"The Stack" 11-23-16
Fort Wayne pulled off the upset the of the early college basketball season Tuesday night by beating Indiana 71-68 in OT. Fear the Mastodons!
The Stack is here on this Wednesday with a shorter post today, but it is longer than normal since we normally don’t post on Wednesdays apart from our college basketball preview post last week. Time to find out what is in “the stack” for today, Wednesday, November 23rd:
College football weekend forecast
A good meteorologist will tell you that a forecast is always subject to change. Actually a good meteorologist will get the forecast right, especially with something like a winter storm. Having said all that, it is for a lot of people their favorite week of the college football season with all of the rivalries. While we won’t get into all of the games, let’s make a few uneducated sure-to-go-wrong picks for this week:
NC State @ UNC (Noon ET, ESPN on Friday) Give me UNC all the way.
#5 Washington @ #23 Washington State (3:30 PM ET, FOX on Friday) This is the biggest Apple Cup game since maybe ever. I feel like Mike Leach and Luke Falks has something in store for the Huskies, but I’ll take Washington narrowly…I think. Like any forecast that is subject to change.
TCU @ Texas (3:30 PM ET, FS1 on Friday) One team is going bowl bound. Actually, TCU has two chances to get their sixth win. They have been disappointing this year, but after Texas just lost to Kansas can they really beat TCU? I think they can and will. It will be awkward in Austin for another week at least.
#16 Nebraska @ Iowa (3:30 PM ET, ABC on Friday) How healthy is Nebraska quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr.? If he can’t go give me Iowa. If he is 50%, I think I will still take Iowa.
Arizona State @ Arizona (9:30 PM ET, ESPN on Friday). Got to give a little love to this bad rivalry game. Arizona State wins easily.
Virginia @ Virginia Tech (Noon ET, ESPN2 on Saturday) Hokie pride all the way! No way they lose to Virginia
Georgia Tech @ Georgia (Noon ET, SEC Network on Saturday) I think I’ll take Georgia, but I don’t say that with a great deal of confidence.
Kentucky @ #11 Louisville (Noon ET, ESPN on Saturday) If Louisville isn’t over their loss to Houston last week this could be a big upset. Kentucky is better this year, but I don’t see them winning this game.
Kansas @ Kansas State (Noon ET, FS1 on Saturday) Can Kansas win two games in a row? Possibly, but I don’t see it happening.
#3 Michigan @ #2 Ohio State (Noon ET, ABC on Saturday) The biggest game of the day easily. Michigan has quarterback questions though. I like J.T. Barrett and Ohio State to win at home though in a fairly low-scoring game. Give me the Buckeyes 24-13. Can’t remember this much hype for a Michigan-Ohio State game in a long, long time. College Gameday is even going to do their show for five hours on Saturday versus the normal three. That is how big this is.
Purdue @ Indiana (Noon ET, ESPNU on Saturday). Just thought I’d throw this one in there. Give me Indiana.
Illinois @ Northwestern (Noon ET, BTN on Saturday) Thought I’d throw this one in too. I’ll take Northwestern.
Mississippi State @ Ole Miss (3:30 PM ET, SEC Network on Saturday) Ah, the Egg Bowl. Both teams have been disappointing this season, but with quarterback issues with Ole Miss plus the fact that they just got destroyed by Vanderbilt, I think Mississippi State takes this one.
#13 Auburn @ #1 Alabama (3:30 PM ET, CBS on Saturday) The Iron Bowl would have been a heck of a lot bigger if Auburn didn’t poop their pants against Georgia a couple of weeks ago. Alabama wins.
Notre Dame @ #12 USC (3:30 PM ET, ABC on Saturday) USC will make sure that Notre Dame doesn’t have a chance to be bowl eligible. They crush the Irish.
Minnesota @ #6 Wisconsin (3:30 PM ET, BTN on Saturday) No reason to think Minnesota can take down Wisconsin in Madison. Wisconsin rolls and goes to the Big Ten Championship game.
Oregon @ Oregon State (4 PM ET, Pac-12 Network on Saturday) As bad as the Ducks are, they take down the Beavers.
Nevada @ UNLV (4 PM ET, ESPN3 on Saturday) Battle for Nevada, I’ll take Vegas.
#22 Utah @ #9 Colorado (7:30 PM ET, FOX on Saturday) If Colorado wins, they’re going to the Pac-12 championship game. They’re not going to lose to Utah.
South Carolina @ #4 Clemson (7:30 PM ET, ESPN on Saturday) Clemson just needs to win and move on to the ACC Championship game. They will.
#17 Tennessee @ Vanderbilt (7:30 PM ET, SEC Network on Saturday) This Vanderbilt team is better than some people would think. Tennessee better watch out for them and avoid the upset.
#15 Florida @ #14 Florida State (8 PM ET, ABC on Saturday). Florida’s defense is great, but their offense can’t score. Florida State’s offense is great, but their defense isn’t. I’ll take Florida State overall.
That was a lot of games to digest I know. The top four in the College Football Playoff rankings didn’t change by the way. Number one is Alabama, two is Ohio State, three is Michigan and four is Clemson. It will certainly change next week. It’s just a matter of if Ohio State remains at number two or if it will be Michigan. Enjoy Rivalry Week everyone.
Fort Wayne takes down Indiana
Big college basketball upset last night. While most fans of the sport were watching North Carolina trounce Oklahoma State at the Maui Invitational, Fort Wayne, yes the Mastodons from the Summit League was hosting #3 Indiana and not only took them to overtime, but beat them 71-68. It’s Fort Wayne’s (formerly known as IPFW) first win over a ranked opponent in program history. They were previously 0-14. This is huge upset in college basketball and there may not be many that top it this season. Indiana is really good. They beat Kansas less than two weeks ago you’ll recall. Thomas Bryant is a great big man (as in center not that he is fat) and Indiana overall has good skill players, but don’t sleep on the ‘Dons this year. John Konchar is phenomenal and Mo Evans can score with the best of them. It’s a major reason why I picked them to win the Summit League this year. Big time win for this program. And who doesn’t like a Mastodon?
Coming up Thursday: Thanksgiving NFL preview and predictions
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