I Tell Ya' Herbie

   This week's version of I Tell Ya' Herbie and notes from the college football world.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The game that I'm most interested in without a rooting interest pits Utah visiting Oklahoma State with the two pre-season favorites to win the conference playing early in the season.

Both teams are undefeated but Oklahoma State owns the best win (an overtime win over Arkansas) and they have the edge of being the home team.

Utah will be starting true freshman Isaac Wilson at quarterback in his first road start and Stillwater can be a wild environment, so in a close matchup an inexperienced quarterback on the road just might make the difference.

I Tell Ya' Herbie;

                            I'm not shoveling dirt on the Georgia Bulldogs after their one-point win over Kentucky.

Georgia seems to avoid a close call every year against a team that doesn't look capable of a challenge (last season, it was Missouri). And yes, the Dawgs will play three teams that are currently ranked in the top ten, all on the road (Alabama, Ole Miss, and Texas) this season.

Still, the Dawgs would have to lose all three of those games to even have a chance of missing the CFP and I think they have avoided their potential big slip-up.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             The announcement by the Pac 12 (Two) that they have invited Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State to join them for the 2026 season has started the wheel of conference realignment spinning again.

The league needs to reach eight members by next summer to keep its standing with the NCAA, and some were surprised that the Pac 12 didn't take all six teams they needed from the Mountain West.

The Pac 12 desires UNLV but there are political concerns that UNLV would have to be linked to Nevada (Reno) by the state government.

That can be gotten around sometimes (Most notably, Oklahoma leaving for the SEC without Oklahoma State) but it may be a hurdle.

Memphis and Tulane are often mentioned as possibilities for the league.

Academically, Tulane is a great fit but I think Memphis is a better fit in the Big 12.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                             Memphis and Tulane would be a loss for the American Athletic Conference but the AAC isn't standing passively as they are reported to be preparing an offer for Air Force to join their league.

Air Force would be a nice addition with a nationwide following but the selling point really would be finally placing Air Force, Army, and Navy in the same conference.

The issue that might be the largest problem is that Army and Navy are football-only members of the AAC and Air Force's locations could work against the other sports that Air Force participates in.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                            Another road win for the MAC as Toledo stormed into Starkville and smacked aside the Mississippi State Bulldogs 41-17.

Now, Mississippi State is expected to be at the bottom of the SEC but MAC teams aren't supposed to beat any SEC team on the road by 24 points.

Between the Rockets, Northern Illinois's road win over Notre Dame, and Bowling Green's near miss at Penn State, the MAC race looks solid with several contenders.

I Tell Ya' Herbie:

                               Illinois and Nebraska hasn't been a game with Big Ten implications since, well ever but this week's game between the Illini and Cornhuskers does pit two 3-0 teams with both ranked in the top twenty-five.

Nebraska is starting true freshman QB Dylan Raiola with success but Illinois passer Luke Altmyer's stats are close to those of Raiola.

The winner may not win the Big Ten but a victory would start the conference season strong and perhaps help the winner finish in the upper half of the league.