College football’s November is a magical month where dreams can come true but also be shattered, as the playoff pack of contenders thins a little each week and every game means something … except in some corners this Saturday.
You see, Southeastern Conference has multiple schools involved in the race for the Championship Game pressing pause and facing FCS competition.
So while the Big Ten delivers us USC-Oregon, the Big 12 boasts BYU-Cincinnati, and even the ACC offers up Georgia Tech-Pitt, the SEC serves up its version of sorbet: While No. 3 Texas A&M takes on 1-10 Samford, No. 4 Georgia plays 1-9 Charlotte and No. 10 Alabama faces 3-8 Eastern Illinois. Even No. 17 Texas is tangling with 2-8 Arkansas … hold on, despite reports to the contrary, the Razorbacks are actually a conference foe at this time.
For an SEC that constantly tells us “It Just Means More!,” the penultimate week of the regular season means a lot less. At least the other conferences have most of their schools playing actual Power Four competition in the penultimate game instead of an FCS or Group of Five layup.
No. 19 Virginia (9-2, 6-1 ACC) — instead of scheduling a cupcake this late in the season — did the right thing and took the weekend off, giving Kippy & Buffy a chance to go antiquing. And after dining on one incredible season, they’re going to enjoy something fitting for dessert: the Chateau O’Brien 2019 Late Harvest Tannat. Not to be confused with the winery’s award-winning Tannat, this port-style wine is not fortified.
“During ripening, natural sugar accumulation reaches a level beyond the capacity of a natural yeast fermentation,” the winery website reads. “This results in a wine with 18% alcohol and a subtle sweetness.”
Cavalier fans hope the sweetness doesn’t turn sour next weekend when a longtime nemesis stops by Scott Stadium.
Virginia Tech (3-7, 2-4 ACC) at No. 14 Miami (8-2, 5-1 ACC), noon, ESPN.
In a matchup of onetime Coastal Division comrades, the Hokies haven’t beaten their former fellow Big East deserter since 2019 and their last home win in the series came in 2016.
The Hurricanes enter the weekend the highest-ranked school in the conference, yet find themselves in fifth place thanks to an interception in the final minute of regulation against Louisville and another INT in overtime at SMU.
But the teams they trail in the standings are all capable of vomiting on themselves and the U possesses one solid D: tops in the ACC against the run and overall, while ranking second against the pass and on third down. Virginia Tech already enjoyed the “fired coach bounce” by winning two straight following the dismissal of Brent Pry. Can they maximize the “hired coach bounce” with James Franklin coming on board?
Presto’s Pick: Hokies’ season continues to go south in a 36-15 loss.
No. 21 James Madison (9-1) vs. Washington State (5-5), 1 p.m., ESPN+.
The Cougars are earning their frequent flyer miles this fall, with previous trips east to face ranked foes Ole Miss and Virginia resulting in two losses by a total of five points.
The road hasn’t been kind closer to their campus in Pullman, Washington, as they also coughed up 59 points at North Texas and found a way to lose at 2-9 Oregon State. As long as we’re discussing schedules, JMU has beaten just one FBS foe that currently owns a winning record (Old Dominion). But the Dukes’ defense has delivered all season, and their offensive mail is carried by triple-threat running back in Wayne Knight (running, receiving and “Seinfeld” references).
Presto’s Pick: Dukes make this more interesting than it should be in a 22-17 victory.
Maryland (4-6, 1-6 Big Ten) vs. No. 18 Michigan (8-2, 6-1), 4 p.m., BTN.
The Wolverines are on the fringe of playoff contention while the Terps are on the precipice of postseason elimination. Coach Mike Locksley received support from Athletic Director Jim Smith last weekend and is confident he’ll get the necessary resources moving forward.
But right now his team has to deal with a team from Big Ten central casting: the second-best running game in the conference (223 yards per game) despite multiple running backs going down to injury and a stingy defense featuring a pass rush led by Baltimore native Derrick Moore’s 8.5 sacks.
And while the Terps have done an outstanding job keeping quarterback Malik Washington upright (Big Ten-fewest four sacks allowed), they’ve had issues containing opponents on the ground (16th in the conference on the season while allowing 283 yards per game this month).
Presto’s Pick: Terps stumble on Senior Day, 33-17.
Georgetown wins at Holy Cross, Howard beats Norfolk State, William & Mary edges Richmond, Morgan State slips to North Carolina-Central.
Last Week: 9-1.
Season: 84-24.
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