#VT is a great FC

[luohwa]

ok im dying to write my s/vt fcs so pls like and specify a muse in the replies if u would like a starter from them!

cha kyeol: seung/cheol fc. bisexual. professional baseball team captain and player. doesn't like playing sports professionally but has no choice cause he's the breadwinner of the fam. chill with everyone, even opponent teams and everyone trauma dumps on him bc he's a great listener and offers genuine advices. tho he would rather d word before telling his own problems.

kang sejun: min/gyu fc. bisexual. fried chicken restaurant delivery boy. errand boy. would do anything for the right price. insists that he loves to read but he falls asleep within ten minutes as soon as he starts reading a book. has surprisingly great memory so he tends to notice and know a lot of things he shouldn't.

seo kangyun: seok/min fc. bisexual. street busking artist who should be in university but he uses all his tuition fee for buying instruments and renting studios. doesn't actually care about a lot in life except to write and sing songs. and his mom. very anti capitalism bc he hates the thought of working 9-5 but he wants all tteokbokki stalls all around his neighborhood to close down so ppl only visit his mom's.

seol daheon: jeong/han fc. bisexual. originally a trust fund baby but has unofficially been casted out of the family but still keeps in contact with his siblings. kind of big middle child energy. loves playing video games so he set up his own video game development company.

xia zhiyun: jun/hui fc. bisexual. fitting model and friends with a lot of influencers, but he can't really stand them but they give him #exposure so. the type to willingly listen to tswift way too much bc his crush loves tswift. tbh he's way too self sacrificing even tho he acts like he cbf to even bother about other ppl.

cheon jaeha: won/woo fc. bisexual. law student who doesn't seem to graduate and would encourage you to steal his wallet bc #eattherich and he can't stand his dad so. prob has both daddy k!nk and daddy issues. a #Snake tbh but he's also genuinely nice and kind, but not as nice and kind as people think he is.

woo seowon: ho/shi fc. bisexual. podcaster. broadcasting station intern. just trying to make the world a better place in whatever small ways he can, and for him that means trying to bring awareness and support through discussing about 'controversial' issues in his podcast. a precious baby and not as naive as people think he is, even though he tends to be a little too hopeful and optimistic.

[moneyshvt]

☆ . · . simay barlas, twenty-two, female, she / her . · . ☆ AYLA CLEARWATER lives in that huge mansion over there! no, not that one. look for THE LARGE NATURAL STONE FOUNTAIN and that’ll be it. the SPORTS PHOTOGRAPHER has offered occasional glimpses of LIGHT GREEN walls and an impressive collection of EMPTY PICTURE FRAMES in the background of social media posts, but all of that is nothing compared to seeing the opulence in person. they’ve remained CLEVER as ever since moving to tercet court one year ago, but it seems like they might’ve gotten a little more of NARCISSISTIC too. maybe that’s why they’re rumored to have such a FRIENDLY relationship with everyone else who lives on this street. ☆ . · . ooc info: ollie, they/them, 21, est . · . ☆

𝐓𝐇𝐄 𝐒𝐓𝐎𝐑𝐘

— she was adopted when she was just under two years old from turkey, so the clearwaters have always felt like her family to her. she knew the greater part of growing up that she was adopted, it just never was an issue for her. it was a fact, but it really wasn’t an important fact. she has no desire to try to find her birth parents or family, though she has visited turkey.

—  the clearwaters are a triple threat in sports : her grandfather retired mlb player and coach, her father a retired prominent defenseman in the nhl and current dartmouth men’s hockey coach, and her older brother ( 26 ) is making a splash in his third year in the nfl as a wide receiver.  however, her parents made sure she and her brother had a ( fairly ) average “middle class” bringing up, though they had their fair share of money in the bank. didn’t have to struggle, really, but didn’t get everything she wanted either. had a summer job scooping ice cream for two years in high school.

— grew up in norwich, vt, real big on nature and hiking and all that jazz and lowkey misses it in the heart of la.

— when she was ten she got one of those kid’s polaroid cameras ( u know the ones where the film is only a little bigger than a postage stamp ) and she was obsessed. she worked her way up through cameras over the years, having a natural eye for it.

— one of the first games she ever shot was one of her brother’s high school football games which sounds sweet but it was actually because she was so bored out of her mind and wanted something to do. needless to say, though, that was the start of it. some might say it was kind of inevitable she gravitated toward sports somehow — she was a clearwater at heart. since then she has gained a lot of knowledge and respect for all different kinds of sports.

— for college she was torn between dartmouth and nyu. she ultimately chose nyu because it was somewhere new.

— she went to nyu for advertising and photography, shooting various nyu sports teams while she was there and throughout her years, managed to shoot a few rangers, knicks, and yankees games as well. she held two summer internships with the yankees ( on her own merits or because of her family name, she may never truly know ) and ultimately graduated from nyu a year early.

— she then spent the better part of a year after graduation road tripping as you do and ended up in california. it’s all about who you know, and in picking up a favor for a friend in cali she stumbled into the perfect opportunity. from there she landed a role on the company that handles the photography for staples center and other notable teams, most notably the kings, lakers, and dodgers ( photography company based on this irl one ).

— she moved into tercet court not long after she knew she would be in la for much of the time being. it’s definitely not her house, considering she makes just enough to live on. it’s a family home, purchased initially by her father who’d wanted to sink some money into tangible assets instead of the stock market and to have a west-coast home available for the family. hey, worked out pretty well for her.

— she has predominately been tasked with shooting the kings the past year or so, though she started with shooting dodgers games last summer and is doing so this summer as well. she’s also shot a handful of lakers’ games when a friend needs someone to cover. three of her photos so far have been used in large ads and banners in the city ( including most recently her current MONEY SHOT of the game winning goal in a come back win ) --- very cool moment for her. several others have been used by local publications and websites.

— she does a little freelance work as well ; mostly for friends or friends of friends, though she’s been considering lately trying to make her skills and business available in a more professional manner. she does do a lot of photographing for herself --- a lot of candids ; she thinks they capture the true spirit of a person moreso than when they’re posing or prepared for a photo. but not in a creepy way --- she’s been the victim of the paps enough times by association with her family to know the correct boundaries and limits.

𝐌𝐈𝐒𝐂

— lowkey loves playing games with the paps, though she’s probably the only one that finds it funny. as a photographer herself she has a good eye for where they’re hiding and will also snap photos of them in turn just for her own amusement.

— she hopes someday to be the team photographer for a team, hopefully in one of the “big four” ( nfl, nhl, nba, mlb )

— she played field hockey and lacrosse through high school.

— ayla thinks she’s better at shooting people. part of what she loves about being a sports photographer is how active and unpredictable it is to shoot a game. she’s had to learn a lot to try to predict what she can.

— very much a morning person. has never had a problem waking up in the morning. who’s jealous bc i am. goes for a run at sunrise, and has showered, gotten ready for the day, and is at a local cafe shop editing photos / making graphics and drinking an iced mocha by 8. truly couldn’t be me...

— so desperately wants to be that girl with tons of cute aesthetic plants in her apartment but tragically plants always die in her care no matter what she does. probably has gotten one of those tiny tabletop sand zen gardens to make herself feel better tho she still keeps trying with plants. so far the only ones that have lived any length of time are the air plants.

— she really wants a greyhound but is afraid to make the commitment to actually adopting one.

— her personal insta ( the non-sports one ) has a modest following. a few thousand, probs.

— she has struggled a bit with people who think her opportunities have only arisen because of her family pedigree ( which some have gone so far to tell her they’re “not her family” --- which, don’t even go there, lads... ), and that has made ayla work all that much harder to prove that she’d gotten where she has on her own merits.

— she has a rule ( and in the case of the nhl there is a rule enforced by a signed contract ) about not getting involved with anyone she shoots ; it’s considered a conflict of interest. i imagine she has a really good relationship with the players though --- probably doesn’t hurt that she is pretty. at least one of them have hired her to shoot their wedding this summer even though she is wildly under qualified.

𝐏𝐄𝐑𝐒𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋𝐈𝐓𝐘

alya is a chill and laidback person at heart. her approach to the fame attached to her due to her father and brother has been to laugh it off good-naturedly. she’s generally well liked, with a hint of sass and humor. she comes across as a bit of an air-head at times, but that’s part due to a persona she put on from a young age. she has an observant eye that drew to her photography in the first place and will often allow her to draw certain conclusions about people. she’s well versed in all the sports she shoots, something that tends to surprise a lot of people, but how is she supposed to be good at her job if she isn’t ? if she gets bothered during games she typically shuts people down with wide eyes and some obscure bit of knowledge in her cute, raspy lil voice. dareisay... elle woods, what like it’s hard ? energy ??

a few of her downfalls include her narcissism and need to be liked. she looks to look and feel pretty, by her own standards, and is a queen of the self-timer and remote self photography : has two instas because of it -- one for her sports photography and one that’s a “personal” and mostly just pictures of herself. her need to be liked is something she doesn’t even realize. she likes to be seen in a positive light.

𝐀𝐏𝐏𝐄𝐀𝐑𝐄𝐍𝐂𝐄

alya stands at 5′4″ with a slim but athletic build. her hair is naturally brown, but is dyed to have blonde highlights. she does not need glasses or contacts and has no tattoos.

she’s almost always wearing the same pair of beat up timberland’s she’s owned since freshman year of college. she likes to be able to move easily ( bc homegirl absolutely cannot walk in heels at all ). despite what the tabloids like to call her unfortunate choice in footwear, she likes to look cute, often pairing them with short, flowy sundresses or skirts + crop tops. when she shoots games, however, she’s dressed rather practically in skinny jeans, a crop top, and a cardigan. her hair is often kept down and loose, or in a messy bun.

𝐎𝐎𝐂

it me. ollie again. i also play fitz ( miguel bernardeau fc ). yes the overlap between fitz and ayla is not great but i truly only know one thing that that one thing is hockey asldfalsdjf sO. if y’all seeing me rping with myself on the dash bc i think it’d be fun to bounce fitz and ayla off each other mind ur own business...

[junker-town]

S&P+ spread picks for every Week 11 college football game

With GameDay watching, can BC impede a pre-ordained Clemson CFP run? Picks for that and every other FBS game here.

Clemson’s got four remaining hurdles to get to the College Football Playoff, and the Tigers are likely to clear all of them. S&P+ gives them a 75 percent chance of winning their final three regular season games (they’re at least an 18-point favorite in each) and would deem them a 29-point favorite against Pitt in the ACC title game, a 27-point favorite against Virginia Tech, or a 25-point favorite against Virginia.

The next few games feel like they’re as much about staying healthy as conquering challenges, but if one game still has even slight uncertainty, it’s this battle with Boston College.

Clemson will probably win. But BC has proved a tricky out this season. The Eagles are 7-2 with a top-30 defense and an offense that alternates between constant explosions and steady implosions. They can make big plays from any situation but might not make any; they’re horrible on third-and-long but don’t face any. Opponents avoid their run defense, passing constantly, but they defend the pass better than the run.

With the way Clemson’s been playing of late, though, it might not matter. Since the Tigers narrowly survived Syracuse with their freshman backup quarterback (as opposed to their freshman starting quarterback), they’ve been as dominant as ever.

They beat Wake Forest, NC State, Florida State, and Louisville by an average of 60-9 (!!). On offense they’re in the top 10 in both Rushing S&P+ and Passing Downs S&P+, and their defense is dominant in all but a select few categories. They have for the last month dominated at an Alabama level, and they are only a little bit behind the Tide in overall S&P+. This is a machine, and if the Tigers survive strangeness in Chestnut Hill, they’re just about to the finish line.

Below are FBS picks and projections using the S&P+ projections, listed in full for all 130 FBS teams here.

See the bottom of the post for more detail about these.

The spread (listed in parentheses) is shown next to S&P+’s pick for each game. The team in bold is projected to beat the spread. (At most books, there is no listed spread for FCS games.) When S&P+ predicts a tie or a push (a tie with Vegas, basically), I list the pick on the side S&P+ would pick if teams could score in decimals.

This document breaks games (and S&P+’s season performance to date) out into their decimal glory. This year, I am including and monitoring total (over/under) picks as well.

Weeknight games

Photo by Brett Carlsen/Getty Images

Syracuse’s Alton Robinson

No. 13 Syracuse 38, Louisville (+21.5) 22 (Nov. 09, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN2)

No. 14 NC State 38, Wake Forest (+17.5) 24 (Nov. 08, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 23 Fresno State (-3) 33, Boise State 24 (Nov. 09, 10:15 PM ET, ESPN2)

Buffalo (-20.5) 41, Kent State 17 — Buffalo won by 34 (W)

Northern Illinois 27, Toledo (+3) 27 — NIU won by 23 (L)

Ohio 33, Miami (Ohio) (+3.5) 32 — Miami won by 2 (W)

After drubbing Louisville appropriately, Syracuse gets a shot at Notre Dame next week in a strangely big game, one that could determine the Irish’s spot in the Playoff or the Orange’s spot in a New Year’s Six bowl.

Ranked vs. ranked

Vasha Hunt-USA TODAY Sports

Mississippi State’s Nick Fitzgerald

No. 1 Alabama 37, No. 16 Mississippi State (+24) 19 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, CBS)

No. 2 Clemson 35, No. 17 Boston College (+20.5) 17 (Nov. 10, 8:00 PM ET, ABC)

No. 5 Georgia 33, No. 24 Auburn (+14.5) 20 (Nov. 10, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 10 Ohio State (-3.5) 30, No. 18 Michigan State 25 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, Fox)

I’m curious how long Mississippi State can make Alabama uncomfortable on Saturday. Going by S&P+, MSU is the best team the Crimson Tide have faced this season. They defend about as well as LSU, and they can run the ball as well as LSU wishes it could.

The Bulldogs could make things interesting if quarterback Nick Fitzgerald can hit a couple of deep shots, but, well, it is putting it kindly to say that Fitzgerald has struggled to hit the deep shots — the MSU offense is third in Rushing S&P+ but 87th in Passing S&P+. Maybe he’s been saving up all his good passes for this moment?

Other ranked teams in action

Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Notre Dame’s Jerry Tillery

No. 3 Notre Dame (-18) 36, Florida State 13 (Nov. 10, 7:30 PM ET, NBC)

No. 4 Michigan (-39.5) 44, Rutgers 2 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, BTN)

No. 6 Oklahoma 45, Oklahoma State (+20.5) 29 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, ABC)

No. 7 LSU 32, Arkansas (+14) 22 (Nov. 10, 7:30 PM ET, SECN)

No. 8 Washington State (-6.5) 36, Colorado 25 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 9 West Virginia 34, TCU (+12) 24 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, FS1)

No. 11 Kentucky (-6.5) 29, Tennessee 22 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, SECN)

No. 12 UCF (-25.5) 50, Navy 17 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN2)

No. 15 Florida (-6) 34, South Carolina 25 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN)

Texas Tech (+2) 35, No. 19 Texas 31 (Nov. 10, 7:30 PM ET, Fox)

No. 20 Penn State 31, Wisconsin (+9) 28 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, ABC)

No. 21 Iowa (-10.5) 30, Northwestern 18 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, Fox)

No. 22 Iowa State 36, Baylor (+14.5) 23 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, FS1)

Florida State’s still got a decent defense (it’s been downgraded from “good” after a couple of bad weeks) and certainly has the athletes to scare Notre Dame, but any thoughts you have about an upset disappear when you think about Jerry Tillery, Julian Okwara, Khalid Kareem, and the disruptive Notre Dame front taking on the sieve that is the FSU offensive line. That could be ugly.

Power 5 vs. Power 5

Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports

Pitt’s Darrin Hall

Arizona State 37, UCLA (+13.5) 24 (Nov. 10, 2:00 PM ET, Pac-12)

Duke (-10) 36, North Carolina 20 (Nov. 10, 12:20 PM ET, ACCN)

Kansas State (-10.5) 33, Kansas 22 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, FSN)

Maryland (+1) 26, Indiana 26 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, BTN)

Miami (+3.5) 33, Georgia Tech 26 (Nov. 10, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN2)

Missouri 38, Vanderbilt (+17) 22 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, SECN)

Purdue 34, Minnesota (+12.5) 26 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN2)

Stanford (-24) 47, Oregon State 20 (Nov. 10, 9:00 PM ET, Pac-12)

Texas A&M 37, Ole Miss (+11.5) 30 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, CBS)

USC (-5.5) 28, California 20 (Nov. 10, 10:30 PM ET, ESPN)

Utah (-4) 35, Oregon 24 (Nov. 10, 5:30 PM ET, Pac-12)

Virginia (+3) Tech 31, Pittsburgh 31 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, ESPNU) (Actual projected score: VT 31.3, Pitt 31.0)

Pitt vs. Virginia Tech in a tossup game for potential control of the ACC Coastal division. That sounds exciting, at least until you think about the teams’ combined 9-8 record.

FBS vs. FBS

Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

Illinois’ Reggie Corbin

Air Force 33, New Mexico (+13.5) 25 (Nov. 10, 3:30 PM ET, CBSSN)

Appalachian State (-21) 34, Texas State 13 (Nov. 10, 4:00 PM ET, ESPN3) (Actual projected score: App State 34.3, TXST 12.9)

Arkansas State (-6.5) 38, Coastal Carolina 28 (Nov. 10, 5:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

BYU 33, Massachusetts (+14) 26 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, ELVN)

Central Michigan (-7.5) 32, Bowling Green 24 (Nov. 10, 3:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

Cincinnati 31, USF (+14) 23 (Nov. 10, 7:00 PM ET, ESPNU)

Eastern Michigan (-12.5) 33, Akron 17 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Florida Atlantic 37, Western Kentucky (+20.5) 18 (Nov. 10, 5:00 PM ET, Facebook)

Florida International (-10.5) 32, UTSA 21 (Nov. 10, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

Houston 32, Temple (+4.5) 29 (Nov. 10, 7:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

Louisiana Tech 40, Rice (+24.5) 17 (Nov. 10, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

Marshall (-14.5) 32, Charlotte 10 (Nov. 10, 2:30 PM ET, ESPN+)

Memphis (-15.5) 39, Tulsa 23 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, ESPNU)

Middle Tennessee 32, UTEP (+13.5) 19 (Nov. 10, 3:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

Nebraska 40, Illinois (+17) 24 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, BTN)

Nevada (-14) 39, Colorado State 24 (Nov. 10, 10:30 PM ET, ESPNU)

North Texas (-14.5) 42, Old Dominion 21 (Nov. 10, 2:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

San Diego State (-22.5) 39, UNLV 15 (Nov. 10, 10:30 PM ET, ESPN2)

SMU (-19.5) 42, Connecticut 23 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN3) (actual projected score: SMU 42.2, UConn 22.7)

Troy (-1) 31, Georgia Southern 29 (Nov. 10, 1:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

Tulane 31, East Carolina (+14) 19 (Nov. 10, 4:00 PM ET, ESPNN)

UAB 28, Southern Miss (+12) 16 (Nov. 10, 7:30 PM ET, beIN) (actual projected score: UAB 28.0, USM 16.1)

UL-Lafayette 42, Georgia State (+14) 30 (Nov. 10, 5:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

UL-Monroe 34, South Alabama (+6.5) 30 (Nov. 10, 5:00 PM ET, ESPN+)

Utah State (-31) 46, San Jose State 10 (Nov. 10, 4:00 PM ET, Facebook)

Virginia 41, Liberty (+23.5) 21 (Nov. 10, 3:00 PM ET, ACCN)

I can’t believe these words are leaving my keyboard, but you should try to watch some of the Nebraska-Illinois game. It will be much more fun than you expect. Nebraska has scored at least 31 points for four straight games and is up to 44th in Off. S&P+ after a tough start. Meanwhile, Illinois — Illinois! — has one of the most enjoyable run games in the country. The Illini are sixth in Rushing S&P+ and rushed for more than 400 yards against Minnesota last week. Granted, they fall apart as soon as they have to rely on anything other than the ground game, but it’s something!

At 4-5, the Illini still have, per S&P+, a 10 percent chance of reaching bowl eligibility. Those odds would improve to at least 35 percent with a win in Lincoln.

FBS vs. FCS

Danny Wild-USA TODAY Sports

Army’s looking to move to 9-2.

Army 30, Lafayette 1 (Nov. 10, 12:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

I would pay a lot of money to see a team win by a 30-1 score.

Each year, I post weekly S&P+ picks as a way of affirming the ratings’ validity. I use my S&P+ system as a complement to most of my analysis, and the picks are a way of showing it generally knows what it’s talking about.

S&P+ tends to hit between 50 (meh) and 54 percent (great) against the spread from year to year. It isn’t always the single best performer, but it holds its own.

Beyond picks, though, it goes deeper than any other set of college football analytics on the market. You can go into granular detail regarding team strengths and weaknesses in a way that no other set of ratings allows. (See the annual team statistical profiles as proof.)

[wearethegoodlife]

TheGoodLife! “Camp Nice” 2017 – Super Re-Cap Extravaganza!

Have you ever wished you could go back to some of the experiences of your youth but in your adult body with all the wisdom and sense of self you’ve acquired since? We have too. And as firm believers that anything is possible, we’ve taken it a step further and turned that wish into a reality! Welcome to Camp Nice, the ultimate summer camp for adults! What started as an idea for a little camp excursion for the autumnal equinox has evolved over the past four years into a one of a kind communal adventure for family and friends of TheGoodLife! This year was far and beyond the most epic Camp Nice yet! Moving to a new location nestled in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains along the Great Appalachian Valley, Camp Nice 2017 was a private wilderness paradise that included a lake and fleet of boats, miles of hiking terrain, an archery range, an arts & crafts hut, even a haunted cabin in the woods! On top of that there were literally acres of available camping zones, a central cabin village, and both bathing and kitchen facilities meaning campers could go as camp or as glamp as they wanted, no judgement here! If that wasn’t enough, we had the generous support of Burton Snowboards, Cutty Sark Whisky, ABK Beer, and Unreal Snacks, who all contributed in major ways to amplify the Camp Nice experience. From Burton providing extensive camping equipment from their collection with Big Agnes to Cutty Sark throwing a multi-course “Pioneer Dinner” cooked over the fire to ABK keeping Camp Nice hydrated with beer for a week to Unreal Snacks hooking up the best s’mores this side of the Mississippi, this years sponsors were next level. And so were the campers. Representing the wide diversity of TheGoodLife! Fam, 2017’s crop of campers were a radical group of artists, musicians, photographers, models, writers, chefs, activists, and athletes, whose collective creative energy was unmatched. Needless to say, we created some beyond epic experiences! Please settle in and get ready for some major camp vibes as we present the Camp Nice Super Re-Cap Extravaganza! All film photography by Craig Wetherby. Words by Tim Brodhagen. Can’t wait for next year!!

Calling all campers…

Yung Sig was one of the first to arrive…

And she got settled in pretty nice at her lakeside tent zone in the Burton x Big Agnes classic!

Next up was Akira & Amaya…

Our new camp mascot Hubert the Heron swooped on by for a sunset welcome…

While Siggy earned the first Boating Badge!

Akira & Amaya got right on Fire Badge duty as soon as the sun set…

Fire Badge EARNED!

Welcome to CAMP NICE! We have arrived!!

The ambitious duo were up bright and early to earn their Fishing Badges!

Captain Blue was there at weigh in to make sure they had some keepers!

Blue popped up the Red Hook Snack Bar and got his Grill Master Badge on with the quickness!

Tono was enjoying the goodness!

Becky, Bree & Cass got theirs!

And so did Rata…YUM!

You know Pat wasn’t sleeping on this either.

Then it was time to start smoking the meat for the Cutty Sark Pioneer Grill!

YUP! Very official!

And might as well add some ABK Beer to the mix!

We were definitely STOCKED UP!

Plenty of Cutty to go around too!

As we got into the night the drinks started flowing!

Blue was focused!

But it was well worth the wait! We all eat right at Camp Nice!

Very NICE!

Thanks to John & Jennifer for getting down with us!

Oscar the Owl was feeling the Cutty merch too!

Now it was S’Mores time! And our friends at Unreal came thru with the healthy vegan goodness!

WHOA!!!

S’MORE PLEASE!!

Toasted bagels were definitely on the breakfast menu!

Our library got a nice upgrade this year with Ricky Powell’s latest creation The Individualist! Thank you!

Yup! Even The Lazy Hustler came thru this year!

Next up was Arts & Crafts time with some custom Camp Nice screen printing with Tono!

Heather whipped up a nice one!

Everyone got their tie dye on!

Blotto got busy!

These guys were earning all the badges!

Erika was a pro!

Chenoah got crafty with it too! Thank you Cass!

Petey aka DJ Smoke L.E.S. was in the house!

Joe’s Pizza!

Arts & Crafts Badges for all!

All the colors were definitely pretty trippy…

Now it was time to earn some Archery Badges with Coach Becky!

These guys were on another level!

Hannah was a sharp shooter..

And so was Timbo!

Emma was pretty on point!

Blotto had that eagle eye!

It was unseasonably hot out so we had to get back in the water! Hannah couldn’t wait!

Siggy & Sable were ready to go!

Chenoah was down too!

Cass was doing it right!

Even tho Pat was trying to harsh her mellow…

Looked very refreshing!

  After some fun in the sun it was time start chilling hard in the hammock. Hannah earned her Rigging Badge!

Pat didn’t waste any time…after all he had a very chillactive day!

Cass was down too!

Catch of the Day!

Paella Time!

Thats right…

OOOF!

Sunsets were proper!

Moonsets were better!

But Becky’s Dutch Oven Peach Cobbler was even better…

Becky is kinda the BEST if you haven’t heard…

She’s always down for an adventure…

FEARLESS!

Siggy & Sable are pretty badass too!

YEAHERRR!!!

Cass got higher than most…

Emma earned style points…

TJ dropped in!

Sable got her eagle on!

Too much fun ! ! !

Sebas was a natural!

Aimz was glowing with joy!

Teamwork makes the dream work! Especially when wearing Pats Pants!!

But wait…Back to Becky…She even shoots arrows in a kimono!!

WINNING AT LIFE!

Miranda stays WINNING!

And so does Erika!

TJ was winning too!

Jesse thought he had the advantage with his non-regulation sharp shooter specs on but got disqualified…

TJ clinched the big WIN!

Archery Badge EARNED!

After a rough day at the archery range The Zen Brothers got their midnight lakeside set crackin!

Next morning Amie was first one to step up to get her Fire Badge…

EARNED!!

George liked to sleep late…

Rise & Shine!

Mermaid Badges were waiting to be earned…

Siggy earned hers!

Now time to earn some more Boating Badges…right after this quick photo shoot tho! Brian was getting it in!

Chenoah earned her Boating Badge…

So did Pat & Cass…

All the pups were trying to earn their Boating Badges too!

They were out in full force!

Ranger Larry even took our camp kitty out for a cruise! Willy B just wanted some fish!!

Boating Badge EARNED!

Now time to chill…

Or keep earning more badges…

Nothing gets by Sig Nasty! Gaming Badge EARNED!

TheGoodLife! FC was representing at Camp Nice!

Miranda’s been down since day one!

Willy B knows whats up!

Bree luvs the pups…

Mo loves everyone!

And Willy B loves hunting for chipmunks!

Miranda loves knitting!

Amaya was all love!

Sam is lovely…

Camp Nice is for lovers…

No haters allowed! G-O-O-D-L-I-F-E-!

It was the chillest of chill…

NAMASTE!

And all that good shit…

Speaking of good shit…EDAN brought those records of warmth for our enjoyment…

Ricky was digging the selections!

And EDAN stayed digging for those gems!

Life was lovely!

Blotto’s breakfast tacos were lovely too!

And so is Bree…

Willy gets all the lovin…

Ricky wasn’t mad…

Saftey First says the Substitute Lifeguard…

No worries here…

Blue kept on reeling ’em in!

Pat was just cruizin…

Fun activities for everyone!

Who’s got next??

Still got game…

The Pasta Queens came ready to ball!

Sam got an ill jumpshot!

And they didn’t play around in the kitchen either…

Pasta for everyone! Cooking Badge EARNED!

BOOM!!

More S’Mores!

Best dessert ever!

Then things got LIT!

The tunes were perfect! The Dardy’s came thru!

Then it was time to go find the haunted cabin!

Things started to get weird!

We all needed a hug after that experience…

The freaks definitely come out at night!

The rest of the VT Crew finally joined us and Ranger Larry was there with the warm welcome.

Matt Kruz of the Gnarmads rode his bike up from NYC to join in the festivities! Beer Badge EARNED!!

Ricky definitely earned his Beer Badge too!

Pat shredded every obstacle he found!

And The Dardy’s were showing off their skills too!

Jozie brought her A-Game!

Amanda had a mean shot too!

Back down at the lake water sports were in full effect!

It was popping!

Spirits were definitely high!

Blue was in the zone!

We eat what we catch!

And then we play!

Horseshoe Champs!

Gaming Badge EARNED!

Fireside Stick & Poke…Arts & crafts Badge EARNED!

Mermaid Badge EARNED!

We couldn’t ask for a nicer night! The moon set over the lake was EPIC!

As the morning approached the fog slowly rolled in…

It was pretty eerie but beautiful…

Misty Mornings

Pat was losing his grip…

Emel was in rare form…

Chenoah, The High Priestess, was taking it all in…

Break Night Badge EARNED!

Farnum showed up and decided to move right in! Camp Nice for LIFE!

It wasn’t bad at all…

We weren’t quite ready to leave just yet…

So we grabbed our trusty cruisers and headed down for a final wood run! Thank you Shimano Bike NYC!

It was all downhill from here…

Woodsman Squad!

Everyone pitched in…

Ranger Larry put in some quality time but had to break out….

One last paddle around the lake to say peace to our homie Hubert…

Really gonna miss these Strawberry Sunsets…

And we OUT!

Final catch!

Not to shabby!

Blue was happy!

Set them free…

Last light!

Camp Nice was exceptionally nice this year…

All our hard work definitely paid off but it was now time to finally say goodbye…

Major THANK YOU to all those who supported and survived CAMP NICE! Til next year…

[junker-town]

Predicting the winner of every Week 5 college football game, from Clemson-VT to FIU-Charlotte

Lots of underdogs are projected to cover this week. Lots of games might be closer than you think. Fingers crossed.

Below are picks and projections using the S&P+ projections you can find in full in the Football Study Hall stat profiles. See the bottom of the post for more detail about these.

The spread (listed in parentheses) is shown next to S&P+’s pick for each game. When S&P+ predicts a push (a tie with Vegas, basically), I’m listing the pick on the side that S&P+ would’ve picked, if teams could score in decimals.

This document breaks games (and S&P+’s season performance to date) out into their decimal glory. My ratings have gone at least 61 percent against the spread in three of the year’s first four ranks. That, my friends, is what we call a hot streak. Will it continue?

Ranked vs. ranked

James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Luke Falk and Wazzu host USC on Friday night.

No. 2 Clemson 27, No. 12 Virginia Tech (+7.5) 21 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, ABC)

No. 5 USC 32, No. 16 Washington State (+3.5) 29 (Friday, 10:30 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 13 Auburn 30, No. 24 Mississippi State (+8.5) 21* (Saturday, 6:00 PM ET, ESPN)

Last week was a little bit disappointing in that, despite odds to the contrary (and a close call in Iowa City), chalk mostly ruled. We didn’t get the “unranked home team takes down a top-10 team” upset we thought was possible.

This week, we’re looking at similar circumstances. Two top-five teams (Clemson, USC) hit the road as favorites against exciting, lower-rated squads. Plus No. 7 Georgia hits the road to play Tennessee. Odds of both Clemson and USC winning: only 36 percent. Odds of Clemson, USC, and Georgia all winning: 22 percent. Maybe we’ll get our upset after all.

* The official projection: AU 30.0, MSU 21.5, with MSU projected to cover by a hundredth of a point.

Other ranked teams in action

Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports

Nic Shimonek could be celebrating a top-15 upset on Saturday night.

No. 1 Alabama 39, Ole Miss (+28) 18 (Saturday, 9:00 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 4 Penn State (-18) 37, Indiana 19 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, BTN)

No. 6 Washington 42, Oregon State (+26.5) 19 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, Pac-12)

No. 7 Georgia 30, Tennessee (+7.5) 24 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, CBS)

No. 10 Wisconsin 35, Northwestern (+15.5) 17 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, ABC)

No. 11 Ohio State 38, Rutgers (+30.5) 12 (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET, BTN)

No. 14 Miami (-6.5) 34, Duke 24 (Friday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 15 Oklahoma State (-10) 43, Texas Tech 32 (Saturday, 8:00 PM ET, Fox)*

No. 18 South Florida 43, East Carolina (+23.5) 20 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

No. 19 San Diego State 31, Northern Illinois (+11) 24 (Saturday, 10:30 PM ET, CBSSN)

No. 21 Florida (-9.5) 29, Vanderbilt 17 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN)

No. 22 Notre Dame 36, Miami (Ohio) (+21) 17 (Saturday, 5:00 PM ET, NBCSN)

No. 25 LSU 36, Troy (+20.5) 16 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPNU)

Vegas sees another Bama rout coming. S&P+ hasn’t completely given up on Ole Miss just yet.

The two most interesting games on this list, by the way: Miami-Duke and OSU-Texas Tech. S&P+ loves the Hurricanes and has been slow to accept that Duke might be awesome. But Duke might be awesome. And there are few things more daunting than following up on a disappointing loss to TCU by going to Lubbock for a night track meet. We’ll see how focused Mike Gundy’s Pokes are.

* Technically OSU 42.5, TTU 31.9.

Power 5 vs. Power 5

Texas 35, Iowa State (+5) 30 (Thursday, 8:00 PM ET, ESPN)

Nebraska (-6.5) 30, Illinois 21 (Friday, 8:00 PM ET, FS1)

Minnesota 29, Maryland (+12) 22 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, FS1)

Georgia Tech 34, North Carolina (+9.5) 27 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, ESPN2)

NC State 33, Syracuse (+12) 26 (Saturday, 12:20 PM ET, ACCN)

Kansas State 35, Baylor (+16.5) 27 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN2)

Florida State (-7.5) 32, Wake Forest 19 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ABC)

Stanford (-16) 42, Arizona State 24 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, Pac-12)

Michigan State (-3) 27, Iowa 23 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, Fox)

Texas A&M 33, South Carolina (+9) 25 (Saturday, 7:30 PM ET, SECN)

Oregon 39, California (+13.5) 27 (Saturday, 10:30 PM ET, FS1)

UCLA 33, Colorado (+7) 30 (Saturday, 10:30 PM ET, ESPN2)

This is a weird schedule, in that a lot of the week’s most interesting games will have taken place before Saturday morning. On Friday night, we’ve got Miami-Duke and USC-Wazzu, but on Thursday, we’ve got Ames in all its glory: Matt Campbell’s exciting Iowa State takes on a Texas team that plays a lot better as an underdog than a favorite.

FBS vs. FBS

Jeff Swinger-USA TODAY Sports

Tanner Mangum and BYU have struggled to ... well, do pretty much anything.

Utah State (+2.5) 28, BYU 21 (Friday, 8:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

Houston 31, Temple (+13.5) 19 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, ESPNU)

Arkansas 39, New Mexico State (+17) 23 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, SECN)

Pittsburgh 39, Rice (+20) 21 (Saturday, 12:00 PM ET, ACCN)

Boston College 28, Central Michigan (+7.5) 24 (Saturday, 1:00 PM ET, ACCN)

Buffalo 29, Kent State (+7.5) 23 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ESPN3)

Ohio 29, Massachusetts (+8.5) 25 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, NESN)

Army 37, UTEP (+24.5) 23 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, CBSSN)

Navy 36, Tulsa (+7.5) 33 (Saturday, 3:30 PM ET, ESPNU)

SMU (-17) 40, Connecticut 21 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, ESPNN)

Kentucky 33, Eastern Michigan (+14.5) 24 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, SECN)

Wyoming (-16.5) 34, Texas State 17 (Saturday, 4:00 PM ET, Facebook)

Bowling Green (-3) 32, Akron 29 (Saturday, 6:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Western Michigan 32, Ball State (+14.5) 27 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

UL-Monroe 33, Coastal Carolina (+8) 31 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Cincinnati (-4.5) 29, Marshall 23 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

Central Florida 32, Memphis (+4) 30 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN2)

Florida Atlantic (-3) 34, Middle Tennessee 29 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, Stadium)

Florida International (-12.5) 35, Charlotte 22 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, beIN)

Southern Miss 33, North Texas (+9) 25 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, $CUSATV)

Louisiana Tech 33, South Alabama (+13.5) 27 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, ESPN3)

New Mexico (PK) 33, Air Force 31 (Saturday, 7:00 PM ET, CBSSN)

Fresno State 32, Nevada (+10) 25 (Saturday, 10:00 PM ET, MWC Video)

UNLV 33, San Jose State (+13) 27 (Saturday, 10:30 PM ET, ESPNU)

Colorado State (-7) 39, Hawaii 28 (Saturday, 11:59 PM ET, MWC Video)

Yeah, S&P+ has given up on BYU.

Each year at Football Study Hall, I have posted weekly S&P+ picks as a way of affirming the ratings’ validity. I use my S&P+ system as a complement to most of my analysis, and the picks are a way of showing it generally knows what it’s talking about.

S&P+ tends to hit between 50 (meh) and 54 percent (great) against the spread from year to year. It isn’t always the single best performer, but it holds its own. And beyond picks, it goes deeper than any other set of college football analytics on the market. You can go into granular detail regarding team strengths and weaknesses in a way that no other set of ratings allows. (See the annual team statistical profiles as proof.)

This year, I will be posting the weekly S&P+ picks at SB Nation instead of FSH.

Because I like to experiment, however, I won’t just be posting the official S&P+ picks. Go to this Google doc, and you will find three sets of picks: S&P+, F/+ (combined ratings from S&P+ and Brian Fremeau’s FEI), and what I’m calling an adjusted S&P+ pick, in which I attempt to account for two additional factors: week of play and type of game.

Week of play: I’m finding that there are cycles to scoring averages throughout a given season. Week 1 typically falls below the season scoring average, while the final weeks of the season tend to perk up in the scoring department. This adjusted projection will take this into account.

Game type: It shouldn’t be surprising to learn that the standard deviation of possible results in a game against FCS competition, for instance, is different than that of a conference game. This projection will also adjust for different types of games. This will mean some pretty extreme projections (Arkansas by 63 over FAMU, for example), but we’ll see how it performs.

[junker-town]

Updating the College Football Playoff impact tracker as Week 3’s top-25 final scores roll in

Let’s keep track of the games on the Week 3 schedule that matter most: those involving top-25 teams.

Below, let’s look at Week 3’s ranked games in a way similar to the College Football Playoff committee’s perspective.

For the committee, it’s not about what you did last week. It’s about what your entire schedule did all year long. Beating a team in Week 3 that finishes .500-plus is better than beating a team that doesn’t, no matter where either team is ranked at kickoff. The same goes for a team that finishes in the Playoff’s Top 25.

Committee rankings won’t be out until Oct. 31, so we’ll stick with AP Poll rankings for now. We’ll have time for in-depth notes on things teams did well later on. This post is only about how these results are likely to impact the Playoff picture.

Week 3 top-25 college football final scores

Results will be added in this section as they arrive.

Week 3 top-25 college football schedule

All times p.m. ET. All games Saturday, unless noted. All win projections based on pregame S&P+.

Will probably matter a lot

No. 3 Clemson at No. 14 Louisville, 8, ABC: The winner is the clear ACC favorite and picks up a high-quality win. For Clemson, this would be a road win over a team likely to otherwise go 8-3 or better. For Louisville, this would mean knocking off a team that could go 10-1 otherwise (the committee isn’t supposed to factor in stuff like Clemson being the defending national champ).

Likely to matter at least a little bit

Colorado State at No. 1 Alabama, 7, ESPN2: Bama’s gonna win. This should be a decent resume win, and CSU could still challenge for the MWC title.

Texas at No. 4 USC, 8:30, Fox: Texas would still be projected to make a bowl even with a loss here, so a USC win should hold up fine. The Horns knocking off the Trojans would continue the Big 12’s overall hot start (except for Baylor and Kansas) and give the Pac-12 a big worry.

Army at No. 8 Ohio State, 4:30, Fox: Army has a good shot at a bowl, so Ohio State’s likely win should matter a little.

No. 10 Wisconsin at BYU, 3:30, ABC: This looked like it’d be a great potential road win for UW, but BYU’s off to a horrible start. The Cougars are already 1-2, have more tough games to go, and could soon have to win six in a row in order to hit .500.

No. 12 LSU at Mississippi State, 7, ESPN: An LSU win should hold up as a road win over a decent Power 5 bowl team. An MSU win would make another SEC West title by Bama start to look like a foregone conclusion.

No. 18 Kansas State at Vanderbilt, 7:30, ESPNU: Sneaky good. KSU’s looked great, albeit against nobody important. Vandy dominated at MTSU, which just went and beat Syracuse. The winner gains a solid-to-good win.

No. 19 Stanford at “No. 33” San Diego State, 10:30, CBSSN: Potential MWC champ SDSU’s “also receiving votes” after beating Arizona State. By year’s end, a Stanford win here would likely matter more to the big-picture Playoff committee than it would to the week-by-week AP.

SMU at No. 20 TCU, 3:30, ESPNU: A TCU win has a great chance to stand as a win over a bowl team. An SMU win should get the Mustangs into the New Year’s conversation for the time being.

No. 23 Tennessee at No. 24 Florida, 3:30, CBS: The winner is UGA’s primary SEC East challenger for now and adds a win over a team likely to finish 8-4 or better.

“No. 30” Oregon at Wyoming, 7, CBSSN: An Oregon win should finish as a quality road win. A Wyoming win would be excellent for the Mountain West’s New Year’s chances.

Probably won’t matter, unless an upset happens

Tulane at No. 2 Oklahoma, 6, SoonerSports.com PPV: OU’s gonna win. Unlikely to matter much, as Tulane’s projected to finish about 5-7.

Georgia State at No. 5 Penn State, 7:30, BTN: PSU’s gonna win, which won’t matter at all.

Fresno State at No. 6 Washington, 9:30, Pac-12 Networks: Fresno’s improved over last year, but this should still be an inconsequential blowout.

Air Force at No. 7 Michigan, noon, BTN: AF does have a decent shot at a bowl, which would make the likely Michigan win noticeable by the committee.

No. 9 Oklahoma State at Pitt, noon, ESPN: Pitt’s bowl chances are wobbly, so this might be a Power 5 road trip that doesn’t mean much to the committee, if OSU wins.

Samford at No. 13 Georgia, 7:30, SEC Network: FCS game. Won’t matter.

Mercer at No. 15 Auburn, 4, SEC Network: FCS game. Won’t matter.

No. 16 Virginia Tech at East Carolina, 3:30, CBSSN: ECU looked terrible in Weeks 1 and 2. This is unlikely to add much to VT’s resume.

Oregon State at No. 21 Washington State, 5:30, Pac-12 Networks: Early on, OSU disappointed against already-low expectations. It’s unlikely a WSU win would matter at all.

Illinois at No. 22 USF, 7 Friday, ESPN: Illinois has improved, but a win by USF won’t likely matter a lot. However, if the Illini remain improved and crack .500 by the end, that could change.

San Jose State at “No. 26” Utah, 10, ESPN2: SJSU’s unlikely to finish as a quality opponent.

Kentucky at “No. 27” South Carolina, 7:30, SEC Network: The winner’s very likely to make a bowl. The loser, though? Let’s wait and see.

“No. 32” Notre Dame at Boston College, 3:30, ESPN: BC is bad. The committee won’t care much about an Irish win.

[junker-town]

2017 college football Week 1 TV/streaming schedule guide: What to watch, when

When does college football start? The opening weekend is actually two weekends. Here's how to watch the best of seven days of football.

College football is back, as of Aug. 26. Unless you want Power 5 vs. Power 5 games, in which case it's Aug. 31. Or unless you only acknowledge Saturdays, which would make it Sept. 2. And there are a bunch of other upcoming days with college football on them, all scattered throughout there.

Either way, one of the weirdest opening schedules in all of sports is upon us. The early bonus week is back, with more than a half-dozen middlin' games on, but things really start to get rolling on Thursday the 26th. Week 1 doesn't officially end until Labor Day, three days before Week 2 begins. It's a lot!

Below, every FBS game scheduled to be televised (or, in spots where nothing else is going on at the time, a few FCS-only games), sorted according to a subjective assessment of watchability. TV times and streaming info are included for each.

Hope you like college football, because here comes a heckload of it.

Saturday, Aug. 26 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It's football Noon FAMU vs. Texas Southern ESPNU, WatchESPN 2:30 Oregon State at Colorado State CBSSN, CBSSports.com 3 Portland State at BYU ESPN, WatchESPN 6:30 Chattanooga vs. Jax State ESPN, WatchESPN 7 Colgate at Cal Poly ESPNU, WatchESPN 7:30 USF at San Jose State CBSSN, CBSSports.com 10 Stanford vs. Rice ESPN, WatchESPN

Let's start off nice and easy. Nothing on this day is essential, but you'll feel lame if you aren't standing and saluting during the kick off of the season's first Division I and the season's first FBS vs. FBS game.

USF-SJSU is a weird road test for Charlie Strong's Bulls, expected by many to be the country's best mid-major, and Stanford-Rice in Australia gets to go up against Mayweather-McGregor. At least CFB's bizarre mismatch is free to watch!

Sunday, Aug. 27 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It's football 7 Richmond at Sam Houston State ESPNU, WatchESPN

Pretty big FCS game, with both in the preseason top 10 at that level. Football on a Sunday! What'll they think of next?

Thursday, Aug. 31 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It's football 6 FIU at UCF CBSSN, CBSSports.com 6:30 Presbyterian at Wake Forest ACC Network, WatchESPN 7 Buffalo at Minnesota BTN, BTN2Go Austin Peay at Cincinnati WatchESPN Rhode Island at CMU WatchESPN Tenn. State at Georgia State WatchESPN Elon at Toledo WatchESPN 7:30 Tulsa at Oklahoma State FS1, Fox Sports Go Holy Cross at UConn WatchESPN 8 Ohio State at Indiana ESPN, WatchESPN FAMU at Arkansas SEC Network, WatchESPN 9 Sac. State at Idaho WatchESPN ULM at Memphis CBSSN, CBSSports.com 10:30 NMSU at Arizona State Pac-12 Networks

For most people, this will count as Opening Night.

College GameDay is setting up shop at Indiana for the season's first Power 5 conference game, with Kevin Wilson as Ohio State's OC against his old team. OSU's favored big, but this should have some atmosphere to it.

If you need a pregame snack, P.J. Fleck becoming a meme on Minnesota's sideline or Tulsa-Oklahoma State possibly reaching 70 points by halftime should do it.

Friday, Sept. 1 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It's football 6 Fordham at Army CBSSN, CBSSports.com 6:30 Charlotte at EMU WatchESPN 7 Cent. Conn. at Syracuse ACC Network, WatchESPN 8 Colorado vs. Colorado State Pac-12 Networks Navy at FAU ESPNU, WatchESPN Washington at Rutgers FS1, Fox Sports Go 9 Utah State at Wisconsin ESPN, WatchESPN 9:30 Boston College at NIU CBSSN, CBSSports.com

The reigning Pac-12 South champs vs. another team that might be the country's best mid-major, and it's a state rivalry game? I think you should watch that.

Elsewhere, wildly different head coaches clash when large, golden boy Lane Kiffin welcomes the eternally overachieving Ken Niumatalolo, and I don't expect Rutgers to give UW much of a fight, but that's a Playoff team you can watch on a Friday.

Saturday, Sept. 2 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It's football Noon Wyoming at Iowa BTN, BTN2Go Missouri State at Missouri SEC Network, WatchESPN Maryland at Texas FS1, Fox Sports Go Ball State at Illinois BTN, BTN2Go Bowling Green at Michigan State ESPNU, WatchESPN Akron at Penn State ABC, WatchESPN Kent State at Clemson ESPN, WatchESPN 12:20 Cal at North Carolina ACC Network, WatchESPN 12:30 Bethune-Cookman at Miami ACC Network, WatchESPN 1 YSU at Pitt ACC Network, WatchESPN 2 Portland State at Oregon State Pac-12 Networks VMI at Air Force WatchESPN 3 NC State vs. South Carolina ESPN, WatchESPN 3:30 Florida vs. Michigan ABC, WatchESPN Temple at Notre Dame NBC, NBCSports.com UTEP at Oklahoma Fox, Fox Sports Go Nevada at Northwestern BTN, BTN2Go William & Mary at Virginia ACC Network, WatchESPN 3:45 Troy at Boise State ESPNU, WatchESPN 4 Kentucky at Southern Miss CBSSN, CBSSports.com Stony Brook at USF WatchESPN EWU at Texas Tech FSN, Fox Sports Go Charleston S. at Mississippi State SEC Network, WatchESPN 5:15 WMU at USC Pac-12 Networks 6 JMU at ECU WatchESPN NC Central at Duke ACC Network, WatchESPN Albany at Old Dominion WatchESPN 6:15 Appalachian State at Georgia ESPN, WatchESPN 7 Liberty at Baylor FS2, Fox Sports Go Hampton at Ohio WatchESPN SE Louisiana at UL-Lafayette WatchESPN Houston Baptist at Texas State WatchESPN SE Missouri State at Kansas JTV Stephen F. Austin at SMU WatchESPN UMass at Coastal Carolina WatchESPN 7:10 Central Ark. at Kansas State K-statehd.tv 7:30 Georgia Southern at Auburn SEC Network, WatchESPN South Alabama at Ole Miss ESPNU, WatchESPN Louisville vs. Purdue Fox, Fox Sports Go 8 Alabama vs. Florida State ABC, WatchESPN Arkansas State at Nebraska BTN, BTN2Go Jackson State at TCU Fox, Fox Sports Go Vanderbilt at MTSU CBSSN, CBSSports.com Northern Iowa at Iowa State Cyclones.tv Grambling at Tulane WatchESPN 8:15 Southern Utah at Oregon Pac-12 Networks 9:30 BYU vs. LSU ESPN, WatchESPN 10:30 Mont. St. at Washington State FS1, Fox Sports Go 11 NAU at Arizona Pac-12 Networks

OH HELL YEAH WE'RE BACK

Things start slow, as is custom, and Cal-UNC should be on your radar just because it's gonna go way wrong.

Florida-Michigan in JerryWorld is the season's first actual big game. It might not have postseason ramifications, but it'll teach us a lot about each team's offense.

After that, the biggest opening game in the history of the sport arrives. Six things to know about the tactics in Bama-FSU, and why the Noles have a shot.

BYU-LSU in Houston should be a great closeout game, just thumping everyone off to bed.

Sunday, Sept. 3 college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It's football 1:30 SC State at Southern ESPN2, WatchESPN 6:30 Virginia Tech vs. West Virginia ABC, WatchESPN Texas A&M at UCLA Fox, Fox Sports Go

The rule of the schedule grid: only one WATCH THIS game at a time. I'm picking the Black Diamond Trophy rivalry over A&M-UCLA, despite both games likely being ranked vs. ranked events. For one thing, it's a rivalry. For another, it should have a much hotter crowd than the L.A. game, with rowdy VT and WVU fanbases both nearby.

Labor Day college football schedule

Time (p.m. ET) WATCH THIS Maybe watch It's football 8 Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee ESPN, WatchESPN

Like Bama-FSU, this is at Atlanta's new origami bomb of a stadium. It'll be full, loud, and contentious, with GT striving to hit a 4-0 streak against the SEC East and UT trying to keep Butch Jones from getting fired. What fun!

[junker-town]

Deshaun Watson is by far the 2017 NFL Draft’s most tested QB

“Of course he is! He went to two title games!” Well, it’s even deeper than that.

Even if we knew for sure a QB would be going in the top five of the 2017 NFL Draft, we’d have to argue about who it should be. North Carolina’s Mitch Trubisky is the media favorite, but not by a lot. SB Nation, ESPN, and one NFL.com analyst rank Trubisky second; USA Today has him third; and SI and Sporting News fourth.

Trubisky’s also expected to be the first QB picked, maybe even No. 1 overall.

Also considered among the top five QBs by one major outlet or another: Miami’s Brad Kaaya, Notre Dame’s DeShone Kizer, Texas Tech’s Pat Mahomes, Pitt’s Nathan Peterman, Clemson’s Deshaun Watson, and Cal’s Davis Webb.

Lotta names! I dunno how you distinguish them. There are arguments for and against each. Lemme add one more argument!

As a college fan, one subject I feel NFL people overlook is the level of competition already faced by these players.

NFL fans fairly worried about the quality of Carson Wentz’s FCS opponents, but there’s a wide range within FBS as well. Throwing for 400 yards against Alabama twice — just to pick a totally random example — means more than doing the same to Kansas.

Let’s rank them by opponent-adjusted numbers.

Watson’s raw stats are a little worrying, especially the turnovers, as is his arm strength, apparently. In 2016, Mahomes threw for way more yards per game (421 to 306), Trubisky threw about a third as many INTs (six to 17), Peterman had a far superior yards-per-attempt number (9.3 to 7.9), and so on.

But considering the schedules Watson faced, his 2015 and 2016 top-10 rankings in completion percentage, TDs, and total yardage look even more impressive.

As Bill Connelly wrote in a statistical study of 2016 college QBs:

The most interesting name is one not in the Power 5 top five: Watson, who ended up in the 81st percentile, 10th among P5 dual-threats.

Opponent adjustments would have been kind to Watson (Clemson did play eight teams in the S&P+ top 25, after all). I’m assuming he’d have been in the top five had that been taken into account. (And as soon as I figure out a decent way to do that, I will.)

But if you’re trying to poke holes in Watson’s résumé — and we know draft scouts love to do that — you could note that Watson was drastically below-average in a few categories.

Whereas Trubisky was at the 73rd percentile or higher in four of six categories and wasn’t below the 50th in any, Watson was 45th percentile in yards per completion, 49th in interception rate, 41st in opportunity rate, and 32nd in highlight yardage. He was really good at scrambling for necessary third-down yardage, but ... maybe that’s a thing? Maybe he’s not a great enough runner to scramble the same way in the pros?

I’m not sure I believe that, but it might have some merit. (Gun to my head, I’m still picking Watson over Trubisky, though.)

Being on a team that made the ACC Championship and Playoff in both years boosted his schedule strength, yeah.

Clemson wouldn’t have made either Playoff without Watson, though, and the fact that his team went 5-1 in his postseason starts — can you imagine how few QBs in college history can boast of six postseason starts? — reflects stupendously on him.

He lit up Alabama, Alabama again, North Carolina, and Virginia Tech, and did most of his damage against Ohio State and Oklahoma on the ground.

Even without those, he was still quite tested. Overall in 2016, Clemson faced nine of the top 22 defenses and no truly bad FBS defenses. The best defense Mahomes faced in 2016, No. 37 West Virginia, ranked worse than Watson’s average FBS opponent.

Some other QBs on our list were challenged sufficiently in their biggest games, but none faced relentless competition like Watson did.

You know what, though? Trubisky looks good here, too.

Of course, the two SEC QBs who had to play Bama rank well, but in Trubisky’s single year as a starter, he had to face tough Florida State, Miami, NC State, Stanford, and Virginia Tech defenses. His only really bad games came against Georgia and against VT in a literal hurricane.

Adjusting QB stats for opponent quality would make Watson soar, but it’d boost Trubisky, as well.

College fans have been puzzled by the Trubisky love, since he didn’t really leave us with a ton of memories, and the knock on him from the NFL side is his lack of starting experience. But if we agree games against hard defenses count more, then maybe he’s not all that inexperienced.

To echo Bill: gun to my head, I’m picking Watson over Trubisky, though.