Eleven Unbeatens - who will fall this weekend?
The regular college season is “more than half over”. Last weekend provided some excitement, and now - there are eleven (11) teams with an unblemished record this season. “Spinal Tap” will follow this week’s game with particular interest.
Which team(s) will fall from the ranks of the unbeaten this weekend? Here’s the list – and their opponent this week. The unbeatens are bolded and rankings are in parentheses.
Once again – we’re guaranteed that at least one team falls from the list when Penn State and Ohio State meet in Columbus.
Georgia (1) - bye
Michigan (2) at Michigan State
Ohio State (3) hosting Penn State (7)
Florida State (4) hosting Duke (16)
Oklahoma (6) – hosting UCF
Washington (5) hosting Arizona State
North Carolina (10) hosting Virginia
Air Force (22) at Navy
James Madison (26) at Marshall (on Thursday)
Liberty (31) hosting Middle Tennessee State (on Tuesday)
Since inquiring minds want to know – specifically, who are the remaining teams for the unbeatens, here are their remaining opponents:
- Georgia: Bye, Florida (neutral), Missouri, Ole Miss, at Tennessee, and at Georgia Tech.
- Michigan: Michigan State, bye, Purdue, at Penn State, at Maryland, and Ohio State.
- Ohio State: Penn State, at Wisconsin, at Rutgers, Michigan State, Minnesota, and at Michigan.
- Penn State: at Ohio State, Indiana, at Maryland, Michigan, Rutgers, and at Michigan State.
- Florida State: Duke, at Wake Forest, at Pitt, Miami, North Alabama, and at Florida.
- Oklahoma: UCF, at Kansas, at Oklahoma State, West Virginia, at BYU, and TCU.
- Washington: Arizona State, at Stanford, at USC, Utah, at Oregon State, and Washington State.
- North Carolina: Virginia, at Georgia Tech, Campbell, Duke, at Clemson, and at NC State.
- Air Force: at Navy, at Colorado State, Army, at Hawaii, UNLV, and at Boise State.
- James Madison: at Marshall, Old Dominion, at Georgia State, UConn, Appalachian State, and at Coastal Carolina.
- Liberty: Middle Tennessee State, at Western Kentucky, Louisiana Tech, Old Dominion, UMass, and at UTEP.
October 17th, 2023 at 10:49 AM ^
Ohio State (3) hosting Penn State (7)
October 17th, 2023 at 1:11 PM ^
Everyone loves a happy Hans Landa!
October 17th, 2023 at 1:36 PM ^
Ya just say 'Bingo'
October 17th, 2023 at 10:53 AM ^
The only undefeated team going down this weekend will either be OSU or PSU.
I don't think Michigan will lose, but I expect the MSU game to be much closer than people think or want.
October 17th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
I think it will appear to be closer than people think it will be, but not actually be closer than people think.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:04 AM ^
We'll know once the game is in the rear view mirror.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:07 AM ^
I agree on the closeness of the MSU game. If Sparty could hold onto the football, you wouldn't have to squint too hard to see them at 3-0 in conference play. It will still be a multi-score win for the good guys.
The funny thing is that this may be the most talented team they've faced this season and the worst coaching staff they've coached against.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:24 AM ^
My head tells me you’re right about it being annoyingly close for some time, unfortunately. They’ll parade and interview Izzo on the sidelines like always (he even traveled with them to the big house for last year’s game). This being their Super Bowl, they will play better.
Don’t expect them to make the kind of mistakes they did against Rutgers. They won’t fumble. And don’t let our game against Indiana fool anyone because opponents lose fumbles against Michigan a good 3% of the time.
But my dream scenario is that it’s so lopsided that Spartan Stadium is mostly just Michigan fans for the entire 2nd half.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:33 AM ^
Both you and Don have been around long enough to remember I'm usually the king of pessimism as it regards our games with Sparty (yes, 1978 is still fresh in my memory). And I've seen enough weird shit through the years when we play them in East Lansing (clockgate anyone?) to know we can absolutely lose there no matter what our records might be.
But for some reason this year I dont have that same feeling of worry. This Michigan team is SO damn good (and candidly, that MSU team is so damn bad) I really and truly believe we are going to smoke them. Throw in the added motivation from last year's incident and I dont think there's a chance in hell they wont get our best shot.
And our best shot is exponentially better than theirs. Michigan 38-13
October 17th, 2023 at 12:09 PM ^
It will be worse than 38-13 my friend. This is going to be an epic bludgeoning that will give us all a nice, warm feeling inside
October 17th, 2023 at 12:14 PM ^
I like the way you think. I’m just doomed to pessimism for eternity mostly because I had 2nd row end zone seats for ‘the Horror,’ in 2007. I hope we destroy them.
October 17th, 2023 at 12:39 PM ^
We did sneak in a 49-3 beat down in there. I think that's going to be what this game is like... hopefully at half.
October 17th, 2023 at 2:40 PM ^
That was the year after clockgate (2002). We spotted them a 3-0 lead then whipped their ass. After the Desmond was tripped game, we went up to the dump and beat their ass 45-28. May the tradition of post controversy ass whippings continue. Up next, revenge for the tunnel!!
October 17th, 2023 at 7:36 PM ^
Sparty's sad field goal was set up because of a wide-open Braylon Edwards drop on 3rd down that forced us to punt from our own end zone and give MSU a very short field to work with. It really should have been a shutout if you want to split hairs. But 49-0 the rest of the way was pretty sweet....even though Pam Ward was doing the play calling.
October 17th, 2023 at 1:46 PM ^
I completely agree with you mGrowOld and was going to offer the same opinion. They are in utter disarray and despite all of the history/rivalry stuff we are simply too strong and too consistent not to beat them handily. Plus they have absolutely no resilience so once things tip our way, aka the Boa Constrictor has the mouse's foot in his mouth, it's over. The fans will immediately realize they knew the inevitable was coming sooner rather than later.
P.S. I was at the '78 game and remember being surprised and impressed by Daryl Rogers' offense and in my mind's eye can still see Kirk Gibson sprinting wide open downfield for that long TD.
October 17th, 2023 at 12:35 PM ^
"My head tells me you’re right about it being annoyingly close for some time, unfortunately."
My default assumption for any MSU game is that they'll play the best football they've played all year against us.
October 17th, 2023 at 1:53 PM ^
As "almost as old as you guys" I agree Sparty will give us their best.
Luckily, this year, their best is still pretty shitty.
I just want us to remain uninjured for 4 quarters.
October 17th, 2023 at 3:39 PM ^
Since 2016, Michigan is 4-3 against Sparty, but 2-5 against the spread.
On paper, Michigan should beat them easily, but us fans know all too well how close this game could be.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:13 AM ^
James Madison is over rated both as a founding father and as a football program. Dolly did all the work and she's not hear to take snaps.
(I actually don't know anything about James Madison except he wrote large parts of the Virginia and US constitutions which bravo. Good work James. I know less about his football team.)
October 17th, 2023 at 11:38 AM ^
James Madison -"Father of the Constitution" Author of a # of the Federalist Papers. Pretty important guy! James Madison Football? Not so important...
October 17th, 2023 at 11:39 AM ^
Did not expect to see the Father of the Constitution catching strays today!
October 17th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
Well he was too small to serve in the war so the first time he caught strays was 1812 during the Battle of Bladenburg, prelude to the burning of DC
October 17th, 2023 at 1:42 PM ^
Very true! If my memory serves me, he is the only sitting President who lead troops in battle.
October 18th, 2023 at 1:28 AM ^
I believe George Washington led troops to put down the Whiskey Rebellion. If memory serves, Madison was just reviewing the troops when the British ambushed and took flight (as he should have, no shade). I will throw shade tho for starting a war without a standing army...
October 18th, 2023 at 10:32 PM ^
Did a little reviewing, it seems that Washington led troops towards the insurrectionists during the Whiskey Rebellion, but they dispersed before the army could arrive. During Bladensburg, Madison road out and was under fire, but was more trying to provide moral support. Still, pretty cool for both of them!
October 19th, 2023 at 1:04 PM ^
Agreed, both of them were badass. Granted, by the time of Lincoln warfare had changed considerably so I don't chagrin Presidents who haven't done that since.
Still kinda sore on Madison for trying to invade Canada without a standing army...idealogy gone amok
October 17th, 2023 at 11:46 AM ^
Dolly saved that portrait of George Washington so maybe she can save their sterling record, you never know
October 17th, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
I don't see it this year. Feels like a men against boys type game and a coaching mismatch. Could be wrong.
October 17th, 2023 at 8:52 PM ^
@goblue96 I don’t think you’re wrong…you nailed it
October 17th, 2023 at 11:28 AM ^
Unfortunately, it always seems to be that way.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:41 AM ^
Unfortunately, I agree with this. MSU wins are rarely the satisfying scoreboard beat down that we all want to see, especially the Michigan bettors (like me). Sparty has a knack for hanging around within shouting distance of us in the fourth quarter. No way in hell am I going crazy on Michigan -23 or whatever it is. We are more likely to win by 10 to 20 points than 20 to 30 points.
October 17th, 2023 at 5:37 PM ^
Wait, but what if people are all thinking the same thought as you?
October 17th, 2023 at 8:47 PM ^
I think it will be closer than everyone thinks too, for a half. Then the floodgates open.
October 17th, 2023 at 10:56 AM ^
Duke could give FSU a run for their money (the Noles almost lost to a putrid Boston College team). But probably just the OSU-PSU loser
October 17th, 2023 at 11:13 AM ^
If Duke's QB is back, maybe. If he isn't, they're going to get smacked.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:30 AM ^
FSU is at home laying 13.5 pts.
October 17th, 2023 at 12:35 PM ^
I think FSU is wildly overrated (just this morning two talking ESPN radio heads put FSU #2 and UM #3 in their personal poll), but Duke is gonna need a 100% healthy Riley Leonard to give them a run for any money.
October 17th, 2023 at 4:53 PM ^
I realize this is college football and weird stuff happens all the time, but if FSU gets past Duke this weekend, I really think there could be 3-4 unbeatens at the end of the year.
I wonder how many undefeated there typically are at this time every year? Because it sure feels like the sheer number of unbeatens, especially across multiple conferences is setting up for a good number of them to make it through.
October 17th, 2023 at 10:58 AM ^
I'll pick PSU and JMU as the only ones to lose. All the other teams are two score favorites.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
JMU, FSU and OSU. I think the biggest surprise will be FSU. They are not quite there on D - BC and Clemson both should have beaten them. Duke gets it done and OU/PSU get the 3/4 slots.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:27 AM ^
Duke has never beaten FSU on the field—they're 0-21 against the Seminoles dating back to the first time they played in 1992.
The FSU victories in 2006/07 were vacated due to NCAA infractions, so officially Duke is 0-19 against them.
October 17th, 2023 at 12:28 PM ^
There has to be a first time sometime!
October 17th, 2023 at 11:14 AM ^
Hoping for L's by OSU and FSU, expecting an L for Penn State
October 17th, 2023 at 11:19 AM ^
I truly don't know how the PSU-OSU game will go. Neither has a very good OL, neither can run the ball very effectively, and that probably hurts PSU more. You have a QB coming into his first true road test, and not having an effective run game that he can rely on to take some pressure off means a lot will likely have to be put on his shoulders.
That said, both have great defenses, with PSU's probably being a bit better. PSU is by far the best defense OSU will have faced up to his point, and has one of maybe two defenses in the conference that can stand toe to toe with OSU for four quarters. However, OSU will also have the best player on the field in Marvin Harrison Jr, and anything you throw in his general vicinity, he's going to catch.
So....... "¯\_(ツ)_/¯ "
My guess is a 21-17 or 21-14 rock fight, and in close games like this, I lean to the home team. So PSU goes down, but if PSU won, I can't say I'd be shocked. The only result that would shock me is if PSU blew OSU out.
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Only way Michigan loses on Saturday is a comical amount of turnovers or mistakes, which they are by and large not a mistake-prone team, or if McCarthy gets hurt. That is the one area where if Michigan sustains an injury for an extended period of time, its goose is probably cooked.
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Oklahoma and Washington, I don't think, are playing the kind of opponent that they have to worry too much about having a letdown game where they can actually lose. I don't think ASU or UCF are particularly good, and both games are at home.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:20 AM ^
I hope it's down to 3 (UGA, Mich, the meteor hitting Columbus) after this weekend.
October 17th, 2023 at 11:26 AM ^
I think Penn State gets exposed this weekend.