College Football: 2023 Season

[JohnBM01]

The University of Michigan is #2 in the nation at 7-0. However, could they be treated like the baseball equivalent of the 2017 Houston Astros? The NCAA is investigating that the U. of Michigan is alleged for sign-stealing, even to the point of bringing in people to actually steal signs and scout. This is a sign that possibly the U. of Michigan is THIS desperate to win the National Championship? I wonder how this is going to shape up, if anything materializes from this...

 

[JohnBM01]

It's time for another Saturday of college football. Enjoy all of the action today and tonight! Feel free to let us know how your beloved schools performed lately.

 

[JohnBM01]

The following NCAA FBS teams are undefeated overall heading into this week:

(LEGEND: ! = top-25 teams)

• Georgia!
• Michigan!
• Ohio State!
• Florida State!
• Washington!
• Air Force!
• James Madison!
• Liberty

It isn't name-dropping if it makes sense. So here are the Top 25 across all of NCAA football. Feel free to shout out your favorite team(s) if they are listed (SOURCE: ESPN):

(! = currently undefeated)

--- NCAA FBS Football Rankings (as of: October 30, 2023) ---
01: Georgia!
02: Michigan!
03: Ohio State!
04: Florida State!
05: Washington!
06: Oregon
07: Texas
08: Alabama
09: Penn State
10: Oklahoma
11: Ole Miss
12: Notre Dame
13: Louisiana State
14: Missouri
15: Louisville
16: Oregon State
17: Air Force!
18: Utah
19: Tennessee
20: UCLA
21: Tulane
22: Kansas
23: James Madison!
24: USCal
25: Kansas State

--- NCAA FCS Football Rankings (as of: October 30, 2023) ---
01: South Dakota State!
02: Furman
03: Montana
04: Incarnate Word
05: Idaho
06: Delaware
07: Sacramento State
08: Montana State
09: North Carolina Central
10: North Dakota State
11: Southern Illinois
12: South Dakota
13: Florida A&M, Chattanooga (tied)
15: North Dakota
16: Lafayette
17: Austin Peay State
18: Tennessee-Martin
19: Harvard
20: Western Carolina
21: Holy Cross
22: Villanova
23: Northern Iowa
24: William and Mary
25: Central Arkansas

--- NCAA Division 2 Football Rankings (as of: October 30, 2023) ---
01: Colorado School of Mines!
02: Pittsburg State!
03: Grand Valley State
04: Harding University!
05: Slippery Rock!
06: Benedict College!
07: Ferris State
08: Indianapolis!
09: Davenport University-Grand Rapids!
10: Minnesota State
11: Central Missouri
12: Ouachita Baptist
13: Bemidji State
14: Delta State
15: Western Colorado
16: Lenoir-Rhyne
17: Tiffin!
18: Texas-Permian Basin
19: Virginia Union
20: Valdosta State
21: Augustana State (SD)
22: Virginia State
23: Missouri Western
24: Central Washington
25: Mars Hill

--- NCAA Division 3 Football Rankings (as of: October 30, 2023) ---
01: North Central!
02: Mount Union!
03: Wartburg College!
04: Linfield!
05: Trinity (TX)
06: Wisconsin-Whitewater
07: Wisconsin-La Crosse
08: Johns Hopkins!
09: Randolph-Macon!
10: Wisconsin-River Falls
11: Aurora!
12: Susquehanna University!
13: Wheaton
14: Alma College!
15: John Caroll
16: Ithaca
17: SUNY-Cortland
18: Endicott College
19: Hardin-Simmons
20: Grove City College!
21: St. John's (MN)
22: Muhlenberg
23: DePauw!
24: Delaware Valley
25: Berry College

Way to go on the 2023 season so far for the Top 25!


Tomorrow night will be the first look at the College Football Playoff rankings for the 2023 season. If you want to discuss the latest CFP rankings, do NOT wait on my report- come on in and discuss away. I'll post my own report on the first CFP rankings eventually.

 

[JohnBM01]

The first College Football Playoff rankings were released tonight. Here's your Top 4 and the two on the outside...

--- College Football Playoff Rankings (as of: October 31: 2023) ---
FIRST FOUR IN
01: Ohio State (8-0)
02: Georgia (8-0)
03: Michigan (8-0)
04: Florida State (8-0)
LAST TWO OUT
05: Washington (8-0)
06: Oregon (7-1)

So I guess people aren't sold on Washington being a Top 4 team, and Georgia is NOT the best team in the nation according to these rankings. These are just the first rankings in the CFP. There is still plenty of time to either crack into this Top 4 or maintain your Top 4 status. The final standings will be on the final regular season week... which is either in the first or second week of December.

 

[JohnBM01]

Time to get another Saturday of college football going. Some of today's matches include Kansas State at Texas, Ohio State at Rutgers, Notre Dame at Clemson, and the Bedlam between Oklahoma at Oklahoma State.

Enjoy today's games!

 

[JohnBM01]

My Houston Cougars won at Baylor, but it required Overtime. It was a 25-24 victory for the Cougars over the Bears. This is only UH's second conference win. We're 4-5 on the season now. Two more wins may land us a Bowl Game. Remaining schedule: Cincinnati, Oklahoma State, and at UCF.


Congratulations to all other winners this week!

 

[JohnBM01]

(singing) "You're a mean one... Mr. Grinch..." After failing to the University of Washington, the University of Southern California fired their defensive coordinator, Alex Grinch. The Trojans lost at home to the Huskies 52-42. Some other personnel were fired also. Maybe Washington took it to heart about them not being among the Top 4 in the College Football Playoff, and they did something about it. Washington's for real. But are they Top 4 for real? That remains to be seen.

I just hope that image of Caleb Williams crying in his mother's comfort after the loss doesn't become some sort of meme. Caleb Williams is human. He is an athlete. I find no humor or shame in his outpouring of emotion. People on X/Twitter been making fun of him crying. I mean, when I saw the 2021 Final Four game between the U. of Houston and Baylor, Houston players were crying as they were losing to Baylor. It happens. It is okay to be emotional. I'm sure Caleb Williams will learn from this, adapt, and play to win again.

 

[JohnBM01]

Let's update the College Football Playoff rankings, shall we? Here are the latest rankings:

--- College Football Playoff Rankings (as of: November 7, 2023) ---
FIRST FOUR IN...
01: Ohio State (9-0)
02: Georgia (9-0)
03: Michigan (9-0)
04: Florida State (9-0)
LAST TWO OUT...
05: Washington (9-0)
06: Oregon (8-1)

So basically, no change at all in the Top 6 teams compared to last week's rankings. If you're wondering about remaining schedules, here are what all the Top 6 will have to contend with:

--- REMAINING SCHEDULES ---
#1 Ohio State: Michigan State, Minnesota, at #3 Michigan
#2 Georgia: #10 Ole Miss, at #17 Tennessee, at Georgia Tech
#3 Michigan: at #11 Penn State, at Maryland, vs. #1 Ohio State
#4 Florida State: Miami, North Alabama, at Florida
#5 Washington: Utah, at #16 Oregon State, Washington State
#6 Oregon: USCal, Arizona State, #16 Oregon State

Of the remaining schedules, I'm going to say the toughest road ahead is with Michigan. The two games that concern me the most about Michigan are at Penn State and hosting Ohio State. Washington has three tricky opponents to close out the season. Oregon State could give Washington the most trouble, but I'm kind of concerned about the Utah game. The USCal Trojans have kind of fallen off, so I don't think Oregon would sweat too much about the Men of Troy (from Los Angeles). Their biggest test, however, is their Civil War rivals- Oregon State.

It should be a pretty frenzied finish to the season.


I'm hearing there may be a possibility for James Madison to get some bowl eligibility if they keep up their strong form. They could get into a New Year's game as a Group of Five school. I find this rule to be dumb in the NCAA. You have to be part of your current division for about three or four seasons to qualify for any postseason action. That's why in college basketball, California Lutheran won their conference tournament, but they ended up having their NCAA Tournament bid handed over to (I believe) Stony Brook because Cal Lutheran hasn't been in NCAA Division 1 for enough years to qualify for postseason action. Okay, let's say James Madison finishes undefeated or with one loss- they could still get some consideration to make it to a Bowl Game. But again- I kind of think it's a dumb rule. If you have a baller season, you should be rewarded for it even if you haven't been at a certain division for enough years to qualify.

What do you think about all of this? Also, enjoy this week's games!

 

[Yard_Sale]

Arizona vs UCLA highlights.

We’re (AZ) now ranked 23rd. Still too low IMO, but it’s good to be an underdog. If you watch closely, you’ll see my nephew


🐻👇

 

[JohnBM01]

Yard_Sale, I did see the Arizona Wildcats crack the Top 25. So cheers to them. I always thought of Arizona mostly as a basketball school. However, their football program has done very well so far this season. Same with Duke and Kansas in 2023.

Remaining for Arizona: at Colorado, #18 Utah, and at Arizona State

Once Colorado started losing with some regularity, the Colorado story is like the end of a fireworks show- all fizzled out. Utah and the Territorial Cup rivals, Arizona State are going to be tough. Something tells me Arizona can pull off the upset against Utah. I think Utah will be the toughest game remaining for Arizona. Then, we'll see how the rivalry game with the Sun Devils go. Good job to Arizona so far!

 

[JohnBM01]

The Big Ten has banned Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh from roaming the sidelines for the rest of this season. This call by the B1G has to do with Jim Harbaugh's involvement in having impermissable permission to have scouts to attend games.

The #3 University of Michigan will host #10 Penn State University this Saturday afternoon in a Top 10 battle. If Penn State were to somehow win this game, it would be chaotic as far as the College Football Playoff is concerned. It could knock Michigan down to maybe 4th or even outside of the Top 4 entirely.

 

[JohnBM01]

Wake up... it's Game Day! Enjoy all of the college football insanity today and tonight!

 

[JohnBM01]

Jimbo Fisher was fired from Texas A&M. He somehow couldn't turn Texas A&M into a true contender like he used to bring Florida State to prominence. The Aggies are 6-4 on the season and 4th in the SEC West. The Texas A&M athletics director said that Fisher was fired because of the Aggies being "stuck in neutral." The buy out of Jimbo Fisher will cost Texas A&M $75M USD. That's as much as some top-level pro atheletes' salaries!

I'm pretty sure a team that could use a new head coach could somehow land Jimbo Fisher.

 

[JohnBM01]

Here are the latest College Football Playoff rankings for the Top 6:

--- College Football Playoff Rankings (as of: November 14, 2023) ---
01: Georgia (10-0)
02: Ohio State (10-0)
03: Michigan (10-0)
04: Florida State (10-0)
~
05: Washington (10-0)
06: Oregon (9-1)

The only change has been Georgia leap frogging Ohio State for the top spot. Georgia got a big test this weekend at Tennessee. Ohio State hosts Minnesota. I'm kind of concerned about Georgia at Tennessee. It is NOT easy playing at Tennessee. So there you have it, GTP.

 

[JohnBM01]

As good as 10-0 James Madison is, the Dukes are ruled out for their Conference Championship. James Madison University plays in the East Division of the Sun Belt conference. So right now, the Conference Championship for the Sun Belt would be Coastal Carolina vs. Troy. Coastal Carolina is 2nd in the Sun Belt East currently.

 

[Omnis]

Love Pat McAfee. Charismatic control of a giant mob must be so much fun.

 

[JohnBM01]

You know, it's that time in middle to late November when college football really gets exciting. A big reason why is all of the different rivalry games. We have rivalry games like UCLA at USCal to be played today. No matter what is getting you going for this Saturday of college football, enjoy today's games!

 

[JohnBM01]

James Madison has finally been bested. It was 26-23 in favor of the Appalachian State Mountaineers in Overtime. ESPN College Gameday was on the campus of James Madison University in Harrisonburg, Virginia. The Dukes couldn't take care of the boys from Boone, North Carolina at home.


Congratulations to all other winners from this week, including Michigan and Louisville both on the road!


[OMISSION] Auburn should be ashamed of themselves. The Auburn Tigers lost at home to the New Mexico State Aggies 31-10. Apparently as I read on X/Twitter, this is NM State's first-ever football win against an SEC team. They are now 1-27 all-time against SEC teams after this game. NMSU is coached by former Minnesota coach, Jerry Kill. The NM State Aggies were a 21.5-point underdog and would be paid $1.8M USD to play this game. Wow...

 

[JohnBM01]

Here are the latest College Football Playoff rankings for the Top 6:

--- College Football Playoff Rankings (as of: November 21, 2023) ---
01: Georgia (11-0)
02: Ohio State (11-0)
03: Michigan (11-0)
04: Washington (11-0)
~
05: Florida State (11-0)
06: Oregon (10-1)


This week is one of the reasons why college sports are so great- Rivalry Week. I can assure you a different Top 6 will happen after this week because either Ohio State or Michigan could fall out of the Top 4. Maybe both.

Also, today is the anniversary of Doug Flutie's epic Hail Mary pass where Boston College beat the University of Miami in epic fashion in 1984.


Enjoy Rivalry Week!

 

[JohnBM01]

I saw Yard_Sale's Arizona Wildcats made it to No. 15 in the AP Top 25 rankings. Liberty University made it up to No. 25 now. A lot of shakeups are still possible between now and the final College Football Playoff rankings.

 

[JohnBM01]

Rivalry Weekend is here! Some of the big matches to be played will be done this weekend, including the big one- Ohio State at Michigan. There are also games like the Iron Bowl (Alabama vs. Auburn) and Kentucky vs. Louisville among others. Rivalry games are one of the reasons why college sports are so great compared to most pro sports. So enjoy some college football this weekend!

 

[JohnBM01]

The University of Houston fired its head coach, Dana Holgorsen. He coached the UH Cougars for five seasons. The Coogs had a very unsuccessful debut in the Big XII. Worst of all, they lost to their crosstown rivals, Rice. UH ended up finishing 4-8 overall and 2-7 in conference. I felt they need to fire Dana Holgorsen because I don't think he's the best coaching fit for UH stepping up from the American Athletic Conference to the Big XII. Hopefully they'll find someone better to coach the team and maybe even get some more solid players to bring UH to becoming a more potent team.

Stay tuned for tomorrow's latest College Football Playoff rankings. I wonder where Ohio State will end up...


[UPDATE] 2-7 in the Big XII, not 2-6.

 

[JohnBM01]

For some teams, the regular season is over. For some others, there is the chance to play for a Conference Championship. Maybe it is time to look forward to whatever Bowl Games eligible teams can compete in. Regardless, this is going to be a fine week of college football. But first, let's update the College Football Playoff rankings for the Top 6:

--- College Football Playoff Rankings (as of: November 28, 2023) ---
01: Georgia (12-0)
02: Michigan (12-0)
03: Washington (12-0)
04: Florida State (12-0)
~
05: Oregon (11-1)
06: Ohio State (11-1)

I wanted to see where THE Ohio State University would end up after their fail at Michigan. It looks like Florida State got some Top 4 love now after being in 5th last week. The Top 4 really control their destiny at this point. All are probably going to be favorites to win their Conference Championships.

Let's envision the worst-case scenario- all four Top 4 teams fall this week. How would you determine the Top 4? I could imagine maybe Oregon going up the ranks and sneaking into the College Football Playoff if they defeat Washington in the Pac-12 Championship Game this Friday. I don't think Ohio State will creep into the Top 4 if Michigan lost to Iowa in the B1G Championship Game. I don't even see if Texas or Alabama climb into the Top 6 or even Top 4 if Florida State fails. And what happens to Georgia if they fail in the SEC Championship Game? I think they will still in the Top 4, but maybe dropped down a few pegs. Again- this is if all four teams lose this week. I'm not saying it will happen... but WHAT IF it happened.


Enjoy this week's games!

 

[JohnBM01]

College football is in full anger tonight and tomorrow. So make sure to check out as much action as you can get your hands on. Enjoy this weekend's games!

 

[JohnBM01]

DOWN GOES GEORGIA!

The 29-game winning streak of the Georgia Bulldogs was snapped tonight in the SEC Championship game. Alabama is No. 8 in the nation and downed Georgia for the 2023 SEC Championship. I still think Georgia is still very much still going to be in the Top 4. That is unless more chaos happens among the Top 4.

This post may get updated if any more wild stuff happens.


[OMISSION] Alabama won 27-24.

 

[ShawnH216]

DOWN GOES GEORGIA!

The 29-game winning streak of the Georgia Bulldogs was snapped tonight in the SEC Championship game. Alabama is No. 8 in the nation and downed Georgia for the 2023 SEC Championship. I still think Georgia is still very much still going to be in the Top 4. That is unless more chaos happens among the Top 4.

This post may get updated if any more wild stuff happens.


[OMISSION] Alabama won 27-24.

Damn. I had a bet on Georgia to win. Good thing it was a feee bet on Draftkings

 

[TB]

The about sums up the ending of the North Dakota State / Montana State game.

Game tied at 28, goes into overtime, ND fights and claws for a touchdown, Montana runs it in in one play but the extra point is blocked.

Final score: 35 to 34.

Montana's 26 game home win streak was broken, too.

Video should start playing at the Bison OT touchdown. The commentary guy in the back is not happy.

 

[Omnis]

I love how everything north of Nebraska is like its own little cold world.

Super pumped for Bama only because I hope this leads to playoff expansion as more teams get frustrated by the committee. They should have at least 8 teams in there so that the loser's bracket basically terminates in the big four bowl games.

 

[Blitz24]

I love how everything north of Nebraska is like its own little cold world.

Super pumped for Bama only because I hope this leads to playoff expansion as more teams get frustrated by the committee. They should have at least 8 teams in there so that the loser's bracket basically terminates in the big four bowl games.

They will have 8 teams next year if somehow an SEC team misses it. The sad thing is, if Florida St and Michigan hold on, you cannot argue Alabama deserve a spot over Texas, who beat them head to head.

 

[JohnBM01]

Who's in? That's the question that will be answered proper with today's final College Football Playoff rankings. So who's in? THESE four teams:

--- College Football Playoff Rankings (as of: December 3, 2023) ---
01: Michigan (13-0)
02: Washington (13-0)
03: Texas (12-1) <- up four positions after victory against OK State
04: Alabama (12-1)
~
05: Florida State (13-0) <- first unbeaten team to not make the Top 4 of CFP
06: Georgia (12-1)

Didn't get into the National Championship landscape this season? Try again next season. And Nick Saban? You got your wish- an SEC team got into the Top 4... and it's YOUR team for goodness sakes! Also, we're going to have a new Champion after Georgia failed to make the Top 4 of the CFP rankings.

CFP alignments (both games on January 1, 2024):

• Michigan vs. Alabama
• Washington vs. Texas

Have at it for the 2023 season National Championship! So now we have our College Football Playoff participants for the 2023 season. Now we know who are in. All that is left is for these "in" teams to prove they are the best NCAA FBS-level school in America.

Later today will be the reveal of the rest of the Top 25 teams as well as the participants of the New Years Six Bowls. I may or not reflect those changes in this post or in a separate post. Offer thoughts if you wish.