Sports Talk

In 2024 college football has delivered in its ability to shock audiences across the nation. There is a feeling around the sport right now that anything truly can happen and in the first season of the 12-team playoff it all matters that much more. So, let’s take a look at some of the storylines from around college football and discuss some of the major matchups as we enter the thick of conference play.

Washington at 13 Indiana

Greg’s Pick: 13 Indiana (-6.5)

Indiana has always been renowned for its basketball. The Hoosier State’s flagship college has produced some of the greatest basketball talent we’ve seen and is the holder of 5 national titles and 41 NCAA tournament appearances, but for once the basketball team is not at center stage. Led by new head coaching hire Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers football team has been off to a blazing start sitting at 7-0. Off of the back of a roster revamped through the transfer portal Cignetti has developed a team which appears allergic to making mistakes. While it must be noted that the Hoosiers have avoided much of the powerhouse teams in the BIG10 conference they seemed primed for a run at the division title and a spot in the playoff, with their play even earning a visit from ESPN’s College Football Gameday this week.

The same cannot be said for Washington. Stuck in the hangover from a College Football Playoff National Championship loss, in combination with a mass exodus of players following the departure of head coach Kalen Deboer for Alabama, Coach Jedd Fisch inherited a rebuild hidden behind the shell of a contender. Sitting at 4-3 with a notable non-conference loss to Washington State in the Apple cup, the Huskies have had a rocky start to their season, though with a win against a similarly depleted, but always talented, Michigan team last week, Washington may be looking to upset Indiana’s celebration of the emergence of their football team.

21 Missouri at 15 Alabama

Greg’s Pick: 21 Missouri +17 (Alabama to win)

If there were to be a theme for this game, it would be to make a statement. Coming into this game both teams have been playing below their rankings and need to make a statement in this game to continue their playoff hopes. The Missouri Tigers have had a relatively successful season with their missteps (an overtime win against now ranked Vanderbilt) maturing to only support the team’s caliber. Despite this, there is a glaring stain on the success of the program’s season in a 31-point blowout loss to #14 Texas A&M. Was that game just a misstep or will Missouri be able to topple a highly talented Alabama roster on their homecoming night.

As for that Alabama team, the water has began to rise in Tuscaloosa and it is time to see if the tide can sink or swim, for a two loss team their only hope to salvage a playoff spot likely would need to come by finishing the rest of their season undefeated. All of that hope rides with a team which has shown cracks these past three weeks. Will Coach Deboer be able to quiet the noise rumbling around the southeast and gain a statement win against a ranked opponent?

12 Notre Dame at 24 Navy

Greg’s Pick: 24 Navy +14

Discipline is the lifeblood of the service academies football teams. The differential of talent is evident now more so than ever in the age of NIL in college football. Luckily for Navy, track season starts doesn’t start until spring and the Midshipmen run one of the most well-executed offenses in the country. Though they have not faced some of the level of competition as their rivals from South Bend, Navy has beaten each of their opponents by a margin greater than ten, and with playoff implications on the line in a rivalry game they have the ability to show the nation what mistake-less football can do, only a stone’s throw away from their biggest rivals.

While Notre Dame has an early season ranked win against #14 Texas A&M, their team has shown signs of struggle. Their transfer quarterback Riley Leonard has been inconsistent as a passer throughout their early season and their offense has struggled at times because of it, most notably in their loss to NIU. The fighting Irish also struggled greatly in the first half against NIU’s fellow MAC brethren the Miami University Redhawks. Since then, however, the team has looked strong with their most notable win coming last week against rival Stanford in blowout fashion 49-7. Faced with another rivalry game this week at a neutral location will the Irish be able to stop the Naval academy’s momentum, or will they suffer another loss pushing them further away from a playoff berth, with no automatic bid.

5 Texas at 25 Vanderbilt

Greg’s Pick: Vanderbilt +18.5

Going into week 8 the Texas Longhorns were on top of the college football world, with the success of the team bringing true Sam Ehlinger’s proclamation that “We’re Back” only a few years delayed. Then the Georgia Bulldogs came to Austin. At the end of the first half with possibility of being down three scores to Georgia, Steve Sarkisian made a decision he had tried greatly to avoid and benched quarterback Quinn Ewers in favor of Arch Manning sparking a quarterback controversy which has fed the media around college football despite Ewers’ return in the second half. Now Sarkisian looks to end the rumblings of quarterback controversy and bounce back against an upstart Vanderbilt team primed for a big victory.

Vanderbilt has historically been the little kid picked on by 13 (now 15) older brothers during SEC football conference play. That was until Vanderbilt head coach Clark Lea and transfer quarterback Diego Pavia shocked the world by beating perennial powerhouse Alabama a week after beating the Georgia Bulldogs. Pavia has brought a confident swagger to the Vanderbilt program which it has sorely lacked throughout recent history, reminiscent of his childhood idol Johnny Manziel. Like Manziel, Pavia is geared to winning the big games and has an ability to perfectly execute Clark Lea’s complicated option scheme which has given defenses across the college level fits. Can Pavia channel Manziel again and let the world know that Vanderbilt is here to contend or will one of the new big brothers of the SEC finally put down the scrappy upstart Commodores?

Florida State at 6 UMiami

Greg’s Pick: Florida State +21 (UMiami to win)

Miami’s season has been one filled with fireworks. Through a number of close games, the Hurricanes have defied the odds and found ways to win. It just seems that no matter what happens, when the going gets tough the ball tends to bounce their way. That being said, the team has shown signs of sloppiness and cannot overlook a hungry rival in Florida State. Rivalry games are often decided by capitalizing on an opponent’s mistakes and in a game against a Florida State team with six losses all Miami needs to do is not get in their own way. It seems simple enough, but then again, that’s why we play the games.

It’s hard to argue that any fanbase has had it worse than the Seminoles this season. After barely missing out on a college football playoff appearance, Florida State sought to revamp their team through the portal in hopes of making another run at a national championship. Seven games into the season and that dream is over, currently sitting at 1-6 the Seminoles have underperformed everyone’s expectations. As a coach sitting with a downtrodden team you have to find a way to motivate them to find something for them to play for, and this may be it. Florida State’s season will only live in infamy for how poorly it has gone, unless they are able to add some Florida rain to Miami’s parade and hurt their chances at a playoff appearance, while adding another epic moment to this storied rivalry.