Jump to content

Week Three CFB Preview: Start Up the Meat Grinder


Recommended Posts

Posted

Good thread as always. 

There's not a great place for a weekly potpourri and I don't feel like starting a thread on it, but here are things I've read or found interesting heading into this weekend:

Spoiler

-Matchup records this week are really interesting in different series.

--Tenn vs Georgia - Georgia 29-Tenn 23-2 ties. UGa's win streak is 8. When Dobbs completed that Hail Mary in 2016, that put Tenn at 23-21-2 versus the Dawgs. It wasn't until the early '90's that these two founding members of the SEC played regularly, hence the lower H2H count of games overall. Old SEC scheduling was as idiotic as these two fanbases. 

--Florida is tied in the LSU series 34-34-3, but LSU is up 11-4 in the last 15. Florida last won in Baton Rouge in 2016. 

--Who has owned the Arkansas/Ole Miss match-up? Recency bias had me thinking Ole Miss. Whoops. Arkansas is in control, 38-32-1. That includes recent history, where they're basically .500 for the last 20 years. 

--Ga Tech upsetting Clemson this week is everyone's big upset pick. Clemson has won 9 in a row and 11 of the last 12. They must own the series, right? No. Clemson was a Ga Tech doormat for most of their history playing one another. GT owns the series, 51-36-2. 

-Speaking of Clemson/Georgia Tech, the line opened at -9 for Clemson. It's moved 6 fucking points down to -3. That feels like a lot. 

-Colorado and UH have a rich history as rivals. They've played once, a CU win in the 1971 Bluebonnet Bowl in Houston.

-If KSU doesn't win tomorrow night, finding a path for bowl eligibility from there gets pretty tough. They have at Baylor, TCU, at KU, Tech, and at Utah left on the calendar. If Arizona takes them to 1-3, they'd need to win out against UCF, at Okie State, and CU, plus take 2 of those aforementioned 5 games in order to get there. 

-OU has played in Philly against Temple once, losing 14-7 in 1942. I listened to Keeler on Off Campus yesterday and I'll say this, I ended up believing that at least he really thinks Temple is going to win. He cleaned up in the transfer portal and has a ton of confidence. I expect an OU win, but I've come off of the "OU will pummel Temple" thinking. Maybe this one is a little uncomfortable for the Okies. 

-Pitt isn't getting any consideration as a schedule threat to anyone of note in the ACC, but they might be pretty good. They were undefeated last year when Holstein went down, then finishing the season on a 6 game losing streak. Eli Holstein and Desmond Reid are an excellent backfield combo and Holstein looks like he could play at the next level. If Pitt runs off and whips WVU in Morgantown, maybe they're a team to watch as a turd in the ACC punch bowl. They have Louisville, FSU, Miami, Notre Dame and Ga Tech on the schedule.

-Most pundits have declared Miami ready for USF due to the early ranked wins by USF. That's probably true, but Cristobal is considered a mediocre HC precisely because he still finds a way to fuck games like this up. I'm thinking Miami wins, but not by 17.5.

-Ohio is better than casual fans probably think. If Ohio State blows them out, I'm going to be impressed. 

-I think Minnesota could be a surprise team this year. I guess this weekend will tell the tale. If they are pretty good, the schedule is favorable besides what I assume are sure losses at Oregon and at OSU.

 

  • Hook 'Em 4
  • Like 1
Posted
18 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

-Speaking of Clemson/Georgia Tech, the line opened at -9 for Clemson. It's moved 6 fucking points down to -3. That feels like a lot. 

That is a huge swing

Posted

In the five biggest games:

Clemson has looked wobbly. Opportunity for rival Georgia Tech, a 3.5-point underdog. Why I'll be watching the Tigers' offense closely.

Another 3.5-point road favorite: For four years, Kirby Smart's defense has had the number of Josh Heupel's offense, often by locking down the red zone. More on this series below.

This will probably be your first time watching A&M this season. The 2-0 Aggies' offense should be a real test for the 0-1 Irish, who are favored by a TD at home.

This weekend's edition of the Florida-LSU rivalry was supposed to begin Billy Napier's schedule ordeal, but USF started it early. Last year, Napier began salvaging his employment by beating Brian Kelly. Just a touchdown spread.

But the game I'm most looking forward to is, of course, the biggest game in The CW's three-year CFB history. Those upstart Bulls are 17.5-point underdogs at Miami, but FPI would put the line around 8. 👀

https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6620911/2025/09/11/college-football-schedule-week-3-until-saturday/

Screenshot 2025-09-11 155502.png

Posted
17 hours ago, texifornia said:

The 2-0 Aggies' offense should be a real test for the 0-1 Irish

Why....

the aggy offense hasn't been impressive to start the season

Posted
25 minutes ago, Js1 said:

Why....

the aggy offense hasn't been impressive to start the season

The comments on the aggies from the national media reflect a group of people who have not watched them play yet. I think there’s just been a bunch of box scoring reading and highlight sampling. 

  • Like 1
Posted
4 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

The comments on the aggies from the national media reflect a group of people who have not watched them play yet. I think there’s just been a bunch of box scoring reading and highlight sampling. 

The national sports media is now becoming worse than the national news media - fucking lazy. 

Posted
4 minutes ago, Js1 said:

The national sports media is now becoming worse than the national news media - fucking lazy. 

To be fair, if you're a national sportswriter without an SEC focus (Kirk is a Kennesaw State grad), you've got other things to do besides watch A&M pummel nobodies. What he could have done is ask an A&M journalist what they think, but we know how objective they are.

Posted

Been abroad and catching up on games late this week. Wow, it has not been a great start to the season for the Big 12...

- Arizona State losing to MSU

- Kansas State losing to Army

- Baylor losing to Auburn

- Okie Lite self-immolating against Oregon

...or the ACC

- Clemson losing to LSU

- Virginia Tech losing to Vanderbilt

- North Carolina getting slaughtered by TCU

- SMU falling to Baylor

If this was the year for the Big 12 and ACC to prove that the sport doesn't entirely revolve around the SEC and Big Ten, they've missed that chance.

Posted (edited)
45 minutes ago, satyanash said:

Been abroad and catching up on games late this week. Wow, it has not been a great start to the season for the Big 12...

- Arizona State losing to MSU

- Kansas State losing to Army

- Baylor losing to Auburn

- Okie Lite self-immolating against Oregon

...or the ACC

- Clemson losing to LSU

- Virginia Tech losing to Vanderbilt

- North Carolina getting slaughtered by TCU

- SMU falling to Baylor

If this was the year for the Big 12 and ACC to prove that the sport doesn't entirely revolve around the SEC and Big Ten, they've missed that chance.

Baylor ruining everything for everyone is so on brand

Also, you forgot WVU

Edited by texifornia
Posted
9 minutes ago, texifornia said:

Baylor ruining everything for everyone is so on brand

Also, you forgot WVU

I can't remember whether it was Herbstreit or someone else, but I laughed when they explained that Gameday was headed to Morgantown until WVU fumbled it with the loss to Ohio. I don't know why, but I enjoy rooting against WVU. Dick Rod being there makes that even easier. I've even visited Morgantown for a Texas win and enjoyed it, horns down coping from them and all. Maybe it's just the ease of generally rooting against the Big 12 and enjoying pointing and laughing at all of them.

Posted
15 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

I can't remember whether it was Herbstreit or someone else, but I laughed when they explained that Gameday was headed to Morgantown until WVU fumbled it with the loss to Ohio. I don't know why, but I enjoy rooting against WVU. Dick Rod being there makes that even easier. I've even visited Morgantown for a Texas win and enjoyed it, horns down coping from them and all. Maybe it's just the ease of generally rooting against the Big 12 and enjoying pointing and laughing at all of them.

The minute those hillbillies got into the Big 12 with us, they claimed us as their #1 rival, even though we had almost no history with them.

Posted
7 minutes ago, HtownHorn said:

The minute those hillbillies got into the Big 12 with us, they claimed us as their #1 rival, even though we had almost no history with them.

The poor guys couldn't get into the ACC with all of their actual historical rivals because their academics were such a cluster fuck. Luckily the Big XII has no such ideals.

Posted
17 hours ago, The Dog said:

IMG_4128.thumb.png.94d6f3344c2a2a8bcfb37588074d5e15.png

Quote

Ohio is better than casual fans probably think. If Ohio State blows them out, I'm going to be impressed. 

Okay, now I'm convinced to pick Ohio and take the +32.5

Go, Bobcats!

Posted
1 hour ago, closetojumping said:

I can't remember whether it was Herbstreit or someone else, but I laughed when they explained that Gameday was headed to Morgantown until WVU fumbled it with the loss to Ohio. I don't know why, but I enjoy rooting against WVU. Dick Rod being there makes that even easier. I've even visited Morgantown for a Texas win and enjoyed it, horns down coping from them and all. Maybe it's just the ease of generally rooting against the Big 12 and enjoying pointing and laughing at all of them.

Not to derail this thread but it seems like Morgantown is either a great experience with alcohol flowing and welcoming people or a bizarre one (to put it kindly) with toothless hicks screaming in your face and ready to throw hands at any moment. My experience was the latter. 

Posted
1 minute ago, Sal said:

Not to derail this thread but it seems like Morgantown is either a great experience with alcohol flowing and welcoming people or a bizarre one (to put it kindly) with toothless hicks screaming in your face and ready to throw hands at any moment. My experience was the latter. 

We were with friends who went to WVU and they were dressed up in WVU gear, so we didn't get anything besides the light-hearted stuff from others. For all of the "Morgantown is a lot of fun!" that I've read on the boards over the years, I didn't really get it. We black car-ed to and from Pittsburgh, so maybe we missed part of the charm by not staying there, but we tailgated and went to some famous local haunts for food and drinks. Went to the school bookstore, etc. It was all fine, but I didn't find anything extraordinary about the place. They were also very docile after getting pummeled. 

Posted
36 minutes ago, closetojumping said:

We were with friends who went to WVU and they were dressed up in WVU gear, so we didn't get anything besides the light-hearted stuff from others. For all of the "Morgantown is a lot of fun!" that I've read on the boards over the years, I didn't really get it. We black car-ed to and from Pittsburgh, so maybe we missed part of the charm by not staying there, but we tailgated and went to some famous local haunts for food and drinks. Went to the school bookstore, etc. It was all fine, but I didn't find anything extraordinary about the place. They were also very docile after getting pummeled. 

Agreed, the town is small but not particularly charming. I went with a group of mild-mannered Texas fans, so it was weird to get so much aggression from WVU fans unprovoked.

Posted
On 9/10/2025 at 10:26 AM, texifornia said:

 

#14 Iowa State (-20) @ Arkansas State (4/3 ESPN2): Iowa State schedules the weirdest fucking out of conference home and aways. Have fun in -checks notes- Jonesboro, Clones fans!

 

We're playing AT Bowling Green in 2027.

I seriously might go just because it's such a fucking obscure spot and only (!) 10 hours away.  I had debated going to Jonesboro this weekend for basically the same exact reason.

  • Hook 'Em 1
  • Haha 1
Posted (edited)
49 minutes ago, Sal said:

Not to derail this thread but it seems like Morgantown is either a great experience with alcohol flowing and welcoming people or a bizarre one (to put it kindly) with toothless hicks screaming in your face and ready to throw hands at any moment. My experience was the latter. 

The WVU fans were wonderful when I was there for that big homecoming Texas game. After they got the horns down out of the way we had plenty of drinks, hospitality, food, moonshine, the works.

Morgantown is fine. PGH is cool.

Edited by texifornia
Posted (edited)

I've never been treated better or had more fun as a road fan than my trip to Morgantown.  Utterly first class experience.  Gorgeous setting.  Unique and quintessentially college football.  We were getting flagged down an plied with food and booze every 50 feet.  The morning before the game, a guy in the Krorgers saw us buying beer and invited us to his tailgate.  When we got to the lots, we tried to head directly to it, and it took us 3 hours because so many people stopped us.

Most places I went to road games people were cool (Waco and Columbia, MO being the exceptions), but it was on another level there.

Edited by Al_4_ISU
Posted
On 9/10/2025 at 10:26 AM, texifornia said:

 

New Mexico @ UCLA (-14) (10/9 BTN): If Nico and his buddies can't handle the Lobos, we need to have a conversation about the future of UCLA football. That UNLV loss was ROUGH.

 

Don't ask why, but I'll be there tonight.  Should be dozens of us at the game.

Posted
6 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I've never been treated better or had more fun as a road fan than my trip to Morgantown.  Utterly first class experience.  Gorgeous setting.  Unique and quintessentially college football.  We were getting flagged down an plied with food and booze every 50 feet.  The morning before the game, a guy in the Krorgers saw us buying beer and invited us to his tailgate.  When we got to the lots, we tried to head directly to it, and it took us 3 hours because so many people stopped us.

Most places I went to road games people were cool (Waco and Columbia, MO being the exceptions), but it was on another level there.

Never heard of a good Baylor experience. My brother went to an Ole Miss - Baylor Sugar Bowl and said the Bears fans were a joyless, judgmental crew whose only redeeming feature was that they cleared out of the bars by 10pm.

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



×
×
  • Create New...