G’s Expectation or It Is MACNation Time!

Welcome back to the GCR, oh great and wonderful college football fans. Back in 2000, the Mid-American Conference or MAC began playing mid-week games in November in order for their players to have a chance to be on national television with no competition. Akron, Ball St, Bowling Green, Buffalo, C Michigan, E Michigan, Kent St, Miami OH, N Illinois, Ohio, Toledo, and W Michigan are still in the conference. Marshall moved to the Sun Belt after the 2005 season and UMASS joined this season. Next season N Illinois will be moving to the Mountain West. When you think about it, all of the conference realignment in the last 25-30 years, and the MAC has remained nearly pure. During the chaos, they simply started a tradition to provide mid-week football entertainment. It has been so successful that Conference USA adopted the tradition last year, but in October so as not to infringe. I think it is wonderful. I also note a bit of sadness when MACNation begins because it signals the final month of the regular season.

…..

Tonight, there are two games and Akron got a couple quick touchdowns (including a short drive following a fumble on the opening kickoff) to lead UMASS 14-7 with 5:39 to go in the first. Miami OH and Ohio also kicked off at 7:00 (all times Eastern) tonight and are scoreless with 1:35 to go in the first.

…..

As another bit of news, the college basketball season started last night and the basketball version of the GCR, both men’s and women’s, is in action. The initial rankings will be posted next week, even though some teams will not have played a game yet and many will have only played a non-division I team. I expect weirdness in the first couple of weeks, similar to this year’s football rankings until the natural order of things starts to align the teams in a proper order.

…..

Last week, the GCR picked 52 FBS games and was correct in a paltry 32 of them for just a .615 accuracy. Not good enough. For the season we are 383-147 (.723) when predicted a game with at least one FBS team. The FCS vs FCS predictions continue to perform better than previous years with a 26-10 (.722) showing last week and a 287-121 (.703) season, so far. Straight up, or just picking the winner last week, regardless of level, the GCR was 58-30 (.659) for a season total of 670-268 (.714) after 938 games. Against the spread (FBS vs FBS only) showed some improvement with an acceptable 29-23 (.558) bringing the season to 233-220 (.514). A slow start to the season could use some more good weeks.

…..

There are tons of games to watch, starting with those on tonight. Most of the MAC games are on ESPN+ assuming they are actually showing the game, and these Tuesday and Wednesday games are their shot at being seen by not only football fans across the country, but also random scouts and coaches who happen to have the game on. Parents can hear their kids’ names called out by the announcer. They can record the big block or return or tackle or sack or kick or touchdown. If you have time, take a minute and watch some of these games. The football is better than you might expect down there in the “lowly” MAC.

…..

UMASS added a field goal before the end of the first quarter which ended 14-10 Akron. There is still no score in the Miami OH/Ohio game with 13:58 in the half.

…..

With no further ado, thank you for reading and sharing with others, as that is how we grow. We welcome your comments, questions, and suggestions as that is how we improve. Below are all the games this week with Vegas (FBS/FBS games only) odds along with GCR predictions (all D1/D1 games). Have a great week and watch for the special episode with conference ranking after two months in the next day or two, JoJo and G.

Time (Eastern)Away Team (Record/ GCR Rank)Conf (Rec)Home Team (Record/ GCR Rank)Conf (Rec)VegasGCR Win (nearest .5%)GCR CoverTV
ACC (17 teams) – Core 4
12:00SMU (6-3/35)ACC (4-1)Boston College
(1-8/141)
ACC (0-5)SMU-11.5SMU 88.5%SMUACCN
3:30Duke (5-3/38)ACC (4-1)UCONN (6-3/64)IND (0-0)DUKE-9.5DUKE 55.5%UCONCBS Sports
3:30Syracuse (3-6/103)ACC (1-5)Miami FL
(6-2/16)
ACC (2-2)MIAF-28.5MIAF 86.5%MIAFESPN
4:30Stanford (3-6/88)ACC (2-4)North Carolina
(3-5/104)
ACC (1-3)NCAR-7.5NCAR 57.0%STANThe CW
7:00Florida St
(4-4/51)
ACC (1-4)Clemson (3-5/65)ACC (2-4)CLEM-2.5FSU 52.5%FSUESPN
7:00California (5-4/66)ACC (2-3)Louisville (7-1/7)ACC (4-1)LOU-19.5LOU 76.5%LOUESPN2
7:00Wake Forest (5-3/45)ACC (2-3)Virginia (8-1/9)ACC (5-1)VIR-6.5VIR 71.0%VIRESPN
Idle – Georgia Tech (8-1/15), NC St (5-4/42), Pittsburgh (7-2/21), Virginia Tech (3-6/101)
Big 12 (16 teams) – Core 4
FRI 8:00Houston (7-2/33)B12 (4-2)UCF (4-4/68)B12 (1-4)UCF-1.5HOU 62.5%HOUFS1
12:00Colorado (3-6/77)B12 (1-5)West Virginia (3-6/84)B12 (1-5)WVU-6.5COL 52.5%COLTNT
12:00BYU (8-0/4)B12 (5-0)Texas Tech
(8-1/3)
B12 (5-1)TXTC-10.5TXTC 55.0%BYUABC
3:30Iowa St
(5-4/43)
B12 (2-4)TCU (6-2/25)B12 (3-2)TCU-6.5TCU 68.5%TCUFox
3:30Kansas (5-4/58)B12 (3-3)Arizona (5-3/39)B12 (3-3)ARIZ-4.5ARIZ 61.0%ARIZESPN2
Idle – Arizona St (6-3/30), Baylor (5-4/59), Cincinnati (7-2/24), Kansas St (4-5/54),
Oklahoma St (1-8/142), Utah (7-2/5)
Big Ten (18 teams) – Core 4
FRI 9:00Northwestern (5-3/57)B10 (3-2)Southern Cal (6-2/12)B10 (4-1)SCAL-14.5SCAL 68.0%SCALFox
12:00Indiana (9-0/1)B10 (6-0)Penn St
(3-5/72)
B10 (0-5)IND-14.5IND 90.0%INDFox
1:00Ohio St
(8-0/2)
B10 (5-0)Purdue (2-7/111)B10 (0-6)OHST-29.5OHST 99.9%OHSTBTN
2:30Maryland (4-4/70)B10 (1-4)Rutgers (4-5/81)B10 (1-5)RUTG-1.5MARY 55.0%MARYFS1
3:30Oregon (7-1/6)B10 (4-1)Iowa (6-2/27)B10 (4-1)ORE-5.5ORE 57.0%ORECBS
4:30Washington (6-2/18)B10 (3-2)Wisconsin (2-6/106)B10 (0-5)WASH-11.5WASH 85.0%WASHBTN
9:00Nebraska (6-3/37)B10 (3-3)UCLA (3-5/76)B10 (3-2)UCLA-2.5NEB 67.0%NEBFox
Idle – Illinois (6-3/23), Michigan (7-2/13), Michigan St (3-6/98), Minnesota (6-3/48)
SEC (16 teams) – Core 4
12:00Georgia (7-1/17)SEC (5-1)Mississippi St (5-4/62)SEC (1-4)GEO-8.5GEO 60.0%GEOESPN
1:00Citadel (4-5/195)SoCon (3-3)Mississippi (8-1/19)SEC (5-1)MISS 99.9%SEC+
3:30Texas A&M (8-0/8)SEC (5-0)Missouri (6-2/41)SEC (2-2)TAM-6.5TAM 56.0%MIZZABC
4:00Auburn (4-5/69)SEC (1-5)Vanderbilt (7-2/29)SEC (3-2)VAND-6.5VAND 68.5VANDSECN
7:30Florida (3-5/83)SEC (2-3)Kentucky (3-5/97)SEC (1-5)FLA-3.5FLA 52.5%KENTABC
7:30LSU (5-3/55)SEC (2-3)Alabama (7-1/14)SEC (5-0)ALA-9.5ALA 66.5%ALASECN
Idle – Arkansas (2-7/109), Oklahoma (7-2/26), South Carolina (3-6/107), Tennessee (6-3/49),
Texas (7-2/34)
AAC (14 teams) – Group of 5
THU 7:30UTSA (4-4/85)AAC (2-2)South Florida (6-2/36)AAC (3-1)SFLA-14.5SFLA 66.0%SFLAESPN
FRI 9:00Tulane (6-2/40)AAC (3-1)Memphis (8-1/20)AAC (4-1)MEM-6.5MEM 65.0%MEMESPN
12:00Temple (5-4/92)AAC (3-2)Army (4-4/80)AAC (2-3)ARMY-6.5ARMY 53.5%TEMPCBS Sports
2:00UAB (3-5/112)AAC (1-3)Rice (4-5/115)AAC (1-4)RICE-2.5RICE 54.5%RICEESPN+
3:00Tulsa (2-6/128)AAC (0-5)FAU (3-5/117)AAC (2-3)FAU-3.5FAU 57%FAUESPN+
3:00Charlotte (1-7/170)AAC (0-5)East Carolina (5-3/46)AAC (3-1)ECAR-28.5ECAR 86.0%ECARESPN+
7:30Navy (7-1/47)AAC (5-1)Notre Dame (6-2/10)IND (0-0)ND-26.5ND 71.5%NAVYPeacock
Idle – North Texas (8-1/22)
C-USA (12 teams) – Group of 5
1:00Missouri St (5-3/90)USA (3-1)Liberty (4-4/96)USA (3-1)LIB-7.5MOST 51.5%MOSTESPN+
3:00LA Tech
(5-3/56)
USA (3-2)Delaware (4-4/100)USA (2-3)LATC-5.5LATC 56.5%LATCESPN+
3:00Jacksonville St (5-3/94)USA (4-0)UTEP (2-6/135)USA (1-3)UTEP-1.5JXST 62.0%JXSTESPN+
3:00FIU (3-5/119)USA (1-3)Middle Tennessee
(1-7/151)
USA (0-4)MTSU-1.5FIU 55.0%FIUESPN+
4:00Kennesaw St (6-2/44)USA (4-0)New Mexico St
(3-5/121)
USA (1-4)KNST-9.5KNST 63.5%KNSTESPN+
10:00Sam Houston (0-8/164)USA (0-5)Oregon St
(2-7/116)
PAC (1-0)ORST-19.5ORST 64.5%SHOUThe CW
Idle – W Kentucky (7-2/67)
FBS Independents (2 teams) – Notre Dame=Core 4, UCONN=Group of 5
OOC – Notre Dame (Navy-AAC), UCONN (Duke-ACC)
MAC (13 teams) – Group of 5
TUE 7:00Miami OH
(5-3/86)
MAC (4-0)Ohio (5-3/75)MAC (3-1)OHIO-2.5OHIO 53.5%OHIOESPN2
TUE 7:00UMASS (0-8/188)MAC (0-4)Akron (3-6/127)MAC (2-3)AKR-10.5AKR 68.5%AKRCBS Sports
WED 7:00N Illinois
(2-6/130)
MAC (1-3)Toledo (4-4/89)MAC (2-2)TOL-14.5TOL 68.0%TOLESPN2
WED 7:00Kent St
(3-5/124)
MAC (2-2)Ball St
(3-5/126)
MAC (2-2)BLST-2.5BLST 54.0%BLSTESPNU
1:00Bowling Green
(3-6/123)
MAC (1-4)E Michigan (2-7/136)MAC (1-4)EMI-2.5BG 52.0%BGESPN+
Idle – Buffalo (5-4/102), C Michigan (5-4/93), W Michigan (5-4/82)
Mountain West (12 teams) – Group of 5
6:00Air Force
(2-6/125)
MWC (1-4)San Jose St (3-5/108)MWC (2-2)SJST-3.5SJST 59.0%SJSTFS1
7:30Nevada (1-7/146)MWC (0-4)Utah St
(4-4/91)
MWC (2-2)UTST-9.5UTST 70.5%UTSTCBS Sports
9:30UNLV (6-2/61)MWC (2-2)Colorado St (2-6/129)MWC (1-3)UNLV-4.5UNLV 70.0%UNLVFS1
11:00San Diego St (7-1/32)MWC (4-0)Hawaii (6-3/79)MWC (3-2)SDST-6.5SDST 59%SDSTMWN
Idle – Boise St (6-3/52), Fresno St (6-3/73), New Mexico (6-3/60), Wyoming (4-5/113)
Pac-12 (2 teams) – Group of 5
OOC – Oregon St (Sam Houston-USA)
Idle – Washington St (4-5/63)
Sun Belt (14 teams) – Group of 5
THU 7:30Ga Southern (3-5/87)SUN (1-3)App St
(4-4/78)
SUN (1-3)APST-6.5APST 63.0%APSTESPN2
12:00Southern Miss (6-2/31)SUN (4-0)Arkansas St (5-4/74)SUN (4-1)SMIS-4.5SMIS 61.5%SMISESPNU
12:00James Madison
(7-1/11)
SUN (5-0)Marshall (4-4/71)SUN (2-2)JMU-13.5JMU 73.5%JMUESPN2
4:00Georgia St
(1-7/140)
SUN (0-4)Coastal Car (5-3/53)SUN (4-1)CCAR-7.5CCAR 87.5%CCARESPN+
5:00Texas St
(3-5/95)
SUN (0-4)Louisiana (3-6/99)SUN (2-3)TXST-2.5TXST 52.0%LAUESPN+
Idle – Old Dominion (6-3/28), South Alabama (2-7/122), Troy (6-3/50), ULM (3-6/114)
Big Sky (12 teams) – FCS
3:00E Washington (4-5/228)SKY (3-2)Montana (9-0/133)SKY (5-0)MONT 88%ESPN2
3:00Weber St
(3-6/244)
SKY (1-4)Montana St (7-2/134)SKY (5-0)MTST 77%ESPN+
5:00Sacramento St
(5-4/162)
SKY (3-2)Portland St (1-8/256)SKY (1-4)SAC 60%ESPN+
6:00N Colorado (3-6/218)SKY (1-4)N Arizona
(5-4/194)
SKY (2-3)NAZ 58%ESPN+
7:00UC Davis
(6-2/169)
SKY (4-1)Idaho (4-5/175)SKY (2-3)UCD 54%ESPN+
Idle – Cal Poly (3-6/211), Idaho St (3-6/192)
Big South/Ohio Valley (9 teams) – FCS
1:00Tennessee Tech
(9-0/132)
BSOV (6-0)E Illinois
(3-6/229)
BSOV (2-4)TNTC 57%ESPN+
1:30SEMO (3-6/217)BSOV (2-3)Gardner Webb
(5-4/189)
BSOV (3-2)GW 57%ESPN+
2:00Lindenwood (4-5/212)BSOV (3-2)W Illinois
(2-7/255)
BSOV (1-4)LIN 51%ESPN+
2:00Tennessee St (2-7/243)BSOV (0-5)Tennessee Martin
(4-5/248)
BSOV (4-1)TNST 56%ESPN+
Idle – Charleston So (4-6/221)
Coastal (14 teams) – FCS
12:00New Hampshire
(5-4/173)
CAA (3-2)Monmouth (8-1/139)CAA (5-0)MON 63%FloFootball
12:00North Carolina A&T (2-7/259)CAA (2-3)Stony Brook (4-5/181)CAA (2-3)SB 64%FloFootball
1:00Bryant (2-7/241)CAA (0-5)Albany (1-8/253)CAA (0-5)BRY 52%FloFootball
1:00Maine (5-4/200)CAA (4-1)Hampton (2-7/245)CAA (0-5)MAIN 52%FloFootball
1:00Villanova (6-2/163)CAA (5-1)Towson (4-5/204)CAA (2-3)VILL 53%FloFootball
2:00William & Mary
(5-4/191)
CAA (4-2)Campbell (2-7/250)CAA (2-3)W&M 51%FloFootball
2:00Rhode Island (7-2/155)CAA (5-0)Elon (4-5/193)CAA (2-3)RISL 50%FloFootball
Idle – none
FCS Independent (2 teams) – FCS
12:00Lynchburg (NA)NASacred Heart (6-3/159)FCS (0-0)ESPN+
3:30Merrimack (3-6/206)FCS (0-0)New Haven (4-5/224)NEC (0-3)NHAV 58%NEC Front Row
Idle – none
Ivy League (8 teams) – FCS
FRI 7:00Harvard (7-0/110)Ivy (4-0)Columbia (1-6/222)IVY (0-4)HARV 64%ESPNU
12:00Yale (5-2/138)IVY (3-1)Brown (3-4/168)IVY (0-4)YALE 50%ESPN+
1:00Cornell (3-4/196)IVY (2-2)Penn (5-2/148)IVY (3-1)PENN 62%ESPN+
1:00Princeton (3-4/178)IVY (2-2)Dartmouth (5-2/145)IVY (2-2)DART 61%ESPN+
Idle – none
MEAC (6 teams) – FCS
FRI 7:00Delaware St (6-3/176)MEAC (2-0)Morgan St
(3-6/239)
MEAC (0-2)DEST 52%ESPNU
1:30Howard (4-5/231)MEAC (1-1)South Carolina St
(6-3/207)
MEAC (2-0)SCST 58%ESPN+
2:00Norfolk St
(1-8/260)
MEAC (0-2)NC Central
(6-3/177)
MEAC (1-1)NCC 67%ESPN+
Idle – none
Missouri Valley (10 teams) – FCS
1:00Illinois St
(6-3/167)
MVFC (3-2)Indiana St
(3-6/201)
MVFC (1-4)ILST 52%ESPN+
2:00Murray St
(0-9/263)
MVFC (0-5)N Iowa
(2-7/232)
MVFC (0-5)NIA 64%ESPN+
2:00North Dakota St
(9-0/105)
MVFC (6-0)North Dakota (6-3/137)MVFC (4-1)NDST 51%ESPN+
2:00S Illinois
(6-3/166)
MVFC (3-2)Youngstown St
(5-4/172)
MVFC (2-3)SILL 54%ESPN+
4:00South Dakota St
(7-2/147)
MVFC (3-2)South Dakota (6-4/185)MVFC (4-2)SDKS 50%ESPNU
Idle – none
Northeast (9 teams) – FCS
12:00Stonehill (3-6/205)NEC (2-2)C Connecticut (6-3/182)NEC (4-0)CCON 59%ESPN+
12:00Duquesne (5-4/202)NEC (4-1)Long Island (3-6/197)NEC (2-3)LIU 57%NEC Front Row
12:00Wagner (3-6/254)NEC (2-2)Robert Morris (3-6/242)NEC (2-2)RM 58%ESPN+
12:00Mercyhurst (3-6/208)NEC (3-2)St Francis
(0-8/265)
NEC (0-4)MHUR 55%NEC Front Row
OOC – New Haven (Merrimack-FCS)
Idle – none
Patriot League (8 teams) – FCS
12:00Holy Cross
(1-8/216)
PAT (1-3)Lehigh (9-0/120)PAT (4-0)LEH 71%ESPN+
12:30Colgate (4-5/209)PAT (2-2)Lafayette (6-3/199)PAT (4-0)LAF 58%ESPN+
1:00Bucknell (4-5/227)PAT (1-3)Fordham (1-8/258)PAT (1-4)BUCK 51%ESPN+
1:00Richmond (5-4/215)PAT (2-3)Georgetown (5-4/183)PAT (2-2)GTOW 59%ESPN+
Idle – none
Pioneer League (11 teams) – FCS
1:00Butler (5-4/179)PFL (3-2)Morehead St (5-5/210)PFL (3-3)BUT 54%ESPN+
1:00Presbyterian (8-1/144)PFL (4-1)Davidson (1-8/249)PFL (0-5)PC 58%ESPN+
1:00St Thomas
(6-3/149)
PFL (4-2)Drake (6-2/153)PFL (5-0)STTH 54%ESPN+
1:00Stetson (3-6/233)PFL (2-3)Marist (3-6/198)PFL (1-4)MARI 60%ESPN+
1:00San Diego
(5-4/171)
PFL (3-2)Valparaiso (1-8/236)PFL (0-5)SDIE 51%ESPN+
Idle – Dayton (6-3/157)
SoCon (9 teams) – FCS
12:00Furman (5-4/184)SoCon (3-3)Chattanooga (4-5/180)SoCon (3-2)FUR 54%ESPN+
1:30Wofford (3-6/213)SoCon (2-3)VMI (1-8/247)SoCon (0-5)WOFF 50%ESPN+
2:30Mercer (7-1/131)SoCon (6-0)W Carolina (6-3/187)SoCon (5-0)MERC 53%ESPN+
3:30E Tennessee St
(4-5/186)
SoCon (2-3)Samford (1-8/262)SoCon (1-6)ETSU 55%ESPN+
OOC – Citadel (@Mississippi-SEC)
Idle – none
Southland (10 teams) – FCS
2:00Incarnate Word
(3-6/223)
SLAN (1-4)Northwestern St
(1-8/264)
SLAN (0-5)IW 54%ESPN+
3:00Steph F Austin
(7-2/158)
SLAN (5-0)Houston Chr (2-7/257)SLAN (1-4)SFA 56%ESPN+
4:00Southeastern (7-2/154)SLAN (5-0)Lamar (7-2/165)SLAN (4-1)SELA 53%ESPN+
5:00McNeese (3-6/252)SLAN (2-3)East Texas
(2-7/246)
SLAN (2-3)MCN 54%ESPN+
6:00Nicholls (3-6/237)SLAN (3-2)Rio Grande (6-3/161)SLAN (2-3)RG 65%ESPN+
Idle – none
SWAC (12 teams) – FCS
3:00Prairie View (6-3/190)SWAC (4-1)Alabama A&M
(4-5/225)
SWAC (2-4)PV 52%SWAC TV
3:00Texas Southern
(4-4/234)
SWAC (3-2)Alabama St (6-2/150)SWAC (5-1)ALST 67%SWAC TV
3:00Florida A&M (3-5/251)SWAC (2-2)Ark Pine Bluff (4-5/235)SWAC (2-3)APB 58%HBCUGo
3:00Bethune (5-4/220)SWAC (4-1)Grambling St (6-3/203)SWAC (3-2)GRAM 57%SWAC TV
3:00Jackson St
(6-2/152)
SWAC (4-1)Mississippi Valley
(1-7/240)
SWAC (0-5)JACK 53%SWAC TV
4:00Southern (1-8/261)SWAC (1-6)Alcorn St
(3-6/226)
SWAC (2-4)ACST 64%ESPN+
Idle – none
UAC (9 teams) – FCS
3:00Utah Tech
(2-7/230)
UAC (1-4)Abilene Chr (5-4/174)UAC (4-1)ABCH 59%ESPN+
3:00S Utah
(4-5/156)
UAC (3-2)E Kentucky
(4-5/219)
UAC (2-3)SUT 52%ESPN+
4:00C Arkansas (3-6/214)UAC (2-3)Austin Peay (5-4/143)UAC (3-3)AP 65%ESPN+
4:00West Georgia (6-3/160)UAC (3-3)N Alabama (2-7/238)UAC (1-4)WGA 53%ESPN+
Idle – Tarleton (9-1/118)