So here's the play that won Penn State the game and that's the review for this week. We learned that apparently I'm an awful driver but good at making metaphors and college football is full of surprises. See ya next week!

Tribecast

This is kind of off topic but, I have a podcast now... Well I have a podcast with my friends, Eric and Matt, because people listen to podcasts... right? But it's called Tribecast because, why not? It's labeled as an "all-sports" podcast but we'll probably get into stuff like music, movies, and even funny stories from our lives because we're just that interesting and entertaining. There are segments in it where I talk about college football and I make predictions (it's where I'll do my Saturday Previews now) and stuff. So if you like my writing, just wait until you hear me speaking (not saying my voice is amazing, but things will sound funnier, I think). But if you're into other things like wrestling (WWE) and fantasy football, Matt and I will at least discuss that. We'll also throw in stuff like the MLB Playoffs and the NBA when their season begins. Eric will have coverage on all things soccer related, so if you're into that listen to us. We think we're a fun bunch and we want to make people laugh and we also just want to talk about things we love. The podcast is also produced by Main Studios with Tyler Main. None of this would have been possible without him so I would like to take this time to thank him. We don't really know what the feedback will be like but we really hope you enjoy the podcast and if you would like us to talk about anything specific, just let us know and we'll incorporate it into our agenda. Well, we hope you enjoy the first episode of Tribecast titled Tribe Takes the Podcast.

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCWzCnhCElDmAxF_-oe8nvaQ

AP Top 25 Week #8

Before I being this, I would just like to thank the Big 12 expansion team for not reading my blog and deciding to not expand and stay at 10 teams. You guys missed out on a nice opportunity. Anyways, here's the Top 25 for week 8 of the college football season.

AP Top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Michigan
4. Clemson
5. Washington
6. Texas A&M
7. Louisville
8. Nebraska
9. Baylor
10. Wisconsin
11. Houston
12. West Virginia
13. Florida State
14. Boise State
15. Florida
16. Oklahoma
17. Arkansas
18. Tennessee
19. Utah
20. Western Michigan
21. Auburn
22. North Carolina
23. Ole Miss
24. Navy
25. LSU

I'm only going to talk about the big moves for this little review. So Clemson dropped to #4 after being almost upset by NC State and Michigan moved up to #3, setting up a #2 vs #3 Ohio State-Michigan game (as long as both teams stay undefeated until the game) which most likely means the winner will end up in the playoff. Nebraska has moved up to #8, adding more competition to the Big 10. The next two major games they have are against #2 Ohio State and #8 Wisconsin so those should be good because they're all ranked in the top 10 (*insert running joke about Florida State-Louisville and other blowout games here*). West Virginia is at #12. The Big 12 championship will most likely be decided when West Virginia plays now #9 Baylor during the last week of the season. Boise State has quietly moved up to #14. Seems like they have total control of their conference but they have a non-conference game against BYU so let's see how that goes. Arkansas is at #17 after beating Ole Miss. I would say when they upset Ole Miss but I was expecting a win so it's just a normal win to me. The Razorbacks play #21 Auburn next so another win (please win...) is inevitable. TENNESSEE DROPPED TO #18. It's about time... Do I have to explain this? Western Michigan (there's the weekly mention) moved up to #20. I expect this team to lose to Toledo in the last week of the season so I'm enjoying this while it lasts. They should continue to slowly move up the rankings because their MAC opponents are bad and really add nothing to their résumé. North Carolina is back in the rankings at #22. I want to trust this team but after the Virginia Tech game it's hard. I'd say their next big challenge is against NC State during the last week of the season so it should be smooth sailing for the next couple weeks. Navy is at #24 despite not playing due to a postponement due to weather. I just like the fact they're still ranked. And to wrap up the Top 25 for this week, we have LSU at #25. It's not their year this year and I expect them to lose to #22 Ole Miss and become irrelevant again.

Well that was a nice note to end it on. That is the Top 25 for this week. I promise nothing for the rest of the week at the moment but we'll play it by ear for now. See ya whenever!

  

Saturday Review #6 (10/15/16)

As you can see, I make promises I can't keep sometimes. There was no Saturday Preview even though I said there would be previews but I like to do stuff with my life (I was watching How I Met Your Mother...). They might be every other week or just when I want to do them at this point, who knows. But anyways, Saturday happened, let's review it:

Game of the Week: #22 Arkansas vs #12 Ole Miss

If I did a preview, I would've picked Arkansas because I always do because they are good(ish). But this game looked pretty good and I'm pretty biased when it comes to Arkansas so that's kind of why it's the Game of the Week. But this game was close all around, with both teams going into halftime tied 20-20. Then it continued to go back and forth which made it a pretty great game (but Arkansas was in it so it was automatically a great game). Anyways, Ole Miss took the lead with 9 minutes left to go in the game off of a Chad Kelly 17 yard touchdown run to make the score 30-27. Austin Allen led the Rzorbacks on a comeback drive, capping it off with a 6 yard touchdown run by Jared Cornelius with 2:20 left in the game, making it 34-30. Then Arkansas's defense held on, making Chad Kelly fumble the ball with 1:40 left, securing the win for the Razorbacks. Ole Miss plays LSU next week while Arkansas plays #23 Auburn.

Team of the Week: Alabama Crimson Tide

They crushed Tennessee 49-10. Thank you Alabama.

"Sadder"-Day's Upset: Syracuse beats #17 Virginia Tech

So this happened for some reason. I couldn't tell you why honestly. Syracuse's football program is awful in the ACC and Virginia Tech crushed and upset North Carolina last week. But yes, Syracuse beat #17 Virginia Tech 31-17. I don't really know what to say about this game. I mean I was happy to see that Syracuse did something but I mean I didn't expect this at all. Let me just add it's their first win over a ranked opponent since 2012. Anyway, this game wasn't really close so allow me to talk about Syracuse quarterback Eric Dungey. He threw for 311 yards with 1 touchdown and somehow managed to run for 106 yards with a touchdown. He's not much of an option quarterback so I find this very surprising. He would've been Player of the Week but I wanted to add Western Michigan into this (there was no Team Spotlight on them this week Zach, even though you said you would do it...) because it's my blog and I can do what I want. But yeah, congrats Syracuse.

Player of the Week: RB Jarvion Franklin (Western Michigan)

Oh look, Western Michigan is doing stuff (Did I mention they are ranked?). #24 Western Michgan beat Akron 41-0, yes, 41-0, all because of this fella right here, Jarvion Franklin. I never heard if him until now but he was setting (school) records while playing this game. He had 33 carries for 281 yards with a touchdown. So if you couldn't tell from the stats I just gave you, the 281 rushing yards are the school record. This kid ran all over Akron and it's nice to see 281 yards from a running back that's not in a video game. That's all I really have to say about this, but it's nice to know Western Michigan is ranked. Thanks Jarvion for rushing 281 yards so I could talk about Western Michigan. Also congrats for being my Player of the Week (huge honor, I know!).

Play of the Week: Florida State's Weird Hail Mary Before Halftime

How can I explain this play? So Florida State decided to do a hail mary pass before halftime and a lot of stuff happened. Long story short, they didn't get the touchdown. But it's still a nice hail mary. I couldn't find a video of just the play, so here are highlights from the game. The hail mary happens at the 52 second mark: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rgd4mQJ2Mjk 

That wraps of this week's review. We learned I'm a liar who loves Arkansas, Tennessee got what was coming to them, Syracuse got their first and last win over a ranked opponent for the next 10 years, Western Michigan is still relevant, and Florida State is doing weird things this season. See ya at the Top 25 (I promise)!

AP Top 25 Week #7

The Associated Press released the Top 25 college football teams in the nation for week 7 of the collee football season:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Michigan
5. Washington
6. Texas A&M
7. Louisville
8. Wisconsin
9. Tennessee
10. Nebraska
11. Baylor
12. Ole Miss
13. Houston
14. Florida State
15. Boise State
16. Miami (FL)
17. Virginia Tech
18. Florida
19. Oklahoma
20. West Virginia
21. Utah
22. Arkansas
23. Auburn
24, Western Michigan
25. Navy

The top 5 hasn't changed so there's really no point of talking about those schools. They're good. Texas A&M moved up to #6 after beating Tennessee so when they play Alabama that game will basically settle who wins the SEC. I would say it would settle the SEC West but no one in the East is good so whoever wins the game wins the SEC. Tennessee is still #9 after losing to A&M. Yup, they didn't move. It's understandable, but I hate that decision, Tennessee had a chance of winning the game in overtime, giving Texas A&M a run for their money late. But they couldn't pull it off. Either way, they made themselves worthy of staying in the top 10 for looking good basically. They'll fall. Nebraska has entered the top 10 at #10. I don't think they're a big competitor in the Big 10 but it should be interesting when they play Wisconsin and Ohio State. Houston dropped to #13 after losing to Navy. That's not a bad place to put them. They're still a decent team but they'll most likely drop farther after playing Louisville. Florida State moved up to #14 and Miami dropped to #16 after their game. I like where Miami dropped but Florida State still moved too far. They should be like #17 or #18 mainly because the game was close. Virginia Tech is at #17. Reasonable. Arkansas dropped to #22. I guess that's fine. I mean they're still in the Top 25 so I'll take it. Three new teams entered the Top 25: Auburn, Western Michigan, and Navy. #23 Auburn has been up and down this season so I don't know how long they'll last. I'm really happy that Western Michigan made it at #24 mainly because they're a MAC team and they do not get enough recognition. This team seems pretty good and I wouldn't be surprised if they went undefeated this season, just because the rest of the MAC teams they play aren't the greatest. I might do a Team Spotlight on Western Michigan now. And to wrap up this week's Top 25, we got Navy a #25 after they upset Houston. I feel like they deserve it after that big win a I expect them to slowly move up the rankings. That ends this week's review of the Top 25. See ya later!

Saturday Review #5 (10/8/16)

Another Saturday has passed us and things in the college football world are shaking up! This week was pretty crazy, per usual, and speaking of crazy, I didn't do so well with my picks.. again. I got 3 out of my 6 picks correct, which is kind of disappointing. I would like to thank Oklahoma, Texas A&M, and Florida State for listening to me and winning. You guys really make me seem smart, especially you Florida State. You upset #10 Miami (FL) (somehow) and was very happy. But we'll get into that game later. Let's start this review, shall we?

Game of the Week: #8 Texas A&M vs #9 Tennessee

Well, someone finally beat Tennessee! I've been waiting for this moment for awhile and it finally came. I'm a little disappointed that it was close, but Tennessee is really just a 2nd half team. I came into this game expecting a Texas A&M domination, and I got it in the 1st half. They jumped out to a 21-7 lead in the 1st quarter and held it until halftime. And of course the 2nd half began and Tennessee decided that was a good time to play football, and somehow the score ended up being 35-35 at the end of the 4th quarter, with Tennessee scoring the game tying touchdown with 41 seconds left. So the game went into it's first overtime where both teams ended up with field goals to send the game into a 2nd overtime, tied at 38. Texas A&M struck first with a 1 yard TD run from QB Trevor Knight (look out Katy Perry) and then finally Tennessee collapsed. The first play of Tennessee's possession was an interception and the game was over. Texas A&M won 45-38 in 2 overtimes and Tennessee should now know why it's important to play in the 1st half. Texas A&M will play #1 Alabama coming off of this win after their bye week this week while Tennessee will also be playing #1 Alabama, next.

Team of the Week: Virginia Tech Hokies

Before I begin this section, I would just like to give an honorable mention to the Michigan Wolverines who beat Rutgers 78-0. Yes you guys killed it this week, however, you played Rutgers... That's a little self-explanatory. So Virginia Tech played North Carolina this week. I predicted that North Carolina would win. And as you can guess, Virginia Tech won, 34-3. Yes, Virginia Tech beat North Carolina, the team the upset Florida State, 34-3. Now you may be wondering "how is that possible, Zach? How could this have happened?" I don't know. I mean this game was played in Chapel Hill, NC, which at the time was being destroyed by the rain and winds of Hurricane Matthew. So that's going to be my reason for that. I guess Justin Fuente trained the Hokies in a swimming pool with some pretty big fans for this game or something. Nothing really big happened in this game besides the score. So yeah, congrats to Virginia Tech for being good this year. The Hokies play the mediocre Syracuse Orange next and the Tar Heels will be looking for redemption as they play the recently upset Miami (FL) Hurricanes. 

Player of the Week: CB Minkah Fitzpatrick (Alabama)

I am ashamed to write about this, but this kid killed Austin Allen this week. Cornerback Minkah Fitzpatrick of the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide is this week's Player of the Week. He got 3 interceptions off of Arkansas quarterback Austin Allen and returned one of them for a 100 yard touchdown as Alabama won 49-30. He put on a hell of a performance on defense and as an Arkansas fan, I'm disappointed, but as a football fan in general, good for him. 3 interceptions in one game. That's hard to accomplish (unless you're playing against James Knapke of Bowling Green State.. 9 interceptions in 4 games.. Really?) But anyways, Fitzpatrick got 3 interceptions in a game, therefore he's player of the week.

"Sadder-Day's Upset: Navy beats #6 Houston

Now I almost put this game in the Saturday Preview because people thought it was going to be good. I honestly thought Houston would dominate so I didn't bother. Then Navy decided to prove me wrong and they put on a pretty amazing and close game. The teams went back and forth and went into halftime tied at 20. Then the 2nd half came along and Navy wanted the game more and jumped out to a 34-20 lead, and despite a Houston comeback, they hung on to win and upset the #6 Cougars 46-40. This now makes Navy a favorite to win the American Athletic Conference, mainly because they are in the same division as Houston so they already have a huge advantage in the standings over them. If Navy manages to win most of their conference games, they should play South Florida, but it's way too early to decide that now. Navy plays East Carolina next week while Houston plays a good Tulsa team, so we should be looking at another good game.

Play of the Week: Florida State Blocks Miami (FL)'s Game Tying PAT

I picked another upset! One of the picks I was very iffy on was right and that was the highlight of my Saturday. Florida State came into this game on a two game losing streak while Miami was comfortably 4-0 and looking to continue the streak. Florida State went into halftime losing 13-3 and everyone thought Miami had it won.  But Florida State scored 17 unanswered points to take a 20-13 lead into the 4th quarter. Late in the game Miami had a drive that Florida State couldn't stop, and the Hurricanes scored a touchdown with 1:41 left in the game. And just as everyone thought Miami tied the game, something amazing happened. Defensive End Demarcus Walker of Florida State came in clutch and blocked the point after attempt (PAT) and won Florida State the game and basically saved their season. It was an amazing turn of events. Here is the play: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XkSHebORAo

So that wraps up this week's review. We learned that Tennessee loves the 2nd half of football games still, Virginia Tech actually has a chance in the ACC, catching 3 interceptions in a game is hard unless you're Minkah Fitzpatrick, Houston might not win the American Athletic Conference, and I can still pick an upset every once in awhile. See ya tomorrow for the new AP Top 25!

Week 6 Saturday Preview #2 (10/6/16)

Well I promised one of these last week and didn't do one out of pure laziness and plus I was getting ready to go to Penn State, so sue me. But we know how this works, I pick some games to preview and pick who I think will win because, why not? We all know how good I was at picking last time (*cough* 4 out of 12 *cough cough*). So I'm not going to pick 12 games this time but this will be organized way better this time, so let's begin:

#1 Alabama vs #16 Arkansas: So obviously I chose this game because Arkansas. But this is actually a good SEC matchup that could lead to a good game (because games with Top 25 teams are supposed to be close.. Florida State and Louisville, Wisconsin and Michigan State, and Georgia and Ole Miss..). Alabama has been on a roll lately and it seems no one can stop them at the moment. The only challenge they've really had was against Ole Miss and that ended with a 48-43 Alabama victory. Now I will admit Arkansas has had better seasons in the past but this year's team isn't too bad. Austin Allen taking over for his brother Brandon Allen wasn't a bad idea. He seems to be doing decent. The Razorbacks come into this game 4-1, with 3 of those wins against lower conference teams, including FCS Alcorn State. So they don't have the greatest résumé coming into this game. So everyone expects Alabama to come away with this game easily. In that case, I'm going with Arkansas because they're at home so I'm relying on the fans to cause Alabama some trouble. 

Texas vs #22 Oklahoma: This game isn't really a clash of two great teams but it's still a rivalry game and one of them is ranked so, why not? Both teams have struggled as of late but slowly seem to be moving in the right direction, with Texas having head coach Charlie Strong call the defensive plays. Texas and Oklahoma come into this game at 2-2, Oklahoma with 2 losses against ranked teams and Texas with 2 straight losses against non-ranked California and Oklahoma State. So I'm going to go with the obvious choice of Oklahoma because of Texas's defensive struggles and Oklahoma has home field advantage here so the crowd should be loud and proud with Sooner pride.

#9 Tennessee vs #8 Texas A&M: I want this game to be game of the week but we all know how games with top ranked teams go (see second sentence of Alabama vs Arkansas). Tennessee, despite all the close calls, is still undefeated, as well as Texas A&M, whose only challenge was against UCLA in week 1. So I really do not expect this game to be close at all. I believe Texas A&M will dominate Tennessee and there will be no heroic antics or 2nd half comebacks this week. It's time for Tennessee to be put in it's place. However, I still believe this loss won't effect Tennessee as much as it should. With a loss from a top 10 team, they should only drop to like #15 or #16 and they will still be the top contender to win the SEC East because that division is very mediocre and they already beat Florida, so it's inevitable.

#23 Florida State vs #10 Miami: Miami has quietly moved to #10 with really no recognition whatsoever. The Hurricane, however, have not had a challenge at all. Their first three games were against Florida A&M, Florida Atlantic, and Appalachian State (decent). Their schedule isn't really as strong as most top ranked team's but maybe the Associated Press sees something I don't. But this is Miami's first real test. Florida State has struggled a lot this season, coming in with a record of 3-2, with both losses against ACC opponents Louisville and North Carolina. So I really do not know what to expect from this game really. I'm going to go with Florida State mainly because I feel like they're the stronger, more experienced team here. Plus Jimbo Fisher must have a few tricks up his sleeve.. Right?

#25 Virginia Tech vs #17 North Carolina: Virginia Tech is ranked. Yes, Virginia Tech is a team ranked in the Top 25. I really do not know why. It appears they have a strong offense this year so maybe that's it. But the Hokies seem to be on a roll, coming in at 3-1, fresh off a 54-17 victory over East Carolina. North Carolina is coming off another close game, this time off of the upset of Florida State. With that victory, the Tar Heels jumped to #17. I wouldn't have put them at #17 right after the Florida State game but like I said with Miami, maybe the Associated Press sees something I don't. But North Carolina football seems pretty good this year, so I'm going to pick North Carolina for this game.

#5 Washington vs Oregon: Now we all know how I felt about Washington. But after their game last week against Stanford (44-6 if you didn't hear), it appears that the Huskies are the kings of the Pac-12 this season. Which to me is very surprising, considering their 7-6 season record last year. Oregon comes into this game at a poor 2-3 record. The Ducks are no longer the team they used to be. With Marcus Mariota and LaMichael James gone, Oregon seems to be lost. However, they seem to be giving a lot of teams trouble at home, with their last home game against Colorado being settles by a field goal. I know I apologized to Washington and I understand they're good this year, but I'm looking for the upset. So I'm picking Oregon to upset #5 Washington in Eugene on Saturday.

So those are my picks for this Saturday. If I get the Arkansas and Oregon picks correct, I will crown myself as the King of College Football (sorry Lamar..) because I will have that power. So yeah, that's all I got for the preview this week. Let's see how Saturday goes! See you at the Review!

AP Top 25 Week #6

I feel like we've been doing this long enough to know what happens in these Top 25 articles:

AP Top 25:

1. Alabama
2. Ohio State
3. Clemson
4. Michigan
5. Washington
6. Houston
7. Louisville
8. Texas A&M
9. Tennessee
10. Miami (FL)
11. Wisconsin
12. Nebraska
13. Baylor
14. Ole Miss
15. Stanford
16. Arkansas
17. North Carolina
18. Florida
19. Boise State
20. Oklahoma
21. Colorado
22. West Virginia
23. Florida State
24. Utah
25. Virginia Tech

So we know Alabama and Ohio State are good and they haven't moved in weeks so we know why they're there. Clemson moved up from to #5 to #3 after beating #3 Louisville. That's acceptable. Michigan is still kind of overrated but their close win against Wisconsin cements them at #4 for now. The no longer overrated Washington Huskies moved up to #5 after crushing #7 Stanford 44-6. If they don't win the Pac-12, I'm still technically right with the fact that they are not as good as people think they are. Louisville dropped to #7 after losing to Clemson which means they are not out of the playoff picture yet. Tennessee moved up to #9 after beating Georgia in a very, very, very, very close game. I still don't trust them at all. Miami (FL) is at #10. Now Miami has been ranked for awhile but I haven't really mentioned them because they haven't done much. But they're a top 10 team and seem to be a big contender in the ACC along with Clemson and Louisville. Arkansas is at #16 and they're playing #1 Alabama next.. As long as they don't lose by 20 they should remain a Top 25 team. North Carolina has jumped to #17 after upsetting #12 Florida State. They have been on a roll since losing to Georgia in week 1 and should also be contenders in the ACC. Three other teams entered the Top 25 this week as well, Colorado at #21, West Virginia at #22, and Virginia Tech at #25. I really don't expect much from Colorado in the Pac-12 but they should have a decent bowl game this season. I love West Virginia football and they always seem to be a contender in the Big-12 so I'm glad to see them here. I do believe the Big-12 Title will come down to Baylor, West Virginia, and Oklahoma State. I can't see West Virginia in a major Big-12 bowl yet so I do not believe this is their year. And wrapping this week up with Virginia Tech at #25. This was a surprise to me because I haven't really heard much about Virginia Tech this season and I don't really expect them to be real contenders in the ACC. But with a solid 3-1 record in the easier division of the ACC, they should be in position for a decent bowl game.

Well that's how I feel about the Top 25 this week. It doesn't seem too bad this time. Georgia is finally gone so that's good (you're next Florida State) and that's really all I can take from this. See ya at the next review!

Saturday Review #4 (10/1/16)

I would like to start this review by issuing an apology to the following teams: Washington, Tennessee, and Northwestern. Tennessee has again proved me wrong and can beat ranked teams (even though Georgia shouldn't have been ranked), Washington crushed Stanford to prove to me why they are ranked where they are, and Northwestern beat Iowa which means they can actually win. I'm sorry guys, you're good (eh on Northwestern). Now let's begin with the Team of the Week:

Team of the Week: Washington Huskies

I know, I know... I've been so against this team for the whole season so far. They have officially gained my trust after they beat #7 Stanford 44-6. Yes, 44-6. I will give Stanford the benefit of the doubt because they were the away team for this game. But still, Washington dominated Stanford in this game. I do not know what happened to Stanford's defense in this game but Washington needed this win to prove that they belonged at #10 and boy did they.. Washington should now be the favorite to win the Pac-12 which to me is very unsurprising after this game. The Huskies next game is against the struggling Oregon Ducks, who could still put the Huskies on upset alert.

Game/Play of the Week: #11 Tennessee vs #25 Georgia/Tennessee's GW Hail Mary Catch

Oh Georgia... You guys were so close. Both Tennessee and Georgia came into this game with their struggles. Tennessee can't perform in first halves and Georgia just isn't that good. But Tennessee somehow managed to win this game after literally losing for most of it. Tennessee went into halftime losing 17-7 but made a 4th quarter comeback. They scored 20 points in the 4th quarter and won the game, The game winning drive ended with a pretty sick hail mary catch as time expired that gave Tennessee the 34-31 victory. I know I apologized for criticizing Tennessee for a good portion of this season so far, but I'm still not too big on them. If they keep under performing in the first halves of games, I don't think they'll fair very well playing teams such as #8 Texas A&M (who they play next.. good luck), and #1 Alabama. But they have a very good chance of winning the SEC East now so they'll end up finishing the season pretty well. That is, if they learn how to play football in the first half... Anyways, here's the play that won Tennessee the game: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S4jzM_gdi5A

Player of the Week: QB Deshaun Watson (Clemson)

Someone finally beat Louisville. The "unstoppable" team was stopped by this man right here, quarterback Deshaun Watson of #5 Clemson. Watson, a Heisman favorite, led the Clemson Tigers to a 42-36 victory over the #3 Louisville Cardinals. Watson threw for 306 yards and threw 5 touchdowns to beat Louisville, which is the most against Louisville this season. Now this game was close (finally a close game between top 10 ranked opponents!). In fact it came down to the last drive. On a 4th and 12 with 33 seconds left, Lamar Jackson threw a pass for 11 yards and ended up 1 yard short on the Clemson 3 yard line, turning the ball over on downs, giving Clemson the victory. Now I would've given this game the honors of Game of the Week but I did get a request to cover the Tennessee vs Georgia game (you're welcome A-Camp) so I decided to go with that. But yes, Deshaun Watson dethroned Louisville with 5 touchdown passes and that is why he is Player of the Week.

"Sadder"-Day's Upset: Indiana beats #17 Michigan State

Now a few other teams got upset this week like #12 Florida State, #18 Utah, #19 San Diego State, #21 TCU and #22 Texas, but I went with this one because it came down to the wire. Indiana beat #17 Michigan State on a field goal in overtime to upset the Spartans. This game went back and forth and with 11 seconds left, Michigan State quarterback Tyler O'Connor threw a touchdown to tie the game at 21 and send it into overtime. In overtime, Michigan State got the first possession but missed a 49 yard field goal to take the lead. So on Indiana's first possession, they ran the ball until they got into short field goal range (bravo Kevin Wilson for that strategy), and took the easy field goal to win the game, 24-21 in overtime. This is the Spartans' 2nd consecutive loss after being upset by Wisconsin last weekend. They play the BYU Cougars next. As for Indiana, they play #2 Ohio State in Columbus so their celebration will be short-lived and we shouldn't really expect anything from them at all for the rest of the season.

Well that wraps up this week's review. We learned that Washington is actually a really good team and they will win the Pac-12 and could even make the playoff, Tennessee can only play football in the 2nd half, Deshaun Watson is officially the King of the ACC, and Indiana will be a relevant team until next weekend. See ya next week!

My College Football Experience: Penn State University

You may be asking yourself, "what's so important about college football?" I'm here to answer that. College football brings people together from not just all over the state but all over the country. People come together to root for a common team and have a good time. To me, that's what is important about college football (and scouting for future NFL players but we have to focus on world impact so shhhhh...). So this article is about the culture of college football and it's impacts. On September 17th and October 1st I traveled to State College, Pennsylvania to see the Penn State Nittany Lions play and for the first time I got to experience the real college football culture. The only college football games I've been to were at Holy Cross and UMass but I was too young to really have a good experience. But Penn State is a football school. This school's pride is it's football team. It has such a prestigious football program, I don't know if I'll get into it much in this article but it has such a rich history, especially with Joe Paterno. But when you get to Penn State on a football Saturday, there are tailgaters everywhere. You see people dressed in navy and white sitting by their trucks or RVs grilling, throwing around a football, just talking to other fans, having a great time before a football game. I, for one, am not much of a tailgater. I just never really had experience tailgating before and I did go to a tailgate for like 15 minutes and it was awkward because I didn't really know the people there, but my sister did (did I mention she's on the Penn State dance team/Lionettes?). So if you ever go tailgating, go with people you know because it will be a lot more fun. But the tailgating seems to bring a lot of people together. When Penn State played in-state rival Temple, I saw a lot of Temple fans and Penn State fans tailgating together, which at first I found surprising but then I thought about it and it made sense. Because they're both from the state, families could have different backgrounds but when it comes down to it, it's just a friendly rivalry between them. But yeah, a lot of people come from around the country to root for their alma mater or favorite college football team and just have a great time. Now we're going to talk about the fans in the stadium during the game. They are loud. Like they will scream anything and everything and they don't care. A lot of them are alumni of Penn State and they made that obvious screaming the alma mater and every chant they've heard when they went. I'm not much of a fan of screamers but after the Student Section, that might change. The Penn State Student Section is the best I've ever seen. They're rowdy and they don't care. It's fun to listen and just watch them. They're so into the game. I can't wait to be apart of a student section some day. The only thing bad, to me, is the post game antics. It's tough to leave the stadium after and even leave State College after. I get that it's like that everywhere but this is the first time I've really experienced it. The roads are closed on campus and it's lines of traffic everywhere. It's hard to get places post-game is what I'm trying to say basically. But overall, Penn State is a great college football school culturally speaking. The tailgaters seem welcoming, the fans and student section are loud and proud, and Penn State has won every game I've been to. Culture is very important to college football. If you don't have school spirit, you won't have a fun experience. A lot of school's pride are their sports programs. It's completely different from a high school football game. At college (or a division 1 FBS school at least), the whole school is there and they're very into the game and they have a lot of fun. In about a month I am heading to Syracuse, so I will most likely make a comparison after that and write about it. I will also try to head back down to Holy Cross or another local FBS/FCS school or even a division 2 or 3 school, and make comparisons as well, like compare the culture. Also the Saturday Review will be out later! See ya at the Review!