Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images

With no major changes to this week’s depth chart, the Tigers seem content with running it back with the same group as Florida comes into town.

Missouri released its 10th official depth chart on Tuesday following its third straight conference loss, this time to Georgia, on Saturday. The next game won’t be any easier as the Tigers face No. 11 Florida, but at least they get the Gators at Faurot Field, the place where Missouri is 5-0 this season.

Here’s the full depth chart with some quick reactions following it:

Offense

Quarterback

• 7 Kelly Bryant 6-3 225 Gr. Calhoun Falls, S.C. (Wren)
• 5 Taylor Powell* 6-2 210 So. Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville)

Running Back

• 34 Larry Rountree III** 5-10 210 Jr. Raleigh, N.C. (Millbrook)
• 1 Tyler Badie* 5-9 190 So. Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)

Wide Receiver

• 9 Jalen Knox* 6-0 195 So. Mansfield, Texas (Timberview)
• 13 Kam Scott* 6-2 170 So. Manvel, Texas (Manvel)

Wide Receiver

• 4 Jonathan Nance 6-0 190 Gr. Perkinston, Miss. (Gulfport)
• 14 Dominic Gicinto* 5-9 180 So. Raytown, Mo. (Raytown)

Slot Receiver

• 12 Johnathon Johnson*** 5-10 180 RSSr. Memphis, Tenn. (Melrose)
• 30 Barrett Banister* 6-0 190 RSSo. Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville)

Left Tackle

• 70 Yasir Durant** 6-7 330 Sr. Philadelphia, Pa. (Imhotep/Arizona Western)
• 64 Bobby Lawrence 6-8 300 RSFr. St. Joseph, Mo. (Central)

Left Guard

• 59 Case Cook 6-5 295 RSSo. Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton)
• 73 Mike Ruth 6-7 320 RSFr. Coppell, Texas (Coppell)

Center

• 55 Trystan Colon-Castillo* 6-4 315 RSJr. Webb City, Mo. (Webb City)
• 77 Thalen Robinson 6-7 315 Fr. Arlington, Texas (Bowie)

Right Guard

• 75 Tre’Vour Wallace-Simms*** 6-5 330 Sr. East St. Louis, Ill. (East St. Louis)
• 72 Xavier Delgado 6-5 330 RSFr. Glendale, Ariz. (Deer Valley)

Right Tackle

• 79 Larry Borom* 6-6 340 RSSo. Bloomfield Hills, Mich. (Brother Rice)
• 50 Hyrin White* 6-6 305 RSSo. DeSoto, Texas (DeSoto)

Tight End

• 81 Albert Okwuegbunam ** 6-5 255 RSJr. Springfield, Ill. (Springfield)
• 82 Daniel Parker Jr.* 6-4 260 So. Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)

Defense

Defensive End

• 39 Chris Turner** 6-4 255 Jr. Hammond, La. (Hammond)
• 99 Isaiah McGuire 6-5 260 Fr. Tulsa, Okla. (Union)

Defensive Tackle

• 1 Jordan Elliott* 6-4 315 RSJr. Missouri City, Texas (Westside/Texas)
• 90 Markell Utsey* 6-4 295 Jr. Little Rock, Ark. (Parkview)

Defensive Tackle

• 78 Kobie Whiteside** 6-1 310 Jr. Houston, Texas (Alief Taylor)
• 97 Akial Byers** 6-4 280 Jr. Fayetteville, Ark. (Fayetteville)

Defensive End

• 28 Jatorian Hansford* 6-4 245 So. Forsyth, Ga. (Mary Parsons)
• 93 Tre Williams** 6-5 260 RSJr. Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge)

Weakside Linebacker

• 32 Nick Bolton* 6-0 235 So. Frisco, Texas (Lone Star)
• 25 Jamal Brooks** 6-1 240 Jr. Bessemer, Ala. (Bessemer City)

Middle Linebacker

• 58 Devin Nicholson 6-3 215 Fr. Detroit, Mich. (Cass Tech)
• 40 Cameron Wilkins* 6-2 245 So. Del Valle, Texas (Del Valle)

Cornerback

• 8 Jarvis Ware* 6-1 190 So. Apopka, Fla. (Wekiva)
• 21 Christian Holmes** 6-1 200 RSJr. Leland, Miss. (McNair)

Cornerback

• 2 DeMarkus Acy*** 6-2 195 Sr. Dallas, Texas (Wilmer-Hutchins)
• 14 Adam Sparks** 6-0 180 Jr. Baton Rouge, La. (Dutchtown)

Free Safety

• 18 Joshuah Bledsoe** 6-0 205 Jr. Houston, Texas (Dekaney)
• 31 Martez Manuel 6-1 185 Fr. Columbia, Mo. (Rock Bridge)

Strong Safety

• 9 Tyree Gillespie** 6-0 210 Jr. Ocala, Fl. (Vanguard)
• 4 Jalani Williams 6-2 175 Fr St. Louis, Mo. (Parkway North)

Boundary Safety

• 20 Khalil Oliver* 6-1 210 Gr. Meridian, Idaho. (Rocky Mountain)
• 3 Ronnell Perkins*** 6-0 205 RSSr. St. Louis, Mo. (University City)

Special teams

Kicker

• 19 Tucker McCann** 6-2 215 Sr. O’Fallon, Ill. (O’Fallon)

Punter

• 19 Tucker McCann** 6-2 215 Sr. O’Fallon, Ill. (O’Fallon)

Kick Returner

• 1 Tyler Badie* 5-9 190 So. Memphis, Tenn. (Briarcrest Christian)

Punt Returner

• 17 Richaud Floyd 5-11 195 RSSr. Gulfport, Miss. (Gulfport)
• 87 Cade Musser 5-9 200 RSFr. Blue Springs, Mo. (Blue Springs)

Depth chart analysis

Bryant still QB1, no movement at backup

Though he didn’t play against Georgia on Saturday due to a lingering hamstring injury, Kelly Bryant is still atop the depth chart at the quarterback position.

Bryant was also the starter on last week’s depth chart, though last Tuesday he said his hamstring was only at about 75%. He warmed up with Missouri prior to last week’s game, but Taylor Powell ended up starting instead. Head coach Barry Odom said post-game that he expected Bryant to be healthy by the time Florida comes into town this Saturday, so it makes sense that the Tigers would keep him at No. 1.

He may not be healthy just yet, but with five more days still to recover, Missouri is expecting Bryant to be good to go against the Gators.

Meanwhile, Powell remains the top option as Bryant’s backup. He had a lackluster performance against the Bulldogs, leading the offense past midfield just once in over three quarters of playing time. Powell doesn’t deserve all of the blame, though, thanks to the play of the pass catchers, offensive line, and running backs, who all had poor performances.

However, third-string quarterback Connor Bazelak was impressive in limited time when he replaced Powell in the fourth quarter, completing 8 of 12 passes for 64 yards while almost leading the only scoring drive of the night for Missouri (he and Dominic Gicinto couldn’t connect on fourth and goal for a touchdown).

There’s been speculation that Bazelak could see an uptick in playing time after his performance, and perhaps eventually move into the backup role.

But, as the depth chart shows, Odom and offensive coordinator Derek Dooley still have faith in Powell for the time being.

‘Or’ distinctions gone

Missouri removed ‘or’ distinctions throughout the depth chart, meaning there will be no co-starters this week against Florida.

That means that Jalen Knox, Larry Borom and Devin Nicholson are the confirmed starters at wide receiver, right tackle and middle linebacker, respectively, heading into Saturday.

Despite an impressive freshman year, Knox has disappeared for most of the past couple of months. He hasn’t caught more than a single pass in a game since Week 3 against SEMO, and has no more than eight receiving yards in a game in the same time span. Borom has been okay on the offensive line, but he’s picked up his share of holding penalties throughout the current losing streak and hasn’t done much to correct the issues that have plagued the line since after Homecoming.

Nicholson, on the other hand, has played a huge role in keeping the defense afloat after losing Cale Garrett. A true freshman, Nicholson has produced six total tackles in both the loss to Kentucky and the loss to Georgia. Though the defense still has trouble with mobile quarterbacks and strong run games, Nicholson has helped take control of the middle of the field alongside Nick Bolton.

It remains to be seen what each player has done to earn sole starter status. Perhaps they’ve shown in practice that without a doubt they are “the guy” at the position, though it’s possible the coaching staff decided having that uncertainty on the depth chart wasn’t something they wanted in the face of so much adversity.

Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports

Chomp Chomp

The Arizona State Sun Devils announced on Tuesday that they will plan the Florida Gators in 2028 and 2031. On September 16, 2028 the Gators will travel to Tempe, while the Sun Devils head to Gainesville on either September 6 or 13 in 2031.

Athletic Director Ray Anderson announced the plan.

“This agreement with the University of Florida provides our fan base with yet another elite series with a Power 5 opponent,” Anderson said in a statement. ”The addition of Florida complements our future schedules, which already include series with LSU, Texas, Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, Mississippi State and BYU. We are proud of our future football schedules and of the fact that we can produce quality and interesting matchups for our fan base to enjoy.”

This is another addition to a pretty good list of conference opponents for the Sun Devils coming up that have also arranged Home/Home series.

BYU: Sep. 19, 2020 (Home), Sep. 18, 2021 (Away)

Oklahoma State: Sep. 10, 2022 (Away), Sep. 9, 2023 (Home)

Mississippi State: Sep. 7, 2024 (Home), Sep. 6, 2025 (Away)

Texas A&M: Sep 12, 2026 (Away), Sep. 11, 2027 (Home)

San Diego State: Sep. 18, 2027 (Home), Sep. 9, 2028 (Away)

LSU: Sep. 8, 2029 (Away), Sep. 7, 2030 (Home)

Texas: Sep. 11, 2032 (Home), Sep. 10, 2033 (Away)

Do you guys like this matchup for the Sun Devils? Do you enjoy scheduling so far in advance? Make sure to discuss below.

Troy Wayrynen-USA TODAY Sports

The Good

The defense. Oregon State went one for 13 on third downs. OSU only ran five plays in Washington territory, the deepest of which was on the the 37-yard line. Washington held OSU to 119 total yards of offense. That is a dominating defensive performance! That’s the least amount of yards the Huskies have given up in a Pac-12 road game since 1991. The defense also pitched a shutout against the Beaver’s offense, although a Jacob Eason pick-six let them sneak onto the scoreboard.

The secondary across the board had a great game, limiting OSU QB Jake Luton to 88 passing yards. A special kudos goes to Elijah Molden for his pick near the end of the first half:

Edefuan Ulofoshio the redshirt freshman walk-on linebacker continues to make a name for himself. “Eddy” finished the game with a team high nine tackles, as well as 1.5 sacks, and 1.5 TFLs. He and fellow redshirt freshman linebacker Jackson Sirmon played a majority of snaps at ILB against OSU and brought an effective and physical performance to the game.

Joe Tryon had his best game as a Husky. At 6’5” with arms the length of legs, Tryon is a physical specimen that coaches and fans alike have been waiting to see go off. He’s flashed his potential on and off the last season and a half, but on Friday he put on a dominant performance. He ended the night with seven tackles, two sacks, and 4.5 TFLs. Without taking too much credit away from him, this performance did come against a mediocre Oregon State offensive line and we’ll need to see more consistency from him moving forward. But regardless, this was a great showing and hopefully just an example of what’s to come for the third-year sophomore.

The running game. Salvon Ahmed had a fantastic game, rushing for 174 yards with an average of 7 yards per carry and two touchdowns. Combined with Richard Newton and three other ball carries who combined for four total carries, Washington rushed for 245 yards on 48 carries. The offensive line blocked very well tonight, opening up some large holes for Ahmed in the second half. Ahmed gets some extra credit in this game for running through several tackles and playing with a more physical running style than we have seen from him in the past. Perhaps it can be attributed to the return of Newton, whose running style could be described as “violent” and may have rubbed off on Ahmed.

The Bad

Hunter Bryant. Despite making what was nearly Washington's best offensive play of the game (it was still very good), Bryant ultimately had a disappointing day. He had at least four dropped passes and was only able to haul in five of his 12 targets. A couple of those incompletions were balls that Eason overthrew, but overall Bryant looked remarkably inconsistent on Friday.

Jacob Eason. It might not be entirely fair to claim that Eason belongs exclusively in the bad category for this game. He did some good things and the insane number of drops from his receivers (a season long issue) certainly negatively impacted his numbers and overall performance. But, his two interceptions were avoidable and he overthrew guys a number of times. He ended the night with 175 passing yards while completing just 50% of his 32 pass attempts, well below his season average. It’s likely that this is more than just an Eason issue, as Washington’s general passing game has been a problem all season long.

Coming into the game, Peyton Henry was a perfect 16/16 on field goals this season. However, he only made two of his four field goal attempts on Friday, and one of those field goals comes with a bit of an asterisk. OSU had a defensive holding penalty on a field goal that Henry initially missed, giving him a second chance to hit it, which he did.

Clock management! This is maybe the fourth time this season there has been a glaring head scratcher of a decision in regards to clock management. While this one ultimately had limited negative implications for the final outcome of the game, if things had ended differently, it would have been a much bigger issue. Specifically, at the end of the first half with time winding down, Washington had one timeout left with eight seconds on the clock on OSU’s 11 yard line. But instead of using their timeout, Washington decided to spike the ball when the clock was down to four seconds. They ultimately wasted an opportunity to take one more shot at the endzone and instead ended up missing a field goal to end the half.

The Unknown

So what’s up with Ty Jones? He played in his first game of the year and saw five snaps, but didn’t get a target. Presumably the coaching staff is easing him back into things. Given the new redshirt rules, Jones can play in the final two regular season games and the bowl game, while still maintaining his redshirt.

Sean McGrew? It appears that McGrew is still recovering from a lingering injury. After getting a pretty regular workload as the number two or three back in the first half of the season, he was sidelined for the past few games. He saw action on special teams against Oregon State, but didn’t have a single carry.

ILB Brandon Wellington appears to have suffered a head injury in the first half of the OSU game and was seen wearing street clothes on the sidelines in the second half. He’s presumably under concussion protocol and will be week-to-week moving forward. Does this mean that Ulofoshio and Sirmon will be the two starting inside linebackers next week? We’ll see what the coaching staff does with Kyler Manu, but it’s looking like a strong possibility.

Go Dawgs!

Of course, the Buckeyes remain atop the LGHL rankings.

Last Saturday, the LSU Tigers went into Tuscaloosa, Ala. and knocked off the Alabama Crimson Tide, so there was little doubt that the Tigers would remain in the top spot of the SB Nation FanPulse Top 25 this week. However, with the Tide’s loss, the Ohio State Buckeyes have climbed up a rung on the ladder and now sit as the second-ranked team in the country.

The defending national champion Clemson Tigers are in third, with ‘Bama sliding to fourth, followed by the Georgia Bulldogs and the pair of under-appreciated unbeatens, the Baylor Bears (No. 6) and Minnesota Golden Gophers (No. 7).

Sign up to vote in the SB Nation FanPulse Survey here

On the Land-Grant Holy Land side of the survey, the Buckeyes remain the top team (natch), followed by LSU and Clemson, and then those plucky, boat-rowing Gophers in fourth.

For what appears to be Big Ten allegiance-related reasons, we Ohio State fans have P.J. Fleck’s crew three spots higher than the rest of the country does. Similarly, the LGHL poll has the Indiana Hoosiers two spots north of where the collective SBN voting body has them.

Check out both the LGHL and SBN polls:

In addition to the Top 25 poll, the FanPulse survey also asks additional questions every week, and this time around they asked who respondents felt was the favorite in the Heisman Trophy race. I have a few thoughts:

1. Good for Joe Burrow.
2. This whole Chase Young absurdity is a travesty. He is the best player in college football, and if it wasn’t for antiquated, hypocritical rules from a governing body that has long outlived its usefulness, I would have been pounding the table that he deserved top billing in this poll.
3. WHERE. IS. J.K. DOBBINS?

Also, every week, FanPulse gauges the level of confidence that fans have in the direction of their specific program. This week, for the ninth time on the season, LGHL’s readers said that they were 100 percent confident in the direction of the OSU football program, which is pretty impressive.

Still not over numskulls who weren’t confident early in the season, but I at least appreciate their willingness to see the error of their ways following Week 3.

Mike Carter-USA TODAY Sports

I mean, Mark Dantonio has clearly quit coaching football.

Mark Dantonio has thrown in the towel. He doesn’t care about Michigan State football or his players anymore. He should be fired.

Those were all things I thought before I read this Tweet on Tuesday morning. That is not how any of this works! A player doesn’t get to decide if they’re “good” to play. It is literally why there is a concussion protocol.

Remember when Brady Hoke was coach at Michigan and he put Shane Morris back into a game after Morris CLEARLY suffered a concussion?

This is BRUTAL to watch. First of all, Morris should have come out at the beginning of the video after getting his leg rolled up, but Hoke leaves him in. Then Morris gets tattooed by a Minnesota defender and needs help standing from one of his linemen. Finally, a play later, he takes himself out of the game ONLY TO BE PUT BACK IN A FEW PLAYS LATER WHEN BACKUP QB DEVIN GARDNER’S HELMET COMES OFF AND HE HAS TO SIT FOR A PLAY!

WHAT THE SHIT?!?

So, that was terrible and Hoke was eventually fired after there were protests on Michigan’s campus about this. Dantonio not knowing whether or not his starting QB has a concussion or the fact that he didn’t insist that he get checked for one is concerning to say the least. It is dangerous and negligent and completely abandons everything a football coach that still gave a shit would do, in actuality.

In comments after the game, Dantonio said they checked him, but that does not seem to be the case. Mark Dantonio can kiss my ass and hopefully after his team gets boat-raced by Michigan he never coaches football again.

Indiana Hoosiers

S&P+ rank: Overall 19th, Offense 15th, Defense 35th, Special Teams 9th

Last week’s results: BYE

Biggest strength: The crazy bastards did it. They ranked Indiana.

None of the players on the team were even alive the last time Indiana was ranked. Good for them! #9WINDIANA FOREVER!

Biggest weakness: So, the NBA season is humming right along.

For the sake of my sanity I need Ben Simmons to shoot a three pointer when he returns from his injury. I don’t care if it goes in. I don’t care if it becomes a meme on #NBATwitter. He just needs to shoot one. The fact that he won’t worries me. It worries me that he’ll never even become a below average shooter, which is all he needs to become to unlock the next level of his talent, and teams will continue to erase him from the offense in the playoffs.

JUST SHOOT ONE, BEN!

This week’s opponent: Saturday at No. 4 Penn State, 11:00 a.m. CST, ABC

Maryland Terrapins

S&P+ rank: Overall 80th, Offense 65th, Defense 71st, Special Teams 128th

Last week’s results: (L) at No. 1 Ohio State, 73-14

Biggest strength: I couldn’t believe that Ohio State just kept scoring in this game. Every time this game came across the bottom line Maryland had given up more points. The Terps threw for 77 yards and ran for 62 yards in the first quarter. ::puts finger to ear:: I’m sorry, what’s that?

Those stats are for the entire game? All four quarters? Well...ok then.

Good for this former Buckeye for being able to be polite after being molly-whopped like that. Antoine Brooks Jr. had 10 tackles and Javon Leake had a 70-yard kickoff return.

Biggest weakness: Commits from Maryland who went to the same high school as Chase Young are now decommitting during a game?!? ::1,000 thinking face emojis::

Probably not for another few decades, I’d imagine.

If Mike Locksley can’t recruit the DMV well, Maryland is in way more trouble than we thought.

This week’s opponent: BYE

Michigan Wolverines

S&P+ rank: Overall 15th, Offense 43rd, Defense 4th, Special Teams 70th

Last week’s results: BYE

Biggest strength: I’ve been told those are Woodman’s price tags and the account says their location is in Madison, so I’m inclined to believe it.

BETTER PRICES ON BETTER PRODUCTS SOLD BY BETTER PEOPLE BECAUSE THEY’RE EMPLOYEE OWNED, HELL YEAH!

Biggest weakness: I wish every coach was like Coach O.

This week’s opponent: Saturday vs. Michigan State, 11:00 a.m. CST, FOX

Michigan State Spartans

S&P+ rank: Overall 35th, Offense 84th, Defense 11th, Special Teams 108th

Last week’s results: (L) vs. Illinois, 37-34

Biggest strength: Brian Lewerke had a bad game. He threw three picks to one touchdown, but he ran the ball really well, scampering for 96 yards and a score. Elijah Collins ran for 170 yards and two scores.

I hope you do, Dantonio.

Biggest weakness: Keeping leads and putting players into the concussion protocol.

This week’s opponent: Saturday at No. 14 Michigan, 11:00 a.m. CST, FOX

Ohio State Buckeyes

S&P+ rank: Overall 1st, Offense 4th, Defense 1st, Special Teams 16th

Last week’s results: (W) vs. Maryland, 73-14

Biggest strength: Three different quarterbacks combined to go 26-of-38 for 322 yards and four touchdowns. The rushing attacking had 56 carries for 383 yards and six touchdowns. Those numbers are a lot better than Maryland’s numbers, huh?

It’s almost like Ohio State was mad about something and decided to take it out on the next poor, hapless sap that happened to cross their path. If Young isn’t back this week we’re gonna need to send FEMA to the Rutgers/Ohio State game.

Biggest weakness: Giving up that many yards to Maryland is problematic.

I guess the Buckeyes still having seven sacks even while missing their sack-master is pretty good but they never should have given up any yards to Maryland at all.

This week’s opponent: Saturday at Rutgers, 2:30 p.m. CST, BTN

Penn State Nittany Lions

S&P+ rank: Overall 7th, Offense 11th, Defense 8th, Special Teams 14th

Last week’s results: (L) at No. 17 Minnesota, 31-26

Biggest strength: Defensive game plan against the Minnesota passing attack.

I’ve seen some people try and explain away this loss for Penn State by saying the turnover luck was bad or some such, but when you’re leaving dudes this open you’re going to have a bad time. Journey Brown had 124 yards and two touchdowns and probably should’ve gotten more than 14 carries. K.J. Hamler had 119 yards and TE Pat Freiermuth had 101 yards and seemed basically uncoverable for most of the game.

Micah Parsons had 11 tackles and a sack for a PSU defense that got gashed by the Gophers through the air.

Biggest weakness: The passing defense left a lot to be desired as did the play calling on offense.

James Franklin must be a mind-bending coach to have for your favorite football team. Some of his decisions are just beyond explanation. A fade on fourth and goal to Hamler ain’t it, chief. At least he went for it there, I guess. Baby steps!

This week’s opponent: Saturday vs. Indiana, 11:00 a.m. CST, ABC

Rutgers Scarlet Knights

S&P+ rank: Overall 107th, Offense 109th, Defense 86th, Special Teams 67th

Last week’s results: BYE

Biggest strength: Owen had a good take. One that I’ve had for years and one that I’ll defend to the death.

Throw some brandy in there and enjoy a winter Saturday on the couch in the luxury. You can thank me and Owen later.

Biggest weakness: Holy shit that line!

Do you think if they played their starters the whole game that Ohio State could beat Rutgers by 100?

This week’s opponent: Saturday at No. 1 Ohio State, 2:30 p.m. CST, BTN

Illinois Fighting Illini

S&P+ rank: Overall 53rd, Offense 71st, Defense 58th, Special Teams 4th

Last week’s results: (W) at Michigan State, 37-34

Biggest strength: R u serious?

LOVIE!

The Illini became bowl eligible after the biggest comeback in school history and I know I should hate Illinois for beating Wisconsin earlier this year but...I just can’t. I’m happy for the Illini and their long-suffering fans.

Brandon Peters threw for 369 yards and three scores (and one pick, but who cares!) and Josh Imatorbhebhe had four catches for an eye-popping 178 yards and two scores.

The defense had four guys record double digit tackles with Dele Harding leading the way with 14. They also forced four turnovers. Sydney Brown had two of the turnovers and ran one back for a touchdown.

Biggest weakness: The running game was awful (27 carries for 36 yards) and everything Bill C. lists below happened.

Again, good for the Illini. I hope Lovie grows his beard forever.

This week’s opponent: BYE

Iowa Hawkeyes

S&P+ rank: Overall 23rd, Offense 68th, Defense 9th, Special Teams 23rd

Last week’s results: (L) at No. 13 Wisconsin, 24-22

Biggest strength: Veteran quarterback leadership.

Pregame confidence.

Tyrone Tracy Jr. had five catches for 130 yards and a 75-yard touchdown. Matt Hankins had eight tackles and a pick. Their kicker made three field goals.

Biggest weakness: WHO, I ASK YOU?!?!

I mean, it’s a Wisconsin tradition too.

I hate playing Iowa. I feel like every game is like this one where I think Wisconsin should win handily and then all of a sudden the Hawkeyes are lining up for a game-tying two point conversion and I’m like...“what the hell?”

Iowa’s rushing game, on both sides of the ball, was awful. So was their third down conversion game, again, on both sides of the ball.

This week’s opponent: Saturday vs. No. 17 Minnesota, 3:00 p.m. CST, FOX

Minnesota Golden Gophers

S&P+ rank: Overall 13th, Offense 7th, Defense 25th, Special Teams 92nd

Last week’s results: (W) vs. No. 4 Penn State, 31-26

Biggest strength: Tanner Morgan had his second game of the season where he completed 90% of his passes. He also threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns. A pretty masterful performance against a stout defense. Rashod Bateman has amazing. He caught seven passes for 203 yards and a score. Tyler Johnson had seven catches as well but only accumulated 104 yards and a score. Smh, Tyler.

Antoine Winfield Jr. had 11 tackles and two picks and will hopefully declare for the draft after this year because he is friggin good.

Hmm, yes, having an upright piano on your offensive line is good.

Biggest weakness: Mini Fleck is pretty cute, but he’s no Baby Mangino.

I really want to doubt this Minnesota team and say “Penn State was overrated” and “they had fewer yards and first downs than PSU” and “they won’t average 17 fucking yards per pass again” and “they got lucky with turnovers” but all of that is just sour grapes.

Minnesota is 9-0.

That isn’t something that just happens because you’re lucky. You also have to be good and I now think that Minnesota is good. Their hardest remaining game is this weekend at Kinnick Stadium, aka Where Dreams Go To Die Stadium, and if they make it out of there unscathed they’re probably going undefeated.

Nothing about playing an undefeated Minnesota for the Axe in the last game of the season in Minneapolis (with a top-four ranking on the line?) sounds appealing to me and I see few scenarios where the Badgers come out with win like that.

Will they give Ohio State a game in the conference title matchup? I doubt it, but I’ve doubted basically every single thing about the Gophers this year and here they are in the top-ten proving every idiot like me wrong.

I hate it so much.

This week’s opponent: Saturday at No. 18 Iowa, 3:00 p.m. CST, FOX

Nebraska Cornhuskers

S&P+ rank: Overall 57th, Offense 52nd, Defense 63rd, Special Teams 122nd

Last week’s results: BYE

Biggest strength: I hope that this spawns a whole new series of vulgar signs in foreign languages causing the ESPN censors to have to hire multiple translators.

Biggest weakness: Knowing what leadership is.

After every Nebraska loss this year, and there have been many, some Huskers fan/reporter/both tweets something like this. That isn’t leadership, that’s being accountable to your teammates. Which, to be fair, is a part of leadership but isn’t the whole shebang. Adrian Martinez may be a great leader, I don’t know, but him stating a fact that he played poorly does not make him a “leader of men” like Nebraska so desperately wants him to be.

This week’s opponent: Saturday vs. No. 13 Wisconsin, 11:00 a.m. CST, BTN

Northwestern Wildcats

S&P+ rank: Overall 90th, Offense 126th, Defense 20th, Special Teams 115th

Last week’s results: (L) vs. Purdue, 24-22

Biggest strength: Look, I know Northwestern actually played a game and even scored some points, but I do NOT want to talk about Wildcats football if I don’t have to. And, well, this is my column...so I won’t.

My grandmother is an EXCELLENT crossword puzzler and I’m a little upset she didn’t text me for this answer like she often does when more recent pop culture clues are involved.

Unless.

Unless this means she KNEW THE ANSWER WITHOUT HAVING TO TEXT ME! I take it back. I hope this is the answer. I want nothing more than for my grandmother to know who Bubba Sparxxx is.

Biggest weakness: This man could steal the Mona Lisa with one hand tied behind his back.

This week’s opponent: Saturday vs. UMass, 11:00 a.m. CST, BTN

Purdue Boilermakers

S&P+ rank: Overall 59th, Offense 59th, Defense 75th, Special Teams 61st

Last week’s results: (W) at Northwestern, 24-22

Biggest strength: Becoming the first ever Aidanbowl Champions!

I love Purdue, man. They are on their 11th string QB and still threw the ball 50 times! Aidan O’Connell had 271 yards, two TDs and two picks (electric stuff!) and lead the Boilermakers to a comeback win (his second game-winning drive in as many weeks) over an atrocious Northwestern team. David Bell had 14 catches for 115 yards and one of those touchdowns.

“It wasn’t a pretty game, and we had some moments where we looked really bad,” Purdue coach Jeff Brohm said. A quote from the winning coach every time a game is played in Evanston.

Biggest weakness: This is a good joke. Stop worrying about spreading the wealth and start worrying about spreading the ball around to the skill positions IMO.

Purdue’s kicker had a great game! He made all three of his extra points and made the game-winning 39-yard field goal. Good work, J.D. Dellinger! I like when college kickers do well.

This week’s opponent: BYE

Wisconsin Badgers

S&P+ rank: Overall 11th, Offense 28th, Defense 6th, Special Teams 103rd

Last week’s results: (W) vs. No. 18 Iowa, 24-22

Biggest strength: Here we are again, my friend.

Jonathan Taylor was amazing. Nobody had even rushed for 100 yards against Iowa’s defense this year and he ran for 250. Really weird that he didn’t get into the end zone, but it was nice of him to allow his teammates to score a few. Quintez Cephus looked good and caught a 52-yard pass. The defense was really stout, for most of the game, and Matt Henningsen got another sack.

Biggest weakness: Shouts to you, Kirk Ferentz!

Letting Iowa get back into the game in the fourth quarter was annoying. The kicking game is REALLY annoying and the punting game wasn’t much better. Jack Coan was...ok. I wish the Badgers would call a couple of pass plays that resulted in a player getting the ball in the middle of the field with, potentially, some space to run after the catch.

This week’s opponent: Saturday at Nebraska, 11:00 a.m. CST, BTN

Photo by Logan Stanford/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

Serenity now.

This is how it began:

And recently, Rapoport recorded this elaboration— which I think was really just an excuse to refer to Sanders as a “prime” candidate for the Florida State job.

Yes, this is an entertaining digression. And it’s also not going to happen. Sure, Sanders was arguably the greatest Seminole to ever wear the garnet and gold. But running fast and running a program are two very different things. With zero college coaching experience — much less as a head coach — Sanders is far better suited for his current role as an on-air personality.

But of course, people had to run with this.

And Sanders isn’t exactly talking it down.

The rumor seems to have the support of FSU’s top-ranked commit for the 2020 class...

And drew a playful jab from a former Seminole player.

As an aside, I’d just like to re-emphasize that the Sanders-to-FSU thing originated with Rapoport and Mike Garafolo: his colleagues at NFL.com. If having your coworkers start a rumor about you is all it takes to make news, I do hope nobody at Tomahawk Nation goes public regarding my tawdry affair with Emma Stone.

Photo by Ed Zurga/Getty Images

With no room for error in the SEC East race, no room for error clearly demonstrated in the CFP release no room for error from a team that only beat Florida thanks to clutch 3rd downs, no room for error with a banged up defense. And a Dooley on the field. What, me worry?

Here is what I’m NOT worried about for Saturday night’s matchup:

1) Truman – the official Missouri Tiger mascot. Have you seen this? I admit I’ve never paid it attention. Tony the Tiger wants to throw down his bowl of cereal and jackslap this thing, just on principle. I’m sure the cartoon-ish face is a big hit at the children’s hospital and for the youngsters attending MU athletic events. But is that what you want to get your fans hyped? Granted, we can’t all have live Bengal Tigers living on campus, but c’mon… put a little aggression in this costume. We have plenty of Tigers in the SEC, I just don’t count this as one of them.

2) Yeah, buddy! It’s Saturday night in Athens, and our ladies and gentlemen of the AV arts will once again set the stage for the most intimidating red-lit atmosphere in sports. I haven’t witnessed this in person, but between the official UGA videos, TV broadcasts, and some pretty cool social media, I know and you know that Georgia utilized the newfangled LED technology to the fullest, firstest, and bestest.

3) Turf Monsters. You know the kind – the ones that come up and trip a ball carrier for no discernible reason. And the Missouri Tigers have played on unnatural fields every single game this season. This will be their first test on the surface God intended… honest to goodness grass.

Other than the opener in Nashville, the Bulldogs are completely grass-fed. This won’t be a huge advantage, as the Dooley Field/Sanford Stadium grounds crew prove again and again they are some of the best in the business – the day-long deluge for Kentucky is evidence enough these guys/gals put out an excellent product. Still, Missouri won’t be quite as fast as they practice and play, and our boys should be able to plant that foot and get that route cut off sharper than the Tigers.

Now forgive me, as I was weaned at the nipple of Larry Munson’s scratch on AM radio, so here’s what I am worried about facing our fellow SEC Easters (even though they’re way west):

1) A repeat of last year. There were so many good things about that game. We block a punt and score a special teams touchdown; Tyson Campbell gets a defensive touchdown; Fromm goes 7-9 and almost 200 yards in the 2^nd half; we had passing touchdowns of 33 yards, 54 yards, and 61 yards; we held future 1^st round draft pick Drew Lock to a 23.5 QBR and no TDs. Individually those are great things, collectively they’re tremendous. So why do I have such a bad taste in my mouth?

Because Hot Rod missed a field goal and another was blocked, Fromm threw a pick, no touchdowns in the 1^st half, we didn’t have a 100 yard rusher (Holyfield led with 90 yards), we gave up 4 rushing touchdowns… yet we won by 2 scores on the road against a divisional opponent. This was a signature “disappointing in the way we won” game that has happened too frequently since we became spoiled in the 2017 magical run.

I like nice things. Blowout wins with total game control and inflated stats are nice things. Why can’t we have nice things?

2) Derek Dooley. At some point he’s got to have some success in Athens, surely. Regression to the mean? Law of averages? There’s a phrase that encapsulates this, I’m just too lazy to figure it out. Anywhoo, we’ve owned Missouri since the series started (not counting the 1960 Orange Bowl), winning 6 of 7 and the last 5. However, we are Georgia, and we don’t let mediocre opponents get in the way of our losing… we just time it where it wrecks a season. You’d think the South Carolina game qualified as our annual Derpitudinal Equinox, but I’m not fully convinced.

We’re far more talented than Missouri, and much deeper. But it wasn’t so long ago that many pundits had Missouri coming into Athens undefeated, based on an easy first half of their schedule. The opening loss to Wyoming threw water on that plan, then the Tigers reeled off 5 wins in a row, including 2 SEC wins and a Power 5 OOC victory over West Virginia. Losses to lowly Vanderbilt and one-dimensional Kentucky the last two weeks kicked the dousing level up to 11, neither time gaining 300 yards of offense and being held to two scores or less in each game.

Is this the Missouri team that scored 34+ points in 5 straight wins? Does Son of Dooley figure out how to utilize the mobile Kelly Bryant and stud Tight End Albert Okwuegbunam (who caught 9 balls against us last year, and has 6 scores this year)? Can their 1-2 rushing punch of Larry Rountree and Tyler Badie get back on track and into the end zone against the Bulldogs?

3) The University of Georgia is 3^rd in the nation in Red Zone conversion percentage, with 33 of 34 chances resulting in scores. Yet if you look at Red Zone touchdowns, we fall into a 10-way tie for 37^th, punching it in only 24 times once we hit the opponents’ 20 yard line. As a percentage, we score a TD 70% of the time, which is only ranked 28^th. How do we not get into the end zone more? We haven’t faced great defenses (ND, Florida, yeah kinda). We have multiple height mismatches with our receivers, we have speedy slot guys for the hot slant, we have stud running backs, and the largest offensive line ever known to mankind ever in the history of time ever.

Weirdly, Missouri has only defended the red zone 17 times, allow 9 TDs and 3 FGs. This is much more of a story about giving up a few big plays and facing middlin’ offenses. Likewise, we’re not hitting the big play that much, so in order for Georgia to beat the more stout competition coming up, we’re going to have to get healthy in the red zone or bust open some explosive plays. (Edit: I did like our 2 pt conversion last week – need more of that stuff). If we can’t punch it in against Missouri, Auburn sure isn’t going to let us waltz across that line.

Call me crazy, just don’t call me late for dinner. Sound off in the comments below what worries you about the 9^th meeting between the Bulldogs of Georgia and the Tigers of Columbia.

And as always…

GO ‘DAWGS!!!

Go Ducks!

The Ducks moved up two spots in the SB Nation FanPulse Poll to #9 after their beatdown of USC.

Only two PAC-12 teams were voted into the top 25: #8 Utah and #9 Oregon. The only team to beat Oregon thus far, the Auburn Tigers, are ranked #12. We’ll see if the Ducks get the opportunity to play the #1 Bayou Bengals this season should they meet in the playoff.

Now, the FanPulse poll covers basketball, too! Unfortunately they didn’t specify whether the question below is referring to the Men’s or Women’s basketball team, so we’ll have to assume that we are confident with both of our badass coaches.

And in non-Duck related news, the SB Nation sites were asked which game they were most excited for and they answered with a resounding “LSU @ Alabama”. Obviously if the Ducks were playing this poll would be different, especially since those SEC fans don’t care as much as us PAC-12 fans, but here ya go.

Nobody knows more than Duck fans! That’s why we need members to join the ranks.

Once you sign up (and make no mistake, you will sign up) you’ll set your preseason Top 25. Each week, you’ll get an email asking to update your picks and answer a question or two about the one and only Ducks

This data provides an easy way for ATQers and other communities to talk about rankings and sh*t-talk in general.

Again, the SIGN UP IS HERE to join the poll.

Do your part, head to the virtual voting booth!

Photo By Bill Clark/CQ Roll Call

streakingthelawn.com should sponsor a bowl game

TIME: 12:30 PM (EST)

DATE: November 9th, 2019

LOCATION: Scott Stadium | Charlottesville, VA

HOW TO WATCH: ACCN

The Lowdown

After last week’s win, Virginia is now bowl eligible for a third straight season. Now fans can finally relax knowing that the Cavaliers can play in one of the many ridiculously named bowl games such as: the Walk-On’s Bistreaux and Bar Independence Bowl, the Bad Boy Mowers Gasparilla Bowl, and the Tony the Tiger Sun Bowl. Personally, I’m bummed that Virginia can’t play in the Cheez-It Bowl, which undoubtedly is a solid addition to in the corporate-sponsored bowl game canon.

All jokes aside, consistent bowl game eligibility is not to be taken for granted. Despite away game struggles throughout the year, Virginia went toe-to-toe offensively North Carolina last year and walked away with a crucial win to keep the Cavaliers in the Coastal Division driver’s seat. The Hoos now enter a three game home stand, where they’ve been undefeated so far, to finish out the season.

This week, the 2-6 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets come to town. After long time head coach Paul Johnson retired last year, the Yellow Jackets find themselves in somewhat of a rebuilding season. They lost against The Citadel, an FCS team, in week 2 and have only one ACC win which came against Miami. On paper, Virginia has the upper hand in nearly every category and should be expected to win the game. Although, the unexpected is always possible and Virginia still needs to show offensive consistency and plug defensive gaps as it heads into the last three games of the season.

The Statistics

from Danny Neckel

Hoo’s Hoo?

Virginia Cavaliers

De’Vante Cross, S

While Virginia’s secondary has been a staple for the team’s defense, it has also been the unit most ravaged by injuries. Six defensive backs have been put on the IR this year: Antonio Clary, Bryce Hall, Darrius Bratton, Shawn Smith, Brenton Nelson and Germane Crowell. De’Vante Cross remains one of the starters on the team and despite his position switching over the years, he has solidified himself in the Hoos’ secondary.

Virginia Cavaliers

Zane Zandier, LB

ZZ Stop has been stellar for the Cavaliers all season. As anticipated, the third-year has stepped into a larger role this season. Zandier leads the team in tackles, with 66, and also has 4.5 sacks. He already has eclipsed his numbers in those categories from last year. While much of the attention goes to Jordan Mack, Zandier has established himself as just as much of an important defensive piece for the Hoos.

Virginia Cavaliers

Jowon Briggs, LB

Virginia’s four-star recruit is just getting going in his career. Last week, Briggs recorded his first sack of the season. The good news for Briggs is that Georgia Tech ranks 110th in sacks allowed, giving up 2.88 sacks a game. Hopefully the freshman can continue his positive trend and cause some havoc in the trenches. Regardless, Briggs’ development will be an interesting one to watch the rest of the year and on.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

James Graham, QB

Gone are the days of triple option offense for Georgia Tech, although, mobile quarterbacks still remain an integral part of the Yellow Jackets’ core. After competing with the other quarterbacks, redshirt freshman James Graham has emerged as the team’s main starter. So far, he’s thrown for 722 yards and six touchdowns (with four interceptions). He’s also rushed for 122 yards on 52 attempts.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Jordan Mason, RB

The Yellow Jackets’ main running back is sophomore Jordan Mason. He has rushed for 622 yards and six touchdowns so far this season. Mason has also picked up the load in the last three games, notably rushing for 141 yards against Miami and 106 yards against Duke. The Yellow Jackets are still a run-reliant team so look for Mason to get plenty of touches against Virginia on Saturday.

Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

Tariq Carpenter, CB

The Yellow Jackets’ secondary is bright spot for the team this season. They rank 20th in the country, allowing only 187.9 passing yards per game. Junior defensive back Tariq Carpenter is one the leaders for Georgia Tech, who ranks third in the team in tackles. Alongside Juanyeh Thomas and Kaleb Oliver, the Yellow Jackets secondary could cause some trouble for Bryce Perkins.

#tbt

Georgia takes the lead in SEC after topping Florida

Headlines

1. Memphis, Memphis, Memphis, Memphis

The number of Group of Five undefeated teams is now zero. Although SMU arrived in Memphis with an impressive 8-0 record, they left with a 54-48 loss to the Tigers. Both teams were good through the air, with Brady White from Memphis and SMU’s Shane Buchele each throwing for over 350 yards and three touchdowns.

2. Dawgs on top.

It was a rough few weeks for Georgia, but a tough win against Florida propelled UGA to the top of the SEC East standings. Perhaps the only negative from the win is that Georgia should have scored more points seeing as how they went 12-18 on third downs.

3. Hangin around out west.

In a bit of a surprising twist, the Pac-12 has two potentially strong teams in Utah and Oregon. Both also picked up impressive road wins over the weekend. Oregon whooped USC 56-24 and outscored the Trojans 56 to 14 over the final three quarters. Utah had its own impressive win, defeating Washington 33-28, despite trailing midway through the third quarter.

Taillines

1. Little Red

It might be another year before Scott Frost gets things going at Nebraska. This week the Huskers dropped a 31-27 contest to Purdue. Despite taking a three point lead with under five minutes remaining, the Boilermakers went on an 82 yard drive, scoring the go ahead touchdown with just over a minute remaining in regulation.

2. Struggle in South Bend

Coming off an embarrassing loss to Michigan, Notre Dame still has some issues on offense, despite beating Virginia Tech 21-20. Virginia Tech led for most of the second half, until an Ian Book 7-yard TD run with twenty nine seconds left gave Notre Dame the lead.

3. Chopped

Miami-Florida State was a great rivalry, many years ago. In the latest installment, Miami went into Tallahassee and throttled the Noles 27-10. The loss was so bad that FSU opted to fire Willie Taggart not even two full seasons into his time as head coach.

Video Potpourri

Notes

• The other Group of Five school to join the one loss category is Appalachian State, falling to Georgia Southern 24-21.
• A team possibly sneaking up on folks: Navy. The Mids went to 7-1 after hammering UConn 56-10 and are percentage points ahead of Memphis as the first place team in the AAC west.
• Auburn must have left some of its offense in Baton Rouge as the Tigers only squeaked by Ole Miss 20-14. The underlying numbers suggest a game that should have not been nearly as close, with Auburn winning the time of possession battle and posting nearly double the total yardage of the Rebels.
• Boston College put up a 34 point second quarter in its 58-27 win over Syracuse.

Butch Dill-USA TODAY Sports

Can LSU cover Alabama’s fearsome foursome?

Game of the Century Part 136 (or whatever number we’re on by now) will look a lot different than the one in 2011 that ended 9-6. While both offenses were averaging over 30 points per game that year, it was a defensive slugfest. This year looks likely to be a shootout.

As Brent covered last week, LSU has a potent receivers. LSU is averaging 46.8 points per game, good for fourth in the country. Their passing offense? Second in the country with 377.8 yards per game. The Tigers can score.

Of course, so can Alabama. While LSU is fourth in scoring offense, Bama is second, averaging 48.6 yards per game. Much of that is driven by the best wide receiver corps in the nation, with arguably the best quarterback throwing to them. The Tide’s passing offense ranks fifth in the country, and that’s with Tua Tagovailoa missing a game.

Of the 32 passing touchdowns scored, Alabama’s receivers have hauled in 24 of them. LSU has that trio Brent highlighted, but Alabama has a...quadro......quartet...quadrumvirate...four really good receivers.

Jerry Jeudy is the reigning Biletnikoff winner. He leads the team in receptions with 52. He’s second on the team in receiving yards (682 yards) and touchdowns (8). Jeudy started off the year with two 100 yard games (18 receptions for 240 yards and 4 touchdowns in those two games). I can’t say he faded or struggled or anything like that; he just didn’t put up as ridiculous numbers as he had been doing. And that’s partially because of this next guy.

DeVonta Smith was sort of the forgotten guy in Alabama’s receiver room, his 2nd and 26 heroics notwithstanding. Now, however, he leads the team in receiving yards 721 yards and 9 touchdowns. His 274 yard, 5 touchdown performance against Ole Miss set school records.

Henry Ruggs III is churning out another productive season. He has 26 receptions for 513 yards and 6 touchdowns, with a team-leading 19.73 yards per reception. Ruggs notched two 100 yard games in all of 2018; he has two through 8 games this year.

Finally, there’s Jaylen Waddle. The sophomore speedster is having a relatively quiet season with 297 yards and notably only 1 touchdown. On most teams, Waddle would be the unquestioned #1 or #2 receiver, especially finishing last year second on the team in receiving yards. At Alabama, he’s fighting for touches. He is on pace for roughly the same number of receptions; they’re just not going for the same crazy yards per catch.

Opposing the four horseman is an LSU secondary that is chock full of talent but that has been taken advantage of at times this season. LSU’s pass defense ranks 60th in the nation, allowing 217.5 yards per game. The Tigers gave up 409 passing yards and 4 touchdowns to Texas. They have improved since then, only allowing over 300 yards once (to Florida) while hauling in at least one interception every game (9 in those 5 games), though they also haven’t exactly faced a murderers’ row of quarterbacks.

Freshman phenom Derek Stingley Jr. has already emerged as probably the best cornerback on LSU’s team. The former 5 star, #3 overall recruit leads the Tigers with 4 interceptions (all in the last 5 games) and 9 pass break-ups, for an SEC-leading 13 passes defended. You can find Stingley’s name in a bunch of midseason All-American teams, and you’ll likely find him in ones at the end of the season. He’s one of 20 semifinalists for the Bednarik Award.

Senior cornerback Kristian Fulton is no slouch either, projected by many as a first round pick. He’s right behind Stingley with 8 pass break-ups and recorded his first interception a few weeks ago against Mississippi State.

Junior safety Kary Vincent Jr. plays nickel for the Tigers. He has 26 tackles on the year, with a solid 8 tackle game coming against Mississippi State, while adding an interception and 4 pass break-ups. Additionally, Vincent runs track for LSU and was part of the Tigers’ 4x100 meter relay team that won an SEC championship earlier this year.

LSU has another projected 2020 first round pick in their secondary in safety Grant Delpit. Delpit was a unanimous All-American in 2018 and was on midseason All-American teams this year. He was also recently named one of the 14 semifinalists for the Thorpe Award. Delpit injured his ankle against Auburn last month and has been a bit gimpy, but Ed Orgeron expects him to be “totally healthy” come Saturday. It’s something to keep an eye on.

Next to Delpit is junior Jacoby Stephens. Stephens has been a versatile player for the Tigers. He started his career as a wide receiver before switching back to defense in 2018. He’s able to play deep or come down and play in a hybrid safety-linebacker role for defensive coordinator Dave Aranda. And Stephens has had some success, earning SEC co-Defensive Player of the Week honors for his 8 tackle, 1 sack, 1 interception performance against Mississippi State.

Darren Yamashita-USA TODAY Sports

Florida might be spending much of the next decade in home-and-homes with Pac-12 teams.

Chomping at Bits comes stocked with the best Florida Gators links and news we can find, and maybe some other stuff. Here’s hoping it will be daily through the rest of football season.

Report: Florida to meet Cal, Arizona State in home-and-home series: One of these will be a back-to-back — Cal will visit Gainesville in 2026 and host Florida in Berkeley in 2027 — and the other staggered — Florida heads to Tempe in 2028 and hosts Arizona State in 2031 — per this report, but both fall into Florida’s established pattern under Scott Stricklin of looking for cool fan experiences as much or more than big-name teams. Florida has yet to announce these games, but has done most of its announcing of future scheduling plans on Fridays this year. (Adam Silverstein, Only Gators)

Chris Bleich transferring because of “family issues”: I’m not ignoring Florida having a starter (if a mostly nominal one) transfer in the middle of a game week; I have something for later this morning half-written. But it was handy to see this quote from Dan Mullen before hitting publish on the other post! (Robbie Andreu, The Gainesville Sun)

Florida doing much with not much: Don’t forget just how much injuries have racked this team. (David Wunderlich, Gator Country)

Recruiting mailbag: There seems to be some room for a possible flip of a former Florida State commit at a position of need. (Andrew Spivey, Gator Country)

There are way too many capital letters in this headline: I mean, not the author’s fault, but: Yuck. (UAA Communications)

Got a link, post, or video you think we should check out? Email us at AlligatorArmy@gmail.com, subject line CAB or Chomping at Bits, or find us on Twitter (@AlligatorArmy) or on Facebook at facebook.com/AlligatorArmy.

Photo by Joe Robbins/Getty Images

A look at how the oddsmakers and experts view Kentucky vs. Georgia.

Kentucky seemed to find themselves last week against a sub-par Arkansas Razorbacks team, but it took every ounce of wide receiver-turned-quarterback Lynn Bowden to pull out the victory.

The Wildcats, sitting at 3-3, will now face by far their most difficult test of the season as they travel to Athens, for a matchup with a Georgia Bulldogs team that embarrassingly lost at South Carolina last weekend.

With a full game of tape on Bowden, a much more physical offensive/defensive line and a clear advantage of talent at skill positions, Georgia is a very sizable favorite one year after demolishing the best Kentucky team the Wildcats have had in four decades.

Saturday will be a major challenge just to stay competitive, but this Georgia team has proven to be far more vulnerable that most expected coming into the season.

Analysis

ESPN’s Football Power Index is giving Kentucky a whopping 6.3% chance to upset Georgia, who was every matchup of this decade and hasn’t lost to the Cats since 2009. Bill Connelly’s S&P formula gives the Wildcats an 8% chance of winning and projects a 39-15 win for the Dawgs.

After opening as 27-point underdogs, the line has indeed moved in Kentucky’s favor, but only by two points, as it now stands at -25 and still favors Georgia by four scores. With the over/under set at 46.5, the final score is predicted to be somewhere around 36-11 with the Bulldogs obviously winning.

Behind seasoned quarterback Jake Fromm, a veteran head coach and (most importantly) an embarrassing loss last week to the Gamecocks, Georgia will be more than ready to play this weekend. Kentucky head coach Mark Stoops has pulled off multiple upsets in his career at Kentucky, including one as a 28-point underdog at Louisville in 2016, so it’s not like they’re strangers to massive upsets.

Betting Trends

Kentucky

• Kentucky is 6-2 ATS in their last 8 games.
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Kentucky’s last 9 games.
• Kentucky is 13-6 SU in their last 19 games.
• Kentucky is 0-6 ATS in their last 6 games against Georgia.
• Kentucky is 0-9 SU in their last 9 games against Georgia.
• The total has gone UNDER in 6 of Kentucky’s last 7 games on the road.
• Kentucky is 1-11 SU in their last 12 games when playing on the road against Georgia.
• Kentucky is 4-2 ATS in their last 6 games this season.
• The total has gone UNDER in 10 of Kentucky’s last 12 games against an opponent in the Southeast conference.

Georgia

• The total has gone UNDER in 5 of Georgia’s last 7 games.
• Georgia is 5-1 SU in their last 6 games.
• The total has gone OVER in 4 of Georgia’s last 6 games against Kentucky.
• Georgia is 16-1 SU in their last 17 games at home.
• Georgia is 11-1 SU in their last 12 games when playing at home against Kentucky.
• The total has gone UNDER in 4 of Georgia’s last 6 games this season.
• Georgia is 6-1 ATS in their last 7 games against an opponent in the Southeast conference.
• The total has gone OVER in 6 of Georgia’s last 8 games played in October.
• Georgia is 2-5 ATS in their last 7 games played in week 8.

Expert Picks

Per CBS Sports, there was a sweep by Barton Simmons, Chip Patterson, Dennis Dodd, Jerry Palm and Tom Fornelli to not only pick the Bulldogs straight up but also to cover the 25-point spread.

Rob McVey of Athlon Sports is predicting a narrow cover by Kentucky, though, with the Wildcats losing by a 37-13 decision.

Pete Fiutak of College Football News is almost right in line with McVey, predicting a 37-10 loss for Kentucky.

Brad Crawford at 247 Sports is expecting an even wider margin of blowout by a score of 38-7 in favor of Georgia.

Joe Williams of SportsBook Wire is going with a 45-13 Georgia win.

TeamRankings projects a 37-10 Georgia win, while numberFire went with a 38-15 win for the home team.

Prediction

Other than punter, Kentucky won’t have an advantage at any position on the field this weekend. While flipping the field can spell your team some time, the punter can’t assist the offense scoring points or the defense being ran over by the Goliaths’ of Georgia’s offensive line.

This game will represent that one weekend nearly every college fanbase has each year where you’re simply looking forward to the next weekend. For the players, though, this a chance to show what they’re made of on a national stage.

The Wildcats will look to prove they’re still narrowing the gap between themselves and the Bulldogs, who in turn will look to show they’re still a legitimate College Football Playoff team.

Needless to say, Georgia will win this going away.

Final Score: Georgia 41, Kentucky 6

Photo by Streeter Lecka/Getty Images

Evans is ESPN’s #2 overall recruit. That seems like a good thing.

North Carolina has landed its crown jewel of the 2020 football recruiting class. On Friday afternoon, five-star defensive end Desmond Evans verbally committed to the Tar Heels. Evans, who has long been rumored to favor UNC, finally made it official after unofficially visiting Chapel Hill approximately 10 times in the past year. After attending the season opener in Charlotte where North Carolina dispatched the South Carolina Gamecocks on national television, Evans also visited Chapel Hill for the Clemson and Appalachian State games.

Just how big of a commitment is this for the Heels? ESPN ranks Evans as just one of 17 five-star prospects in their ESPN300 rankings. Here’s a breakdown of the three major recruiting services.

ESPN: 5-stars, #2 (national), #1 (position), #1 (state)
247 Sports composite: 5-stars, #22 (national) #2 (position), #1 (state)
Rivals: 4-stars, #48 (national), #3 (position), #2 (state)

Whichever service you prefer, there is no way to overstate the significance of this commitment. In the pantheon of coveted UNC recruits, the list is arguably Ronald Curry, Desmond Evans, Marvin Austin, and then everyone else. Since recruiting rankings have become mainstream and easily accessible, Evans joins Austin as one of the top-two rated defensive recruits to ever land at North Carolina. Different recruiting services differ on Austin and Evans’ overall rankings, but at this point, we’re all just splitting hairs. (ESPN lists Evans as the better prospect, while 247 Sports currently prefers Austin).

The 6-6, 240-pound defensive lineman out of Sanford, NC will undoubtedly be the cornerstone of the current defensive resurgence in Kenan Memorial Stadium. As a junior he accounted for 25 tackles for loss and 12 sacks. According to MaxPreps, in five games of action this season, Evans has tallied 27 Tackles, 10 TFLs, 4 Sacks, 6 QB hurries and forced a fumble. On offense, he’s grabbed seven receptions for 93 yards and a touchdown.

Evans projects to be the perfect hybrid OLB/DE for Jay Bateman’s fluid scheme, adding size and length that’s sorely missing from the defensive side of the ball. The official UNC football roster lists just two defensive players, DEs Nolan DeFranco (SR) and Wisdom Asaboro (FR), as being 6’6 or taller. Neither have played a single snap this season. Not to mention at least five seniors on the defensive line and linebacking corps will graduate. There will be ample opportunity for immediate playing time.

Evans also adds another brick to Mack Brown’s proverbial recruiting wall around the state. Of UNC’s 23 verbal commits, 13 are from the state of North Carolina. According to Rivals’ and 247 Sports’ organic rankings, Evans’ commitment gives UNC four of the top 10 players in the state of North Carolina for the 2020 cycle. ESPN puts that number at three of the top 10. Despite those differences, no other school has more than two of the state’s top 10 recruits according to any of the three primary recruiting services.

Evans picked UNC over Virginia Tech, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee. He never took an official visit to any of his top five schools, but recently took an unofficial trip down to Florida. He also scheduled an OV to Virginia Tech for this weekend’s game against North Carolina. It’s a safe assumption that Des will not be making it up to Blacksburg as a VIP guest of the Hokies.

North Carolina now owns a consensus top 20 recruiting class in the country and boasts six ESPN300 recruits. That is their highest total since ESPN expanded their rankings in 2012. The 2020 recruiting class is also on pace to be their highest ranked recruiting class since 2009 when Butch Davis’ third recruiting class finished at 9th (Rivals), 12th (247 Sports), and/or 13th (ESPN). That class included seven recruits on what was then the ESPN150.

This class isn’t quite to that level, but with six games left in the season UNC still has a few scholarships remaining. A few surprise commitments may still pop. As we mentioned on Monday, Mack flipped nine recruits in last year’s class and picked up three transfers in the offseason. Anything can happen in the next 60 days.

In the meantime, the coaching staff will put the finishing touches on 2020 and use that momentum for the 2021 class.

Patrick Gorski-USA TODAY Sports

The No. 16 Michigan Wolverines are looking for their first win as underdogs in the Jim Harbaugh era.

Ahead of Saturday’s long-awaited White Out against Michigan, we caught up with our friends over at Maize N Brew to talk about the match-up between two teams looking for statement wins on Saturday night. Before we dive into the interview, we’d like to thank Maize N Brew’s Trevor Woods for his time!

Now without further adieu;

1. Michigan’s offense seems to be performing below expectations. What seems to be the overall issue, and where is the offense now compared to your expectations at the start of the season?

Execution. A major issue on offense has been fumbles, they’ve put the ball on the ground 17 times and have lost 9 of those fumbles. Obviously that’s really bad and Michigan needs to play turnover free football in hostile environments on the road. Michigan’s offensive line wasn’t protecting the quarterback earlier on in the year, but they’re playing better now. Michigan was banged up at running back, now Zach Charbonnet is back to full health and looks like they found a bruiser for a No. 2 back last week in Hassan Haskins. Quarterback Shea Patterson hasn’t played as well this season compared to 2018, which has fans worried and wanting to see backup Dylan McCaffrey in the game.

As far as where the offense is compared to where I thought it would be, it’s my own fault for having high expectations out of the gate. With new offensive coordinator Josh Gattis coming in and installing a new up-tempo pro-spread scheme, it actually shouldn’t have come as a surprise that there have been growing pains this season. Gattis’ scheme promises to be aggressive and dictate what it does, it is supposed to get their playmakers the ball with ‘speed in space’. I don’t think we’ve seen this offense at their best, and it remains to be seen if we’ve seen them at their worst.

2) Penn State’s defense has been fantastic against the run this season. Do you think Michigan will be able to find success in the run game, or will they need to rely on Shea Patterson?

They’ll have to rely on Patterson in certain stages of the game no matter how good Michigan’s run game performs. Patterson will need to hit his shots when they’re available.

Michigan will have at least moderate success running the ball. Michigan’s line is looking good enough to spring at least a couple sizable gains. Penn State will get their stuffs, but Michigan has talent at the position that won’t get completely shut out.

3) Patterson’s completion percentage has dipped this season. What has been the cause of this?

In short, he hasn’t been as accurate. Patterson hasn’t been consistently on the money to any area of the field and has had his share of misses on short, intermediate, and long throws. Part of the inaccuracy can be blamed on the pressure he received from the Army, Iowa, and Wisconsin defenses, but Patterson wouldn’t use that as an excuse.

4) Which match-up will you be paying close attention to on Saturday (either individual vs. individual or position group vs. position group)?

The trenches on both sides of the ball for Michigan. The Wolverines offensive line really needs to protect Patterson and give him time to operate. It’s also smart to pack a run game on the road and the o-line has a major say in the effectiveness of a running attack. For the Michigan d-line, it’ll be real important to maintain their gaps and contain Sean Clifford in hopes of making him pass from the pocket all game long. Clifford has been a fine QB this season, but he’s struggled when pressured.

5) Penn State’s offense has run hot and cold at times throughout the season. What will be the key for Michigan’s defense to slow down the Nittany Lions?

Pretty much continuing what was said in the question above, Michigan needs to pressure Clifford and make him play from the pocket. If the Michigan pass rush is able to get to Clifford quickly and the d-line clogs the running lanes for him to scramble, this game could go Michigan’s way.

6) Which lesser-known (at least to Penn State fans) Michigan player could be the X-factor on Saturday?

Wide receiver Ronnie Bell has really developed into one heck of a receiver for Michigan. Bell is up to 20 receptions and 361 yards (0 TDs). Bell is a go-to target in crucial 3rd down situations.

7) How do you see this game playing out and what is your prediction for the final score?

Really not sure how this game is going to play out so no prediction or final score from me. Penn State has the home field advantage on their side, it’s a freaking whiteout game at night in Happy Valley, it’s going to be nuts. Penn State could hit a few big plays in both the run and pass game and create enough separation and momentum to breeze in this one. Michigan could play their most fundamentally sound game yet with their offense finally hitting their stride and their defense could shutdown Penn State’s offense like Iowa did for much of the game last week. Penn State’s defense could pressure Patterson and create a couple turnovers that aid in a close game. It could be a throwback low-scoring affair. It could be a game where both team goes over 25 points. A lot of things could happen, just not sure what. This is a rivalry, and it’s going to be fun (at least until something bad happens to your respective team). Best of luck to Penn State and I wish you and your readers well.

(No final score provided)