I hope Everyone Had a Nice Thanksgiving.
We, being mostly vegetarian, had a nice walk, a nice soup and another nice fire in our new woodstove.
All on a peaceful relaxing day without company or noise in our mountain home.
It was one of the nicer Thanksgivings.

Now onto football, at the risk of highjacking the other 5-7 thread, I wanted to keep a live tracking on the games this weekend leading up to the very important last game for Cal in the Rose Bowl.

So far this weekend, one 5-6 team lost, that was Mississippi St. last night to Ole Miss. No upset there.

So far today 3 5-6 teams are playing and here's how they stand in the first half:

• In an game nobody wants to win, apparently, Iowa is leading Nebraska (5-6) 7-0 early in the 2nd Q. Don't ask me how Iowa is 9-2
• Oklahoma and TCU (5-6) are in a tight one with the Sooners up 14-13 late in the first Q
• 5-6 C. Michigan has 10-1 and ranked Toledo at home and there is no score midway through 2nd Q

Later on today we have Utah St. @ New Mexico but favored @ 12:30

TCU now down 42-16 at half.

Has a national title game participant ever had a losing regular season the next year?

kal kommie said:

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TCU now down 42-16 at half.

Has a national title game participant ever had a losing regular season the next year?

---

I remembered LSU, because they fired Coach O after he won the championship. But an excerpt from an article I found, and strangely enough TCU won a Natty and then had a losing season :

[ol]
2020 LSU Tigers: Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow led a record-setting offense in 2019. But his departure, along with 13 other NFL draft picks and two leading members of the coaching staff, led to LSU mustering a 5-5 record in 2020.1950 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: En route to the 1949 championship, Notre Dame scored at least 27 points in every game and allowed just 8.6 per game. The next season, the offense took a drastic step back and averaged 15.4 points as the Irish went 4-4-1.1928 Yale Bulldogs: After enjoying a 3-0 start, the Bulldogs' season went south. They lost to Army, beat Dartmouth and scored just two points combined against Maryland, Princeton and Harvard to finish 4-4.1923 Princeton Tigers: The championship-winning 1922 team posted five shutouts in eight games. But in 1923, the Tigers lost to Notre Dame, tied Navy and fell to Harvard and Yale for a 3-3-1 season.[/ol]
1919 Michigan Wolverines (3-4)
2 OF 8
[ol]
Michigan coach Fielding YostAssociated PressFielding Yost assumed control of the Michigan program in 1901 and proceeded to lead the Wolverines to four straight national titles. From 1901 to 1904, the Wolverines notched a 43-0-1 record.They remained successful from the late 1900s through the 1910s. However, U-M didn't claim another championship until 1918 when it finished 5-0 and allowed six points. But as quickly as the Wolverines rose, they dropped in 1919.After shutout wins over Case and Michigan State, Michigan lost to Ohio State for the first time in the series' 16-game history.The Wolverines beat Northwestern but lost to Chicago, Illinois and Minnesota, wrapping up the season 3-4.[/ol]
1943 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-6)
3 OF 8
[ol]
Ohio State coach Paul BrownAssociated PressAs you can imagine, World War II helps explain why 1943 Ohio State sandwiched a 3-6 season between 9-1 and 9-0 records."Due to the war, Ohio State football had teamed up with the Army ROTC program at the school," per Matt Gutridge of Eleven Warriors. "Unfortunately, ROTC rules mandated players involved with the ROTC program were not eligible to play varsity sports."So, understandably, the Buckeyes had a challenging year against a hard schedule. Five of their six losses were to programsIowa Pre-Flight, Great Lakes Navy, Purdue, Northwestern and Michiganthat ended up in the Top 10 of the AP poll.[/ol]
1929 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-6)
4 OF 8
[ol]
Father LumpkinUncredited/Associated PressNo, this isn't the Cumberland season. Georgia Tech's 222-0 win happened 13 years earlier in 1916.In 1928, the Golden Tornado won a national title behind Peter Pundan All-American and future College Football Hall of Famer. But his departure alongside key offensive players Warner Mizell, Stumpy Thomason and Father Lumpkin led to a decline.After scoring 22.1 points per game with a 10-0 record in 1928, the Yellow Jackets averaged just 11.7 and closed at 3-6 the following season.[/ol]
1967 Michigan State Spartans (3-7)
5 OF 8
[ol]
Michigan State's Dwight LeePreston Stroup/Associated PressAlthough 1967 marked the beginning of a decline under head coach Duffy Daugherty, he's credited with being at the forefront of integrating college football in the 1960s.Led by four future College Football Hall of Fame inductees, Michigan State shared national titles in 1965 and 1966. Clinton Jones, Gene Washington, Bubba Smith and George Webster were all top-eight selections in the 1967 NFL draft.Similar to 2020 LSU, however, the 1967 Spartans simply could not overcome their NFL departures.Michigan State fell to Houston and USC and then beat Wisconsin and Michigan before losing five straight games. The Spartans ranked 78th nationally in scoring defense and tumbled to 3-7.[/ol]
1939 TCU Horned Frogs (3-7)
6 OF 8
[ol]
TCU coach Dutch MeyerAnonymous/Associated PressIn 1938, quarterback Davey O'Brien led TCU to an 11-0 record and national championship. O'Brien won the Heisman Trophy, and teammates Ki Aldrich (No. 1 overall) and I.B. Hale (No. 8) joined O'Brien (No. 4) as early picks in the 1939 NFL draft.We can imagine the level of talent TCU had to replace.The departures crushed the Horned Frogs, who lost four straight games to begin 1939. They alternated wins and losses the rest of the way, ending the season at 3-7.Head coach Dutch Meyerwho's in the College Football Hall of Famealso coached basketball and baseball at TCU.[/ol]
1913 Penn State Nittany Lions (2-6)
7 OF 8
[ol]
Gene J. Puskar/Associated PressAh, yes, 107 years ago. I remember like it was yesterday.Under the leadership of Bill Hollenback, the Nittany Lions enjoyed a 16-0-1 stretch in 1911 and 1912. They allowed only 21 points in those 17 games and claimed a share of two national titles.But in 1913, the defensegasp!actually gave up some touchdowns while the offense struggled. Penn State opened with shutout wins over Carnegie Mellon and Gettysburg but dropped the final six games of the season by a combined score of 94-13 to finish the year at 2-6.[/ol]
1934 Michigan Wolverines (1-7)
8 OF 8
[ol]
Carlos Osorio/Associated PressAt least the 1934 Michigan roster produced a world superstar: Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States.That's about all the Wolverines had going for them.In the four preceding seasons, Michigan posted a 31-1-3 record. Since head coach Harry Kipke predicted the team would decline in 1934 and lose three games, a tough season was apparently expected. But the Maize and Blue plummeted to 1-7 while scoring only 21 total points.Ford's teammates voted him as the season's MVP, and Michigan retired his No. 48 jersey in 1994.[/ol]





[url=https://facebook.com/bleacherreport/][/url]

kal kommie said:

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TCU now down 42-16 at half.

Has a national title game participant ever had a losing regular season the next year?

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Texas 2009 lost to Alabama when their starting QB went down. 5-7 the next year.

kal kommie said:

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TCU now down 42-16 at half.

Has a national title game participant ever had a losing regular season the next year?

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Down now 52-38.
Maybe Dykes is back to his old tricks, all offense and no defense.
Before you say that Oklahoma is a force on offense, the Sooners scored less than 30 at home against unranked SMU and less than 30 2 more times, once on the road against unranked Cincinnati and once in a loss to ranked Oklahoma St.

Looking good for Toledo to beat 5-6 Central Michigan: CMU has the ball but Toledo up 32-11 with 4 minutes left in the game.

Iowa is tied 10-10 with Nebraska (5-6). Need Iowa to win and Nebraska to lose.

Oklahoma has the ball is up 52-38 on TCU (5-6) with about 12 minutes left in the game.

Later, we need New Mexico to win at home against Utah State (5-6) AND

Penn State to win at Michigan State (4-7) because if Michigan State goes 5-7 they are in ahead of Cal because they have a higher APR. (All of the other bubble teams above have a lower APR than Cal).

wifeisafurd said:

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kal kommie said:

---

TCU now down 42-16 at half.

Has a national title game participant ever had a losing regular season the next year?

---

I remembered LSU, because they fired Coach O after he won the championship. But an excerpt from an article I found, and strangely enough TCU won a Natty and then had a losing season :

[ol]
2020 LSU Tigers: Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Joe Burrow led a record-setting offense in 2019. But his departure, along with 13 other NFL draft picks and two leading members of the coaching staff, led to LSU mustering a 5-5 record in 2020.1950 Notre Dame Fighting Irish: En route to the 1949 championship, Notre Dame scored at least 27 points in every game and allowed just 8.6 per game. The next season, the offense took a drastic step back and averaged 15.4 points as the Irish went 4-4-1.1928 Yale Bulldogs: After enjoying a 3-0 start, the Bulldogs' season went south. They lost to Army, beat Dartmouth and scored just two points combined against Maryland, Princeton and Harvard to finish 4-4.1923 Princeton Tigers: The championship-winning 1922 team posted five shutouts in eight games. But in 1923, the Tigers lost to Notre Dame, tied Navy and fell to Harvard and Yale for a 3-3-1 season.[/ol]
1919 Michigan Wolverines (3-4)
2 OF 8
[ol]
Michigan coach Fielding YostAssociated PressFielding Yost assumed control of the Michigan program in 1901 and proceeded to lead the Wolverines to four straight national titles. From 1901 to 1904, the Wolverines notched a 43-0-1 record.They remained successful from the late 1900s through the 1910s. However, U-M didn't claim another championship until 1918 when it finished 5-0 and allowed six points. But as quickly as the Wolverines rose, they dropped in 1919.After shutout wins over Case and Michigan State, Michigan lost to Ohio State for the first time in the series' 16-game history.The Wolverines beat Northwestern but lost to Chicago, Illinois and Minnesota, wrapping up the season 3-4.[/ol]
1943 Ohio State Buckeyes (3-6)
3 OF 8
[ol]
Ohio State coach Paul BrownAssociated PressAs you can imagine, World War II helps explain why 1943 Ohio State sandwiched a 3-6 season between 9-1 and 9-0 records."Due to the war, Ohio State football had teamed up with the Army ROTC program at the school," per Matt Gutridge of Eleven Warriors. "Unfortunately, ROTC rules mandated players involved with the ROTC program were not eligible to play varsity sports."So, understandably, the Buckeyes had a challenging year against a hard schedule. Five of their six losses were to programsIowa Pre-Flight, Great Lakes Navy, Purdue, Northwestern and Michiganthat ended up in the Top 10 of the AP poll.[/ol]
1929 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (3-6)
4 OF 8
[ol]
Father LumpkinUncredited/Associated PressNo, this isn't the Cumberland season. Georgia Tech's 222-0 win happened 13 years earlier in 1916.In 1928, the Golden Tornado won a national title behind Peter Pundan All-American and future College Football Hall of Famer. But his departure alongside key offensive players Warner Mizell, Stumpy Thomason and Father Lumpkin led to a decline.After scoring 22.1 points per game with a 10-0 record in 1928, the Yellow Jackets averaged just 11.7 and closed at 3-6 the following season.[/ol]
1967 Michigan State Spartans (3-7)
5 OF 8
[ol]
Michigan State's Dwight LeePreston Stroup/Associated PressAlthough 1967 marked the beginning of a decline under head coach Duffy Daugherty, he's credited with being at the forefront of integrating college football in the 1960s.Led by four future College Football Hall of Fame inductees, Michigan State shared national titles in 1965 and 1966. Clinton Jones, Gene Washington, Bubba Smith and George Webster were all top-eight selections in the 1967 NFL draft.Similar to 2020 LSU, however, the 1967 Spartans simply could not overcome their NFL departures.Michigan State fell to Houston and USC and then beat Wisconsin and Michigan before losing five straight games. The Spartans ranked 78th nationally in scoring defense and tumbled to 3-7.[/ol]
1939 TCU Horned Frogs (3-7)
6 OF 8
[ol]
TCU coach Dutch MeyerAnonymous/Associated PressIn 1938, quarterback Davey O'Brien led TCU to an 11-0 record and national championship. O'Brien won the Heisman Trophy, and teammates Ki Aldrich (No. 1 overall) and I.B. Hale (No. 8) joined O'Brien (No. 4) as early picks in the 1939 NFL draft.We can imagine the level of talent TCU had to replace.The departures crushed the Horned Frogs, who lost four straight games to begin 1939. They alternated wins and losses the rest of the way, ending the season at 3-7.Head coach Dutch Meyerwho's in the College Football Hall of Famealso coached basketball and baseball at TCU.[/ol]
1913 Penn State Nittany Lions (2-6)
7 OF 8
[ol]
Gene J. Puskar/Associated PressAh, yes, 107 years ago. I remember like it was yesterday.Under the leadership of Bill Hollenback, the Nittany Lions enjoyed a 16-0-1 stretch in 1911 and 1912. They allowed only 21 points in those 17 games and claimed a share of two national titles.But in 1913, the defensegasp!actually gave up some touchdowns while the offense struggled. Penn State opened with shutout wins over Carnegie Mellon and Gettysburg but dropped the final six games of the season by a combined score of 94-13 to finish the year at 2-6.[/ol]
1934 Michigan Wolverines (1-7)
8 OF 8
[ol]
Carlos Osorio/Associated PressAt least the 1934 Michigan roster produced a world superstar: Gerald R. Ford, the 38th president of the United States.That's about all the Wolverines had going for them.In the four preceding seasons, Michigan posted a 31-1-3 record. Since head coach Harry Kipke predicted the team would decline in 1934 and lose three games, a tough season was apparently expected. But the Maize and Blue plummeted to 1-7 while scoring only 21 total points.Ford's teammates voted him as the season's MVP, and Michigan retired his No. 48 jersey in 1994.[/ol]





[url=https://facebook.com/bleacherreport/][/url]



So what you are saying is that TCU would tie Michigan as the only teams to do it twice.

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C. Michigan is going to lose but Nebraaska has a chance in a shoot (yourself in the foot) out in Lincoln. It's tied at 10 with less than a minute left and Iowa has the ball on their side of the field. Iowa with the ball is not exactly a risky situation for the Cornhuskers, who are trying to get to a bowl for the first time since 2016.

EDIT--Iowa just threw an INT so, LOL, like I said Iowa not a threat with the ball. But, now, with Iowa on defense either team could score.

Nebraska loses

Yes, 5-6 Nebraska (last second Iowa FG after interception) and 5-6 CMU both lose, which is good for us.

5-6 TCU looks like they may lose to Oklahoma, with the ball but down 69-38 with 6 minutes left, which would also be good.

One hell of a run by NM, its worth a 2nd look. Utah State & NM tied 1Q 7-7

5-6 teams are dropping like flies. We should be fine if we take care of business, especially with strength of schedule and eyeballs interested in this if we do.

Looks like Utah St, beat NM in double OT

bipolarbear said:

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Looks like Utah St, beat NM in double OT

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Yes, that one hurt.

At least Penn State is leading Michigan State 28-0. We want Michigan State (4-7) to lose so they do not get to 5-7, since the Spartans have a higher APR than Cal.

If that holds, based on available bowl slots, we probably need to go something like 10-3 or maybe 9-4 in the games below tomorrow (copy/pasted from the rooting guide thread). Or just beat UCLA and make it simple!

Sat. 11/25:
1. Want Ball State (4-7) to lose at home vs Miami (OH) (9-2) - BSU ahead of Cal in APR
2. Want Northern Illinois (5-6) to lose at Kent State (1-10) - NIU behind Cal in APR
3. Want Navy (5-5) to lose at SMU (9-2) and vs Army next week - Navy behind Cal in APR
4. Want Old Dominion (5-6) to lose at home vs Georgia State (6-5) - ODU behind Cal in APR
5. Want Louisiana (5-6) to lose at home vs ULM (2-9) - Louisiana behind Cal in APR
6. Want Marshall (5-6) to lose at home vs Arkansas State 6-5 - Marshall behind Cal in APR
7. Want Virginia Tech (5-6) to lose at Virginia (3-8) - VT behind Cal in APR
8. Want Illinois (5-6) to lose at home to Northwestern (6-5) - Illinois behind Cal in APR
9. Want BYU (5-6) to lose at Oklahoma State (8-3) - BYU behind Cal in APR
10. Want Wazzu (5-6) to lose at Washington (11-0) - WSU behind Cal in APR
11. Want Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Florida State (11-0) - Florida behind Cal in APR
12. Want South Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Charlotte (3-8) - USF behind Cal in APR
13. Want Colorado State (5-6) to lose at Hawai'i (4-8) - CSU and Hawai'i both behind Cal in APR

(Houston 4-7 at UCF 5-6 doesn't matter since Houston behind and UCF ahead of Cal in APR)
(Middle Tennessee 4-7 doesn't matter since they are behind Cal in APR)
(FAU 4-7 at Rice 5-6 doesn't matter since FAU behind and Rice ahead of Cal in APR)
(Wake Forest 4-7 at Syracuse 5-6 doesn't matter since Wake ahead and Syracuse behind Cal in APR - exactly one will make it in ahead of Cal regardless…)
(UAB 4-7 at North Texas 4-7 doesn't matter since both behind Cal in APR)
(WKY 6-5 at FIU 4-7 doesn't matter since FIU is behind Cal in APR)
(Colorado 4-7 at Utah 7-4 doesn't matter since Colorado behind Cal in APR)
(Minnesota 5-6 at home against Wisconsin doesn't matter since Minn ahead of Cal in APR)
(South Carolina 5-6 at home against Clemson doesn't matter since South Carolina ahead of Cal in APR)

OneKeg said:

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bipolarbear said:

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Looks like Utah St, beat NM in double OT

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Yes, that one hurt.

At least Penn State is leading Michigan State 28-0. We want Michigan State (4-7) to lose so they do not get to 5-7, since the Spartans have a higher APR than Cal.

If that holds, based on available bowl slots, we probably need to go something like 10-3 or maybe 9-4 in the games below tomorrow (copy/pasted from the rooting guide thread). Or just beat UCLA and make it simple!

Sat. 11/25:
1. Want Ball State (4-7) to lose at home vs Miami (OH) (9-2) - BSU ahead of Cal in APR
2. Want Northern Illinois (5-6) to lose at Kent State (1-10) - NIU behind Cal in APR
3. Want Navy (5-5) to lose at SMU (9-2) and vs Army next week - Navy behind Cal in APR
4. Want Old Dominion (5-6) to lose at home vs Georgia State (6-5) - ODU behind Cal in APR
5. Want Louisiana (5-6) to lose at home vs ULM (2-9) - Louisiana behind Cal in APR
6. Want Marshall (5-6) to lose at home vs Arkansas State 6-5 - Marshall behind Cal in APR
7. Want Virginia Tech (5-6) to lose at Virginia (3-8) - VT behind Cal in APR
8. Want Illinois (5-6) to lose at home to Northwestern (6-5) - Illinois behind Cal in APR
9. Want BYU (5-6) to lose at Oklahoma State (8-3) - BYU behind Cal in APR
10. Want Wazzu (5-6) to lose at Washington (11-0) - WSU behind Cal in APR
11. Want Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Florida State (11-0) - Florida behind Cal in APR
12. Want South Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Charlotte (3-8) - USF behind Cal in APR
13. Want Colorado State (5-6) to lose at Hawai'i (4-8) - CSU and Hawai'i both behind Cal in APR

(Houston 4-7 at UCF 5-6 doesn't matter since Houston behind and UCF ahead of Cal in APR)
(Middle Tennessee 4-7 doesn't matter since they are behind Cal in APR)
(FAU 4-7 at Rice 5-6 doesn't matter since FAU behind and Rice ahead of Cal in APR)
(Wake Forest 4-7 at Syracuse 5-6 doesn't matter since Wake ahead and Syracuse behind Cal in APR - exactly one will make it in ahead of Cal regardless…)
(UAB 4-7 at North Texas 4-7 doesn't matter since both behind Cal in APR)
(WKY 6-5 at FIU 4-7 doesn't matter since FIU is behind Cal in APR)
(Colorado 4-7 at Utah 7-4 doesn't matter since Colorado behind Cal in APR)
(Minnesota 5-6 at home against Wisconsin doesn't matter since Minn ahead of Cal in APR)
(South Carolina 5-6 at home against Clemson doesn't matter since South Carolina ahead of Cal in APR)

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Good news is Cal should know roughly before their game starts if 5 wins gets in (not like it should change anything)

I have a hard time seeing NIU, Louisiana and USF losing so the Utah State win probably shuts the door on a 5 win back-door bowl (unless Mississippi State just refuses a bowl at 5-7 for some reason)

OneKeg said:

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bipolarbear said:

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Looks like Utah St, beat NM in double OT

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Yes, that one hurt.

At least Penn State is leading Michigan State 28-0. We want Michigan State (4-7) to lose so they do not get to 5-7, since the Spartans have a higher APR than Cal.

If that holds, based on available bowl slots, we probably need to go something like 10-3 or maybe 9-4 in the games below tomorrow (copy/pasted from the rooting guide thread). Or just beat UCLA and make it simple!

Sat. 11/25:
1. Want Ball State (4-7) to lose at home vs Miami (OH) (9-2) - BSU ahead of Cal in APR
2. Want Northern Illinois (5-6) to lose at Kent State (1-10) - NIU behind Cal in APR
3. Want Navy (5-5) to lose at SMU (9-2) and vs Army next week - Navy behind Cal in APR
4. Want Old Dominion (5-6) to lose at home vs Georgia State (6-5) - ODU behind Cal in APR
5. Want Louisiana (5-6) to lose at home vs ULM (2-9) - Louisiana behind Cal in APR
6. Want Marshall (5-6) to lose at home vs Arkansas State 6-5 - Marshall behind Cal in APR
7. Want Virginia Tech (5-6) to lose at Virginia (3-8) - VT behind Cal in APR
8. Want Illinois (5-6) to lose at home to Northwestern (6-5) - Illinois behind Cal in APR
9. Want BYU (5-6) to lose at Oklahoma State (8-3) - BYU behind Cal in APR
10. Want Wazzu (5-6) to lose at Washington (11-0) - WSU behind Cal in APR
11. Want Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Florida State (11-0) - Florida behind Cal in APR
12. Want South Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Charlotte (3-8) - USF behind Cal in APR
13. Want Colorado State (5-6) to lose at Hawai'i (4-8) - CSU and Hawai'i both behind Cal in APR

(Houston 4-7 at UCF 5-6 doesn't matter since Houston behind and UCF ahead of Cal in APR)
(Middle Tennessee 4-7 doesn't matter since they are behind Cal in APR)
(FAU 4-7 at Rice 5-6 doesn't matter since FAU behind and Rice ahead of Cal in APR)
(Wake Forest 4-7 at Syracuse 5-6 doesn't matter since Wake ahead and Syracuse behind Cal in APR - exactly one will make it in ahead of Cal regardless…)
(UAB 4-7 at North Texas 4-7 doesn't matter since both behind Cal in APR)
(WKY 6-5 at FIU 4-7 doesn't matter since FIU is behind Cal in APR)
(Colorado 4-7 at Utah 7-4 doesn't matter since Colorado behind Cal in APR)
(Minnesota 5-6 at home against Wisconsin doesn't matter since Minn ahead of Cal in APR)
(South Carolina 5-6 at home against Clemson doesn't matter since South Carolina ahead of Cal in APR)

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The way I see it, we definitely win 4 and lose 4. The rest are sort of a toss up if you factor in homefield. So we would have to go 100% on those just to get to 9 wins.

Thanks. You must have alot of time on your hands!? Me? Just going to watch the Bears get win #6 tomorrow!

72CalBear said:

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Thanks. You must have alot of time on your hands!? Me? Just going to watch the Bears get win #6 tomorrow!

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Me too (looking forward to Cal beating UCLA - I hope)!

Once you get organized with the right browser tabs up, it doesn't take too long to put together the list. 20-30 mins.

1. Want Ball State (4-7) to lose at home vs Miami (OH) (9-2) - BSU ahead of Cal in APR Probable
2. Want Northern Illinois (5-6) to lose at Kent State (1-10) - NIU behind Cal in APR Not happening
3. Want Navy (5-5) to lose at SMU (9-2) and vs Army next week - Navy behind Cal in APR Won't matter since Army would also be 5-6
4. Want Old Dominion (5-6) to lose at home vs Georgia State (6-5) - ODU behind Cal in APR Maybe
5. Want Louisiana (5-6) to lose at home vs ULM (2-9) - Louisiana behind Cal in APR Doubtful
6. Want Marshall (5-6) to lose at home vs Arkansas State 6-5 - Marshall behind Cal in APR Maybe
7. Want Virginia Tech (5-6) to lose at Virginia (3-8) - VT behind Cal in APR Eh VT is not a team Virginia beats
8. Want Illinois (5-6) to lose at home to Northwestern (6-5) - Illinois behind Cal in APR Maybe
9. Want BYU (5-6) to lose at Oklahoma State (8-3) - BYU behind Cal in APR Yes
10. Want Wazzu (5-6) to lose at Washington (11-0) - WSU behind Cal in APR Yep
11. Want Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Florida State (11-0) - Florida behind Cal in APR Hard to say with FSU losing Travis Hunter
12. Want South Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Charlotte (3-8) - USF behind Cal in APR Doubtful
13. Want Colorado State (5-6) to lose at Hawai'i (4-8) - CSU and Hawai'i both behind Cal in APR Doubtful

Well it's a quick glance but this is pretty murky and some major upsets on paper will need to happen for this to even be a thought by late afternoon

Strykur said:

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1. Want Ball State (4-7) to lose at home vs Miami (OH) (9-2) - BSU ahead of Cal in APR Probable

Ball St. losing 17-12 early in the 4th

2. Want Northern Illinois (5-6) to lose at Kent State (1-10) - NIU behind Cal in APR Not happening.

Kent St. losing 24-20 late in the 3rd Q

3. Want Navy (5-5) to lose at SMU (9-2) and vs Army next week - Navy behind Cal in APR Won't matter since Army would also be 5-6.

Navy losing big to SMU 52-14 beginning the 2nd half

4. Want Old Dominion (5-6) to lose at home vs Georgia State (6-5) - ODU behind Cal in APR Maybe.

Old Dominion losing early 7-0

5. Want Louisiana (5-6) to lose at home vs ULM (2-9) - Louisiana behind Cal in APR Doubtful
6. Want Marshall (5-6) to lose at home vs Arkansas State 6-5 - Marshall behind Cal in APR Maybe
7. Want Virginia Tech (5-6) to lose at Virginia (3-8) - VT behind Cal in APR Eh VT is not a team Virginia beats
8. Want Illinois (5-6) to lose at home to Northwestern (6-5) - Illinois behind Cal in APR Maybe
9. Want BYU (5-6) to lose at Oklahoma State (8-3) - BYU behind Cal in APR Yes
10. Want Wazzu (5-6) to lose at Washington (11-0) - WSU behind Cal in APR Yep
11. Want Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Florida State (11-0) - Florida behind Cal in APR Hard to say with FSU losing Travis Hunter
12. Want South Florida (5-6) to lose at home to Charlotte (3-8) - USF behind Cal in APR Doubtful
13. Want Colorado State (5-6) to lose at Hawai'i (4-8) - CSU and Hawai'i both behind Cal in APR Doubtful

Well it's a quick glance but this is pretty murky and some major upsets on paper will need to happen for this to even be a thought by late afternoon

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Also UCF (5-6) beating Houston 27-10 beginning of 4th Q,
Rice (5-6) beating FAU 10-7 at halftime and
Syracuse (5-6) beating Wake Forest 7-0 early

early on it seems most of these are breaking our way it seems

BYU with a shocking 24-6 halftime lead in Stillwater against an Oklahoma State team that can get to the Big-12 Championship Game with a win, 30 mins to change things because this is an unexpected wrinkle

kal kommie said:

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TCU now down 42-16 at half.

Has a national title game participant ever had a losing regular season the next year?

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Gene Chizik at Auburn had something similar once Cam Newton left. He was fired two years after the title.

Strykur said:

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BYU with a shocking 24-6 halftime lead in Stillwater against an Oklahoma State team that can get to the Big-12 Championship Game with a win, 30 mins to change things because this is an unexpected wrinkle

---

It's kind of crazy to think Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon and Washington are all changing conferences and are all likely in their conference championship games.

golden sloth said:

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Strykur said:

---

BYU with a shocking 24-6 halftime lead in Stillwater against an Oklahoma State team that can get to the Big-12 Championship Game with a win, 30 mins to change things because this is an unexpected wrinkle

---

It's kind of crazy to think Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon and Washington are all changing conferences and are all likely in their conference championship games.

---

And exactly why they are going to other conferences.

Rooting for the Cougs in the Apple Cup, regardless of the bowl calculus. Pretty good game so far, WSU just tied it up near halftime 14-14.

Strykur said:

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golden sloth said:

---

Strykur said:

---

BYU with a shocking 24-6 halftime lead in Stillwater against an Oklahoma State team that can get to the Big-12 Championship Game with a win, 30 mins to change things because this is an unexpected wrinkle

---

It's kind of crazy to think Oklahoma, Texas, Oregon and Washington are all changing conferences and are all likely in their conference championship games.

---

And exactly why they are going to other conferences.

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Partially. They are going to the other conferences because that is where the money is at, not because that is where the best football is played. Although I agree the SEC is better than the Big Twelve, the Pac-12 is definitely better than the B1G this year.

Having a large, passionate fanbase (which drives money) does not necessarily correspond to winning.

Few quick updates, the day began with 13 slots available, and 2 teams (Jacksonville State and James Madison) with priority over 5-7 teams, so really more like 11, and as of now:

• UCF beat Houston to become bowl-eligible (1)
• Northern Illinois beat Kent State to become bowl-eligible (2)
• Rice beat FAU to become bowl-eligible (3)
• Syracuse beat Wake Forest to become bowl-eligible (4)
• Old Dominion scored a TD as time expired to become bowl-eligible (5)
• Louisiana -Monroe is rolling against Louisiana-Lafayette and will become bowl-eligible (6)
• Virginia Tech has a big lead over Virginia and will become bowl-eligible (7)

Marshall also has a big lead and will probably add to this list (plus BYU still in control in Stillwater), so the 5-7 window is closing quickly.

Auburn 24-20 over Alabama, 4Q. Crazy

Cal knows what it has to do…. The rest will take care of itself

"I've got too much time on my hands……"

Go Bears!!!!!

Backdoor is slamming shut. Cal needs to bust through the front door and beat UCLA to get to a bowl.

OneKeg said:

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Backdoor is slamming shut. Cal needs to bust through the front door and beat UCLA to get to a bowl.

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I think in our hearts we knew wins over North Texas, Idaho, ASU, WSU and Stanford with 7 losses was not bowl-worthy. Beat UCLA in LA and we end with a quality win. LA Bowl would be great!

calumnus said:

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OneKeg said:

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Backdoor is slamming shut. Cal needs to bust through the front door and beat UCLA to get to a bowl.

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I think in our hearts we knew wins over North Texas, Idaho, ASU, WSU and Stanford with 7 losses was not bowl-worthy. Beat UCLA in LA and we end with a quality win. LA Bowl would be great!

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LA Bowl would be ideal. Not sure how that can happen though. Maybe OSU declines their bowl bid? Unlikely

ducky23 said:

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calumnus said:

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OneKeg said:

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Backdoor is slamming shut. Cal needs to bust through the front door and beat UCLA to get to a bowl.

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I think in our hearts we knew wins over North Texas, Idaho, ASU, WSU and Stanford with 7 losses was not bowl-worthy. Beat UCLA in LA and we end with a quality win. LA Bowl would be great!

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LA Bowl would be ideal. Not sure how that can happen though. Maybe OSU declines their bowl bid? Unlikely

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Many of their better players would not want to be injured during the hiring process for their next team.

Well WSPU lost.