By Dean Lowery ’27, Alex Jessey ‘28, Benjamin Ross ’28, Joe Parmigiani ‘28, Christian Arnold ‘28
Introduction
Wow. Georgia goes down. Miami goes down. So much is happening, and yet we are so close to the finish. Perhaps the SEC isn’t as good as we thought. Or maybe everyone in the SEC is better than everyone else. Big things to come as the Bulldogs fight for their playoff chances.
Three big games
#23 Missouri @ #21 South Carolina, Columbia, SC, Williams-Brice Stadium
While both of these teams might be out of playoff contention, this would be a nice win in a conference that is becoming increasingly competitive.
Keys for the Tigers: Many question why Missouri is currently ranked. This is their chance to prove their place and add a strong win to their resume. Mizzou’ needs another strong performance from their solid defense, and the offense led by Brady Cook will need to be productive to emerge victorious.
Keys for the Gamecocks: It’s hard to play in Columbia, and South Carolina will have both the crowd and momentum propelling them on. Sellers has been a dynamic QB this season, and with an offense full of weapons ready to fire at any moment, South Carolina will be hoping they can take down the Tigers for another big-ranked win.
#7 Tennessee @ #12 Georgia, Athens, Georgia, Sanford Stadium
This classic rivalry brings a little extra flavor this year, given that this is essentially an elimination game. Furthermore, the Volunteers have a chance to snag an almost guaranteed place in the SEC championship game, something that would all but lock up a spot in the College Football Playoff.
Keys for the Volunteers: Tennessee hasn’t beaten Georgia since 2016, and playing in Athens is no easy task. To get over the hump and pick up a huge road win, Tennessee may need to rely on its scoring defense (fifth in the FBS in points allowed and yards allowed per game). The shaky situation at quarterback (Iamaleava is questionable for the game) creates a lot of uncertainty.
Keys for the Bulldogs: The Bulldogs have the nation’s longest home winning streak; looking at this game from a historical perspective, it should be an easy win for Georgia. But Georgia’s in an unfamiliar place: they’re a 2-loss team now, and another loss will likely eliminate them from CFP contention. Georgia needs to pick up the pieces from an embarrassing loss at Ole Miss, particularly on offense. If quarterback Carson Beck and the Georgia offense start to finally roll again, a win is likely.
#20 Clemson @ Pitt, Pittsburgh, PA, Acrisure Stadium
Somehow, someway, Clemson is still alive. This is going to be a test, however, as the Panthers have been solid all season long before falling apart against SMU. Look for this to be a tight one.
Keys for the Tigers: Stymie the Pitt offense. A skilled, mature Clemson defensive line could flex its muscles and flatten Pittsburgh’s offense. The Tigers’ quarterback Cade Klubnik will also need a big game, and certainly avoid throwing costly interceptions, which the Panthers’ defense could cause. At 6-1 in ACC play, Clemson could turn its season around with a strong finish and appearance in the conference championship game.
Keys for the Panthers: Stop the bleeding and fix the offense. This game was a potential huge ACC showdown, but it’s lost its luster slightly due to Pitt’s recent struggles. The Panthers are still alive in the ACC race and need to pick up this home win. Perhaps the Panthers will need to rely on their defense as well: a repeat of the Syracuse game (3 pick-sixes in the first half) would do wonders.
Three big players
Travis Hunter, WR/CB, Colorado Buffaloes vs Utah Utes
The do-it-all star is still leading the Heisman race. Hunter is approaching 1000 yards and 10 TDs on the offensive side and is one of the best cornerbacks in college football.
Dillon Gabriel, QB, Oregon Ducks @ Wisconsin Badgers
Gabriel has moved up to second regarding betting odds after throwing 3 TDs and leading his team to another dominant win last week. Oregon is rolling behind Gabriel and is looking to lock up the #1 seed in the CFB playoffs.
Ashton Jeanty, RB, Boise St. Broncos @ San Jose St. Spartans
I guess Jeanty took it personally that we took him off our 3 big players list because he exploded last week for 220 yards and 3 TDs. He is putting up historical numbers this year and is shaping up to be one of the finalists in New York. He has a big game this week vs San Jose St. for his team's playoff hopes but as long as Jeanty wakes up, the Broncos like their odds.
Three teams to watch
Well, well, well. Who is going to occupy the coveted fifth automatic bid? We might start using the term “Cinderella” in football.
#13 Boise State Broncos (8-1) @ San Jose St.
The Broncos got major props from the committee, given that they were ranked five spots ahead of the next best Group-of-Five team. The Broncos held off Nevada last week and visited San Jose St. in another Mountain West showdown.
#18 Washington St. Cougars (8-1) @ New Mexico
Washington St. has quietly risen the polls, rising up to #18 this week. Their one loss is to Boise St., and it was pretty emphatic, so it would likely take a couple of slip-ups from the Broncos to give the Cougars room to prevail. Nonetheless, they are beginning to turn heads.
#24 Army Black Knights (9-0) @ #8 Notre Dame (Nov. 23)
Woah. The Committee gave the Black Knights no respect and made it abundantly clear that Army will have to win out to earn a spot in this year’s playoff. The Knights have a bye week to prepare for their biggest game (Nov. 23) against the Fighting Irish.
3 value bets (15-5-1 on the season)
BYU (-2.5) vs Kansas
Texas(-12) @ Arkansas
Oregon(-14) @ Wisconsin
The “Dartmouth” Poll
Well, the AP Poll and the CFP Poll are out, and both have interesting takes. Here’s what our team came up with.
