American Athletic: The picture gets a little clearer. Memphis holds a half-game lead over Cincinnati and UCF, and will win the conference if they win out.
ACC Atlantic: Florida State clinched the title
ACC Coastal: All of the leaders lost this week except Georgia Tech, who now leads. They have finished conference play, and Duke holds the tiebreaker, so Duke can win by winning out. If Duke loses again, Georgia Tech wins the division.
Big Ten East: Ohio State wins the division with another victory or a Michigan State loss
Big Ten West: Wisconsin holds the lead and their two remaining games are against the other contenders. If they win out, they win. Nebraska would need Wisconsin to lose twice, so that's not happening. Iowa or Minnesota could win by beating Wisconsin and winning their other game.
Big XII: TCU has a half-game lead over Baylor and Kansas State and has the easiest schedule remaining. However, Baylor beat them earlier. If Baylor wins out (which includes the season ending bout against Kansas State), they win the title.
Conference USA East: Marshall has clinched
Conference USA West: Louisiana Tech leads by two. They clinch with one more win.
MAC East: Bowling Green leads by two and holds the tiebreaker over Ohio. Only UMass has a remote chance. Bowling Green clinches with another win or a UMass loss.
MAC West: It's a three-way battle among Northern Illinois, Western Michigan, and Toledo. Toledo holds the tiebreaker over Western Michigan, so even if the Broncos win out (which would include the season-ending game against Northern Illinois) and the Rockets do as well, Toledo wins. Toledo faces Bowling Green this week, however. Northern Illinois has Ohio before Western Michigan, so the Broncos might have the best chance to win out.
Mountain West Mountain: Boise can still clinch by winning out. If Utah State beats them but Colorado State wins out, the Rams win. Utah State needs the Rams to lose one and then beat Boise.
Mountain West West: With losses by all three of the division leaders, this division just got really messy, as now FIVE teams are mathematically eligible for the title.
Pac-12 North: Oregon already won
Pac-12 South: USC holds a half-game lead, but nearly the whole division still has a shot
SEC East: It's between Georgia and Missouri. Missouri currently leads, so if they win out they grab the title. Georgia is done with conference play and holds the tiebreaker over Missouri, so a Tiger loss hands the division title to Georgia.
SEC West: Alabama clinches with another win. Both Mississippi State and Ole Miss would need to win out and hope the Tide lost a game.
Sun Belt: Since the Ragin Cajuns play one more conference game, they win by beating their remaining two opponents. If they lose a game, Georgia Southern captures the crown.
Tues Nov 18
Northern Illinois Huskies at Ohio Bobcats: A Huskies win here guarantees that next week's bout against Western Michigan would be played for the division title. NORTHERN ILLINOIS by 16
Wed Nov 19
Bowling Green Falcons at Toledo Rockets: This is a vital game for both teams. Bowling Green clinches their division with a win while Toledo loses any chance at theirs with a loss. Bowling Green is the stronger team, but Toledo can be tenacious, and they know their season is on the line with this game. I expect a close and hard-fought battle. BOWLING GREEN by six
Thurs Nov 20
#16 Kansas State Wildcats at West Virginia Mountaineers: West Virginia has been a pesky opponent sometimes, but Kansas State seems pretty solid. They had an extra week to prepare for this game, so I expect the Wildcats to come out swinging. KANSAS STATE by 20
North Carolina Tar Heels at #17 Duke Blue Devils: Duke knows they need to win out in order to win the division. That's incredible incentive. I think Duke will win, but I almost hope they don't win the division. Florida State knows how to beat them, but Georgia Tech might have a tough enough defense to prevent another Seminole comeback, knocking off the defending National Champions and sending Ohio State into the playoffs. DUKE by 13
Fri Nov 21
Air Force Falcons at San Diego State Aztecs: Air Force can't win their division, but they are the stronger team here, and should knock San Diego out of their divisional race. AIR FORCE by 13
Sat Nov 22
Top 25:
Western Carolina Catamounts (FCS) at #1 Alabama Crimson Tide: No contest. BAMA by lots
Boston College Eagles at #2 Florida State Seminoles: BC can be tough, so the Seminoles might find themselves behind at halftime again, but the Eagles won't be able to stop another Seminole comeback. FLORIDA STATE by 16
Indiana Hoosiers at #3 Ohio State Buckeyes: Indiana hasn't won a conference game all season. This won't be the exception. OHIO STATE by 34
Oklahoma State Cowboys at #4 Baylor Bears: Oklahoma State is a threat, but not a serious one. Baylor is bolstered by the near-TCU loss last week, and therefore play with spirit and energy. BAYLOR by 24
Vanderbilt Commodores at #5 Mississippi State Bulldogs: Easy win for the Bulldogs as Vandy searches (unsuccessfully) for their first conference win. MISSISSIPPI STATE by 26
Charleston Southern Buccaneers (FCS) at #7 Georgia Bulldogs: The SEC ranked teams play a bunch of patsies this week. GEORGIA by lots
#8 Wisconsin Badgers at Iowa Hawkeyes: While I don't think Melvin Gordon will come close to setting another NCAA record for rushing, the Badgers should be able to run well against the Hawkeyes. WISCONSIN by 23
#9 Ole Miss Rebels at Arkansas Razorbacks: The Razorbacks finally got their first SEC win last week after a few near misses. Are they ready for a letdown? Ole Miss took the week off, so they are refereshed. So long as they aren't looking ahead to the Egg Bowl, they should win. OLE MISS by 17
Colorado Buffaloes at #10 Oregon Ducks: Easy win for the Ducks. OREGON by 33
Rutgers Scarlet Knights at #11 Michigan State Spartans: Rutgers got their second Big Ten last week, but it was against lowly Indiana. They won't get their third one this week. MICHIGAN STATE by 20
#12 Marshall Thundering Herd at UAB Blazers: Will Marshall rest their guys since they've already clinched their division and they have no hope at the playoffs? I don't think so, because they'd love to argue why they were omitted despite an unbeaten record. They may play backups once they have a comfortable lead, though. MARSHALL by 20
Minnesota Golden Gophers at #13 Nebraska Cornhuksers: Nebraska needs a tremendous win to wash away the stink of the Wisconsin debacle. Minnesota might be a tough opponent, though, so they may not have the great win they hope for. NEBRASKA by six
Kansas Jayhawks at #15 Oklahoma Sooners: Kansas may have exhausted themselves against TCU. OKLAHOMA by 23
#18 Missouri Tigers at Tennessee Volunteers: Tennessee blew away Kentucky, but Missouri won't be as easy. Missouri is playing for a chance to play Alabama in the SEC Championship (is that an honor or a punishment? I'm not sure), so they will play hard. MISSOURI by 17
Washington State Cougars at #19 Arizona State Sun Devils: The Sun Devils want to bounce back from the comeback loss at Corvallis, and beating up on weak Washington State will probably do that. ARIZONA STATE by 24
Samford Bulldogs (FCS) at #20 Auburn Tigers: Auburn has lost two in a row, but that streak stops here. AUBURN by lots
#21 Arizona Wildcats at Utah Utes: The Utes can be dangerous, so the Wildcats should not take them for granted. Arizona barely escaped with a late field goal last week; they can't expect to do that again. The Wildcats should win, but watch for the upset. ARIZONA by four
New Mexico Lobos at #23 Colorado State Rams: The Rams are well rested and ready to skin the Lobos. COLORADO STATE by 23
Louisville Cardinals at #25 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: After the last couple of weeks, I'm not sure picking against the Irish could be considered an upset. LOUISVILLE by six
Big Ten:
Maryland Terrapins at Michigan Wolverines: How tough is Michigan's season? How about the fact that I'm picking a conference rookie to beat them? MARYLAND by six
Northwestern Wildcats at Purdue Boilermakers: If Northwestern can prevent a letdown after their amazing comeback against Notre Dame, they should win this one. NORTHWESTERN by eleven
Penn State Nittany Lions at Illinois Fighting Illini: Penn State should win, but their play has been inconsistent this season. If their offense falters, the Illini offense is good enough to outscore them. PENN STATE by eight
Other Games of Interest:
Tulane Green Wave at East Carolina Pirates: The Pirates have an outside chance at the conference title, but I'm not sure they're counting on it. Tulane won't be a tough opponent, though, so their slim chances will remain. EAST CAROLINA by 13
South Florida Bulls at Memphis Tigers: UConn is nearly a guaranteed win, so Memphis knows a win here basically clinches the conference title. That's incentive enough. MEMPHIS by 20
Boise State Broncos at Wyoming Cowboys: Wyoming isn't that much of a threat, although they are having a decent year (by their standards). BOISE STATE by 23
GAME OF THE WEEK: #24 USC Trojans at #22 UCLA Bruins: This crosstown rival is always intense, and UCLA has the advantage of an extra week to prepare. However, QB Brett Huntley has been inconsistent this season, and USC has been a strong opponent. I like the chances of an upset, although UCLA could win. USC by four
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