Picks for Wins and Losses (Photo by the Author)
I did alright this week, though not as well as I had hoped. I didn’t call any big upsets, but didn’t have any huge misses with my picks for wins and losses either. Here’s how Week 11 went.
Houston wins over UCF – Yes, Houston 30, UCF 27
I was right that Houston would win, but I was wrong on how. I predicted a big game from quarterback Connor Weigman. Weigman had over 300 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, but also threw three picks. It was special teams and defense that powered Houston to victory.
USC wins over Northwestern – Yes, USC 38, Northwestern 17
Again, I was right in who won, was right on how they won this time, but not on how big they won. USC’s offense carried them to victory, but I thought Northwestern would make the game closer. USC left no doubt.
Memphis wins over Tulane – No, Tulane 38, Memphis 32
It was a higher-scoring affair as I expected, and I knew Tulane could win, but thought Memphis would. Jake Retzlaff had a career game, going 16 of 23 for 332 yards and three touchdowns, with 43 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground. Tulane would hold on for the win.
Louisville wins over Call – No, Cal 29, Louisville 26 (OT)
I was right that Cal was to Louisville what Louisville was to Miami, but I was wrong to say Louisville would overcome it. Credit Cal for being up for the challenge and playing the best in the game when it mattered the most.
Notre Dame wins over Navy – Yes, Notre Dame 49, Navy 10
There was plenty of running the football, and Navy’s quarterback did run well. It was Braxton Woodson instead of Blake Horvath. Notre Dame did just overpower Navy. Jeremiyah Love continued his Heisman campaign, and Notre Dame won big.
Georgia wins over Mississippi State – Yes, Georgia 41, Mississippi State 21
I thought Georgia would struggle to score but still win. They scored a lot and won big. Georgia is nothing if not great, and as unpredictable as they are great.
James Madison wins over Marshall – Yes, James Madison 35, Marshall 23
Make that 17-5 since Cignetti left for Indiana. James Madison should be getting more love as the possible Group of Five conference champion in the College Football Playoff. IF JMU finishes their season 12-1 and a team from the American is 11-2, James Madison needs to be considered.
Southern Miss wins over Arkansas State – Yes, Southern Miss 27, Arkansas State 21
Southern Miss might have something to say about James Madison winning the Sun Belt. They seem to be on a collision course for the Sun Belt Conference title game. Southern Miss fans better enjoy Coach Huff because he will be considered for plenty of Power Four jobs this offseason.
Texas A&M wins over Missouri – Yes, Texas A&M 38, Missouri 17
The Aggies were dominant in a solid road win against Mizzou. Texas A&M just keeps winning and staying at the top of the SEC, despite the hype and talk around Alabama, Georgia, and Ole Miss. Mike Elko has done a great job in College Station.
UConn wins over Duke – Yes, UConn 37, Duke 34
This Basketball School Bowl was high scoring, as expected. Joe Fagnano now has 25 touchdown passes this year with no interceptions. I hope he gets the press he deserves for such a remarkable season.
Iowa wins over Oregon – No, Oregon 18, Iowa 16
The Ducks survived Iowa’s homefield advantage at Kinnick Stadium. The rain helped Iowa a ton, and it was a coin flip like I expected, but credit Oregon for getting a difficult road win in November in the Big Ten.
Arizona wins over Kansas – Yes, Arizona 24, Kansas 20
In the Western edition of basketball schools battling on the football field, Arizona prevailed. It wasn’t high scoring like I predicted, but Noah Fifita was crucial in Arizona’s victory over Kansas.
TCU over Iowa State – No, Iowa State 20, TCU 17
This one surprised me. Holding TCU’s lethal offense to only 17 points is impressive. Iowa State snapped their losing streak and showed on the road why they had been ranked highly earlier in the season. ISU’s defense played a great game.
Virginia wins over Wake Forest – No, Wake Forest 16, Virginia 9
Chandler Morris’ injury played a huge factor in Virginia getting their second loss of the season. They ground to a halt without him, and Wake Forest took advantage, pulling off the upset, 16-9.
Florida State wins over Clemson – No, Clemson 24, Florida State 10
Both of these teams are still struggling, and this game was a strong witness to that. Usually, you’d expect this to be a top 15 matchup, and not two teams struggling for bowl eligibility. Just when you think either program has some momentum or are taking some steps in the right direction this season, they give you new reasons to doubt.
Alabama wins over LSU – Yes, Alabama 20, LSU 9
Like Sayin at Ohio State and Mendoza at Indiana, Ty Simpson didn’t have the game you’d expect from a Heisman candidate, yet he still led his team to a win. I still can’t figure out how this Alabama team lost to Florida State.
San Diego State wins over Hawaii – No, Hawaii 38, San Diego State 6
Wow, I couldn’t have been more wrong across the board here about San Diego State. Hawaii just butchered them. The Rainbow Warriors were the ones who had their defense smother their opponent. It’s been fun to watch how well Hawaii has played this season under head coach Timmy Chang.
Texas Tech wins over BYU – Yes, Texas Tech 29, BYU 7
I didn’t think Texas Tech would win by this margin. BYU didn’t play well at all, and Texas Tech could see that they had BYU on the ropes early. The Red Raiders played it safe and just wore BYU down. I’m less confident in a BYU victory in a potential Big 12 title rematch. They have some hard work in their last three games to get there.
Ohio State wins over Purdue – Yes, Ohio State 34, Purdue 10
Julian Sayin didn’t have his best game for the Buckeyes. Ohio State was a bit off, but Sayin still completed over 80% of his passes and threw for over 300 yards. Ohio State didn’t look like a juggernaut, yet they still won by 24 on the road. They’re rightly still #1 in the nation.
