Category: FOOTBALL

RANK	TEAM	CONF.	RATING	CHANGE	YTD CHANGE
1	Alabama	SEC	28.09	0	0
2	Ohio State	Big Ten	27.10	0	0
3	Georgia	SEC	24.55	0	1
4	Clemson	ACC	20.57	0	-1
5	Wisconsin	Big Ten	19.81	1	7
6	Oregon	Pac-12	18.87	1	7
7	Penn State	Big Ten	18.67	-2	-1
8	Oklahoma	Big 12	18.53	5	-3
9	Southern California	Pac-12	18.45	0	6
10	Florida	SEC	17.58	0	-3
11	Notre Dame	ACC	17.37	1	3
12	Texas A&M	SEC	16.43	-1	-4
13	Michigan	Big Ten	15.69	-5	5
14	Cincinnati	AAC	15.10	1	6
15	Auburn	SEC	14.92	6	-5
16	Iowa State	Big 12	13.46	1	5
17	Texas	Big 12	13.43	-1	-6
18	North Carolina	ACC	13.02	-4	-1
19	Oklahoma State	Big 12	12.92	-1	-3
20	Kentucky	SEC	11.67	0	7
21	Virginia Tech	ACC	11.51	6	-2
22	Washington	Pac-12	10.77	0	7
23	Louisiana State	SEC	10.66	-4	-14
24	Arizona State	Pac-12	10.44	0	7
25	South Carolina	SEC	10.35	-2	19
26	Missouri	SEC	10.14	2	30
27	Nebraska	Big Ten	9.26	3	6
28	Indiana	Big Ten	9.02	4	9
29	California	Pac-12	8.83	2	7
30	Texas Christian	Big 12	8.79	13	9
31	Louisville	ACC	8.54	-5	-6
32	Central Florida	AAC	8.51	1	-9
33	Mississippi	SEC	8.18	2	2
34	West Virginia	Big 12	7.95	7	19
35	Iowa	Big Ten	7.87	-10	-3
36	Boise State	MWC	7.78	3	6
37	Miami (FL)	ACC	7.75	-3	-7
38	Boston College	ACC	7.53	14	26
39	Minnesota	Big Ten	7.24	-10	-15
40	Purdue	Big Ten	7.21	5	5
41	Tennessee	SEC	6.94	-5	-19
42	Northwestern	Big Ten	6.79	12	10
43	North Carolina State	ACC	6.74	-6	14
44	Virginia	ACC	6.56	3	-3
45	Arkansas	SEC	6.17	5	33
46	Utah	Pac-12	6.00	-2	-3
47	Brigham Young	Ind	5.85	-7	4
48	Wake Forest	ACC	5.83	1	7
49	Pittsburgh	ACC	5.38	-1	-11
50	Memphis	AAC	4.65	-8	-24
51	Kansas State	Big 12	4.61	-5	-5
52	Stanford	Pac-12	4.11	1	-4
53	Baylor	Big 12	4.05	-15	-19
54	Florida State	ACC	3.85	1	-26
55	Mississippi State	SEC	3.81	-4	-6
56	Appalachian State	Sun Belt	2.37	1	-16
57	Texas Tech	Big 12	1.77	-1	2
58	Houston	AAC	1.28	2	0
59	UCLA	Pac-12	1.11	5	1
60	Duke	ACC	1.09	5	6
61	Illinois	Big Ten	0.98	-2	-7
62	Georgia Tech	ACC	0.96	0	5
63	Southern Methodist	AAC	0.62	-5	-16
64	Tulane	AAC	0.59	5	9
65	Louisiana	Sun Belt	0.52	-2	-15
66	Oregon State	Pac-12	0.24	0	-4
67	Marshall	CUSA	-0.15	0	10
68	Michigan State	Big Ten	-0.43	5	-5
69	Tulsa	AAC	-0.46	-8	23
70	Washington State	Pac-12	-2.29	1	-2
71	San Diego State	MWC	-2.72	5	10
72	Air Force	MWC	-2.84	-2	-3
73	Buffalo	MAC	-2.88	-1	-2
74	Alabama-Birmingham	CUSA	-2.91	-6	-13
75	Nevada	MWC	-3.61	3	4
76	Coastal Carolina	Sun Belt	-3.88	11	37
77	Arizona	Pac-12	-4.55	0	-1
78	Wyoming	MWC	-4.60	-3	-6
79	Maryland	Big Ten	-5.54	1	4
80	Navy	AAC	-5.64	1	-15
81	Temple	AAC	-5.90	-7	-6
82	Hawaii	MWC	-7.33	6	18
83	Toledo	MAC	-7.57	-1	2
84	Miami (OH)	MAC	-7.59	-1	2
85	Central Michigan	MAC	-7.61	-1	2
86	Troy	Sun Belt	-7.64	14	19
87	Florida Atlantic	CUSA	-7.67	-8	-7
88	Ohio	MAC	-7.82	-3	0
89	East Carolina	AAC	-8.10	8	7
90	Charlotte	CUSA	-8.56	0	1
91	Liberty	Ind	-8.93	1	28
92	Syracuse	ACC	-9.15	-3	-18
93	Ball State	MAC	-9.41	2	2
94	Western Kentucky	CUSA	-9.91	4	-24
95	Rutgers	Big Ten	-10.15	-2	6
96	Vanderbilt	SEC	-10.54	0	1
97	Fresno State	MWC	-10.82	13	1
98	Colorado	Pac-12	-10.95	3	1
99	Army	Ind	-11.13	4	8
100	Colorado State	MWC	-11.18	-14	-11
101	Georgia Southern	Sun Belt	-11.79	-2	-7
102	San Jose State	MWC	-11.96	0	10
103	Rice	CUSA	-11.99	14	3
104	Georgia State	Sun Belt	-12.41	-13	0
105	Arkansas State	Sun Belt	-12.43	-11	-15
106	South Florida	AAC	-12.99	-2	-13
107	South Alabama	Sun Belt	-13.38	5	8
108	North Texas	CUSA	-13.80	-2	10
109	Texas State	Sun Belt	-13.89	2	15
110	Western Michigan	MAC	-14.00	-2	-2
111	Kent State	MAC	-14.04	-2	-2
112	Texas-San Antonio	CUSA	-14.31	1	2
113	Louisiana Tech	CUSA	-14.49	1	-29
114	Utah State	MWC	-15.67	-7	-11
115	Texas-El Paso	CUSA	-16.32	1	12
116	Kansas	Big 12	-16.36	-1	-6
117	New Mexico	MWC	-17.44	2	0
118	Southern Mississippi	CUSA	-17.79	-13	-36
119	Middle Tennessee State	CUSA	-17.85	-1	-17
120	Akron	MAC	-19.12	1	1
121	Northern Illinois	MAC	-19.41	1	1
122	Eastern Michigan	MAC	-19.63	1	1
123	Nevada-Las Vegas	MWC	-19.99	-3	-7
124	Florida International	CUSA	-23.08	0	-13
125	Bowling Green State	MAC	-23.32	0	0
126	Massachusetts	Ind	-23.99	0	0
127	Louisiana-Monroe	Sun Belt	-26.39	0	-7

#18 Penn State, fresh off of a loss to Indiana, looks to save their College Football Playoff hopes hosting #3 Ohio State in primetime. Also on the docket:

• #10 Florida recovering from an intra-team COVID outbreak, hopes to stave off a challenge from Missouri
• #5 Georgia, just one week prior to the big game against Florida, will travel to face a very good Kentucky team
• The South’s Oldest Rivalry will renew in primetime: #15 North Carolina vs Virginia
• #7 Cincinnati looks to secure their grip on the AAC Title race hosting Memphis
• #16 Kansas State and #6 Oklahoma State hope to keep their unbeaten Big 12 records alive facing West Virginia and Texas
• A couple of games between teams falling short of expectations and hoping to turn things around: LSU @ Auburn and Virginia Tech @ Louisville

2020 Prediction Stats

Straight Up: 159-55 (74%)
ATS Best Bets: 27-19 (+5.6 units)
ATS Total: 108-94-12 (+4.3 units)

Best Bets

Colorado State (+2) @ Fresno State – Thursday, 10 PM ET, CBSSN
Boston College (+31.5) @ #1 Clemson – 12 PM ET, ABC
Illinois (+7.5) vs Purdue – 12 PM ET, BTN
Baylor (+2.5) vs TCU – 3:30 PM ET, ESPN2
Iowa (-1.5) vs Northwestern – 3:30 PM ET, ESPN
#18 Penn State (+12.5) vs #3 Ohio State – 7:30 PM ET, ABC

Thursday, October 29th

South Alabama (3-2, 2-0 Sun Belt) @ Georgia Southern (3-2, 1-2 Sun Belt)
7:30 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: Georgia Southern -6.5

CSD Pick: Georgia Southern 28, South Alabama 22

Colorado State (0-0, 0-0 MW) @ Fresno State (0-1, 0-1 MW)
10 PM ET, CBSSN
Vegas Line: Fresno State -2

Fresno State didn’t impress in their opener against Hawai’i on Saturday, turning the ball over four times and getting thoroughly killed in the run game by a below-average Rainbow Warriors team. The Bulldogs will be at home again here, but I think the fact that CSU has tape on Fresno is a huge advantage, and that the Rams will win this one outright.

CSD Pick: Colorado State 26, Fresno State 23

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Colorado State +2

Friday, October 30th

Minnesota (0-1 Big Ten) @ Maryland (0-1 Big Ten)
7:30 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: Minnesota -17.5

CSD Pick: Minnesota 34, Maryland 17

East Carolina (1-3, 1-2 American) @ Tulsa (2-1, 2-0 American)
9 PM ET, ESPN2
Vegas Line: Tulsa -18.5

CSD Pick: Tulsa 36, East Carolina 21

Hawai’i (1-0, 1-0 MW) @ Wyoming (0-1, 0-1 MW)
9:45 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: Hawai’i -2

CSD Pick: Wyoming 29, Hawai’i 26

Saturday, October 31st

Boston College (4-2, 3-2 ACC) @ #1 Clemson (6-0, 5-0 ACC)
12 PM ET, ABC
Vegas Line: Clemson -31.5

Clemson is going to make the College Football Playoff, but they’ve been a little overrated in my view so far this year, and the data backs that up, as the Tigers are just 2-4 against the spread so far this season. Here, they are laying 31.5 against a Boston College squad that is significantly better than Syracuse, which gave the Tigers a minor scare last week. I like Clemson to win, of course, but Hafley will keep it close.

CSD Pick: Clemson 42, Boston College 16

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Boston College +31.5

#5 Georgia (3-1 SEC) @ Kentucky (2-3 SEC)

12 PM ET, SEC Network
Vegas Line: Georgia -15.5

Two of the very best defenses in the nation will square off in this one, as Georgia looks to avoid being caught napping ahead of their big showdown with Florida next week. I like this Kentucky team more than most. The defense is excellent, perhaps the best in the nation at forcing turnovers, and I expect Georgia QB Stetson Bennett to make a couple of errors in this one, but the Kentucky offense is just too anemic to be considered competitive against the Bulldogs. UK’s passing game is the worst in the conference, and while the defense will keep this one within the point spread, it likely won’t be that close.

CSD Pick: Georgia 26, Kentucky 14

Memphis (3-1, 2-1 American) @ #7 Cincinnati (4-0, 2-0 American)

12 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: Cincinnati -6

One of the more interesting games of the day comes from the American, where playoff longshots Cincinnati look to stave off a challenge from Memphis just one week after knocking off undefeated SMU. I do think Memphis is more talented than the Mustangs (despite the head-to-head result), but Cincy will be at home here. The defense is the best in the group of five, and I expect them to hold the great Memphis offense in check. Cincy QB Desmond Ridder will prove the doubters wrong, and the Bearcats will pick up another victory.

CSD Pick: Cincinnati 31, Memphis 23

Michigan State (0-1 Big Ten) @ #13 Michigan (1-0 Big Ten)
12 PM ET, FOX
Vegas Line: Michigan -23.5

CSD Pick: Michigan 36, Michigan State 12

#16 Kansas State (4-1, 4-0 Big 12) @ West Virginia (3-2, 2-2 Big 12)

12 PM ET, ESPN2
Vegas Line: West Virginia -3.5

A 3-2 team a 3.5-point favorite over the #16 team in the country? Really? Yea. Really. Despite the records, West Virginia has been the better team on the field this year, the Mountaineers are at home, and K-State starting QB Skylar Thompson is out with an injury, leading true freshman Will Howard to run the offense. I like the K-State offense despite the slow tempo – RB Deuce Vaughn is a star – but the West Virginia defense has been incredible this year (granted – against mostly subpar offenses, but isn’t that how you’re supposed to look against subpar offenses?). I like WVU QB Jarret Doege, and the home-field advantage for WVU will help shepherd them to a win.

CSD Pick: West Virginia 22, Kansas State 19

#20 Coastal Carolina (5-0, 3-0 Sun Belt) @ Georgia State (2-2, 1-2 Sun Belt)
12 PM ET, ESPNU
Vegas Line: Coastal Carolina -1.5

CSD Pick: Coastal Carolina 29, Georgia State 28

#23 Iowa State (3-2, 3-1 Big 12) @ Kansas (0-5, 0-4 Big 12)
12 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: Iowa State -28.5

CSD Pick: Iowa State 34, Kansas 6

UTSA (4-3, 2-1 C-USA) @ Florida Atlantic (1-1, 1-1 C-USA)
12 PM ET, Stadium/FSN
Vegas Line: Florida Atlantic -7.5

CSD Pick: Florida Atlantic 27, UTSA 20

Temple (1-2, 1-2 American) @ Tulane (2-4, 0-4 American)
12 PM ET, ESPN+
Vegas Line: Tulane -1

CSD Pick: Tulane 26, Temple 23

Purdue (1-0 Big Ten) @ Illinois (0-1 Big Ten)
12 PM ET, BTN
Vegas Line: Purdue -7.5

Oh god. I feel like I have less of a read on both of these teams after one game than I did before the season, but I’m going to stick with my preseason expectation that the Illini are certainly good enough to keep this within a touchdown at home. I like the Illinois pass rush, and the offense is solid as well. I’ll take the 7.5.

CSD Pick: Purdue 27, Illinois 22

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Illinois +7.5

Wake Forest (3-2, 2-2 ACC) @ Syracuse (1-5, 1-4 ACC)
12 PM ET, ACC Network
Vegas Line: Wake Forest -10.5

CSD Pick: Wake Forest 32, Syracuse 20

UCF (3-2, 2-2 American) @ Houston (2-1, 2-0 American)
2 PM ET, ESPN+
Vegas Line: UCF -3.5

CSD Pick: UCF 36, Houston 32

Rice (0-1, 0-1 C-USA) @ Southern Miss (1-4, 1-1 C-USA)
3 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: Southern Miss -3.5

CSD Pick: Southern Miss 24, Rice 22

Troy (3-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) @ Arkansas State (3-3, 1-2 Sun Belt)
3 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: Arkansas State -4.5

CSD Pick: Arkansas State 32, Troy 29

#4 Notre Dame (5-0, 4-0 ACC) @ Georgia Tech (2-4, 2-3 ACC)
3:30 PM ET, ABC
Vegas Line: Notre Dame -20

CSD Pick: Notre Dame 34, Georgia Tech 17

#17 Indiana (1-0 Big Ten) @ Rutgers (1-0 Big Ten)
3:30 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: Indiana -13

CSD Pick: Indiana 26, Rutgers 13

UAB (4-2, 2-0 C-USA) @ Louisiana Tech (3-3, 2-2 C-USA)
3:30 PM ET, FSN/Stadium
Vegas Line: UAB -9.5

CSD Pick: UAB 26, Louisiana Tech 14

TCU (1-3, 1-3 Big 12) @ Baylor (1-2, 1-2 Big 12)
3:30 PM ET, ESPN2
Vegas Line: TCU -2.5

Neither one of these teams has done much to impress me the past couple of weeks, on offense especially – neither team has scored more than 16 points since October 3rd. This will be a slow, plodding game between two deeply flawed teams, but at the end of the day, I like Baylor QB Charlie Brewer to rebound from some poor performances and pick up a home win over TCU.

CSD Pick: Baylor 24, TCU 23

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Baylor +2.5

LSU (2-2 SEC) @ Auburn (3-2 SEC)

3:30 PM ET, CBS
Vegas Line: Auburn -1

Both of these teams remain difficult to get a read on. However, Auburn easily could be 1-4 right now, and Bo Nix has shown no signs of the inconsistencies that plagued his 2019 campaign going away. LSU had last week off to prepare for this one, and despite Myles Brennan’s status for this game being up in the air, I like LSU to pick up a road victory, because karma has to catch up to this Auburn team eventually, right?

CSD Pick: LSU 31, Auburn 30

Northwestern (1-0 Big Ten) @ Iowa (0-1 Big Ten)
3:30 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: Iowa -1.5

I’ve seen Northwestern floated as a possible upset pick here after their 43-3 victory over Maryland last week, but to those who like the ‘Cats I say… it was Maryland. Iowa is a significantly more talented team, they are at home here, and they should easily cover the 1.5. Fade the public in this one.

CSD Pick: Iowa 23, Northwestern 18

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Iowa -1.5

Texas (3-2, 2-2 Big 12) @ #6 Oklahoma State (4-0, 3-0 Big 12)

4 PM ET, FOX
Vegas Line: Oklahoma State -3

The biggest game of the afternoon window comes from the Big 12 – as Texas will square off with Oklahoma State as a talented Longhorns squad hopes to turn their season around following a rough start. A big part of me wants to take Sam Ehlinger and the Longhorns to beat a Cowboy team that is not nearly as good as the #6 next to their name indicates, but the ‘Pokes are at home here, and they have a defense far superior to any Texas has played this year. Ehlinger will keep it close, but Spencer Sanders, Chuba Hubbard, and the Oklahoma State offense will do just enough to keep Okie State unbeaten.

CSD Pick: Oklahoma State 28, Texas 25

Ole Miss (1-4 SEC) @ Vanderbilt (0-3 SEC)
4 PM ET, SEC Network
Vegas Line: Ole Miss -17

CSD Pick: Ole Miss 32, Vanderbilt 17

Appalachian State (3-1, 1-0 Sun Belt) @ UL Monroe (0-6, 0-3 Sun Belt)
4 PM ET, ESPNU
Vegas Line: Appalachian State -31.5

CSD Pick: Appalachian State 42, UL Monroe 12

Virginia Tech (3-2, 3-2 ACC) @ Louisville (2-4, 1-4 ACC)

4 PM ET, ACC Network
Vegas Line: Virginia Tech -2.5

This is a game between two teams significantly better than their records as Virginia Tech takes on Louisville. I still like this Louisville team a lot, despite the 2-4 record, they can run the ball very well and QB Malik Cunnigham took a big step forward last week, but even I can’t pick them to win this one. VT will be coming out angry here after an upset loss to Wake, and I expect Hendon Hooker and the Hokies to pick up the road W.

CSD Pick: Virginia Tech 30, Louisville 29

#25 Boise State (1-0, 1-0 MW) @ Air Force (1-1, 0-1 MW)
6 PM ET, CBSSN
Vegas Line: Boise State -8.5

CSD Pick: Boise State 28, Air Force 18

Mississippi State (1-3 SEC) @ #2 Alabama (5-0 SEC)
7 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: Alabama -32.5

CSD Pick: Alabama 48, Mississippi State 20

New Mexico (0-0, 0-0 MW) @ San Jose State (1-0, 1-0 MW)
7 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: San Jose State -13.5

CSD Pick: San Jose State 33, New Mexico 22

Charlotte (2-2) @ Duke (1-5)
7 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: Duke -11

CSD Pick: Duke 32, Charlotte 22

#3 Ohio State (1-0 Big Ten) @ #18 Penn State (0-1 Big Ten)

7:30 PM ET, ABC
Vegas Line: Ohio State -12.5

The game of the day comes from the Big Ten, as Penn State looks to keep their Playoff hopes alive hosting Ohio State. Last week’s game against Indiana was rough for Penn State from the outside looking in, but in all actuality, I think you can discount the loss somewhat. Penn State played like the MUCH better team all game and just got unlucky towards the end with a stupid decision from a player when the Nittany Lions had the game won and two successful two-point conversions from Indiana, the second of which was controversially held up. The Nittany Lions came into the game as 6.5 point favorites and just looking at the stats, they played up to that. My model’s post-game win expectancy (a formula that looks at all the stats and says how often a team should have won the game) gave Penn State an 86%. ESPN’s Bill Connelly’s version of a similar model put the Nittany Lons odds even higher, at 96%, so let’s not adjust our expectations too much based on one performance that was actually more bad luck than PSU actually playing poorly. Now, the Nittany Lions will run into a juggernaut Saturday: Ohio State. The Buckeyes are led by Heisman contending QB Justin Fields, who hit 20 of 21 passes last Saturday. The one incompletion was a receiver drop. Yeah, I guess you could say Fields is pretty good. I expect Fields and OSU to put up a bunch of points and win this game, but Penn State will easily cover 12.5. Lock it up.

CSD Pick: Ohio State 36, Penn State 30

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Penn State +12.5

Arkansas (2-2 SEC) @ #8 Texas A&M (3-1 SEC)
7:30 PM ET, SEC Network
Vegas Line: Texas A&M -11.5

CSD Pick: Texas A&M 32, Arkansas 19

Missouri (2-2 SEC) @ #10 Florida (2-1 SEC)

7:30 PM ET, SEC Network Alternate
Vegas Line: Florida -12.5

This game is very interesting to me and seems to be flying under the radar a bit. Florida is a very good team, one that still controls their own destiny to a college football playoff appearance, but they run into a Missouri team that has played like a top-25 caliber squad the past couple of weeks. Now, I think Florida’s offense, led by Kyle Trask and Kyle Pitts, will be good enough to lead them to a victory here, but watch out for this one during Ohio State-Penn State, because an upset is not out of the question.

CSD Pick: Florida 35, Missouri 22

Navy (3-3, 3-1 American) @ #22 SMU (5-1, 2-1 American)
7:30 PM ET, ESPN2
Vegas Line: SMU -16

CSD Pick: SMU 37, Navy 25

#15 North Carolina (4-1, 4-1 ACC) @ Virginia (1-4, 1-4 ACC)

8 PM ET, ACC Network
Vegas Line: North Carolina -6.5

The South’s oldest rivalry has been played since 1892, but it has been dominated by Virginia recently, the Cavaliers have won three straight. This year’s UVa squad is a pretty far step back from last year’s squad that won the Coastal, but they are better than the 1-4 record indicates, QB Brennan Armstrong had to miss some time with injury, and in a rivalry game, you always throw the records out anyways. With that being said, the Virginia offense, even with Armstrong healthy, just isn’t enough to keep up with the UNC run game. I like Virginia, a squad excellent at forcing turnovers, to keep this one a lot closer than many think, but UNC to pull away late.

CSD Pick: North Carolina 36, Virginia 30

#24 Oklahoma (3-2, 2-2 Big 12) @ Texas Tech (2-3, 1-3 Big 12)
8 PM ET, FOX
Vegas Line: Oklahoma -15.5

CSD Pick: Oklahoma 40, Texas Tech 27

Louisiana (4-1, 2-1 Sun Belt) @ Texas State (1-6, 1-2 Sun Belt)
8 PM ET, ESPNU
Vegas Line: Louisiana -16.5

CSD Pick: Louisiana 35, Texas State 20

San Diego State (1-0, 1-0 MW) @ Utah State (0-1, 0-1 MW)
9:30 PM ET, CBSSN
Vegas Line: San Diego State -7

CSD Pick: San Diego State 27, Utah State 20

Western Kentucky (2-4) @ #11 BYU (6-0)
10:15 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: BYU -28.5

CSD Pick: BYU 41, Western Kentucky 17

Nevada (1-0, 1-0 MW) @ UNLV (0-1, 0-1 MW)
10:30 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: Nevada -10

CSD Pick: Nevada 33, UNLV 20

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

TBD, ESPN
Glendale, AZ
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Michigan vs. Iowa State

Capital One Orange Bowl

TBD, ESPN
Miami Gardens, FL
ACC vs. Big Ten or SEC
Bowl Projection: Notre Dame vs. Georgia

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

TBD, ESPN
Atlanta, GA
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Cincinnati vs. Texas A&M

GoodYear Cotton Bowl Classic

TBD, ESPN
Arlington, TX
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Wisconsin vs. USC

Rose Bowl

Friday, January 1, 5:00 ET, ESPN
Pasadena, CA
CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Ohio State vs. Oregon
Pick: Ohio State

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Friday, January 1, 8:45 ET, ESPN
New Orleans, LA
CFP vs. CFP
Projection: Alabama vs. Clemson
Pick: Alabama

College Football Playoff National Championship

Monday, January 11, 8:00 ET, ESPN
Miami Gardens, FL
Projection: Ohio State vs. Alabama
Pick: Alabama

A reminder, as always, these rankings DO NOT reflect a team’s resume, or even whether they have won or lost, they are solely used to measure a team’s strength in the sense Vegas would to set lines. Thus, team talent remains an important variable throughout the season, even if a team continues to lose. Additionally, recent games are weighted more heavily, and if you are lucky or don’t look good in a win, you may fall, while if you look good or are unlucky in a loss, you may rise. Let’s get into it.

Rank	Team	Conf	CHANGE	YTD ChAngE
1	Alabama	SEC	0	0
2	Ohio State	Big Ten	1	0
3	Georgia	SEC	1	1
4	Clemson	ACC	-2	-1
5	Penn State	Big Ten	0	1
6	Wisconsin	Big Ten	0	6
7	Oregon	Pac-12	0	6
8	Michigan	Big Ten	6	10
9	Southern California	Pac-12	-1	6
10	Florida	SEC	-1	-3
11	Texas A&M	SEC	-1	-3
12	Notre Dame	ACC	1	2
13	Oklahoma	Big 12	-1	-8
14	Iowa State	Big 12	7	7
15	North Carolina	ACC	1	2
16	Louisiana State	SEC	1	-7
17	Cincinnati	AAC	5	3
18	Kentucky	SEC	-7	9
19	Auburn	SEC	1	-9
20	Oklahoma State	Big 12	-2	-4
21	Texas	Big 12	-6	-10
22	Washington	Pac-12	2	7
23	Arizona State	Pac-12	2	8
24	South Carolina	SEC	6	20
25	Louisville	ACC	13	0
26	Virginia Tech	ACC	-3	-7
27	Iowa	Big Ten	-1	5
28	Nebraska	Big Ten	1	5
29	Minnesota	Big Ten	-10	-5
30	Missouri	SEC	17	26
31	California	Pac-12	0	5
32	Central Florida	AAC	-5	-9
33	Indiana	Big Ten	-1	4
34	Baylor	Big 12	14	0
35	Miami (FL)	ACC	-7	-5
36	North Carolina State	ACC	3	21
37	Tennessee	SEC	-3	-15
38	Mississippi	SEC	3	-3
39	Purdue	Big Ten	7	6
40	Brigham Young	Ind	3	11
41	Boise State	MWC	3	1
42	West Virginia	Big 12	-7	11
43	Texas Christian	Big 12	-6	-4
44	Kansas State	Big 12	-2	2
45	Utah	Pac-12	0	-2
46	Memphis	AAC	-13	-20
47	Virginia	ACC	10	-6
48	Wake Forest	ACC	4	7
49	Pittsburgh	ACC	-13	-11
50	Arkansas	SEC	-1	28
51	Boston College	ACC	8	13
52	Northwestern	Big Ten	2	0
53	Mississippi State	SEC	-2	-4
54	Florida State	ACC	-14	-26
55	Stanford	Pac-12	-2	-7
56	Texas Tech	Big 12	5	3
57	Southern Methodist	AAC	-7	-10
58	Appalachian State	Sun Belt	-2	-18
59	Illinois	Big Ten	-1	-5
60	Tulsa	AAC	8	32
61	UCLA	Pac-12	1	-1
62	Louisiana	Sun Belt	8	-12
63	Georgia Tech	ACC	-8	4
64	Duke	ACC	2	2
65	Houston	AAC	-2	-7
66	Oregon State	Pac-12	1	-4
67	Marshall	CUSA	-3	10
68	Alabama-Birmingham	CUSA	-3	-7
69	Tulane	AAC	5	4
70	Air Force	MWC	-10	-1
71	Washington State	Pac-12	0	-3
72	Buffalo	MAC	0	-1
73	Temple	AAC	3	2
74	Michigan State	Big Ten	-5	-11
75	Wyoming	MWC	-2	-3
76	Arizona	Pac-12	-1	0
77	Nevada	MWC	0	2
78	San Diego State	MWC	0	3
79	Navy	AAC	3	-14
80	Florida Atlantic	CUSA	4	0
81	Maryland	Big Ten	0	2
82	Toledo	MAC	3	3
83	Miami (OH)	MAC	3	3
84	Central Michigan	MAC	3	3
85	Hawaii	MWC	17	15
86	Coastal Carolina	Sun Belt	-3	27
87	Ohio	MAC	1	1
88	Colorado State	MWC	1	1
89	Charlotte	CUSA	-9	2
90	Syracuse	ACC	2	-16
91	Georgia State	Sun Belt	-12	13
92	Liberty	Ind	-1	27
93	Arkansas State	Sun Belt	2	-3
94	Rutgers	Big Ten	9	7
95	Ball State	MAC	-2	0
96	Vanderbilt	SEC	-2	1
97	East Carolina	AAC	-1	-1
98	Western Kentucky	CUSA	-8	-28
99	Georgia Southern	Sun Belt	2	-5
100	Troy	Sun Belt	6	5
101	Colorado	Pac-12	-3	-2
102	San Jose State	MWC	12	10
103	Army	Ind	-4	4
104	South Florida	AAC	-4	-11
105	North Texas	CUSA	4	13
106	Southern Mississippi	CUSA	6	-24
107	Utah State	MWC	-3	-4
108	Western Michigan	MAC	2	0
109	Kent State	MAC	2	0
110	South Alabama	Sun Belt	-5	5
111	Texas State	Sun Belt	-4	13
112	Fresno State	MWC	-15	-14
113	Texas-San Antonio	CUSA	2	1
114	Kansas	Big 12	2	-4
115	Louisiana Tech	CUSA	-2	-31
116	Rice	CUSA	-8	-10
117	Texas-El Paso	CUSA	3	10
118	Middle Tennessee State	CUSA	6	-16
119	Nevada-Las Vegas	MWC	-1	-3
120	New Mexico	MWC	-1	-3
121	Akron	MAC	0	0
122	Northern Illinois	MAC	0	0
123	Eastern Michigan	MAC	0	0
124	Florida International	CUSA	-7	-13
125	Bowling Green State	MAC	0	0
126	Massachusetts	Ind	0	0
127	Louisiana-Monroe	Sun Belt	0	-7

The Big Ten kicks off their season this week, as #18 Michigan takes on #21 Minnesota, and #8 Penn State and #5 Ohio State look to stave off tests from Indiana and Nebraska ahead of their clash next week. Also on the docket:

• A battle of teams hoping to keep their ACC title hopes alive as #23 NC State faces off with #14 North Carolina
• #2 Alabama and #3 Notre Dame hope to avoid upsets taking on Tennessee and Pitt
• The two highest-ranked teams in the Big 12 will square off as #17 Iowa State takes on #6 Oklahoma State
• South Carolina and LSU both hope to get their seasons on the right track as they face off in a primetime showdown
• A game with New Year’s Six implications will take center stage in primetime as #9 Cincinnati faces #16 SMU

2020 Prediction Stats

Straight Up: 125-43 (74%)
ATS Best Bets: 24-15 (+6.8 units)
ATS Total: 89-71-8 (+10.0 units)

Best Bets

Appalachian State (-10) vs Arkansas State – Thursday, 7:30 PM ET, ESPN
Rice (-2) vs Middle Tennessee – 3:30 PM ET, ESPN3
Navy (+14) vs Houston – 3:30 PM ET, CBSSN
Georgia State (+2.5) @ Troy – 4 PM ET, ESPNU
Western Kentucky (-11.5) vs Chattanooga – 4 PM ET, ESPN3
#9 Cincinnati (+2.5) @ #16 SMU – 9 PM ET, ESPN2
Air Force (-7) @ San Jose State – 10:30 PM ET, FS1

Thursday, October 22nd

Arkansas State (3-2, 1-1 Sun Belt) @ Appalachian State (2-1, 0-0 Sun Belt)
7:30 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: Appalachian State -10

The Arkansas State passing attack has been great under Logan Bonner and Layne Hatcher this year. This defense? Not so much. Expect an App State offense that is the most talented in the conference to run all over the Red Wolves in their Sun Belt opener.

CSD Pick: Appalachian State 41, Arkansas State 27

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Appalachian State -10

Friday, October 23rd

Jacksonville State (2-1) @ FIU (0-2)
7 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: FIU -10.5

CSD Pick: FIU 37, Jacksonville State 22

Tulsa (1-1, 1-0 American) @ USF (1-4, 0-3 American)
7:30 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: Tulsa -10

CSD Pick: Tulsa 30, USF 20

Illinois (0-0 Big Ten) @ #14 Wisconsin (0-0 Big Ten)
8 PM ET, BTN
Vegas Line: Wisconsin -18

CSD Pick: Wisconsin 35, Illinois 17

Louisiana (3-1) @ UAB (4-1)
8 PM ET, CBSSN
Vegas Line: UAB -1.5

CSD Pick: UAB 29, Louisville 27

Saturday, October 24th

Syracuse (1-4, 1-3 ACC) @ #1 Clemson (5-0, 4-0 ACC)
12 PM ET, ACC Network
Vegas Line: Clemson -44.5

CSD Pick: Clemson 53, Syracuse 12

Nebraska (0-0 Big Ten) @ #5 Ohio State (0-0 Big Ten)

12 PM ET, FOX
Vegas Line: Ohio State -24.5

Ohio State kicks off its season as 24.5 point favorites against Nebraska. I think the Cornhuskers will be good this year, perhaps the best they’ve been in the Scott Frost era, but they run into the buzzsaw that is this Ohio State team. The Buckeyes are talented, they’re motivated, and they’re at home. Expect OSU to dominate this one, although a back-door cover from the Huskers feels likely.

CSD Pick: Ohio State 45, Nebraska 24

#23 NC State (4-1, 4-1 ACC) @ #14 North Carolina (3-1, 3-1 ACC)

12 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: North Carolina -14.5

It will be a ranked vs ranked matchup on Tobacco Road as both of these teams look to stay alive in the ACC title race. UNC didn’t look good against Florida State last week in a 31-28 loss, but anyone watching that game would tell you that despite the scoreboard, the Tar Heels played like the better team for the majority of the contest. At home, coming out angry after the loss, I expect UNC to cruise to a win against an NC State squad that will be missing its starting quarterback.

CSD Pick: North Carolina 38, NC State 25

Kansas (0-4, 0-3 Big 12) @ #20 Kansas State (3-1, 3-0 Big 12)
12 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: Kansas State -17.5

CSD Pick: Kansas State 35, Kansas 13

Georgia Southern (3-1, 1-1 Sun Belt) @ #25 Coastal Carolina (4-0, 2-0 Sun Belt)
12 PM ET, ESPNU
Vegas Line: Coastal Carolina -4.5

CSD Pick: Coastal Carolina 31, Georgia Southern 24

Mercer (0-1) @ Army (5-1)
12 PM ET, CBSSN
Vegas Line: Army -29.5

CSD Pick: Army 44, Mercer 8

Auburn (2-2 SEC) @ Ole Miss (1-3 SEC)
12 PM ET, SEC Network
Vegas Line: Auburn -3

CSD Pick: Auburn 35, Ole Miss 31

Oklahoma (2-2, 1-2 Big 12) @ TCU (1-2, 1-2 Big 12)

12 PM ET, ABC
Vegas Line: Oklahoma -5.5

An Oklahoma team that came into the season with College Football Playoff aspirations now needs a win against 1-2 TCU to stay alive in the Big 12 title race. Both of these teams are a lot better than their records indicate, but Oklahoma is a LOT better. Spencer Rattler is a solid QB for Lincoln Riley, and there is no way that a team as talented as this Oklahoma squad is dropping to 2-3. Expect the Sooners to pick up the road victory.

CSD Pick: Oklahoma 33, TCU 26

Temple (1-1, 1-1 American) @ Memphis (2-1, 1-1 American)
12 PM ET, ESPN+
Vegas Line: Memphis -12.5

CSD Pick: Memphis 42, Temple 28

UTEP (3-2, 0-1 C-USA) @ Charlotte (1-2, 1-1 C-USA)
12 PM ET, ESPN+
Vegas Line: Charlotte -14

CSD Pick: Charlotte 33, UTEP 18

Florida State (2-3, 1-3 ACC) @ Louisville (1-4, 0-4 ACC)
12 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: Louisville -6.5

CSD Pick: Louisville 31, Florida State 27

Rutgers (0-0 Big Ten) @ Michigan State (0-0 Big Ten)
12 PM ET, BTN
Vegas Line: Michigan State -16.5

CSD Pick: Michigan State 27, Rutgers 13

Southern Mississippi (1-3) @ Liberty (5-0)
1 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: Liberty -10.5

CSD Pick: Liberty 35, Southern Mississippi 26

Tulane (2-3, 0-3 American) @ UCF (2-2, 1-2 American)
2 PM ET, ESPN2
Vegas Line: UCF -17.5

CSD Pick: UCF 45, Tulane 28

Florida Atlantic (1-0, 1-0 C-USA) @ #22 Marshall (4-0, 2-0 C-USA)
2:30 PM ET, FSN/Stadium
Vegas Line: Marshall -16.5

CSD Pick: Marshall 36, Florida Atlantic 22

#2 Alabama (4-0 SEC) @ Tennessee (2-2 SEC)

3:30 PM ET, CBS
Vegas Line: Alabama -20

I mean, Alabama is the best team in the country, it’s as simple as that. The ‘Bama offense will run all over Tennessee’s defense, and I have no faith in Jarrett Guarantano and the Vols offense to keep up. ‘Bama should roll and have their backups in by the fourth quarter.

CSD Pick: Alabama 44, Tennessee 25

#3 Notre Dame (4-0, 3-0 ACC) @ Pittsburgh (3-3, 2-3 ACC)

3:30 PM ET, ABC
Vegas Line: Notre Dame -9

Oh wow. It is very enticing to pick the upset here. A Notre Dame team that is not nearly as good as that #3 next to their name indicates, traveling to face Pitt, a team with a reputation for pulling upsets. I’m too much of a coward to call it, but boy, it wouldn’t surprise me. However, this Notre Dame is still extremely talented, and Pitt has been sliding in recent weeks. Expect the ND offense to recover from a disastrous 12-point performance last week and pick up the win, but don’t be surprised if it is close.

CSD Pick: Notre Dame 30, Pittsburgh 22

#17 Iowa State (3-1, 3-0 Big 12) @ #6 Oklahoma State (3-0, 2-0 Big 12)

3:30 PM ET, FOX
Vegas Line: Oklahoma State -4

A game with serious Big 12 title implications will take center stage at 3:30 as #17 Iowa State takes on #6 Oklahoma State in a battle between two squads undefeated in Big 12 competition. This game will come down to how Iowa State QB Brock Purdy plays against the Oklahoma State defense, and the answer may surprise you. This group is very good by Big 12 standards, perhaps the best of the Mike Gundy era, and against a QB as inconsistent as Purdy, and at home, I expect the ‘Pokes to pick up the W.

CSD Pick: Oklahoma State 29, Iowa State 25

#8 Penn State (0-0 Big Ten) @ Indiana (0-0 Big Ten)

3:30 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: Penn State -7.5

Another game with serious upset potential here as #8 Penn State, perhaps looking ahead to their matchup against Ohio State next week, has to travel to face a very solid Indiana team. LB Micah Parsons and RB Journey Brown will not be joining the Nittany Lions, having opted out for the season, but while I like this Indiana team, they just don’t have the talent to compete with Penn State. QB Michael Penix is solid, and this Indiana squad will probably pull an upset at some point this year, I just think Penn State is too good to be caught sleeping. Give me PSU.

CSD Pick: Penn State 35, Indiana 26

#19 Virginia Tech (3-1, 3-1 ACC) @ Wake Forest (2-2, 1-2 ACC)
3:30 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: Virginia Tech -7

CSD Pick: Virginia Tech 38, Wake Forest 30

Middle Tennessee (1-5, 1-3 C-USA) @ Rice (0-0, 0-0 C-USA)
3:30 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: Rice -2

Rice hasn’t played a game this year, but we’ve seen Middle Tennessee play six times, and they’ve been one of the five worst teams in the nation. Bet Rice.

CSD Pick: Rice 27, Middle Tennessee 21

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Rice -2

Houston (1-1, 1-0 American) @ Navy (3-2, 3-0 American)
3:30 PM ET, CBSSN
Vegas Line: Houston -14

I’ve faded Navy two weeks in a row and they’ve proven me wrong both times, so I’m jumping on the bandwagon. 14 points is too big of a spread with the Midshipmen at home and the limited number of possessions that we will see. Take Navy.

CSD Pick: Houston 33, Navy 23

Baylor (1-1, 1-1 Big 12) @ Texas (2-2, 1-2 Big 12)
3:30 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: Texas -11.5

CSD Pick: Texas 35, Baylor 25

Iowa (0-0 Big Ten) @ Purdue (0-0 Big Ten)
3:30 PM ET, BTN
Vegas Line: Iowa -4.5

CSD Pick: Iowa 27, Purdue 24

Georgia State (1-2, 0-2 Sun Belt) @ Troy (3-1, 1-0 Sun Belt)
4 PM ET, ESPNU
Vegas Line: Troy -2.5

Troy struggled mightily with Eastern Kentucky last week, meanwhile, despite their record, Georgia State has looked very good through three games, including a game where they took Louisiana to overtime and a weekday shootout loss to Arkansas State where the Panthers looked like the better team. I think they win outright.

CSD Pick: Georgia State 34, Troy 33

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Georgia State +2.5

Georgia Tech (2-3, 2-2 ACC) @ Boston College (3-2, 2-2 ACC)
4 PM ET, ACC Network
Vegas Line: Boston College -4

CSD Pick: Boston College 27, Georgia Tech 25

Chattanooga (0-0) @ Western Kentucky (1-4)
4 PM ET, ESPN3
Vegas Line: Western Kentucky -11.5

Western Kentucky hasn’t looked great this year, but they are not nearly as bad as the 1-4 record indicates, and giving up only 11.5, at home, against an FCS opponent that we haven’t seen play yet, I’ll take the Hilltoppers.

CSD Pick: Western Kentucky 37, Chattanooga 16

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Western Kentucky -11.5

Kentucky (2-2 SEC) @ Missouri (1-2 SEC)
4 PM ET, SEC Network
Vegas Line: Kentucky -4.5

CSD Pick: Kentucky 29, Missouri 22

West Virginia (3-1, 2-1 Big 12) @ Texas Tech (1-3, 0-3 Big 12)
5:30 PM ET, ESPN2
Vegas Line: West Virginia -3

CSD Pick: West Virginia 29, Texas Tech 26

South Carolina (2-2 SEC) @ LSU (1-2 SEC)

7 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: LSU -7.5

Two schools trending in opposite directions will face off in primetime as South Carolina, fresh off of a win against Auburn, travels to Baton Rouge to take on LSU. There is still enough talent on this LSU team that at home I think they get the win here and avoid dropping to 1-3, but with QB Myles Brennan questionable for the contest, the possibility of an upset is out there.

CSD Pick: LSU 34, South Carolina 28

UL Monroe (0-5, 0-2 Sun Belt) @ South Alabama (2-2, 1-0 Sun Belt)
7 PM ET, ESPN+
Vegas Line: South Alabama -13.5

CSD Pick: South Alabama 35, UL Monroe 19

Utah State (0-0, 0-0 MW) @ Boise State (0-0, 0-0 MW)
7 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: Boise State -14.5

CSD Pick: Boise State 37, Utah State 18

Wyoming (0-0, 0-0 MW) @ Nevada (0-0, 0-0 MW)
7 PM ET, CBSSN
Vegas Line: Wyoming -3.5

CSD Pick: Wyoming 26, Nevada 24

#18 Michigan (0-0 Big Ten) @ #21 Minnesota (0-0 Big Ten)

7:30 PM ET, ABC
Vegas Line: Michigan -3

Two dark horse playoff contenders will square off in primetime as Michigan takes on Minnesota in a game between two teams with a ton of turnover. I like Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan, and the Gophers are at home, but the new look Michigan offense under OC Josh Gattis is intriguing to me with the new focus on speed and creating space at the WR spot. I like Michigan’s defense to slow down the Gopher attack, and I’ll take the Wolverines to pick up the win on the road against a Minnesota defense that loses almost everyone.

CSD Pick: Michigan 31, Minnesota 29

Hawai’i (0-0, 0-0 MW) @ Fresno State (0-0, 0-0 MW)
7:30 PM ET, KSEE/Spectrum PPV
Vegas Line: Fresno State -6.5

CSD Pick: Fresno State 34, Hawai’i 30

Maryland (0-0 Big Ten) @ Northwestern (0-0 Big Ten)
7:30 PM ET, BTN
Vegas Line: Northwestern -7.5

CSD Pick: Northwestern 28, Maryland 17

Virginia (1-3, 1-3 ACC) @ #11 Miami (4-1, 3-1 ACC)
8 PM ET, ACC Network
Vegas Line: Miami -10.5

CSD Pick: Miami 34, Virginia 24

Louisiana Tech (3-2, 2-1 C-USA) @ UTSA (3-3, 1-1 C-USA)
8 PM ET, ESPNU
Vegas Line: Louisiana Tech -2.5

CSD Pick: Louisiana Tech 27, UTSA 26

#9 Cincinnati (3-0, 1-0 American) @ #16 SMU (5-0, 2-0 American)

9 PM ET, ESPN2
Vegas Line: SMU -2.5

The game of the day, in my view, comes from the American as Cincinnati takes on SMU. I was on the Bearcats to win the conference from day one when many were picking Memphis and UCF, and I’ll stay on them now, despite the road test against an SMU squad that has looked excellent to start off the year. My only concern is COVID, the Bearcats have had some positives in the program recently, but the Cincy defense may be the very best in the G5, and I expect them to hold Shane Buchele and the SMU attack in check, and for Desmond Ridder and the offense to do just enough to keep the Bearcats in the driver’s seat for the G5’s New Year’s Six spot.

CSD Pick: Cincinnati 31, SMU 30

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Cincinnati +2.5

Texas State (1-5) @ #12 BYU (5-0)
10:15 PM ET, ESPN
Vegas Line: BYU -30.5

CSD Pick: BYU 44, Texas State 18

UNLV (0-0, 0-0 MW) @ San Diego State (0-0, 0-0 MW)
10:30 PM ET, CBSSN
Vegas Line: San Diego State -14.5

CSD Pick: San Diego State 31, UNLV 17

Air Force (1-0, 0-0 MW) @ San Jose State (0-0, 0-0 MW)
10:30 PM ET, FS1
Vegas Line: Air Force -7

It feels good to have late games back. Air Force looked great to close out 2019, and while they lost a lot of talent coming into this year, they seem to have not missed a beat, dominating Navy 40-7 in their opener. The Falcons should easily cover seven points against a middling San Jose State program.

CSD Pick: Air Force 38, San Jose State 27

☆Crazy Sports Dude Best Bet Alert☆ – Air Force -7

PlayStation Fiesta Bowl

TBD, ESPN
Glendale, AZ
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Oregon vs. Boise State

Capital One Orange Bowl

TBD, ESPN
Miami Gardens, FL
ACC vs. Big Ten or SEC
Bowl Projection: Notre Dame vs. Georgia

Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl

TBD, ESPN
Atlanta, GA
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Penn State vs. Texas A&M

GoodYear Cotton Bowl Classic

TBD, ESPN
Arlington, TX
At-Large vs. At-Large
Bowl Projection: Wisconsin vs. Iowa State

Allstate Sugar Bowl

Friday, January 1, 8:45 ET, ESPN
New Orleans, LA
CFP vs. CFP
Projection: Alabama vs. USC
Pick: Alabama

Rose Bowl

Friday, January 1, 5:00 ET, ESPN
Pasadena, CA
CFP vs. CFP
Bowl Projection: Ohio State vs. Clemson
Pick: Clemson

College Football Playoff National Championship

Monday, January 11, 8:00 ET, ESPN
Miami Gardens, FL
Projection: Clemson vs. Alabama
Pick: Alabama

A reminder, as always, these rankings DO NOT reflect a team’s resume, or even whether they have won or lost, they are solely used to measure a team’s strength in the sense Vegas would to set lines. Thus, team talent remains an important variable throughout the season, even if a team continues to lose. Additionally, recent games are weighted more heavily, and if you are lucky or don’t look good in a win, you may fall, while if you look good or are unlucky in a loss, you may rise. Let’s get into it.

Rank	Team	Conf
1	Alabama	SEC
2	Clemson	ACC
3	Ohio State	Big Ten
4	Georgia	SEC
5	Penn State	Big Ten
6	Wisconsin	Big Ten
7	Oregon	Pac-12
8	Southern California	Pac-12
9	Florida	SEC
10	Texas A&M	SEC
11	Kentucky	SEC
12	Oklahoma	Big 12
13	Notre Dame	ACC
14	Michigan	Big Ten
15	Boise State	MWC
16	Texas	Big 12
17	North Carolina	ACC
18	Louisiana State	SEC
19	Oklahoma State	Big 12
20	Minnesota	Big Ten
21	Auburn	SEC
22	Iowa State	Big 12
23	Cincinnati	AAC
24	Virginia Tech	ACC
25	Washington	Pac-12
26	Arizona State	Pac-12
27	Iowa	Big Ten
28	Central Florida	AAC
29	Miami (FL)	ACC
30	Nebraska	Big Ten
31	South Carolina	SEC
32	California	Pac-12
33	Indiana	Big Ten
34	Memphis	AAC
35	Tennessee	SEC
36	West Virginia	Big 12
37	Pittsburgh	ACC
38	Texas Christian	Big 12
39	Louisville	ACC
40	North Carolina State	ACC
41	Florida State	ACC
42	Mississippi	SEC
43	Kansas State	Big 12
44	Brigham Young	Ind
45	Utah	Pac-12
46	Purdue	Big Ten
47	Missouri	SEC
48	Baylor	Big 12
49	Arkansas	SEC
50	Southern Methodist	AAC
51	Mississippi State	SEC
52	Wake Forest	ACC
53	Stanford	Pac-12
54	Northwestern	Big Ten
55	Georgia Tech	ACC
56	Appalachian State	Sun Belt
57	Virginia	ACC
58	Illinois	Big Ten
59	Boston College	ACC
60	Air Force	MWC
61	Texas Tech	Big 12
62	UCLA	Pac-12
63	Houston	AAC
64	Marshall	CUSA
65	Alabama-Birmingham	CUSA
66	Duke	ACC
67	Oregon State	Pac-12
68	Tulsa	AAC
69	Michigan State	Big Ten
70	Louisiana	Sun Belt
71	Washington State	Pac-12
72	Buffalo	MAC
73	Wyoming	MWC
74	Tulane	AAC
75	Arizona	Pac-12
76	Temple	AAC
77	Nevada	MWC
78	San Diego State	MWC
79	Georgia State	Sun Belt
80	Charlotte	CUSA
81	Maryland	Big Ten
82	Navy	AAC
83	Coastal Carolina	Sun Belt
84	Florida Atlantic	CUSA
85	Toledo	MAC
86	Miami (OH)	MAC
87	Central Michigan	MAC
88	Ohio	MAC
89	Colorado State	MWC
90	Western Kentucky	CUSA
91	Liberty	Ind
92	Syracuse	ACC
93	Ball State	MAC
94	Vanderbilt	SEC
95	Arkansas State	Sun Belt
96	East Carolina	AAC
97	Fresno State	MWC
98	Colorado	Pac-12
99	Army	Ind
100	South Florida	AAC
101	Georgia Southern	Sun Belt
102	Hawaii	MWC
103	Rutgers	Big Ten
104	Utah State	MWC
105	South Alabama	Sun Belt
106	Troy	Sun Belt
107	Texas State	Sun Belt
108	Rice	CUSA
109	North Texas	CUSA
110	Western Michigan	MAC
111	Kent State	MAC
112	Southern Mississippi	CUSA
113	Louisiana Tech	CUSA
114	San Jose State	MWC
115	Texas-San Antonio	CUSA
116	Kansas	Big 12
117	Florida International	CUSA
118	Nevada-Las Vegas	MWC
119	New Mexico	MWC
120	Texas-El Paso	CUSA
121	Akron	MAC
122	Northern Illinois	MAC
123	Eastern Michigan	MAC
124	Middle Tennessee State	CUSA
125	Bowling Green State	MAC
126	Massachusetts	Ind
127	Louisiana-Monroe	Sun Belt

Later today a second version of this post will go up including all 126 teams scheduled to play fall football, as well as one that just adds in Big Ten and Mountain West teams (the two conferences returning this week) – so look out later today for that.

A reminder, as always, these rankings DO NOT reflect a team’s resume, or even whether they have won or lost, they are solely used to measure a team’s strength in the sense Vegas would to set lines. Thus, team talent remains an important variable throughout the season, even if a team continues to lose. Additionally, recent games are weighted more heavily, and if you are lucky or don’t look good in a win, you may fall, while if you look good or are unlucky in a loss, you may rise. Let’s get into it.

Rank	Team	Conf.	CHANGE	YTD CHANGE
1	Alabama	SEC	0	0
2	Clemson	ACC	1	0
3	Georgia	SEC	-1	0
4	Florida	SEC	0	1
5	Texas A&M	SEC	1	1
6	Kentucky	SEC	12	14
7	Oklahoma	Big 12	0	-3
8	Notre Dame	ACC	-3	2
9	Texas	Big 12	0	0
10	North Carolina	ACC	-2	2
11	Louisiana State	SEC	-1	-4
12	Oklahoma State	Big 12	0	-1
13	Auburn	SEC	-2	-5
14	Iowa State	Big 12	0	1
15	Cincinnati	AAC	2	-1
16	Virginia Tech	ACC	0	-3
17	Miami (FL)	ACC	-2	5
18	Central Florida	AAC	4	-1
19	South Carolina	SEC	2	11
20	Memphis	AAC	-1	-1
21	Tennessee	SEC	-8	-5
22	West Virginia	Big 12	3	12
23	Pittsburgh	ACC	8	2
24	Texas Christian	Big 12	0	2
25	Louisville	ACC	7	-7
26	Florida State	ACC	3	-5
27	North Carolina State	ACC	-4	11
28	Mississippi	SEC	-8	-4
29	Kansas State	Big 12	-3	0
30	Missouri	SEC	-3	6
31	Baylor	Big 12	-3	-8
32	Brigham Young	Ind	6	8
33	Arkansas	SEC	7	18
34	Southern Methodist	AAC	-1	-3
35	Mississippi State	SEC	-5	-3
36	Wake Forest	ACC	0	-1
37	Virginia	ACC	-3	-9
38	Appalachian State	Sun Belt	-1	-11
39	Georgia Tech	ACC	-4	6
40	Boston College	ACC	4	2
41	Texas Tech	Big 12	1	-2
42	Houston	AAC	-3	-5
43	Duke	ACC	3	1
44	Alabama-Birmingham	CUSA	-3	-3
45	Marshall	CUSA	2	5
46	Tulsa	AAC	-1	11
47	Louisiana	Sun Belt	-4	-14
48	Tulane	AAC	1	-1
49	Temple	AAC	1	0
50	Georgia State	Sun Belt	4	14
51	Charlotte	CUSA	0	5
52	Navy	AAC	4	-9
53	Coastal Carolina	Sun Belt	8	16
54	Florida Atlantic	CUSA	-2	-2
55	Western Kentucky	CUSA	2	-9
56	Liberty	Ind	9	14
57	Syracuse	ACC	-9	-9
58	Vanderbilt	SEC	0	3
59	Arkansas State	Sun Belt	-6	-4
60	East Carolina	AAC	-5	0
61	Army	Ind	-2	1
62	Georgia Southern	Sun Belt	0	-4
63	South Florida	AAC	1	-4
64	South Alabama	Sun Belt	-1	8
65	Troy	Sun Belt	-5	0
66	Texas State	Sun Belt	3	9
67	North Texas	CUSA	8	6
68	Rice	CUSA	-1	-2
69	Southern Mississippi	CUSA	-1	-16
70	Louisiana Tech	CUSA	-4	-16
71	Texas-San Antonio	CUSA	2	0
72	Florida International	CUSA	0	-4
73	Kansas	Big 12	-2	-6
74	Texas-El Paso	CUSA	0	2
75	Middle Tennessee State	CUSA	-5	-12
76	Louisiana-Monroe	Sun Belt	0	-2

1. Clemson (NC)
2. Alabama (NC)
3. Notre Dame (+1)
4. Georgia (-1)
5. Oklahoma State (+1)
6. Texas A&M (+3)
7. Cincinnati (NC)
8. Florida (NC)
9. Miami (+1)
10. BYU (+2)
11. North Carolina (-6)
12. SMU (+1)
13. Iowa State (+2)
14. Virginia Tech (+4)
15. Kansas State (+2)
16. Marshall (+3)
17. NC State (+3)
18. Coastal Carolina (+7)
19. Memphis (NEW)
20. Oklahoma (+1)
21. Tulsa (+1)
22. West Virginia (NEW)
23. Auburn (-12)
24. Louisiana (-8)
25. Liberty (NEW)

Dropped Out: #14 Tennessee, #23 UCF, #24 Boston College