Welcome back to the Funvee Tailgate BLOG, The THUNDERBLOG’s Weekly College Football Series. If you noticed the emphasis on BLOG, that is because this season we have the podcast tying in as well! If you haven’t checked out this week’s episode, that’s ok because we didn’t record one! MPD and I ran into a few technical difficulties and then I had to travel Thursday night for work.But here’s the iTunes link to go subscribe because Greg “The Prophet” Piatelli and I recorded an AWESOME episode of the Bullpen Cart. A GREAT slate of college football this weekend and we’ll be taking the Funvee Tailgate on the road. LET’S FIRE IT UP!

Last Week’s Record:

7-6 ATS, 19-20 in 2017. At least I was over .500 last week. Still plenty of time to turn this thing around.

Friday Night CFB:

Two games tonight that should be incredibly entertaining as conference play is starting to ramp up:

• #14 Miami (-6.5) at Duke at 7:00 on ESPN–Two years ago, a miss-called final play between these two teams knocked Duke into a downward spiral they’ve only recently come out of. Miami looked great last but the road trip could derail them. Duke wins outright.
• #5 USC (-5.5) at #16 Washington State at 10:30 on ESPN–Probably one of the most impactful games this season. MPD and I have talked a number of times about how the Pac 12 might beat each up a bit too much for their champ to make the CFP and this can certainly contribute to that. I like USC but they’re so inconsistent. WSU wins outright.

Saturday Slate:

A GREAT Saturday is ahead of us tomorrow. A lot of good conference openers and a couple games between ranked teams. #1 Alabama, #6 Washington, #11 Ohio State, #17 Louisville, #18 South Florida, and #22 Notre Dame are all massive favorites and should win. Let’s look at the rest of the slate:

• Northwestern (+15) at #10 Wisconsin at noon on ABC–15 points might be a lot but Jonathan Taylor has proven to be the real deal this season. Wisconsin wins and covers.
• Vanderbilt (+9) at #21 Florida at noon on ESPN–Vandy got POUNDED last week against Alabama. I like them bouncing back in a gut-check game against a shaky Florida team. Vandy wins outright.
• Indiana (+18.5) at #4 Penn State at 3:30 on Big Ten Network–PSU got by Iowa by the skin of their teeth last week. Indiana played Ohio State tight back in Week 1 but that was at home. They’ll get swallowed up at Beaver Stadium. Penn State wins and covers.
• #7 Georgia (-8) at Tennessee at 3:30 on CBS–The Vols have been strong to start the season despite losing a lot of starters from last year. Georgia has been SOLID in 2017 and I expect this to be all about Nick Chubb vs. TENN’s John Kelly. Georgia wins but doesn’t cover.
• #24 Mississippi State (+8.5) at #13 Auburn at 6:00 on ESPN–Something tells me this will either be incredibly close or a blowout. Either way, the Tigers walk away victorious. Auburn wins and covers.
• Troy (+20.5) at #25 LSU at 7:00 on ESPNU–This line seems too low but you have to remember the inconsistencies of LSU. Derrius Guice has been a shining star and should be in this one. LSU wins but doesn’t cover.
• #2 Clemson (-7) at #12 Virginia Tech at 8:00 on ABC–Another week, another Clemson road game at a ranked school. The Tigers’ defense held up Lamar Jackson so you should expect they do the same to Josh Jackson. Clemson wins and covers.
• #15 Oklahoma State (-10) at Texas Tech at 8:00 on FOX–If Vandy is playing a gut-check game, the Cowboys DEFINITELY are playing a gut-check game. Honestly, this is a terrible line for a game that should be an absolute shootout. OK State wins and covers.
• Northern Illinois (+10) at #19 San Diego State at 10:30 on CBSSN–A weird line for a team traveling to the West Coast. SDSU’s Rashaad Penny is the backbone of the offense and should continue to carry the Aztecs. SDSU wins and covers.

Lehigh (0-4) is still looking for that first win in an incredibly dissapointing September. Luckily, they take on a just-as-bad Wagner squad. On paper, this should be a win. If the defense and offense can get off the bus, we should see our first win of the 2017 campaign.

Funvee Tailgate on the Road

I mentioned it at the top of the post but we are heading down to the Delaware/James Madison game tomorrow afternoon. JMU is the FCS’ defending national champions as they come to Delaware Stadium. The Dukes are already 1-0 in CAA play while the Blue Hens will be opening up conference play. I don’t know a ton about both teams but I’m excited to watch what should be a very competitive game. Check out our social media accounts for coverage of the action.

(cover photo via)