The Undefeated - after week 6 | Syracusefan.com

The Undefeated - after week 6

SWC75

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Every October I start charting the future games and possible fates of three groups of teams:
- The undefeated power conference teams, (and when that gets to be less than 4 teams, the one-loss teams), to anticipate who might be in the playoff.
- The top FBS non-power conference teams, the best two of which will play in the fictional “Pesci Bowl” to determine the best of such teams. I named it after the actor Joe Pesci, who plays vertically challenged but feisty characters. These teams never get selected for the playoff but still think they’re pretty good. (I’ll stick with the undefeated teams until there are less than 2 of them.)
- The worst FBS teams in the country, the two worst of which will play in the mythical “Ty-D-Bowl Bowl”, named after a toilet cleaning product, to determine who the worst major college team in the country is. (I’ll stick with winless teams until there are less than two of them.)
Each entry is the team name, with won lost record, their points for and against, their highest ranking among the writers, coaches and the playoff committee,(which means more than one team could have the same ranking – from different sources), then their ‘ART’, the points they got playing ranked teams and then their ‘RVU’, as a ranked team against an unranked team from my weekly “Against Ranked Teams” post. Games against teams on any of these three lists are in capitals. If a team is unranked or has not played a ranked team or played as one against an unranked team, those fields are not shown.

Here are the current lists:

The Playoff


GEORGIA 6-0 (239-33) ranked #1 ART: +117 RVU: +66
10/16 KENTUCKY 6-0 (186-105) ranked #11 ART: +23 RVU: +11
10/30 Florida 4-2 (199-99) ranked #17 ART: +13 RVU: +39
11/6 Missouri 3-3 (227-225)
11/13 at Tennessee 4-2 (249-129) ART: -9
11/20 Charleston Southern (FCS) 1-3 (104-134)
11/27 at Georgia Tech 3-3 (171-154) ART: +42
Comments: I suspect that Kentucky is about to find out that the Bulldogs are on another level, just as Arkansas did. Florida or Tennessee could offer a challenge and then comes the SEC title game. But this could be the Bulldog’s year. Their only title was in 1980, 41 years ago.

IOWA 6-0 (189-78) ranked #2 ART: +89 RVU: +25
10/16 Purdue 3-2 (118-77) ART: 0 (they played a ranked team with the predicted result)
10/30 at Wisconsin 2-3 (98-102) ART: -22 RVU: +19
11/6 at Northwestern 2-3 (110-136)
11/13 Minnesota 3-2 (122-98) ART: +8
11/20 Illinois 2-5 (124-172)
11/26 at Nebraska 3-4 (223-125) ART: +33
Comments: Any loos here would be a significant upset. Then comes the Big 10 title game. What if they were to lose that and finish 12-1? Would that get them into a playoff?

KENTUCKY 6-0 (186-105) ranked #11 ART: +23 RVU: +11
10/16 at GEORGIA 6-0 (239-33) ranked #1 ART: +117 RVU: +66
10/30 at Mississippi State 3-2 (139-125) ART: +15
11/6 Tennessee 4-2 (249-129) ART: -9
11/13 at Vanderbilt 2-4 (80-217) ART: -74
11/20 New Mexico State 1-6 (161-260)
11/27 at Louisville 3-3 (194-175) ART: -1
Comments: I think they are about to drop form this list. But people have under-estimated them all year and the rest of the schedule doesn’t seem daunting. But then comes the SEC title game. Where would they be at 12-1?

MICHIGAN 6-0 (231-92) ranked #7 RVU: +47
10/23 Northwestern 2-3 (110-136)
10/30 at MICHIGAN STATE 6-0 (220-116) ranked #9 ART: +24 RVU: +8
11/6 Indiana 2-3 (119-141) ART: -22
11/13 at Penn State 5-1 (170-83) ranked #7 ART: +54 RVU: +17
11/20 at Maryland 4-2 (180-174) ART: -46
11/27 Ohio State 5-1 (291-123) ranked #6 ART: +73 RVU: +20
Comments: They have yet to play a ranked team, although they’ve done well against the teams that weren’t. if they can beat the Spartans the Nittany Lions and the Buckeyes, they are a match for anyone. But until they do it, I’ll still wonder about them.

MICHIGAN STATE 6-0 (220-116) ranked #9 ART: +24 RVU: +8
10/16 at Indiana 2-3 (119-141) ART: -22
10/30 MICHIGAN 6-0 (231-92) ranked #7 RVU: +47
11/6 at Purdue 3-2 (118-77) ART: 0
11/13 Maryland 4-2 (180-174) ART: -46
11/20 at Ohio State 5-1 (291-123) ranked #6 ART: +73 RVU: +20
11/27 Penn State 5-1 (170-83) ranked #7 ART: +54 RVU: +17
Comments: The Spartans have played a better schedule than the Wolverines but they’ve got the same problem. Not only do they close against Penn State and Ohio State but they have 2 two loss teams before that. (Maryland is 4-2?!?). Then there will be the Hawkeyes waiting in the title game.

OKLAHOMA 6-0 (247-143) ranked #3 ART: +12 RVU: -14
10/16 Texas Christian 3-2 (192-140)
10/23 at Kansas 1-4 (86-219) ART: -8
10/30 Texas Tech 4-2 (209-206)
11/13 at Baylor 5-1 (230-107) ART: +11
11/20 Iowa State 3-2 (169-78) ART: +6 RVU: -5
11/27 OKLAHOMA STATE 5-0 (127-93) ranked #12 ART: +27
Comments: The Sooners have bene in low gear but finding ways to win, (their record includes a 76-0 win over Western Carolina). Going to Baylor could be a stumbling block but this one would seem headed for “bedlam”.

OKLAHOMA STATE 5-0 (127-93) ranked #12 ART: +27
10/16 at Texas 4-2 (267-175) ranked #25 ART: +36 RVU: -30
10/23 at Iowa State 3-2 (169-78) ART: +6 RVU: -5
10/30 Kansas 1-4 (86-219) ART: -8
11/6 at West Virginia 2-4 (170-135) ART: +36
11/13 Texas Christian 3-2 (192-140)
11/20 at Texas Tech 4-2 (209-206)
11/27 at OKLAHOMA 6-0 (247-143) ranked #3 ART: +12 RVU: -14
Comments: Texas or Texas Tech could spoil the party but if either of the Oklahoma run the table it will be hard to keep the winner out of the playoff. The Big 12 does have a championship game between the two best teams, so it could be a double-header.

WAKE FOREST 6-0 (232-128) ranked #16 RVU: -3
10/23 at Army 4-1 (172-104)
10/30 Duke 3-3 (189-173)
11/6 at North Carolina 3-3 (213-160) RVU: +4
11/13 North Carolina State 4-1 (161-79) ranked #21 ART: +23 RVU: +4
11/20 at Clemson 3-2 (106-61) ART: +14 RVU: -6
11/27 at Boston College 4-1 (178-94) ART: -5
Comments: The Deacs, if they keep winning, might be favored in all these games. But they have yet to play a ranked team and I suspect they’ll come up short in 1-2 of them.

The Pesci Bowl

CINCINNATI 5-0 (244-133) ranked #3 ART: +28 RVU: +57
10/16 Central Florida 3-2 (184-137)
10/23 at Navy 1-4 (88-161) ART: -5
10/30 at Tulane 1-5 (197-241) RVU: -12
11/6 Tulsa 2-4 (146-196) ART: -4
11/12 at South Florida 1-4 (102-180) ART: -6
11/20 SOUTHERN METHODIST 5-0 (244-133) ranked #23 RVU:+5
11/26 East Carolina 3-3 (177-168)
Comments: I don’t see anybody stopping the Bearcat Express, (the AAC has a championship game between the two best teams but that might have to be between their first and second teams). Since they are ranked #3, they might be the first non-power five team, (Notre Dame is indepdent but thyeya re a power five team anyway), to be invited to the playoff, in which case someone else will have to be in the fictional Pesci Bowl.

COASTAL CAROLINA 6-0 (293-90) ranked #15 RVU: +150
10/20 at Appalachian State 4-2 (189-141) ART: +2
10/28 Troy (3-3 (146-109)
11/6 at Georgia Southern 2-4 (149-196) ART: -29
11/13 Georgia State 2-4 (142-211) ART: -47
11/20 Texas State 2-3 (131-178)
11/26 South Alabama 3-2 (130-100)
Comments: The Chanticleers are putting up the biggest numbers but they haven’t played anybody. If they can get by App State, their only problem will be Louisiana in the Sun Belt title game.

SAN DIEGO STATE 5-0 (178-83) ranked #24 RVU: +23
10/15 at San Jose State 3-3 (123-143)
10/23 at Air Force 5-1 (196-97)
10/30 Fresno State 4-2 (235-135) ART: +13 RVU: +4
11/6 at Hawaii 3-3 (167-186) ART: +11
11/13 Nevada-Reno 4-1 (184-124)
11/19 at NEVADA-LAS VEGAS 0-5 (93-182) ART: -61
11/26 Boise State 3-3 (189-131) ART: +25
Comments: Nobody’s talking about the Aztecs but they could be sneaking up on people. They have to get by Air Force, Fresno and Reno and probably the Falcons again in the Mountain West Title game, but they could do that.

SOUTHERN METHODIST 5-0 (244-133) ranked #23 RVU: +5
10/21 at Navy 1-4 (88-161) ART: -5
10/30 at Houston 5-1 (223-97)
11/6 at Memphis 3-3 (216-196)
11/13 Central Florida 3-2 (184-137)
11/20 at CINCINNATI 5-0 (244-133) ranked #3 ART: +28 RVU: +57
11/27 Tulsa 2-4 (146-196) ART:-4
Comments: it’s nice to see the Mustangs having a good team again after all these years in the woods. But the trips to Houston and Cincinnati will likely drop them from this list. They may wind up playing the bearcats twice and the ACC, like the Big 12, has their two top teams play.

TEXAS-SAN ANTONIO 6-0 (225-134)
10/16 Rice 2-3 (98-193)
10/23 at Louisiana Tech 2-3 (167-167) ART: -4
11/6 at Texas-El Paso 5-1 (155-132)
11/13 Southern Mississippi 1-5 (99-165) ART: -24
11/20 Alabama-Birmingham 4-2 (149-133) ART: -25
11/27 at North Texas State 1-4 (114-161)
Comments: Nobody knows about this team and that’s not likely to change. But if UTEP is the biggest threat to your going undefeated, you’re in pretty good shape.

The Ty-D Bowl

ARIZONA 0-5 (84-158) ART: +1
10/16 at Colorado 1-4 (69-119) ART: +18
10/22 Washington 2-3 (124-98) RVU: -12
10/30 at Southern California 3-3 (193-164) RVU: -14
11/6 California 1-4 (121-138)
11/13 Utah 3-2 (154-115) RVU: +7
11/19 at Washington State 3-3 (146-149)
11/27 at Arizona State 5-1 (200-97) ranked #18 ART: +18 RVU: +38
Comments: You’ve got to be able to score and this team can’t. But I’ll bet they will find someone they can beat before they face their traditional rivals, the Sun Devils.

CONNECTICUT 0-7 (112-265)
10/16 Yale 2-2 (91-61)
10/22 Middle Tennessee 2-4 (163-188) ART: -14
11/13 at Clemson 3-2 (106-61) ranked: #25 ART: +14 RVU: -6
11/20 at Central Florida 3-2 (184-137)
11/27 Houston 5-1 (223-97)
Comments: the Huskies, on the other hand, are headed toward oblivion if they can’t beat Yale. They even lost to UMASS in what ESPN called “The Pillow Fight of the Century”.

NEVADA-LAS VEGAS 0-5 (93-182) ART: -61
10/16 Utah State 3-2 (146-153) ART: -1
10/21 San Jose State 3-3 (123-143)
10/29 at Nevada-Reno 4-1 (184-124)
11/6 at New Mexico 2-4 (91-165) ART: -38
11/13 Hawaii 3-3 (167-186) ART: +11
11/19 at SAN DIEGO STATE 5-0 (178-83) ranked #24 RVU: +23
11/26 Air Force 5-1 (196-97)
Comments: UNLV is 0-5 and will play one team the rest of the way with a losting record – and they will play them on the road.
 

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