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It’s one of those weeks where the sport taps the glass and asks if the playoff doodlers are paying attention. Ohio State sits at No. 1, Indiana at No. 2, and Texas A&M at No. 3, so every snap now feels like courtroom evidence. Lubbock gets the spotlight with BYU visiting Texas Tech, early window, big noise, the kind of scene where momentum sprints instead of walks. Oregon heads to Kinnick, where tempo goes to think about its choices and CBS cameras love a punt inside the ten. Navy and Notre Dame meet under the lights in South Bend, a possession squeeze that rewards teams with an actual special-teams plan. Tuscaloosa hosts LSU with playoff oxygen on the line, and the margin for error is basically a thimble. Heisman chatter tightens too, with quarterbacks trying to look efficient without looking cautious.

If you wanted clarity, you came to the wrong sport, but the chaos this week is at least organized enough to schedule.

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📰 Two-Minute Drill

Ohio State opens at No. 1 in first CFP rankings
The selection committee’s debut board puts Ohio State on top, with unbeaten Indiana at No. 2 and Texas A&M at No. 3. Chair Mack Rhoades highlighted resume, film and context in setting the order. November just got very interesting in Columbus.
📎 Read More

CFP locks first round for Dec. 19 night opener
The 12-team playoff kicks off Friday, Dec. 19 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC and ESPN, followed by a Saturday tripleheader across ABC, ESPN and TNT platforms. First-round games are on campus sites. Your remote needs a hydration plan.
📎 Read More

Alabama suspends DB Dre Kirkpatrick Jr. after arrest
Kalen DeBoer issued an indefinite suspension after Kirkpatrick was arrested on three counts of reckless endangerment, plus attempting to elude and speeding. He was released on a $1,500 bond. LSU week arrives with one fewer depth piece in the secondary.
📎 Read More

Committee doubles down on the eye test
Beyond metrics, the CFP reiterated film and context will separate similar resumes. Defense carried weight in elevating Ohio State and Indiana. Translation, efficiency charts help, but November style points still matter. Bring your best angles and your best argument.
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Week 11 TV slate sorted from brunch to midnight snacks
Sports Illustrated’s grid maps every kickoff window, including BYU at Texas Tech on ABC and Oregon at Iowa in the midafternoon slot. If you promised errands Saturday, start rehearsing your apologies now.
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🍿 The Popcorn Games

No. 8 BYU at No. 9 Texas Tech
📍 Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock, TX
🕒 Saturday, 12:00 PM ET on ABC
Top-10 showdown with College GameDay in town and an 11 a.m. local kickoff that loves chaos. BYU’s efficiency meets Tech’s pressure packages and crowd noise. If Lubbock’s rush lands early, the track turns scarlet.

No. 3 Texas A&M at Missouri
📍 Faurot Field at Memorial Stadium, Columbia, MO
🕒 Saturday, 3:30 PM ET on ABC
Undefeated Aggies hit a tricky road spot against a rested Missouri that punches above its record. Line play tilts the whole thing, especially in short yardage. If Mizzou wins third down, Columbia gets very loud.

Navy at No. 10 Notre Dame
📍 Notre Dame Stadium, South Bend, IN
🕒 Saturday, 7:30 PM ET on NBC
Under the lights for a century-old knife fight in the phone booth. The option shrinks possessions, the Irish front must play assignment-sound and patient. Blow one edge and the clock becomes Navy’s best friend.

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Bet Your Team On That Guy 🏈

Chris Brazzell II, WR, Jr., Tennessee

Why he’s the guy: Tennessee’s offense found its WR1. At 6-5 with real vertical juice, Brazzell tilts coverages and flips fields. He hung 177 yards and 3 TD on Georgia, then 138 and a score at Kentucky, and he leads the SEC in receiving yards and TDs entering November. He is the big-play valve that keeps the Vols humming.

Recent heater: Last two games, 12 receptions, 206 yards, 1 TD, including 4 for 138 and a long of 50 in the win at Kentucky. Add the Georgia tape, 6 for 177 and 3 TD, and you get why coordinators are bracketing him on third down.

Season stats and impact: 49 receptions, 808 yards, 8 TD, 16.5 per catch. Among FBS leaders in yards and yards per game, and tied top five nationally in TDs. Biletnikoff watch list and Maxwell midseason watch list nods confirm the breakout.

The Team MVP case: His catch radius and speed stress single high, open space for Tennessee’s run game, and raise the floor on third and medium. The Vols’ explosives spike when they scheme him isolated to the boundary, and his presence forces safety help that creates easy yards for everyone else. When he wins early, Tennessee’s tempo becomes a problem. Midseason All-America mentions back it up.

Timing and stakes: Next up is New Mexico State before a two-game SEC close that sets bowl tiering, at Florida then Vanderbilt at home. Tennessee is 6-3 and jockeying for a ranking climb and New Year’s Six conversation if they finish hot. Brazzell’s WR1 production is the most bankable path.

Why feature now: He is on a visible surge, drawing award attention, and entering a stretch where style points matter. Expect targets to condense his way in leverage downs, with a real shot to clear 1,000 yards and plant a flag for postseason hardware.

Additional context: Transfer from Tulane, now generating draft buzz as a size-speed outside target. No current injury flags reported.

🩼 The Walking Boot – Injury Update

Isaac Brown, RB – Louisville
Louisville’s backfield just lost its engine. Brown suffered a leg injury in the Virginia Tech win after ripping 126 yards, his third straight 100-yard game, and will be out for a while. He is sidelined for Cal with no firm timetable. Fantasy managers should elevate Keyjuan Brown, who has handled increased work, while tempering overall Cards rushing expectations.

Justice Haynes, RB – Michigan
Michigan’s offense is holding its breath after Haynes underwent surgery to repair a foot injury, with no definitive return date. The former Alabama transfer had been the Wolverines’ lead problem-solver on money downs. It’s a tough break for a unit built on balance, and fantasy managers should treat Jordan Marshall as the priority replacement until clarity emerges on Haynes’ recovery window.

Colbie Young, WR – Georgia
Georgia suffered a major blow when Young fractured his leg on a 36-yard flea-flicker against Ole Miss. He is out indefinitely, removing the Bulldogs’ most physical outside target. While Georgia’s depth helps, the injury could compress the target tree toward Zachariah Branch, Dillon Bell and London Humphreys. Fantasy managers should pivot to those options and downgrade Georgia’s perimeter contested-catch upside.

Jaden Greathouse, WR – Notre Dame
Notre Dame will have to lean on its slot depth for the time being. Greathouse remains out with a right thigh and hamstring issue, missing his fourth straight game after being ruled out late last week. His status for this weekend is up in the air, pushing more work to Jordan Faison and Malachi Fields. Fantasy managers should monitor practice reports before setting lineups.

💥 Dumpster Fire 5 – Pain Rankings

Think of the Dumpster Fire 5 as a weekly pain index, not a power ranking. It tracks programs actively melting on live TV, judged by bad losses, collapsing game plans, coaching heat, injury chaos, and vibes that smell like burnt rubber.

Colorado Buffaloes
Record: 3–6, Big 12 preseason projection: No. 10
From preseason buzz to back-to-back haymakers, Colorado is watching confidence bleed away in real time. A 53–7 collapse at Utah followed by 52–17 at home to Arizona showcased giveaways, protection issues, and discipline cracks. Deion tightened weekly media access as bowl math thinned. West Virginia looms, the margins are microscopic, and momentum leaks are real unless the flags and turnovers cool fast.

UAB Blazers
Record: 2–4 at time of coaching change, AAC preseason rank: No. 9
UAB looked like a Year 3 stabilize, then the smell of failure started coming up from a midseason reset. Trent Dilfer was fired after a three-score loss at FAU, Alex Mortensen took the headset, and a defense committing penalties like tax evasion keeps gifting short fields. Attendance buzz is slipping, portal season creeps closer, and the interim’s first job is crisis control, not creativity. Dumpster sparkle achieved.

Colorado State Rams
Record: 2–5 at time of coaching change, Mountain West preseason rank: No. 4
From bowl flier to siren chorus. Colorado State fired Jay Norvell after a flat loss to Hawai‘i, an about-face for a team picked fourth in the league. Special-teams blunders and third-down anemia have directly led to bad outcomes, and the fan base is already comparing what they gave up vs what they got. With an interim steering a roster that keeps misfiring in situational football, one more skid paints this as teardown, not tune-up.

Arkansas Razorbacks
Record: 2–3 at time of coaching change, SEC preseason rank: No. 14
The Razorbacks were supposed to be sturdy. Instead, a 56–13 humiliation by Notre Dame pushed the red button, Sam Pittman was out, and Bobby Petrino grabbed the interim keys. Protection wobbles, red-zone stalls, and a defense springing leaks have the Hogs overmatched in every phase. With the SEC slate still a bar fight in a phone booth, recruiting optics get weird and the hot seat sizzle lingers around the whole operation.

Virginia Tech Hokies
Record: 0–3 at time of coaching change, ACC preseason rank: No. 11
Lane Stadium wanted menace, but the Hokies opened 0–3 with an Old Dominion face-plant and fired Brent Pry. Philip Montgomery inherits an offense struggling in clutch moments and a defense near the bottom in yards per play. Picked mid-pack in July, Tech now feels dangerously close to long-term reboot mode unless the interim spark shows up fast. Field-position rock fights are the ceiling until third-down answers arrive.

🎲 The Spread Option

We did it. Above .500 like responsible adults who actually read injury reports and don’t bet because a mascot looks cool. Last week’s card went 3–2, the vibes were disciplined, and the bankroll didn’t need CPR. We’re sticking to the framework, hunting misprices, and sprinkling snark only where the numbers agree. Fewer hero plays, more edges, and yes, we still plan to have fun.

Record Last Week: 3–2
Season Total: 17–30–1

No. 9 Oregon at No. 20 Iowa — Oregon -5.5 (FanDuel)
Speed meets Kinnick gravity. Oregon’s explosives vs Iowa’s field-position cosplay is the clash, but the Ducks’ defense travels and the Hawkeyes’ red-zone diet is kale without dressing.
Pick: Oregon -5.5

Florida State at Clemson — Clemson -2 (FanDuel)
Two brands playing for narrative oxygen. Clemson’s front can choke off early downs, and a short number in Death Valley reads like an invitation. Don’t overthink a coin flip with a home lean.
Pick: Clemson -2

No. 8 BYU at No. 9 Texas Tech — Over 52.5 (multi-book composite)
GameDay in Lubbock, tempo and explosives on both sidelines, and special teams that love chaos. Extra snaps plus short fields equals fireworks.
Pick: Over 52.5

Washington at Wisconsin — Under 45.5 (ESPN BET)
Pace tax incoming. Wisconsin squeezes clock, Washington gets dragged into long drives, and November air makes kickers earn it. Field goals over touchdowns is the script.
Pick: Under 45.5

No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 22 Missouri — Texas A&M -6.5 (FanDuel)
SEC trench exam with crowd noise that rattles fillings. A&M’s front can win early downs and force long-yardage solves. If the Aggies stay clean in the red zone, the number is fair.
Pick: Texas A&M -6.5

So here’s how we’re leaving it. This week will throw a brick through your schedule, we’ll swear we’re only watching one game, then BYU and Tech light the fuse while Oregon and Iowa make us argue about punts like art critics. We’ll pretend we learned something from Navy and Notre Dame, then chase it with SEC trench therapy. Set your card early, charge the remote, and Always remember, kickers write the last sentence. Translation guide for any coach quote you hear tonight, “We’re focused on us” means panic mode.

— The Convert on Fourth Down Team

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