With Much Of SEC Plus Ohio State Sidelined, These Teams Take Center Stage
After smooth sailing for much of the season, the Good Ship College Football ran aground this week, especially in the SEC.
COVID-19 protocols caused the postponement of four games – including Alabama-LSU – and this leaked over into the Big 10 where Maryland was forced to call off its contest with Ohio State. The Prognosticator, by the way, was poised to pick the Hard Shells because they are the only team in the league that can likely match the Acorns touchdown for touchdown.
Well, for fans of those teams, there’s always The Masters to watch on Saturday.
Onto this week’s games. All times Pacific because The Prognosticator lives in San Diego.
Indiana at Michigan State (9 a.m., ABC)
Hoo’s your football team? After this one, people in the hand state might be saying the Hoosiers, who have already whipped UM and now have their sights set on MSU. Things have really been blooming in Bloomington this fall and the Not-So-Mean-Greenies are about to be the latest squad to wilt against the rosy boys from IU. Winner: Indiana
Penn State at Nebraska (9 a.m., FS1)
There’s a chilly Frost sweeping down on the Midwestern plains these days and the visiting Felines are not bringing any blankets, because things are not exactly toasty in their own den. These teams are hardly living up to their historical legacy this season and things are about to get really cold in Lincoln. Winner: Penn State
Notre Dame at Boston College (12:30 p.m., ABC)
It is not unprecedented in this series for a fighting Irishman, drunk off his success in a bar fight, to be pummeled later when he steps outside of the pub and onto the curb. He has let his guard down and an opportunistic Eagle flies in and digs his talons straight into the Green Men’s hearts. It most famously happened after the happy Lads upset then-No. 1 Florida State in the Lou Holtz era, only to lose the next week to the Boston patriots of Domers crushers. History is going to repeat itself on Saturday and if this were not a COVID year, it would be the biggest celebration in the city since the Boston Tea Party. Winner: Boston College
USC at Arizona (12:30 p.m., FOX)
The Troy Boys get to sleep in this week and they take on the often-sleeping Zonies coached by Sumlin, who can never get his team to the summit. You can tell SC’s “Seven Lives” Helton once coached at Auburn based on the luck of last week alone. The Trojans got one touchdown when the ball bounced off two defenders right into the hands of an undefended receiver and an onside kick somehow avoided any receiving team’s player as if it was being guided by remote control. Such good fortunes are not likely needed this week but they are there if they are needed to make this conquest in the desert. Winner: USC
Arkansas at Florida (4 p.m., ESPN)
If you expect the Mullenheads to return home peacefully after a beatdown of the Dawgs, then you don’t know your gator from your croc. They are chomping at the bit to play again and have the chops to stay on the path to the SEC title game. The visitors have lost their head Hog to a coronavirus infection and while they will come out charging hard at the Swamp Creatures, they are eventually going to get chomped up in the Swamp. Winner: Florida
Oregon at Washington State (4 p.m, FOX)
Things started just Ducky this season for the Oregonians and the Pullmaneers are tossing a freshman quarterback onto the Martin Stadium turf. The new head coach is giving him something not available to signal-callers in the Air Raid era, a running back, but that won’t keep the Ducks from walking all over the hosts. Winner: Oregon
Wisconsin at Michigan (4:30 p.m., ABC)
After being caged up the past few weeks, Bucky Badger is ready to tear into the first thing that walks by and the sight of a wounded rival is going to send him into an all-out frenzy. And there’s very little the Khaki Coach can do about it, because his team is playing a lot more like weasels than Wolverines this season. Winner: Wisconsin.
Cal at Arizona State (7:30 p.m, ESPN2)
In case you get bored of the Utah-UCLA game there is this one to watch. Winner: Arizona State. UPDATE: This game has been canceled due to COVID-19 issues at ASU, including a positive test for Head Coach Herm Edwards (he reports he is feeling fine).
Oregon State at Washington (8 p.m., FS1)
In case you get bored of the Utah-UCLA and Cal-ASU games there is this one to watch. Either that or The Masters highlights. Winner: Washington
Sunday, Nov. 15
Cal at UCLA (9 a.m., FS1)
This was originally Utah at UCLA but COVID situation at Utah and Arizona State caused a quick reshuffling of the Pac-12 schedule. And SO, the Trampolines lived up to their Prognosticator’s nickname last week, falling behind big to Colorado and then coming off the mat to stage a rally. But they flopped again and wound up getting trampled. That strategy won’t likely work this week but then again they ARE the Trampolines. Winner: UCLA
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