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! Between Matt’s family packing his house to the brim and my constant trips down to the Wells Fargo Center, we ran out of time to podcast this week. Don’t you worry, though, MPD and I will be back and ready to ROCK next week. You will definitely need to check it out and here’s the iTunes link to go subscribe. The final regular season weekend is here and we still have no idea what’s going on for the Playoff except for that maybe Alabama is in? LET’S FIIIIRE IT UP!

Last Week’s Record:

7-8-1 ATS, 67-73-5 in 2017. Well, shit. I can probably kiss .500 goodbye, right? Probably should a while ago?

Quick CFP Poll Reaction

So as I mentioned up top, busy week at the WFC so I didn’t end up getting the reactions post up. Not to much to say about the poll this go around as the Top 5 remained intact. Obviously, with Miami and Clemson playing next weekend this won’t be our final four but gives us an idea of what is to come–at least without chaos in the form of OU or Wisconsin losing in the next two weeks. One headline I saw a lot this was “Will This Be the First CFP with a Two-Loss Team?” In short, yes. Let’s look at this wild Rivalry weekend.

Friday Stack

One of the best parts of Thanksgiving Week is all the extra days of football we get. Today is one of such days with a LOT of College Football–four of which feature ranked teams. Only one isn’t worth picking (TCU/Baylor), although it should be mentioned that TCU just needs to win or have Iowa State lose to Kansas State tomorrow to go to the Big XII Championship. Let’s look at the rest:

• #2 Miami (-11.5) at Pitt at noon on ABC–Pitt has played teams tight all year but this Miami squad seems to be getting better and better each week. The turnover chain has made its way to Heinz Field and will be ROCKING. Canes win and cover.
• South Florida (+9.5) at #15 UCF at 3:30 on ABC–We hoped both teams would still be unbeaten but it’s alright that just one is. The winner gets to go to the conference championship game. I think UCF’s air attack gets it done: UCF wins and covers.
• #25 Virginia Tech (-7) at UVA at 8:00 #7 Georon ESPN–UVA is getting extra points for playing Miami tough but it gives Tech a lower hurdle to clear for me. Hokies win and cover, BIG.

Saturday Mega Slate

Tomorrow should be another great final regular season Saturday for College Football. Rivalries and Conference Championship tickets are on the line. #4 Oklahoma, #10 Penn State, #19 Oklahoma State, and #20 Memphis are all MASSIVE favorites and should win. Let’s look at the rest of tomorrow:

• #7 Georgia (-11) at Georgia Tech at noon on ABC–The Dawgs have slowed down in recent weeks but should be able handle a shaky Georgia Tech squad. UGA wins and covers. 
• #9 Ohio State (-12) at Michigan at noon on FOX–Michigan’s defense needs to carry the Wolverines in this one to even just prevent the Buckeyes from covering. Honestly, I think Vegas kept the line under touchdowns out of respect for this Rivalry. I really hate to say it but Buckeyes win and cover.
• #1 Alabama (-4.5) at #6 Auburn at 3:30 on CBS–CLEAR EVERYTHING FOR THIS GAME. Two great RBs versus two great defenses. Auburn should be able to keep it close but Alabama seems like be in full-unstoppable mode. Tide wins and covers. (It is worth noting now that it is because Alabama seems so unstoppable that everyone has them in the playoffs, even if they were to lose this week or next week)
• #5 Wisconsin (-17) at Minnesota at 3:30 on ABC–Wisconsin is clearly going to win this game and Jonathan Taylor is going to have a field day. That said, 17 points is a lot to give up at home. Wisconsin wins but doesn’t cover.
• #23 Boise State (-7) at Fresno State at 3:30 on CBSSN–Here is the rare college football doubleheader! Both teams have already clinched their tickets to the Mountain West Championship and basically are playing tomorrow as a warm-up. BSU wins and covers.
• #16 Michigan State (-14) at Rutgers at 4:00 on FOX–Seems like a low line but Rutgers has been a tough out at home. Remember, Washington struggled to get it going against the Scarlett Knights and MSU has only really shown up at one road game: at the Big House. MSU wins but doesn’t cover.
• #22 Northwestern (-16.5) at Illinois at 4:00 on FS1–Illinois has been a tough out in the first half but then fails to come out of the locker room in the second half. The Wildcats should pounce big time. NW wins and covers.
• #3 Clemson (-13.5) at #24 South Carolina at 7:30 on ESPN–Clemson should win this pretty easily but the two-touchdown line makes betting the game intriguing as South Carolina’s defense could slow up Clemson enough to prevent the Tigers from covering. I say they barely get by and win by 17: Tigers win and cover.
• Texas A&M (+9.5) at #18 LSU at 7:30 on SECNetwork–Derrius Guice is going to smash through the Aggies as we then say goodbye to Kevin Sumlin as the Texas A&M coach. LSU wins and covers.
• #8 Notre Dame (-2.5) at #21 Stanford at 8:00 on ABC–Notre Dame got exposed by the great Miami defense–Stanford’s isn’t Miami but is solid. Bryce Love becomes the difference maker here: Stanford wins outright.
• #13 Washington State (+10.5) at #17 Washington at 8:00 on FOX–Stanford will be watching this score closely. If WSU wins, WSU takes the Pac 12 North. If Washington wins, Stanford takes the Pac 12 North. As for the actual game itself, a rainy weather forecast might limit the pass attack for both sides and Washington has the edge on the ground. Washington State is a terrible road so I don’t think they win but Washington wins but doesn’t cover.

Lehigh starts their newest playoff campaign as the bottom seed of the FCS Playoffs. The Mountain Hawks face Stony Brook on Saturday on the road and would need a miracle to pull this game out. Well, at least Lehigh beat Lafayette. We will sure to give a minor recap on the next pod!

(cover photo via)