WASHINGTON — November can be nice or nasty.
Schools like Maryland can bask in a first-ever win at Penn State. Schools like
Navy can look forward to their annual matchup with Army, regardless of their
record. Schools like Virginia Tech can wonder what went wrong. And schools
like Virginia can forget football because basketball tips off this month (for
a while it seemed as though they were starting earlier and earlier — at least
now the regular season doesn’t begin for another week). The Terps, Hokies and
Midshipmen all have byes this weekend, while the Cavaliers may as well be
entering a bye.
Were you on the edge of your seat Tuesday when the College Football Playoff
rankings? Me neither. Yes, there’s a top four that will comprise College
Football’s first-ever playoff. But there are quite a few games to be played
before the conference championships wrap up the regular season in early
December. While it’s nice to see who’s in the top four and who barely misses
the field, this smacks of Joe Lunardi’s Bracketology with an official stamp of
approval. Is this helpful? Yes. Is all of the surrounding hype necessary? Not
exactly. Tuesday does nothing to enhance how much I enjoy Saturday.
What is it with pumpkins? Back in the day you dealt with pumpkins at
Halloween, pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving and in a more minor way at Christmas.
Now you’ve got nothing but pumpkin possibilities: I get pumpkin bread and
pumpkin muffins, but did we need pumpkin spice lattes in September? Pumpkin-
tinis as a seasonal cocktail? I’ve also heard of pumpkin mac & cheese, as well
as pumpkin pasta. I’ve yet to discover if the pumpkin is in the noodles or
it’s simply a sauce that adorns the normal pasta.
Virginia at #2 Florida State
Yeah…Wahoo fans — we’re going to need you to come in Saturday. It doesn’t
look great. Wasn’t this team leading the Coastal Division just a few weeks
ago? For one brief, shining moment there were bowl hopes that acknowledged one
tough finishing run on the schedule that began with the Seminoles and wrapped
up with Miami (now 6-3) and Virginia Tech (haven’t lost to UVa since 2003).
Now November represents a continued anticipated descent where even 5-7 would
seem like a victory of sorts. Jameis Winston isn’t suspended at this time —
anything can happen between now and 6:30 p.m. Saturday — and I’m sure he’s
licking his chops at a defense that has played well in spots but hasn’t been
able to make plays recently when it’s mattered. On offense, the loss of wide
receiver Miles Gooch for the season turns the amusing game of Mike London and
the Magic Eight Ball moot, as Greyson Lambert and Matt Johns are now deprived
of their number one option.
Cavaliers come up short, 41-16.
Howard gets by Savannah State, Morgan State slips to North
Carolina A&T, Richmond beats Maine, James Madison gets by Stony
Brook, William & Mary rips Elon, Towson tumbles to Villanova.
Last Week: 8-3. Overall: 68-27.
Follow @WTOP and @WTOPSports on Twitter and WTOP on Facebook.
