Two years ago, a Rutgers fan (yes, those exist) took exception to the fact that I referred to his team as a "disaster," which is wild considering that's one of the least controversial takes I've ever had online.
This is an actual email I woke up to. Im in tears. pic.twitter.com/3ObCBPUva3
— Kevin Harrish (@Kevinish) September 8, 2018
This year, my beloved Rutgers reader will be pleased to learn that after replacing your coach with a former Ohio State defensive coordinator who got gentlemen's fired after leading quite literally the worst Buckeye defense in history and then building your roster almost exclusively out of players nobody else wanted, like the Island of Misfit Toys, your team is somehow... better? Let that speak to you about the state of your program however it needs to.
I have to admit, after what I've seen this year, Rutgers is now one (1) notch above disaster. But the thing is, that does not matter even a little bit.
There is still no combination of scholarship players on Ohio State's roster that would allow Rutgers to come within three scores and you could still argue that it's a safety hazard to even allow this game to be played given the talent disparity.
Yes, Rutgers is better this season, but only in the sense that it's more like a feral cat instead of a household gerbil – undeniably more confidence and probably a little more fight, but neither one is going to last a second against a Siberian Tiger, so what's even the point?
I sincerely appreciate the improvements, and they haven't gone unnoticed, but there has not been a time in my life where a football game between Ohio State and Rutgers has been competitive, and that ain't going to start now. Or in the next 30 years.
Word of the Day: Devastate.
SATURDAY SLATE. If you're into top-10 matchups, I've got good news.
| Matchup | Time (ET) | TV/Mobile |
|---|---|---|
| North Carolina at Duke | 12:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Michigan State at Iowa | 12:00pm | ESPN |
| 23 Michigan at 13 Indiana | 12:00pm | FS1 |
| Arkansas State at Louisiana | 12:00pm | ESPNU |
| West Virginia at 22 Texas | 12:00pm | ABC |
| 18 SMU at Temple | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| 25 Liberty at Virginia Tech | 12:00pm | ACCN |
| USF at Memphis | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| ULM at Georgia State | 12:00pm | ESPN3 |
| Tulane at East Carolina | 12:00pm | ESPN+ |
| Arizona State at 20 USC | 12:00pm | FOX |
| Nebraska at Northwestern | 12:00pm | BTN |
| Troy at Georgia Southern | 1:00pm | ESPN3 |
| Boston College at Syracuse | 2:00pm | RSN/ESPN3 |
| UMass at 16 Marshall | 2:30pm | ESPN+ |
| Appalachian State at Texas State | 3:00pm | ESPN+ |
| North Alabama at Southern Miss | 3:00pm | ESPN3 |
| Fresno State at UNLV | 3:30pm | CBSSN |
| 8 Florida vs. 5 Georgia (in Jacksonville, FL) | 3:30pm | CBS |
| Minnesota at Illinois | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Vanderbilt at Mississippi State | 3:30pm | SECN |
| Maryland at Penn State | 3:30pm | BTN |
| Texas Tech at TCU | 3:30pm | FS1 |
| Kansas at 19 Oklahoma | 3:30pm | ESPN |
| Houston at 6 Cincinnati | 3:30pm | ABC |
| Pitt at Florida State | 4:00pm | ACCN |
| 14 Oklahoma State at Kansas State | 4:00pm | FOX |
| WKU at Florida Atlantic | 6:00pm | Stadium |
| Baylor at 17 Iowa State | 7:00pm | FS1 |
| 7 Texas A&M at South Carolina | 7:00pm | ESPN |
| UCLA at Colorado | 7:00pm | ESPN2 |
| Rutgers at 3 Ohio State | 7:30pm | BTN |
| Stanford at 12 Oregon | 7:30pm | ABC |
| 1 Clemson at 4 Notre Dame | 7:30pm | NBC |
| Tennessee at Arkansas | 7:30pm | SECN |
| South Alabama at 15 Coastal Carolina | 8:00pm | ESPNU |
| Washington State at Oregon State | 10:30pm | FS1 |
| New Mexico at Hawaii | 11:00pm | Spectrum PPV |
HEY, THIS WAS FUN. What if I told you that the most exciting thing Rutgers has done on a football field in years didn't even count?
Because it's been a week and I still can't stop watching this.
RUTGERSpic.twitter.com/s0u8IniR5T
— no context college football (@nocontextcfb) October 31, 2020
The best part is, this all goes down like it's a desperation attempt to try to win the game with one final play. But in pure Rutgers fashion, they're actually going through all this effort just to try to get within one score.
YOU KNOW THE DRILL. Fittingly, the only game I got wrong last week was Rutgers because I gave them too much credit. I assure you, that will not happen again. We're 7-2-1 on the season, which is good!
But quitting while I'm ahead ain't my game.
- Arizona State vs. USC Under 59.5. The rationale for this pick is pretty simple – it's dumb as hell for the Pac-12 to start games at 9:00 a.m. pacific time. Based on what I know about Ohio State's game day schedule, this means the players are probably going to have to wake up at like 5 a.m. or earlier to start their pregame routines. That, coupled with the fact that these teams haven't played a football game in 10 months leads me to believe there will be a little rust. There's no way they combine for a point a minute.
- Indiana +3 against Michigan. Maybe this is wishful thinking more than anything, but I can't pass up taking the team with the second-best record in the conference as a home dog. Pus, if we use the transative property (which is an extremely exact science in college football), then Indiana > Rutgers > Michigan State > Michigan. Of course, by that logic, I'd also have to be fine taking Rutgers straight up against Michigan, and that's a burden I'm willing to bear.
- Florida +4 against Georgia. Georgia's got a defense that is legitimately very good, but Florida's offense is one of the best in the country and we've already seen one elite offense score 40+ points on the Bulldogs. I think the Gators are going to score 35+ points in this game and I have absolutely no faith in Georgia doing the same, even against Florida's turnstile defense.
- Kansas State +12 against Oklahoma State. If you watched Oklahoma State this year, you'd know it was just a matter of time before they got upset. The Cowboys already have a couple of ugly wins against inferior opponents like Tulsa and West Virginia, and their offense hasn't come anywhere close to living up to the hype. This team has done nothing to convince me it should be almost a two-touchdown road favorite against a Kansas State team that's much better than its record.
- Clemson -5.5 against Notre Dame. Clemson may be missing Trevor Lawrence, but that didn't seem to impact their offense much last week as D.J. Uiagalelei threw for 342 yards and two touchdowns in his debut start (Travis Etienne's 224 yards and two touchdowns from scrimmage also helped). Yes, the Tigers had a scare last week but I think that was an anomaly. I just don't see Notre Dame scoring anywhere near enough points to stay in this game.
NOT STICKING TO SPORTS. A man is banned from Yellowstone National Park after trying to cook chickens in the hot spring... Cartels are using more United States citizens to smuggle drugs due to COVID-19... Could psychedelics become the next cannabis?... Let's discuss the Smiley Face Killer... I bought a witches prison... Chasing my father's ghost through the Swiss Alps...
