I mean the game against Bethune-Cookman was basically a gimme. It was unfortunate however to watch that there are still some secondary exposure issues with Nebraska's first string that can still get exposed by a good team...
The Big Red Breakdown:
...That Ohio State will gladly expose. If there's any solace I can take going into this game, it is that Ohio State has not looked that sharp all year long. "But they're 7-1!" Yes, and that one loss came embarrassingly against a Purdue team that exposed their issues. "But Nebraska also sucks!" Also true! But this game has the makings of a shootout, as long as we don't see pissed off, Urban Meyer off a bye week. Per usual, Ohio State has play makers on offense that will rip to shreds whatever is left of the Nebraska defense, and will probably not punt for the third straight game in a row against Nebraska. The good news is, Nebraska's offense has come together and can put a nice dent into Ohio State's faded defense. The question this ultimately becomes is "Can Nebraska keep up?"
The Matchup:
Nebraska O vs. Ohio State D: Edge Nebraska. While not completely useless, this isn't the same dominant Ohio State D we're used to seeing in the Big Ten. The offense as a whole should be effective, but maximum damage can be done against an unusually weak Ohio State secondary.
Nebraska D vs. Ohio State O: Advantage Ohio State. If Nebraska had some issues stopping Bethune-Cookman for yards, yikes.
Special Teams: Nebraska's kicker still isn't great, but Ohio State might be short their starter too. Could this come down to field goal kicking?
Prediction: Nebraska is playing for their last life of bowl eligibility here, and it would be absolutely amazing for a former 0-6 team to go into Columbus and kick Ohio State while they're down, but I don't see it happening. Nebraska is off of a half bye whereas Ohio State is off an actual bye, and Ohio State still outclasses Nebraska by a mile in the talent department. I expect a shootout, and if Nebraska can force a punt or two, then maybe, just maybe, they can keep it close enough to where they duke it out at the end.
Ohio State 63, Nebraska 45
The Rest of the World in College Football:
Regression Rankings:
Due to no post last week, the change in rankings still reflect what would've been posted, so you guys can do the math. Of course Alabama is still #1. I forgot to keep track of the model's record for what would've been last week's post, oops. BUT, this last week, the model went 40-16 (71.43%) across all FBS games, bringing the season total to 160-65 (71.11%). We seem to be getting stuck at this 70% accuracy for short term. We'll have to see how the end of year rankings look to be.
1) Alabama (-)
2) Clemson (+1)
3) Utah State (+3)
4) Central Florida (-)
5) Fresno State (-)
6) Oklahoma (+1)
7) Appalachian State (-5)
8) West Virginia (+12)
9) Georgia (-1)
10) North Texas (+3)
11) Houston (-2)
12) Michigan (-1)
13) Ohio State (+2)
14) Penn State (-4)
15) Cincinnati (-3)
16) UAB (+1)
17) LSU (+6)
18) Boise State (+6)
19) Syracuse (+3)
20) Miami (-6)
21) Washington State (-2)
22) Notre Dame (New)
23) Utah (New)
24) Boston College (New)
25) Iowa (-4)
...
90) Nebraska (+19)
...
126) New Mexico State (-)
127) Rutgers (New)
128) Rice (-)
129) Bowling Green (-)
130) UConnn (-)
If these rankings were reflective of conference championships, here's what they would be:
SEC: Alabama vs. Georgia (West vs. East)
ACC: Clemson vs. Miami (Atlantic vs. Coastal)
Big XII: Oklahoma vs. West Virginia (Top 2)
B1G: Michigan vs. Iowa (East vs. West)
Pac-12: Washington State vs. Utah (North vs. South)
Best G5 Team: Utah State
Over(rated)Watch:
I'm just going to redo the list at this point. Rankings now reflect the CFP Committee
#8 Washington State - Being Watched. I mean, the Pac-12 does need a representative, it's just a shame that their entire conference is ass and beating themselves up this year, hurting their playoff chances. They play California this week
#9 Kentucky - Being Watched Closely. Top 15 team for sure, but let's see how they fare against Georgia before we can say Kentucky is a football school now.
#16 Iowa - Being Watched. Betting that the reason they're here is that they took Penn State to the wire on the road. Well what if I told you Penn State wasn't super special? They also still lost to a mediocre Wisconsin team. They play Purdue this week in hopes of being another team on the embarrassment list.
#17 Texas - Overrated. Lol. They do play West Virginia in what could be a Big XII momentum swinger this week.
#18 Mississippi State - Overrated. There are a lot of good G5 teams that should be ranked ahead of Miss State. They play Louisiana Tech this week.
#20 Texas A&M - Overrated. There are a lot of good G5 teams that should be ranked ahead of Texas A&M. They play Auburn this week.
#24 Iowa State - Uhm What? A 4-3 team? Ok. Again. Probably should be deserving of a G5 team, but whatever.
Prediction Center:
We went 4-1 two weeks ago, and since there were no other predictions made last week, we are sitting at 20-9 on the season. 2-5 for Upset Alerts.
#6 Georgia @ #9 Kentucky - Georgia 24, Kentucky 17
Kentucky has had a spectacular season so far going 7-1, however their best win was against Florida, and they've sort of stumbled down the stretch lately. Georgia has been on their rockers too lately, and with these two defenses, expect a slugfest, but Georgia to come out on top.
#13 West Virginia @ #17 Texas - West Virginia 45, Texas 35
It hurts me to admit, but Texas hasn't been super terrible this year, but they're about to get ousted from the Big XII conference race.
#14 Penn State @ #5 Michigan - Michigan 34, Penn State 17
Penn State has unfortunately fallen off the ladder this season, and Michigan has been on the upswing ever since they figured out how to play offense. Look for Michigan to be putting away the Big Ten East here.
#1 Alabama @ #3 LSU - Alabama 38, LSU 20
Alabama's first test of the season, and it still isn't even that big of one. Being in Baton Rouge will matter, but Alabama is still miles above everyone else this year, including this very confusing LSU team.
Upset Alert: #15 Utah @ Arizona State - Since I can't pick Nebraska, and Purdue is favored by Vegas, we'll go with the clusterfuck that is the Pac-12 this week. Utah does seem to be the most complete team in the South, but Arizona State has been on to something this year in playing when it counts. Especially at home.
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