1t Toledo a very good team that has a new coach who knows the Mac led by Darren Toomey they will prove they can win
1t Ball State a good team capable of beating anybody with a pretty easy schedule they should compete for the title very well
1t Akron led by Zazmio who can dominate should very well deserve to be in the playoffs good team
2 northern Illinois good but probably not good enough yet
THE REST THEY HAVE NO SHOT SO WHO CARES
We’re in the very last week of the season, and the scramble for a final few playoff spots is about to finish. Numerous teams have already clinched their spots, but others have no shot unless they take home conference glory. Having said that, my conference championship predictions:
#7 Virginia Tech Vs #13 Florida State – FSU is currently in possession of the last At-Large. VT is safely in, so as far as they’re concerned this match-up is purely over seeding. VT has taken the last four games in this series, the closest one being 24-3, and they aren’t going to let it get much closer. I’ll take VT 34-7. For the playoff picture this means that FSU has to be rooting for Toledo, UGA, and USC.
#12 Toledo Vs #17 Akron – Toledo has the 4th At-Large as it is, while Akron is far outside of the At-Large picture. Thus an Akron win bursts a bubble. Toledo has won 5 straight in this series, although the last game was a thrilling 30-28 game in which Toledo hit the game-winning FG in the final minute. It should be yet another close game, but I see Toledo winning 34-24 and knocking out Akron’s hopes of a playoff spot.
#16 Western Kentucky Vs Army – This is a do or die game for both teams. WKU won the first match between these two teams with a 16-13 win, snapping a 12 game losing streak Vs Army. For Army to win they’ll need QB Braton to improve upon his abysmal 8/33 performance in the regular season. Whether he does or not, however, I’ll take WKU by a score of 17-7.
LSU Vs #1 Georgia – UGA is heavily favored in this game, which can be attributed to the fact that UGA hasn’t lost to LSU since 2017. The closest of those games was a 19-3 game this year. UGA is in beyond a shadow of doubt, and LSU certainly needs a win today, as they’re far outside of At-Large contention. While LSU is pulling closer in the series, I’ll take UGA 24-6 as they roll into the playoffs and eliminate LSU.
#10 Tulane Vs #3 Memphis – I’m not going to predict my own game, but both of these teams seem to have secured a playoff spot barring some stunning upsets. Memphis has taken the last 6 games Vs Tulane as well as having won 3 straight C-USA titles, so they are no doubt the favorites.
#2 USC Vs Washington – A UW win would be the upset of the century. UW is 7-4 and USC has taken the past 2 national titles. I’ll take USC 59-0.
#5 Michigan Vs #6 Penn State – This seems to be the most even of the conference championship matches. Both teams are in the playoffs securely, so the game is a matter of seeding. The series has been very even, the last two games between the two being conference championship games, one going UM’s way and the other going PSU’s way. I think Michigan has too much fire power for PSU though, and as such I’ll take Michigan 38-27.
Also, I know these are a wee bit late, but I can’t help what the weather is like. My bad, I guess
Category : ECAA, Pigskin Empire, Uncategorized
COW week 11
Runner Up for the ECAA week 11 COW is William Mendez (moter345cross) HC of PITT
Coach Mendez lead his team to a victory today over Uconn 26-22. While only throwing for 86 yards the Panthers still managed to rack up 271 yards 108 of which came from Lewis Huffman RB Pitt. The Pitt D however is what kept them alive in this close game, recovering 3 fumbles and got a blocked punt returned for a TD.
Winner of the ECAA week 11 COW is Richard Delaney (mark41974) HC of PSU
PSU and OSU both a 8-0 to start this Big Ten game. PSU nor OSU scored in the first half, it being a mainly defensive game, trying to figure out how to stop the other team high powered offenses. At halftime all was looking good for OSU they were up 13-7 thinking they can finish this game ahead and take home the Big Ten Title, but they were wrong. PSU went on a 20-0 run in the third quarter, and then coach Francis Bone got injured when a player was pushed out of bounce near the OSU sideline, sending him to the hospital down 27-13. The OSU players were shocked and amazed at there coaches disappearance he has never missed a game and they didn’t know what to do now, they promised the coach they would come back, but that was far from reality. They were down 27-13 and in the fourth quarter things didn’t get much better PSU got another FG and OSU got a last minute TD to end the game at a 20-30 thriller in the Big Ten.
Honorable Mentions:
Richard Guerra (BeerCloud) HC of Colorado
Moses Rodriguez (croverja) HC of Tulane
Tex Helder (ChrisB) HC of BYU
Category : ECAA, Pigskin Empire, Uncategorized
And with another week in the books, the playoff races become even clearer. And beside them you have the bowl races, making every team bring their best to try to get the best bowl, in and out-of-conference. Here are some games that could throw a bone into the hunt, and make one team’s playoff race turn into a bowl race.
tOSU Vs PSU – PSU knocked off Ohio State last year, but once again are ranked below the mighty Buckeyes. PSU has obliterated every obstacle in their path, the closest game being a 24-6 win against Michigan State. They’ve posted 4 shutouts in 8 games, and have won all but one game by over 30 points. Ohio State has dominated in a similar fashion, Hawaii being the only team that kept within 10 of them. PSU has a great shot at this one if their run defense can stay as it has been all year and force tOSU to get one-dimensional.
ASU Vs UCLA – UCLA has shown off one of the most suffocating defenses in the ECAA this year, giving up merely 3.5 points per game and only giving up more than double digits once. The defense will have its hands full with 5 * QB Max Whorley, who has passed for over 2,000 yards this year. UCLA may be able to shorten the game if they can pound the ball, but they’ll need QB Rodriguez to step up in this game, showing off a miserable 7 TD’s to 13 INT’s on the year.
Texas A&M Vs Mizzou – Mizzou finally got ranked only to be smacked into submission by a powerhouse Oklahoma team, but they can rest reassured in that A&M was no more impressive when facing the class of the Big 12. A&M’s offense relies heavily on their workhorse John Combs, who averages over 30 carries per game. Mizzou hasn’t proven to have a great rushing defense, so they’ll need to get creative if they’re not going to get run over by the more talented A&M.
UC Berkeley Vs Colorado – Colorado hasn’t had the most impressive year so far, beating everybody they’re expected to beat and losing to whom they’re expected to lose. They can change what with a win over Cali, but stopping efficient QB Murphy in check while stopping the three California backs is a chore that could drive any DC crazy. Additionally, Cali only gives up 96 yards passing per game, and facing a QB that has had a season nothing short of disgusting, Colorado will need to gash them through the ground for a win.
Pitt Vs UConn – Pitt has had a lousy season to date, 3-6 being a far cry from last year’s 8-5 record. The offense has only put out 6 TD’s in 9 games, and neither side of the ball is getting it done. However, they are facing a vulnerable UConn team that has lost 4 of its last 5 games, and tries to force a passing game. If Pitt drops 6 or 7 back in pass defense every down and creates turnovers, then Pitt may be able to tally another win to their meager total of 3.
Again I was unable to do Upset alert today so croverja did it again. I should be able to do it on Monday though. Thanks again Crov!
Category : ECAA, Pigskin Empire, Uncategorized
Just like the roller coaster, recruiting here on PSE has a eerie familiar metaphor. Start your climb going slow and easy, going higher and higher, and as you reach the top, you start thinking to yourself “thats it..??… yeah baby!, I got this” , then out of the blue……!!!!.swoosh!!!…… down you go and fast, you didn’t see this coming at all..don’t lie.. and like the thrill seekers riding a real roller coaster do, throwing arms up in the air, while others are grabbing onto the safety bar with a death grip, either way, its accompanied by a loud .!!!.SCREAM!!! {AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!.}, Around the first turn you go, then another and right back up another hill, except this one not quite as high , and right back down you go .!!!swoosh!!, usually by this time, probably starting to feel a little sick in the stomach , wondering when is this ride going to end ? , the best part, telling yourself that infamous lie…”Never Again”…,”Lord, if you get me through this alive, I will never skip church again just so I can LPC my game”…, you start to notice the roller coaster is slowing down, “Thank God”, shouting in relief, as the ride is approaching its final destination, your looking all around hoping the other riders didn’t hear you screaming like a girl, or worse, shout out anything embarrassing , but be at ease, even the most macho , level headed riders on THIS roller coaster, screamed like a girl, and yes, even shouted out something that’s,… well, considered embarrassing, especially after experiencing that first big drop, after all, just like you, they too was on top of the world, like you, didn’t see that big drop off . Now the ride comes to a stop, its over. Your hair is blown in this direction and that, your voice is harsh,” but it was fun ” you tell yourself, and I think I’m going to ride this again”.
I like using this metaphor when it comes to recruiting here on PSE, with all its ups and downs, twists and turns , the roller coaster is an easy comparison to recruiting here on PSE.
You see, we all reach the top, but we all come right back down, we hit turns and twists unexpectedly and all the while your first thoughts about this ride is “What am I doing here”?. But in the end , you’ll find yourself having great time, in fact, ready to do it all over again, and again, and again!!., well maybe not those that grabbed onto the safety bar with a death grip.
Now that you have ridden this roller coaster, you know what to expect, you go uphill and then downhill , the unexpected twists and turns, are no longer unexpected. Sure, you might scream like a girl each and every ride, but your addicted now, even find yourself looking for bigger and faster roller coasters that PSE has to offer.
Personally, I don’t care for the one’s that have the loops , been on that one and the idea of going upside down just didn’t appeal to me , end result …dizziness!!.PSE has a roller coaster for everyone to enjoy…all depends how far or how high you want to go , sky the limit here on PSE, but remember this , the higher you go, bigger the drop is also.
