LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — Enjoy every game. Every missed block. Every bad snap. Every long run and every runner who loses a touchdown by hot-dogging it on the way to the end zone.
Enjoy it all.
That’s my message after news broke Wednesday night that the University of Louisville postponed its football game at Virginia for a week because 10 players and five support staff members tested positive for the novel coronavirus.
That made it the second game I had to scratch from Against the Spread. I asked everybody to pick the Purdue-Wisconsin game, too.
The Boilermakers and Badgers are not playing because of issues surrounding COVID-19. In fact, Wisconsin opened the Big Ten season Oct. 23 — and has not played again.
Will the Badgers be eligible for the Big Ten title? Who knows? Will Louisville have enough healthy and robust defensive linemen to compete in Charlottesville, Viringia, next weekend? Stay tuned.
Administrators knew there would be issues when they formed plans to proceed with the football season in August and September. They’re here.
On to the games — and hoping they all remain on the schedule.
1. Michigan at Indiana (+3); Saturday, noon; Memorial Stadium, Bloomington, Ind.
The Hoosiers have parlayed wins over Penn State and Rutgers into the No. 13 ranking in the latest AP poll, putting them an unlikely 10 spots ahead of the Wolverines. Please note that Michigan arrives as a road favorite … Michigan has always measured itself against Ohio State, but the Wolverines’ worldview was shaken last week when they allowed 323 passing yards and three touchdowns in a jarring 27-24 home loss to Michigan State and first-year coach Mel Tucker … a loss to IU would send a major ripple of doubt about Jim Harbaugh’s ability to build a Big Ten championship program in Ann Arbor because the Wolverines have lost to IU once since 1967.
Indiana running back Stevie Scott III (8) carries during the second quarter of the team's NCAA college football game against Rutgers, Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in Piscataway, N.J. (AP Photo/Corey Sipkin)
Eric Crawford: IU 24, Michigan 23.
Tom Lane: Michigan 27, IU 21
John Lewis: IU 21, Michigan 20
Aaron Matas: Michigan 31, Indiana 24
Rick Bozich: Michigan 27, Indiana 20
Ruby: Indiana
2. WKU at FAU (-7 1/2); Saturday, 6 p.m.; FAU Stadium, Boca Raton, Fla.
The Hilltoppers remain offensively challenged, averaging only 275 yards per game, 12th in Conference USA … the Owls have won three straight over WKU by an average of nearly 15 points … WKU coach Tyson Helton gave credit to FAU coach Willie Taggart for being the guy who put Hilltoppers’ football "on the map" as a player and coach … Taggart parlayed back-to-back 7-5 seasons at WKU into the job at South Florida. He coached four seasons at USF, one at Oregon and then only two at Florida State, where he was fired last season after losing 12 of 21 games … Taggart’s first FAU team is 2-1, beating Charlotte and UTSA. Both teams played Marshall. The Thundering Herd beat WKU by 24 in Bowling Green and beat the Owls by 11 in West Virginia.
(Courtesy of @WKUFootball on Twitter)
Eric Crawford: FAU 28, WKU 14.
Tom Lane: FAU 20, WKU 14
John Lewis: FAU 25, WKU 14
Aaron Matas FAU 42, WKU 28
Rick Bozich: FAU 27, WKU 14
Ruby: WKU
3. Florida at Georgia (-4 1/2); Saturday, 3:30 p.m.; TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, Fla.
The World’s Largest Cocktail Party has been reduced to a sensible tailgate this season. When Florida and Georgia gather for their annual border war in northern Florida, each school has distributed 9,000 tickets … Florida’s defense has been vulnerable against the pass, allowing more than 200 yards passing four times. But Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett IV has not shown the arm to take advantage of that … Georgia quarterback Kyle Trask has played like the best passer in the Southeastern Conference, delivering 18 touchdown passes in four games … Georgia has won and covered in the last three rivalry games with the Gators.
Georgia running back James Cook (4) runs with the ball during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Kentucky, Oct. 31, 2020, in Lexington, Ky. (AP Photo/Bryan Woolston)
Eric Crawford: Georgia 21, Florida 17
Tom Lane: Georgia 24, Florida 14
John Lewis: Georgia 21, Florida 14
Aaron Matas: Georgia 31, Florida 30
Rick Bozich: Florida 21, Georgia 20
Ruby: Georgia
4. Tennessee at Arkansas (+1 1/2); Saturday, 7:30 p.m.; Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville, Ark.
The Razorbacks are 2-3 but rank with the SEC’s most surprising teams because they played Texas A&M tough last week and were a blown call away from upsetting Auburn … Tennessee, coming off a bye week, has lost three straight, all by three touchdowns or more … Florida transfer Feleipe Franks has been a surprisingly productive quarterback for the Hogs, completing 66% of his throws with 11 scoring passes … only Kentucky has a worse passing game than the Vols, who have managed six TD passes in five games.
Tennessee coach Jeremy Pruitt talks with Will Albright (46) before the team's NCAA college football game against South Carolina on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2020, in Columbia, S.C. (AP Photo/Sean Rayford)
Eric Crawford: Tennessee 24, Arkansas 21
Tom Lane: Arkansas 31, Tennessee 23
John Lewis: Tennessee 23, Arkansas 17
Aaron Matas: Arkansas 28, Tennessee 24
Rick Bozich: Arkansas 28, Tennessee 21
Ruby: Arkansas
5. Clemson at Notre Dame (+6); Saturday 7:30 p.m.; Notre Dame Stadium; South Bend, Ind.
Are the Fighting Irish (6-0) really the fourth-best team in the nation, a squad capable of earning their way into the national playoffs? If they are, this is a must win because they’ll get Clemson without quarterback Trevor Lawrence, who remains out after testing positive for COVID-19 … after their uninspiring win over Louisville, Notre Dame went on the road and punked Pitt and Georgia Tech by a combined score of 76-16 … but Clemson defensive coordinator Brett Venables should create issues for ND quarterback Ian Book, who has averaged an uninspiring15 completions per game … Lawrence’s replacement, freshman D.J. Uiagalelei, looked the part of five-star recruit when he completed 30 of 41 throws for 342 yards and two touchdowns against Boston College.
Notre Dame linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah (6) plays against Pittsburgh during the first half of an NCAA college football game against Pittsburgh, Saturday, Oct. 24, 2020, in Pittsburgh. The defense for No. 4 Notre Dame has been solid all season during a 6-0 start. It is about to face its biggest challenge. The Fighting Irish will host top-ranked Clemson on Saturday, Nov. 7. (AP Photo/Keith Srakocic)
Eric Crawford: Clemson 31, Notre Dame 24
Tom Lane: Clemson 28, Notre Dame 24
John Lewis: Clemson 28, Notre Dame 20
Aaron Matas: Notre Dame 28, Clemson 27
Rick Bozich: Notre Dame 24, Clemson 21
Ruby: Notre Dame
6. Texas A&M at South Carolina (+10); Saturday, 7 p.m.; Williams-Brice Stadium; Columbia, S.C.
The surest thing about this one is the losing coach will not want to listen to talk radio. If Jimbo Fisher loses, A&M fans will not be pleased to see the Aggies disappear from the top 10 and the fringe of the national playoff talk. If Will Muschamp loses, the Gamecocks will slide to 2-4 and likely face another non-winning season … any love Muschamp earned for beating Auburn disappeared when South Carolina took a four-touchdown beating from struggling LSU last week … A&M should be favored in every remaining and with their victory over Florida the Aggies can claim to be the second-best team in the SEC.
Texas A&M tight end Jalen Wydermyer (85) celebrates with Isaiah Spiller (28) and Hezekiah Jones (9) after a touchdown catch against Arkansas during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2020, in College Station, Texas. (AP Photo/Sam Craft)
Eric Crawford: Texas A&M 35, South Carolina 24
Tom Lane: Texas A&M 37, South Carolina 28
John Lewis: Texas A&M 35, South Carolina 15
Aaron Matas: Texas A&M 38, South Carolina 30
Rick Bozich: Texas A&M 41, South Carolina 32
Ruby: South Carolina
7. Stanford at Oregon (+10); Saturday, 7 p.m.; Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.
Welcome to the fun, Pac-12 fans. It’s opening week for you. The league is the last Power 5 conference to return to play. The best case scenario is a six-game, all-conference schedule. Will that be enough for a Pac-12 team to earn one of the four spots in the national playoff? It likely depends on how impressively one team can win all six times. There’s no time for error. Oregon is expected to be that team. Stanford, where coach David Shaw has lost his mojo and a string of players to the transfer portal, is not expected to be that team.
FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2019, file photo, Oregon quarterback Tyler Shough, left, throws a pass against Nevada during the third quarter of an NCAA college football game in Eugene, Ore. Expected to finish atop the Pac-12, the Ducks open at home with Stanford. The rivalry game against Oregon State will still be Thanksgiving weekend. (AP Photo/Chris Pietsch, File)
Eric Crawford: Oregon 41, Stanford 28
Tom Lane: Oregon 28, Stanford 16
John Lewis: Oregon 35, Stanford 17
Aaron Matas: Oregon 49, Stanford 35
Rick Bozich: Oregon 31, Stanford 17
Ruby: Oregon
Last week
- Ruby 4-2-1
- John Lewis 3-3-1
- Aaron Matas 3-3-1
- Rick Bozich 3-3-1
- Tom Lane 2-4-1
- Eric Crawford 2-4-1
Season Totals
- Rick Bozich 28-25-1
- Aaron Matas 27-26-1
- Tom Lane 26-27-1
- Eric Crawford 25-28-1
- Ruby 21-32-1
- John Lewis 19-34-1
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