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[junker-town]

The best game of every week of the 2019 college football season

Here’s a subject-to-change list of the year’s marquee games.

Not all of these games will look this good by the time they come around as they do months before the 2019 season. But they sure do look good ahead of time. These are the best games of each week of the year, months before the season actually starts.

Week 0: Arizona at Hawaii

This year’s mini-opening weekend consists of just this one out West, as opposed to the recent standard four or so. Other teams with road games against Hawaii could shift things around, under NCAA rules, so it’s possible the pre-Week 1 slate fills up a little bit more.

Week 1: Auburn vs. Oregon

Pretty much every year, Auburn is talked about as a dark-horse contender, making its Week 1 more exciting. Oregon gets quarterback Justin Herbert back for 2019, along with a loaded recruiting class. Whoever wins this one will instantly be a serious contender for a Playoff berth. Could it work out like 2018’s Auburn-Washington, a game that seemed huge but wasn’t? Sure. But a part of being unpredictable is that any of your games could be amazing.

Also: Florida vs. Miami in Orlando sure sounds decent, too!

Week 2: LSU at Texas

The Longhorns have a chance to go to 2-0 against the SEC in 2019 after beating Georgia in the Sugar Bowl in January. They get the same LSU team that knocked off the Dawgs last season, and it’s the first LSU-UT matchup since 2003.

Also: Texas A&M at Clemson, because 2018’s game in College Station was a blast.

Week 3: Clemson at Syracuse

It’s kind of a mixed bag of games this week, but this is the most appealing option. The last time Clemson played in the Carrier Dome, the Orange upset the top-ranked Tigers. And in Clemson’s 2019 title season, Cuse was one of two teams to seriously challenge the Tigers.

Also: Pitt at Penn State for possibly last time ever, and Florida at Kentucky. The Wildcats have a chance to beat the Gators twice in a row for the first time since 1976 and ‘77.

Week 4: Notre Dame at Georgia

2017’s game between these two was a thriller, resulting in a 20-19 UGA win in South Bend. Fighting Irish fans might not take over Sanford Stadium like the Dawgs did at ND, but this should be a great one regardless.

Also: Oklahoma State at Texas shapes up like a Big 12 shootout every year, and probably still will with Neal Brown replacing Dana Holgorsen at WVU.

Week 5: Ohio State at Nebraska

The hype around this game depends on how the first few weeks go for the Huskers, but there’s reason to be optimistic in Lincoln. Ohio State should be undefeated, and the atmosphere should be great, and the Buckeyes getting weirdly crushed in a Big Ten West road game is never totally out of the question.

Also: USC at Washington. Not too many options this week, but this one might turn out to be entertaining, depending on how the Trojans start.

Week 6: Auburn at Florida

They used to play quite a bit, but this marks their first meeting since 2011. Cross-divisional games between legacy programs that don’t have protected rivalries are fun.

Also: Texas at West Virginia was great in 2018, and Michigan State at Ohio State promises to be a blast for people who just enjoy a mess.

Week 7: Texas vs. Oklahoma

It wouldn’t be surprising if this game ended up being played again in the Big 12 Championship, but Round 1 of Jalen Hurts against the Longhorns’ defense should be great.

Also: Alabama at Texas A&M was (relatively) close in 2018, Florida at LSU is always a truck fight, and USC at Notre Dame could be great (again, if the Trojans bounce back).

Week 8 : Oregon at Washington

This meeting will probably be pivotal in the Pac-12 North race, and don’t be surprised if both teams are ranked pretty highly.

Also: Michigan at Penn State always has stakes, and West Virginia at Oklahoma always has points.

Week 9: Notre Dame at Michigan

Notre Dame pulled out a close one against Michigan last year, and this game is often a great one. Aside from the 31-0 ND win over Michigan in 2014, the last six games in this series have been decided by an average of eight points. The last time the Irish played in the Big House, the Wolverines won 41-30. That was in 2013.

Also: Wisconsin at Ohio State, provided the Badgers’ 2018 doesn’t become a trend.

Week 10: Georgia vs. Florida

The SEC East will most likely come down to the Cocktail Party, where the Dawgs have won the last two. Bowl season 2018 made this matchup seem closer than it otherwise would’ve, and the Dawgs lost some transfers that might further keep it interesting.

Also: Miami at FSU should never be fully slept on, and Utah at Washington could wind up deciding either or both Pac-12 divisions.

Week 11: LSU at Alabama

Finally, an Alabama game. Per usual, this one has huge SEC West implications, and it’ll be big even though the Tide have won the last eight. Could this be the year the Tigers break the streak? Maybe not, but LSU will probably release a hype video convincing us it will.

Also: Iowa at Wisconsin? Aside from LSU-Bama, it’s pretty slim pickings.

Week 12: Michigan State at Michigan

Watch these teams try as hard as they can to produce a 4-2 final score while Michigan State rips off five fake punts and Michigan fumbles at the 1 with two seconds left to lose, or something like that. MSU has a several-step manual to pulling off weird upsets, and while Michigan overcame so many bad omens to win in 2018, there’s no telling what sort of rock fight this game could become. Watch it for your own fascination.

Also: Georgia at Auburn might be huge, mostly depending on how the Tigers do leading up to this point. Memphis at Houston might decide the AAC West. Four of the last five years, that’s been a four-point game or closer, and now Dana Holgorsen’s at UH to zest it up.

Week 13: Penn State at Ohio State

The Big Ten East implications are always massive, and the game’s been really good three years in a row.

Also: Texas A&M at Georgia. If the Aggies can win a game off Bama or Clemson early in the season, this could be a huge game that’s capable of swinging both SEC divisions.

Week 14: Rivalry Week, so watch literally everything

If you have to choose, it’d be a safe bet to watch Alabama at Auburn, Ohio State at Michigan, or Texas A&M at LSU, which hopefully will go into seven overtimes again.

Week 15: Championship week, so refer to the above advice

This simplest answer might just be “Bama-Georgia,” but let’s see what happens.

Week 16: Army vs. Navy

The best way to end the regular season, every season.

[auburnfamilynews]

Another year of college football is in the books, which means it’s bowl season baby! Truly one of the greatest times of the sports year, but honestly, this year feels a little underwhelming. Maybe it’s the matchups, or maybe we put too much emphasis on the College Football Playoff. Don’t worry, I’m here to spice it up.

We all know the matchups, but let’s look at the games in terms of mascot matchups. The rules of the game are simple: I’m going to look at each game like both mascots are battling to the death, Roman gladiator style. Here are my Top Ten mascot matchups(with a couple honorable mentions).

10. Georgia Southern Eagles vs. Eastern Michigan Eagles

We are at number ten on the list and this might be the most unique matchup we have this season. It’s Eagle vs Eagle, brother vs brother. So which eagle is superior? We have redneck eagles against, well… midwestern eagles? I’ve never watched Eagles fight, but I imagine it’s watching two eagles fly in a circle over and over again. If I’ve learned one thing from living in the south, you never underestimate a redneck in a fight, give me the Georgia Southern Eagles.

9. Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. Iowa Hawkeyes

I don’t know if any have ever owned a bulldog, but my dad had a pug for 7 years, and to me that’s close enough. This dog didn’t do a damn thing, you’d be lucky to get him to go outside for a little while. That being said, how would a bulldog stand a chance against a hawk? Hawks can lift up to 60 pounds, which seems hard to believe, but I watched YouTube videos on it so it must be true.

Bulldogs would have to use the buddy system so that with their combined weight, it would be really difficult for the hawks to scoop them up. Here’s something else, bulldogs aren’t very smart. You think they’d stick to the buddy system? No. They’d get a sniff of something and be off and running alone. That’s why I’m taking the Hawkeyes here, just not a fair fight.

8. West Virginia Mountaineers vs. Syracuse Orange

On NCAA 14, I always loved playing as West Virginia. Let me take a break from this regularly scheduled programming to bring you the following announcement…BRING BACK NCAA 14 YOU COWARDS. And we’re back, the real puzzling aspect with this matchup is what to do about the Syracuse mascot. They’re called the Syracuse Orange, but what is “Orange” //hits vape.

To me, we can look at this in one or two ways” the Mountaineers are going to be battling literal oranges, as in the fruit, or they are going to fight a bunch of men in the Orange mascot suits, which is what I am going to believe. So now we have rednecks with old time rifles, fighting against people dressed up as oranges with eyes. As much as I want to take Syracuse, because nothing gives me more joy than imagining a stampede of oranges running up on mountaineers, I have to take West Virginia here. I’m sorry Syracuse fans, I’m not strong enough.

7. UAB Blazers vs. Northern Illinois Huskies

My wife has always wanted for us to get a Husky. It would be great, they’re smart, loyal, and they look freaking majestic. I would love to have a bunch of huskies following me around all the time. And the huskies are going to need more than their smarts to defeat a dragon, technically a blazer, but I’m going to call it a dragon.

Now what do we know about dragons? They’re highly dangerous, often the villains in movies, and very powerful. But they do have weaknesses. It depends on what type of dragon we are dealing with, if it’s a dragon from Shrek, you just give it a few compliments. Dragons from The Hobbit love gold, so that seems easy enough. Unfortunately, dogs can’t speak, and have no sense of money. Give me the blazers in just not a fair fight.

6. Michigan State Spartans vs. Oregon Ducks

This isn’t the best matchup on my list, but this one is my favorite. It provides my favorite mental image of them all. Imagine, if you will, we are back at the coliseum, the Spartans come out first, dressed in their armor with their swords and shields. They’re getting themselves pumped up in whatever fashion Spartans pumped themselves up.

And then, out of the other door, ducks come out. Surely those Spartans didn’t train their whole lives to take on a flock of ducks, right? But what they don’t know is that these ducks have a plan. Ducks can’t fight, but they can poop. That’s their play, flying in formation and pooping all over the Spartans until they can’t take anymore. Sure, it’s not a great plan, but it’s ducks! Give me the upset, I want the ducks.

5. Kentucky Wildcats vs. Penn State Nittany Lions

Actual underrated game in terms of football, and underrated in terms of mascots. Two different species of cats, big cats, going at it. If you’re wondering what the difference is between a Wildcat and a Nittany Lion is, I did some research for you. Wildcats are a species of small cats, mostly found in Europe and Africa. Nittany Lions on the other and is, well, not even a real animal, it’s just a mascot.

For these purposes, we are going to see a Nittany Lion is smaller than normal African Lions. Nittany Lions have the size advantage, but Wildcats are faster and more agile. It really depends on the style you prefer: big and strong, or agile and fast? It’s like that scene in Dark Knight when Christian Bale asks Morgan Freeman to make him a new suit because he needed to be faster. I prefer being fast, that’s why I’m going with the Wildcats in a close battle.

4. Florida Gators vs. Michigan Wolverines

Now that we are entering that top 4, you could talk me into rearranging numbers 2-4 in any order. It really was splitting hairs trying to decide where to rank these matchups. A wolverine, as in not Hugh Jackman, but if it was Hugh Jackman fighting a bunch of gators, you’d best believe that would be in the number 1 spot.

An actual wolverine is a carnivore that resembles a small bear. An adult wolverine only weighs between 20-55 pounds. The gators would have a clear advantage in terms of size. Wolverines tend to hunt Wolves and Lynxes, and they usually hunt in packs. Gators tend to keep to themselves, unless they feel threatened, or are hungry. The wolverines would have to surprise the gators in order to have a chance of winning. I don’t think they would have much luck, and that’s why I’m picking the Gators in a close fight.

3. Baylor Bears vs. Vanderbilt Commodores

This might be one of my spiciest takes, but I didn’t like the movie The Revenant. Yeah, thought it was overrated. That being said, the bear scene was just really well done. Before that movie, I didn’t really think of bears as being overly threatening. Now, if I ever go hiking, I’m taking at least one person that I know I can outrun.

Commodores are a rank in the military, specifically in the Navy. So, I could plop down someone from today’s world, but that’s not what Vanderbilt’s mascot portrays. They portray someone from a couple hundred years ago, and that’s what the bear has to fight. I’m imagining someone with a pistol and a sword going up against a bear. I feel like the commodore would get the first attack in with his pistol, and that would slow the bear down for a second, before it recovers and comes on a hate fueled rampage. The commodore can’t climb because of all the heavy equipment, and there’s no way they can outrun a bear. I predict the bears start slow, but come out and maul the commodores later in the fight.

2. Clemson Tigers vs. Notre Dame Irish

Hey, the Tigers are back! And this time they get to fight more humans. But, not just any humans, drunk, Catholic Irishmen. This battle goes in one of two ways, and there’s no in between.

Scenario #1: the Irish drink as much as they can handle, gaining powers such as super strength and durability, and go toe-to-toe with the tigers. Scenario #2: the Irish drink, and fall over in an alcohol-induced nap while the tigers maul them as they sleep.

There is no middle ground here. It’s just a manner of which scenario you choose to believe will happen. I’ve never personally met an Irish person before, but I have heard rumors about them, and I want to believe they are true. I’m picking the upset, and hoping the drunk super-powered Irish can pull the upset against the confused tigers.

1. Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders vs. Appalachian State Mountaineers

The number 1 spot, king of the hill, best matchup of the year is the Blue Raiders vs the Mountaineers. We have multiple factors in play here: both parties are from the South, which means both qualify into the redneck category. What do you do when two sets of rednecks are fighting? Sit back and enjoy the show.

As I’m writing this, I’m only about 70% sure I know who would win this fight. I know Middle Tennessee’s mascot is a horse, so let’s imagine the Blue Raiders are from the Old West, makes it a fair fight. Mountaineers have already won one matchup today. Can they make it two?

I’m giving the edge to the Mountaineers, and here’s why: mountain men know the terrain better, they grew up in the woods, and know how to use it as an advantage. I think it’s a really close fight, but the Mountaineers come out on top.

Honorable Mentions

Purdue Boilermakers vs. Auburn Tigers

Come on, you thought we wouldn’t have something about Auburn in this? Even though I am a homer, this matchup is interesting in terms of a mascot battle. When doing research, I honestly thought Boilermakers were a type of trains. According to the Google machine, a Boilermaker is someone who works on and repairs boilers. So now we have a group of tigers (which is called an ambush or a stealth) against men who work with heavy equipment. It took me fifteen minutes to try and come up with a reason why boilermakers would win in a matchup against tigers, but I can’t, unless it was just an army of buff sweaty men against a few tigers. However, in a surprising move, I’m taking the Tigers.

Iowa State Cyclones vs. Washington State Cougars

You might be asking yourself why I think Cougars stand a chance against Mother Nature. And that’s a fair point, on the surface, cougars should not be able to even damage a cyclone. But these aren’t normal cougars, they are cougars that are trained by Mike Leach himself. If anyone can figure out how to defeat an act of nature, it’s that man. I think the key to defeating a cyclone is misdirection, you can’t stay in the same place. Eventually, the cyclone will just get tired and give up chasing you, like your dad in the family backyard football game. All that being said, I’m taking the upset. Go Cougs!

from WarBlogle.com http://www.warblogle.com/2018/12/10/football/top-10-bowl-game-mascot-matchups/

[themeatlife]

the Meat Life 2017-2018 Bowl Preview – the New Year’s Six and the Best of the Rest

The bowl season started this weekend!  Although I’ll be watching a lot of these games, I’m only really focused on the New Year’s Six matchups and a handful of the other ones.  My bowl philosophy is that these bowls should mean a little something, it doesn’t make sense to me to have teams make it to a bowl game just because they are 6-6.  I would much rather the number of bowl be cut in half, to about 20 bowl games ideally. That way we are seeing a lot of the better teams playing these things.  But that’s my take.  Football is football, so I’ll still be watching, nonetheless.  So in this entry, I’ll go over my must-see bowls --- we’ll look at the New Year’s Six and four others to watch.

 Outside the New Year’s Six – The best of the rest:

Camping World Bowl – Thursday 12/28 – 4:15pm CST ESPN 22 Virginia Tech Hokies (9-3) vs 19 Oklahoma State Cowboys (9-3)

Contrasting styles with Va Tech’s stingy defense versus the high-flying Oklahoma State offense.  If things get tight and slow down, that falls in the Hokies favor.  But if things break down and turn into a shootout late, look at the Cowboys to prevail. VT QB Josh Jackson has been solid most of the year, but I don’t expect him to keep up with OSU QB Mason Rudolph. Meat Prediction: OSU 41-31

Valero Alamo Bowl – Thursday 12/28 – 8:00pm CST ESPN 13 Stanford Cardinal (9-4) vs 15 TCU Horned Frogs (10-3)

This bowl game has been a fun one in recent years.  Remember last season when Oregon was up 31-0 on TCU at half and the Horned Frogs stormed all the way back to tie it at 31-31 at the end of regulation?  TCU went on to win in 3OT.  This matchup looks to be a little different, featuring strength versus strength.  Stanford’s Heisman finalist RB Bryce Love goes up against one of the stingiest run defenses in the country in TCU.  Look for Love to test the TCU front led by SI All-American DE Mat Boesen.  Although both teams can score, I think this will be on the lower scoring. Meat Prediction: TCU 24-21

San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl – Thursday 12/28 – 8:00pm CST FS1 18 Washington State Cougars (9-3) vs 16 Michigan State Spartans (9-3)

Who would have thought a Mike Leach-coached team would have an improved defense?  The Cougars made great strides on defense this season putting them in the thick of the Pac-12 hunt late into the season, despite Leach’s hot and cold streak with QB Luke Falk.  Michigan State bounced back from a rough 3-9 season last year to turn it around and scratch and claw to a gutty 9-3 record that included at upset of then top ten Penn State.  As admirable as the Spartans’ effort has been this season, I can’t see them getting past Wazzu. Meat Prediction: Washington State 31-17

Citrus Bowl presented by Overton’s – Monday 1/1 – 12:00pm CST ABC 14 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-3) vs 17 LSU Tigers (9-3)

If you are more inclined to the old school style football of ground and pound offense and stout defenses, this may be the bowl game for you.  You’ll get to see the exciting runningback matchup of Notre Dame’s Josh Adams and LSU’s Derrius Guice.  Look for both teams to try to control the clock with the run game in this one. I’ll give the QB edge to the Irish though, with Brandon Wimbush bringing an element of mobility and rushing. Wimbush has had four 100+ yard rushing games this season, including a 207 yard rushing night against Boston College. Meat Prediction: Notre Dame 27-20

 The New Year’s Six:

Goodyear Cotton Bowl Classic – Friday 12/29 – 7:30pm CST ESPN 8 USC Trojans (11-2) vs 5 Ohio State Buckeyes (11-2)

For those itching for a traditional Rose Bowl matchup, this is it.  Only it’ll be in the DFW rather than LA.  Both teams had grievances against the playoff committee excluding them from the playoff. Both have a chance to prove they belong. USC features future NFLer QB Sam Darnold, who had a rough start to the season and was a turnover machine until his offensive line finally got healthy.  They go up against the most Jekyll and Hyde team in college football this season in Ohio State.  While QB JT Barrett has looked like an All-American at times, he and the Bucks have also looked like the Cleveland Browns (the most glaring being the embarrassing 55-24 loss to 7-5 Iowa).  Look for this to be a good one. Meat Prediction: USC 38-31

Playstation Fiesta Bowl – Saturday 12/30 – 3:00pm CST ESPN 11 Washington Huskies (10-2) vs 9 Penn State Nittany Lions (10-2)

Lots of Pac-12 versus Big Ten love in these bowl games.  They could rename this bowl matchup the “What Could Have Been Bowl.”  Both teams had playoff aspirations as late as early November. Both their chances unraveled. But, a chance at redemption against a quality opponent arises.  Both have great defensive teams against the run, and both feature spectacular runningbacks. Washington has the speedster Myles Gaskin while Penn State has the Swiss Army Knife half-season Heisman frontrunner Saquon Barkley.  This may come down to the QB matchup, were I’ll give the edge to the Nittany Lions Trace McSorley over Huskies Jake Browning. Meat Prediction: Penn State 31-27

Capital One Orange Bowl – Saturday 12/30 – 7:00pm CST ESPN 6 Wisconsin Badgers (12-1) vs 10 Miami Hurricanes (10-2)

Another “What Could Have Been Bowl” perhaps.  Wisconsin’s only loss was the Big Ten Championship to Ohio State in the infamous “Turf Game.”  Miami fluttered at the end of the seasons with back-to-back losses to Pitt and Clemson in the ACC Championship.  This will be great to see the ground and pound game of Badger RB Jonathan Taylor (1847 yards, 13 TDs rushing for the season) against the opportunistic Turnover Chain gang of the Canes defense.  Both QBs in this matchup, Wisconsin’s Alex Hornibrook and Miami’s Malik Rosier, are great off the play-action and Rosier has the mobility to make something happen in the run game as well.  I see the athletes of Miami pulling away late in this one. Meat Prediction: Miami 23-17

Chick-Fil-A Peach Bowl – Monday 1/1 – 11:30am CST ESPN 12 UCF Knights (12-0) vs 7 Auburn Tigers (10-3)

UCF’s Scott Frost’s farewell bowl as he gets set to take over at Nebraska.  Auburn has got to be burning up that instead of being in the playoff they are playing a Group of Five team in their bowl trip.  But this is a UCF Group of Five team that is undefeated and has been described by some pundits out there as “Oklahoma-lite” --- prolific offense led by QB McKenzie Milton with a defense just good enough to let them hang with teams.  Auburn has gained much balance on offense this season behind QB Jarrett Stidham and RB Kerryon Johnson with one of the best defensive fronts in the SEC.  But it’s hard not to ignore the history of Group of Five teams being the more focused group in these New Year’s Six bowls, with Boise State (2014 season) and Houston (2015 season) able to pull the upset the first two years of this format.  I think it might be more of the same here.  Look for the shootout, and UCF loves a good shootout to send Scott Frost out on a high note. Meat Prediction: UCF 44-41

Rose Bowl Game presented by Northwestern Mutual (CFP Semifinal) – Monday 1/1 – 4:00pm CST ESPN 3 Georgia Bulldogs (12-1) vs 2 Oklahoma Sooners (12-1)

I don’t like picking or predicting Sooners games.  They usually don’t end well if I confidently pick them.  This game scares me only in the sense that the last time Oklahoma was in the CFP in 2015, they were shutout in the second half against Clemson where the first half showed much promise.  While Georgia doesn’t have as dynamic a QB as Deshaun Watson was for Clemson in their freshman Jake Fromm, the Georgia offense still presents a bit of a challenge from the run game with the Bulldogs’ RB rotation of Nick Chubb and Sony Michel.  And the Bulldogs defense has the Butkus Award-winning LB Roquan Smith leading a stout front-seven.  Still, there is no reason to think that Oklahoma Heisman QB Baker Mayfield can’t lead the offense to score 30+.  RB Rodney Anderson’s name has been cleared and has been the hottest, most productive back in the second half of the season.  And Mayfield has TE Mark Andrews, and WRs “Hollywood” Brown and CeeDee Lamb, and multipurpose FB Dimitri Flowers among other weapons.  It’ll be up to the young Sooners defense led by Walter Camp All-American DE Ogbonnia Okoronkwo to step up and slow down the Bulldogs offense.  This should be a good game.  I just can’t bring myself to make a pick.

AllState Sugar Bowl (CFP Semifinal) – Monday 1/1 – 7:45pm CST ESPN 4 Alabama Crimson Tide (11-1) vs 1 Clemson Tigers (12-1)

The CFP Rematch III.  The two teams that faced each other in the last two national title games square off again, this time in the semifinal.  Outside of a close road loss at a 4-8 Syracuse, Clemson has certainly looked the part of a defending champion.  DC Brent Venables’ front seven is probably the best in college football.  QB Kelly Bryant, while not as dynamic as Watson, has led the offense.  Meanwhile, Alabama seems to have looked shaky at times against stiffer competition, particularly in the Iron Bowl loss to Auburn. The playoff committee may have seen them as better than Ohio State in direct comparison, but outside of Ohio State’s blowout loss to Iowa, I didn’t see their argument.  Is Bama’s defense good?  Yes.  The Tide and the Tigers possess the top two scoring defenses in the country.  But can Bama’s offense keep pace with Clemson’s? Bama QB Jalen Hurts, while taking good care of the football (only 1 INT all year) has not been as productive or as explosive as last season.  Vegas has Alabama favored, but I don’t know.  I just don’t see it.  Maybe it’s my hater glasses but I don’t see it.  And as much as I think Bama is a better matchup for a potential game for the title against the Sooners, I can’t see Clemson losing this game.  It’ll be close though. Meat Prediction: Clemson 23-20

I’m going to wait for the semifinal matches to actually play out before picking a national champion. My preseason pick for national champ got eliminated the first week of the season, so we won’t go there.

Enjoy the bowl season!  I’ll check back in with you guys before the College Football Playoff National

[gomichiganwolverines-blog]

Michigan Wolverines and other teams - Best 5 matches to watch

Fighting Irish football fans have reason to be excited. Last year Notre Dame achieved a winning season, thanks to a bowl game blowout win over Hawaii. They've had all summer to think about Jimmy Clausen and Golden Tate tearing apart the Hawaii secondary. The Irish return the vast majority of their offense, and their defensive pass rush ought to benefit from returning veterans, as well. Notre Dame has made several sports media outlet top 25 lists. The schedule looks promising, and it was recently announced that the Irish will renew their rivalry with Army at Yankee Stadium the year after next, putting Notre Dame in the spotlight at the heart of baseball season. If you're thinking about getting Notre Dame Fighting Irish football tickets online, this is the year to do it. Here are the best games for which you ought to get tickets: Notre Dame vs. Nevada @ Notre Dame - The Irish will begin their quest for a BCS Bowl game with their home opener against Nevada on the 5th of September, 2009. Home openers are always a riot for fans in attendance and this one should be no different. In fact, the stands should be even louder than usual thanks to the optimism this team has coming into the season, as well as the fact that the matchup should provide an easy win. While the Wolfpack did get to a postseason game and finish with the same record (7-6) as the Domers, UND returns much of the heavy lifters from last year, whereas the Wolfpack lost many key players. Notre Dame vs. Michigan @ Michigan - The Notre Dame-Michigan rivalry is renewed this season at the home of the Michigan Wolverines, Michigan Stadium, one of the largest stadiums in the game. While the Wolverines had a rough season last year, finishing 3-9, they do have some reasons for hope in returning starters and exciting recruits. This should end in a Notre Dame victory, but the game will likely not be a blowout. Isn't it nice seeing Notre Dame win on the road? And the travel time is much shorter than the trip out to Stanford later in the season. Notre Dame vs. Southern California @ Notre Dame - If you really want to see a game where Notre Dame wins, this one is not for you. The Trojans of USC are widely considered a top-five team in the nation this year, and they are going to be heavy favorites to beat Notre Dame. However, this would be a triumphant, incredible game to witness if the Domers were able to pull off an upset. Notre Dame vs. Washington State @ The Alamodome - As far as traveling to see the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, this is an interesting one to attend. You'll see the Irish in a venue that's indoors, and they'll play a team they don't get to face all that often- the Cougars of WSU. There is not a lot of history here, but it's a great chance for fans to experience another city and another opponent. Notre Dame vs. Stanford @ Stanford - The Irish are rivals with Stanford, and both of these teams see themselves as working their way out of cold streaks. Many people think that the Irish will have a shot at a BCS Bowl game at this point in the year so there could be a lot at stake. It might also be a good idea to take a tour of the Bay Area while you're out on the West Coast.

For more information, click the link below:

https://sportsmaniausa.com/collections/michigan-hats-snapback-hat

[deliciousmakeravenue]

Notre Dame vs. Army live updates: Jadarian Price TD run adds to Irish's lead

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[junker-town]

Navy vs. Notre Dame 2017 live stream: Time and how to watch online

The Fighting Irish have to shift expectations for their postseason run.

After falling back down to Earth in a spectacularly bad loss to Miami (Fla.), the Notre Dame Fighting Irish are back at home for this Week 12 matchup against the Navy Midshipmen, Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on NBC (live stream).

Brian Kelly and his team were finally atop the college football rankings, coming in at No. 3 in the CFP poll just last week. Kelly spoke ahead of Week 11 that without a conference championship to boost them into the playoff, Notre Dame would have to win out to make it to the postseason. That didn’t happen. And boy, was it bad.

Time, TV channel, and streaming info

Time: 3:30 p.m. ET

Location: Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, Ind.

TV: NBC

Streaming: NBC Sports

Odds: Notre Dame opened as incredible 18.5-point favorites over the Midshipmen.

Navy vs. Notre Dame news:

Navy will never give up the triple-option. It works.

Last week’s loss was brutal, but that doesn’t mean Brian Kelly is on the hot seat ... yet.

The Midshipmen have a bit of a quarterback controversy on their hands if both options are healthy for this Week 12 matchup.

Malcom Perry competed for the starting quarterback job in the offseason, but Zach Abey eventually won that battle. With Abey out last week, Perry was called upon to run the offense. The result was a 33 carry, 282 yard, and four touchdown performance.

The Fighting Irish were out-manned, out-coached, and down-right embarrassed last weekend against Miami.

It was, admittedly, a rehashing of the “Catholics versus Convicts” tale, circa 1985. The Irish got embarrassed by a more athletic and more prepared Miami team then, and they got the same treatment this year. The failures on the big stage are not an anomaly at this point. It is a pattern, one that needs to break soon if the Irish wish to reach that standard to which Kelly so often references.

What’s left for these teams this season?

Navy started off the 2017 season on a hot-streak, winning their first five contests before falling to Memphis. The loss to the Tigers kicked off a series of two more losses to UCF and Temple before a big — and much-needed — win over SMU. The Midshipmen have two more games following this Week 12 matchup, taking on Houston as the road team, before finishing the year against Army on Dec. 9. Thanks to their win over SMU, Navy has already earned their bowl eligibility.

It’s hard to picture Notre Dame still making it to their first College Football Playoff after last weekend’s 41-8 loss to a still undefeated Miami (Fla.) team. And like Kelly noted, the program doesn’t have a conference championship to help boost them into the conversation. The Fighting Irish will cap off their season with a road game against Stanford, and then will have to bide their time to find out where they’ll be bowling in the postseason.

Navy vs. Notre Dame prediction:

Brian Kelly’s head might pop off of his body if the Fighting Irish don’t make a clear comeback from last week’s loss. It’ll be unfortunate that this retribution game will come against a service academy, but it has to be done. Notre Dame gets the win at home.