2025 College Football Season

[74/171FAN]

Arguably, Miami should have lost to Virginia Tech last week.  (Though I think that VT's Hail Mary was truly incomplete.)

[US 89]

Arkansas beat #4 Tennessee 19-14 in Fayetteville. This was a bad week for ranked teams.

Miami should have gone down too, but

https://twitter.com/GwashburnGlobe/status/1842814938999328829

...because Cal's offense couldn't keep Cal's defense off the field in the fourth quarter.

That was an issue, but they'd have held on if the refs hadn't made two horrific calls in the last two minutes of the game. Clear targeting against Miami that would have given Cal a game-sealing first down was waved off, and then a blatant ineligible man downfield penalty against Miami that would have negated their game-winning touchdown was not called.

[epzik8]

My Terps should never play on Friday night again

[Ted$8roadFan]

I've always wondered why my alma mater, UMass-Amherst, joined the ranks of big time college football in 2012. We're arguably the weakest region for college football fandom, we have a high-school grade stadium, and BC is our college football team of repute. It's not even the most popular sport at UMass. But per the Boston Globe, apparently the AD is excited for the exposure and notoriety (read $) is worth the weekly drubbings. I wonder what the NIL era will mean......

[SEWIGuy]

I've always wonders why my alma mater, UMass-Amherst, joined the ranks of big time college football in 2012. We're arguably the weakest region for college football fandom, we have a high-school grade stadium, and BC is our college football team of repute. It's not even the most popular sport at UMass. But per the Boston Globe, apparently the AD is excited for the exposure and notoriety (read $) is worth the weekly drubbings. I wonder what the NIL era will mean......

Plus they've permanently joined a midwestern conference in all sports.

[epzik8]

I enjoyed the Terps' comeback victory tonight

[Ted$8roadFan]

Ohio State gets a road W against Penn State in happy valley.

[NWI_Irish96]

Big Ten refs having a rough day.

[Rothman]

Huh.  Syracuse pulled off a victory today.

[74/171FAN]

Huh.  Syracuse pulled off a victory today.

The weekly PSA that Virginia Tech is awful despite my fellow Hokies wanting to pretend otherwise. 

[mgk920]

Why was Iowa playing a mid-season game at UCLA last night?  "They're now in the same conference."  Why?

 

Mike

[CtrlAltDel]

Why was Iowa playing a mid-season game at UCLA last night?  "They're now in the same conference."  Why?

 

Mike

Nobody know$.

[NWI_Irish96]

Why was Iowa playing a mid-season game at UCLA last night?  "They're now in the same conference."  Why?

 

Mike

I guess this doesn't seem weird to me because Notre Dame has been playing a national schedule for decades. Just in my four years, I saw home games against teams from Michigan, Indiana, California, Utah, Massachusetts, Pennsylvania, Illinois, Florida, Maryland, Colorado, Tennessee and Texas.

[thspfc]

The CFP rankings this week are horrendous. I can't wait to see how they mess up the playoff selections even worse than they ever possibly could when it was only 4 teams.

[SEWIGuy]

The CFP rankings this week are horrendous. I can't wait to see how they mess up the playoff selections even worse than they ever possibly could when it was only 4 teams.

By the end of the season, they usually get it right. I'm not all that concerned.

[thspfc]

I spent way too much time today going through remaining schedules and SEC tiebreaker scenarios to figure out what's going on. Of course, this research included far too many assumptions (i.e. I did not consider the possibility that Indiana could beat Ohio State, though I think it's negligible anyway). I have a clearer picture now.

The playoff teams I keep landing on, in no order, are:

- Oregon
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Group of 5 representative (likely Boise State)
- ACC champ (will be SMU, Clemson, or Miami; ACC will be a one bid conference barring total chaos)
- Both teams that make the SEC championship (Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and TXA&M are the only four that ever made it in any scenario of outcomes I looked at, so two of those four)
- The third SEC team (likely Ole Miss, possibly Alabama should they not make the title game; Texas, Tenn, and A&M would all get knocked out of the title game and way down the pecking order with an additional loss; because of their losses to Bama and Ole Miss, Georgia is almost certain to be #4 in the SEC should they beat Tennessee)
- The Big 12 champ; should it be BYU, the B12 will be a one bid conference. Should anyone else win, a 12-1 runner-up BYU  might have a path
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- a 4th SEC team, likely Georgia

Under the no-chaos scenario, if BYU wins the Big 12, I'm pretty confident that this is the field:

- Oregon (12-1 or 13-0)
- Ohio State (12-1 or 11-2)
- Penn State (11-1)
- Indiana (11-1)
- BYU (13-0 or 12-1 if the loss is regular season)
- Boise State (12-1)
- Notre Dame (11-1)
- ACC champ (12-1 or 11-2)
- 4 SEC teams (some combination of Texas, Tennessee, A&M, Bama, Georgia, Ole Miss; no 3 loss team will make it)

If BYU goes 12-0 but doesn't win the Big 12, the committee has decisions to make between

12-1 non-champ BYU
11-1 Notre Dame
11-1 Indiana
a 10-2 4th SEC team, likely Georgia

Where they can take two of the four.

[ET21]

I've always wonders why my alma mater, UMass-Amherst, joined the ranks of big time college football in 2012. We're arguably the weakest region for college football fandom, we have a high-school grade stadium, and BC is our college football team of repute. It's not even the most popular sport at UMass. But per the Boston Globe, apparently the AD is excited for the exposure and notoriety (read $) is worth the weekly drubbings. I wonder what the NIL era will mean......

Plus they've permanently joined a midwestern conference in all sports.

Get ready for UMass MACTION

[NWI_Irish96]

I spent way too much time today going through remaining schedules and SEC tiebreaker scenarios to figure out what's going on. Of course, this research included far too many assumptions (i.e. I did not consider the possibility that Indiana could beat Ohio State, though I think it's negligible anyway). I have a clearer picture now.

The playoff teams I keep landing on, in no order, are:

- Oregon
- Ohio State
- Penn State
- Group of 5 representative (likely Boise State)
- ACC champ (will be SMU, Clemson, or Miami; ACC will be a one bid conference barring total chaos)
- Both teams that make the SEC championship (Texas, Tennessee, Alabama, and TXA&M are the only four that ever made it in any scenario of outcomes I looked at, so two of those four)
- The third SEC team (likely Ole Miss, possibly Alabama should they not make the title game; Texas, Tenn, and A&M would all get knocked out of the title game and way down the pecking order with an additional loss; because of their losses to Bama and Ole Miss, Georgia is almost certain to be #4 in the SEC should they beat Tennessee)
- The Big 12 champ; should it be BYU, the B12 will be a one bid conference. Should anyone else win, a 12-1 runner-up BYU  might have a path
- Notre Dame
- Indiana
- a 4th SEC team, likely Georgia

Under the no-chaos scenario, if BYU wins the Big 12, I'm pretty confident that this is the field:

- Oregon (12-1 or 13-0)
- Ohio State (12-1 or 11-2)
- Penn State (11-1)
- Indiana (11-1)
- BYU (13-0 or 12-1 if the loss is regular season)
- Boise State (12-1)
- Notre Dame (11-1)
- ACC champ (12-1 or 11-2)
- 4 SEC teams (some combination of Texas, Tennessee, A&M, Bama, Georgia, Ole Miss; no 3 loss team will make it)

If BYU goes 12-0 but doesn't win the Big 12, the committee has decisions to make between

12-1 non-champ BYU
11-1 Notre Dame
11-1 Indiana
a 10-2 4th SEC team, likely Georgia

Where they can take two of the four.

For the SEC, assuming no crazy upsets, the winner of the Texas-Texas A&M game goes to the SEC Championship as the only team with 1 conference loss. Alabama is poised to win the tiebreaker among the 2-loss teams to advance.

Playoff bids are going to:
1 ACC team (no chance to get more)
1 Big 12 team (no chance to get more)
1 Group of 5 team, most likely Boise State
1 Notre Dame, assuming they don't trip up against Army or USC
3 or 4 Big Ten teams. Indiana could be left out, even with only one loss, if they're blown out by Ohio State
4 or 5 SEC teams, depending on whether or not Indiana or Notre Dame get left out. Texas and Alabama are probably good no matter what. If Texas A&M beats Texas, they're in. Then the last spot could come down to Georgia and Mississippi. Tennessee is a long shot and they have no guaranteed win against Vanderbilt anyway.

[JayhawkCO]

Glad my Jayhawks could still impact the playoff despite our rough year. I hope we impact it even more next week beating the Buffs.

[SEWIGuy]

All four FBS schools with the nickname "Owls" have fired their football coach. Kennesaw State, Temple, Rice and Florida Atlantic.

[kurumi]

All four FBS schools with the nickname "Owls" have fired their football coach. Kennesaw State, Temple, Rice and Florida Atlantic.

UConn (3-0 against Owl teams this season) aspires to reach a point of respectability where defeating a team doesn't make them feel like they have to fire their coach

[Big John]

All four FBS schools with the nickname "Owls" have fired their football coach. Kennesaw State, Temple, Rice and Florida Atlantic.

Did they make a wise decision?

[SEWIGuy]

All four FBS schools with the nickname "Owls" have fired their football coach. Kennesaw State, Temple, Rice and Florida Atlantic.

Did they make a wise decision?

Who?

[thspfc]

https://x.com/slmandel/status/1859033925131399190

Committee is so, so bad.


https://x.com/slmandel/status/1859033925131399190

This sounds outlandish but is actually an incredible strategy. Ohio State is going to beat Indiana by double digits anyway. Based on the committee's own awful logic, Indiana playing their backup QB gives them an excuse for a blowout loss and locks up their playoff spot so long as they beat Purdue.

[Billy F 1988]

Montana is the butt of the joke once again. Out of the FCS Playoffs. Lost the Great Divide Trophy in the 123rd Brawl of the Wild in Bozeman, MT to them damn Cats, so, that whole "Can the Cats" bullsh&T didn't mean diddle, except to wile up a few Griz fans shouting at the mountain tops for Bobby Hauck to pack up and get outta Missoula. When you're all hype but can't get the job done, you don't deserve to stay in Missoula, I don't care how much Coach Hauck gets paid. They pretty much just gave the postseason away to the Bobcats due to how shitty they played on Saturday in the Brawl. Nah, bruh. Nah, bruh. Nah. Can't do that with this much history of 19 Big Sky Conference titles and 2 FCS national titles.