Clear Your Schedule | Week 9, 2023

Greetings, sickos! Hope you’re able to settle in for one more installment of Clear Your Schedule!

It’s that point of 12 months when it’s 64 levels in your home since you refuse to surrender on summer season and activate the warmth. You’re additionally sneezing each 15 seconds due to ragweed or no matter foolish allergen has descended from the evil timber together with each leaf that simply spent the final six months rising.

Actually? Simply me? Critically?

High-quality, let’s discuss soccer.

Sunday Tales

It’s time for the 4 greatest tales from the week prior in faculty soccer. Settlement will not be required, however I at all times respect it.

Give me Liberty or give me a championship:  This wasn’t precisely a Sunday story, however with CUSA doing the odd midweek factor for the whole lot of October, it’s the most effective now we have.

The Liberty Flames overcame a sluggish effort in Lynchburg to show away Center Tennessee, 42-35. They’d then go on earlier this week to take down Western Kentucky in Bowling Inexperienced and earn a bid to the CUSA championship sport of their first 12 months within the circuit. All of the takes are effective — the Flames’ schedule is trash, the CUSA is week, all of them — however Liberty has mixed a brand new teaching employees and a large group of latest gamers to get inside a win of some convention {hardware}. The Flames are fourth within the nation in dashing yards, tallying practically 281 a sport behind the P5 switch duo of quarterback Kaidon Salter and working again Quinton Cooley. Liberty’s solely league video games remaining are subsequent Saturday towards Louisiana Tech and on the highway to shut the slate at UTEP, so in the event that they handle enterprise, the festivities will likely be in Lynchburg to open December.

Additionally, with all of the hullabaloo about placing JMU in a bowl, Jacksonville State may be very quietly 7-2. Simply saying.

Adios, Arkansas:  Arkansas put up a pathetic 187-yard, three-point exhibiting in a loss to Mississippi State that set soccer again 50 years, and that was sufficient to value offensive coordinator Dan Enos his job. The Razorbacks have basically no shot at a bowl now after going the final two years, and the 9-4, Outback Bowl-winning season seems like an entire outlier. Sam Pittman is simply 21-23 (10-21 within the SEC) even with that 12 months, and the wolves are howling on the doorways in Fayetteville. Seeing what Eli Drinkwitz — additionally in his fourth season — is doing at Missouri on the opposite aspect of the league isn’t serving to issues.

5 Factors, 5 Ls:  Talking of Drinkwitz, his Tigers clobbered South Carolina final week, and issues are getting a bit troubled in Columbia. Folks even tweeted after final week the data of Will Muschamp and Shane Beamer on the identical factors of their teaching careers at Willy B. Spencer Rattler is catching a ration of hell — pretty or not — for the Gamecocks’ struggles. Whereas it’s true that he has thrown for 4 touchdowns within the final three video games, all of them got here in a type of video games, a 41-39 loss to Florida.

The larger drawback is on the opposite finish of the ball, as South Carolina is DFL within the league in yards allowed per sport (446.7 ypg) and cross protection (305 ypg). Carolina is a 15.5-point canine at A&M this week, and although there’s a seemingly winnable sport towards Jacksonville State subsequent, they’ll be sitting at 5-5 — if they beat A&M, Jax State, and Vandy — needing to separate the ultimate two with Kentucky and Clemson at dwelling to get bowl-eligible. They doubtless wouldn’t really feel comfy except they received each.

Quinn-tessential dangerous luck:  Texas took a pointy hit each throughout and after final week’s outing towards Houston, because it was introduced that star quarterback Quinn Ewers had sprained his AC joint and would miss time with the harm. Ewers is finishing 71 % of his throws and passing for 274 yards per sport for the 6-1 ‘Horns, so any downtime will likely be an issue for Texas. 5-2 BYU additionally comes calling this week, which doesn’t assist.

Maalik Murphy will take the snaps for Texas Saturday, however one has to marvel if the decision to Arch Manning within the ‘pen could occur if Texas struggles. Murphy is a freshman with nice measurement (6-foot-5, 240 kilos), however is simply 4-for-8 for 47 yards in his very brief collegiate profession. Murphy went 1-for-2 for seven yards final week in reduction of Ewers.

Dangerous Bets

And now for the time that I showcase my full lack of handicapping abilities. I make no claims on the contrary. With that, right here’s what you’ll learn each week:

I’ll choose 4 video games every week, with many not within the large P5 home windows, as a result of I have a tendency to paint exterior these strains a bit. I’ll simply choose straight strains as they’re listed on the day I choose them — no cash strains, no teasing, nothing else.  I’ll maintain monitor of my file because the season goes alongside, and you’ll trash me within the feedback every week for my lack of prediction prowess.

(I had a minor emergency final week — all is effectively now — however this explains the hole in weeks.)

NOTE:  Not one of the textual content inside is supposed to function playing recommendation. That is largely meant for parody and light-hearted overview. At no level ought to any of the picks on this article be construed as playing recommendation supplied by FBSchedules.com or me.

Week 7

Navy (-3.5) at Charlotte
WHAT HAPPENED:  Navy 14, Charlotte 0. The much less we are saying about that sport, the higher.

Troy (-4.5) at Military
WHAT HAPPENED:  Troy 19, Military 0. See above.

Troy kicked subject objectives within the first and third quarters to bookend a 13-point second stanza. However hey, Military will get to have fun a brand new soccer dwelling.

#14 Louisville (-6.5) at Pittsburgh
WHAT HAPPENED:  Pittsburgh 38, Louisville 21. That’s about proper.

The stereotypical lure sport ensnared the Playing cards, because the Redbirds have been outscored 24-0 over the ultimate two quarters. Jack Plummer threw 52 occasions for the Cardinals — getting ripped twice, together with a pick-six — and the Louisville trustworthy have been left with a stomachache akin to only having eaten a big Shaqaroni pizza. Perhaps even a type of spicy garlic crust ones.

Wyoming (+10.5) at Air Drive
WHAT HAPPENED:  Air Drive 34, Wyoming 27. This line ballooned to 12-and-a-hook on the day of, and it appeared — rightly — to be the sucker wager of the day. This sport didn’t actually show revelatory — the Falcons are legit, which we knew, and the Cowboys are a menace, which we additionally knew — and the Falcons are nonetheless holding the tempo forward of the (checks notes) UNLV Rebels.

Wait, what?

Week 9 (3-1 in Week 7, 11-11-2 this season)

Miami (OH) at Ohio (-7.5) (3:30pm, CBSSN)
Marshall (-3.5) at Coastal Carolina (6pm, NFLN)
Troy (-6.5) at Texas State (7pm, ESPN+)
UNLV at Fresno State (-8.5) (10:30pm, FS1)

Two highway canines, a highway favourite, and a house canine inside a landing? Feeling pret-tay, pret-tay wobbly about that slate, of us. Reread that disclaimer above about not taking any of my recommendation. Ever.

And at last, listed below are the 4 “under-the-radar” video games I’ll be watching this week and the right way to watch them. I’ll additionally embrace strains if there are any — for informational functions solely, naturally, as outlined within the above disclaimer. I don’t but have a reputation for this part. All occasions are Japanese.

(Word:  A lot of the “under-the-radar” video games occurred Tuesday-Friday, so these aren’t as sneaky as ordinary.)

#6 Oklahoma (7-0, 4-0 Huge 12) at Kansas (5-2, 2-2) (midday, FOX):  Jalon Daniels is out — once more — for Kansas, which leaves Jason Bean to take the snaps for the Jayhawks. It’s arduous to discern whether or not the Jayhawks are the wounded animal who will assault if approached or the prey who exhibits its stomach earlier than the predator consumes it. Kansas is simply 3-2 over its final 5, however has a 29-point win over UCF in its pocket. Sure, that’s the identical UCF that Oklahoma knocked off by two in its final outing that led some nationwide shops to declare that the Sooners are for actual.

The Sooners are often sniped by Ok-State throughout these massive early-season runs, however possibly that is the 12 months the Jayhawks get them? I’m not terribly assured. If it occurred, although, the laughter from the southern finish of I-35 can be deafening.

LINE:  Oklahoma -9.5.

#1 South Dakota State (7-0, 4-0 MVFC) at #4 South Dakota (6-1, 4-0) (2pm, ESPN+): I stated it final week and I’ll say it once more:  The MVFC is a freaking gauntlet. These two are the first combatants atop the circuit, they usually’ll sq. off in arguably the largest sport of the day in any classification. Solely an Aug. 31 South Dakota loss to Missouri retains each groups from coming into the sport and not using a blemish.

The DakotaDome in Vermillion will likely be rocking. The sport is offered out, and the ‘Yotes are fourth within the FCS playoff committee rankings. The playoff rankings don’t actually imply rather a lot this far out, however know that the Showdown Collection goes to be a brawl — possibly actually — from the opening whistle. The stat strains between the groups are extremely related, and this one seems to be one that may require the ultimate whistle to determine a winner.

LINE:  None at press time.

#2 Montana State (6-1, 4-0 Huge Sky) at #9 Idaho (5-2, 3-1) (4pm, ESPN+):  The Huge Sky has not been the juggernaut this 12 months that it often is — granted, there’s nonetheless a variety of firepower on the high in Montana, Montana State, Idaho, and Sacramento State, however there’s a variety of meh in the course of the standings. Idaho State has been enjoyable to look at, tallying the fourth-best passing assault within the FCS at north of 342 yards per sport, however video games at Sacramento State and Idaho loom for the Bengals.

This leaves Montana State firmly within the driver’s seat, with its fourth-best dashing sport (326 ypg) and high offensive output (507.1 ypg) within the FCS. The Bobcats have winnable dwelling contests towards Japanese Washington and Northern Arizona left earlier than a season-finale at Montana — assuming, in fact, they’ll clip the Vandals within the Kibbie Dome.

LINE:  None at press time.

Louisiana (4-3, 1-2 Solar Belt) at South Alabama (4-3, 2-2) (5:00, ESPN+):  Whereas the highest two groups within the Solar Belt West battle forward of them, the Ragin’ Cajuns enterprise to Cell to tackle the Jags.

One thing about this sport feels off — particularly the road, with out providing a single iota of betting recommendation — however it could simply be the truth that each of those groups are clawing for what might be among the many ultimate bowl berths secured by their league. Each groups are 3-2 over their final 5, with South Alabama having scored 110 factors over its final two outings. Louisiana dropped a tricky one to Georgia State at dwelling by a subject objective, however its solely different loss during the last 5 got here in an 11-point choice at Minnesota that additionally appears a bit off.

Louisiana outpaces South Alabama by practically 40 yards per sport on the bottom, however its main rusher has simply 5 scores. The Jaguars rating 35.4 a sport — closely buoyed by blowouts of Southern Miss and ULM within the final two — and the Cajuns are a hundred and seventieth within the land in factors allowed per sport (27.86).

It’s hazard zone time for whomever drops this one.

LINE:  South Alabama -10.5.

As rapidly as this season began, the tip looms. We solely have 4 extra weeks left of the common season earlier than we transfer on to the playoffs, 502 bowls, and ultimately a chilly winter.

The season is just too brief. Life is just too brief. Might neither be taken as a right.

Till we meet once more…