Beware the Boxed Jellyfish. Quietly one of nature’s most dangerous creatures.
In the same vein as the last post, I will be listing 30 CFB season totals that will go UNDER by season’s end. This is a slightly more contentious list, so I will be spending a little more time here than I did with the OVERS.
‘Overs’ are the fun, uplifting, type of predictions that lead to positive vibes and excitement amongst fan bases. Buffalo, Memphis, Oklahoma, and Pitt are just a few of the many fan bases with this sort of excitement as the season nears. It will be difficult to find someone to argue with you for picking their team to win more games than expected. Maybe a Head Coach or two would prefer to fly under the radar and his team not receive any prospective praise from dummies like me, but the fans–Fans love to dream.
Fans also love to defend their teams honor when deemed necessary. Such offense might be taken to someone simply saying that their favorite team will not cover the win total this season. Passionate and sometimes irrational fans will be quick to belittle, berate, and bully anyone that does not believe in their team’s chances.
Beware the Boxed Jellyfish–and a pissed-off college football fan base.
Predicting UNDERS can be a mine field such as this. Perhaps, because of different expectations, fans of a team such as Louisiana Monroe will not be as defensive as say a Boise or Florida St fan for finding themselves on such a list. A list that is incoming soon.
But first, a quick reminder that I wager zero dollars on sports. This is all for fun as I’ve mentioned in times past. It’s important that a reader understands this and does not fall into the sports-betting flytrap and think that I’m right there with you. It’s been years since my last wager, and I find it equally fun to simply make predictions as a hobby. ‘Wager for fun, not to retire’ was a phrase in the early days of this site and was an attempt to curb any irresponsible action from incurring. Have fun watching sports. The second it’s no longer fun and spawns the anger within–do something else.
Sports matter only in the moment; they never matter in the end.
So, who is on this list of 30 Season Total UNDERS?
Well, along with an assortment of other teams, there are eight BIG10 teams, five SEC teams, and at least one Mountain West team that will shock most knowledgeable football fans.
As if I planned it, and I promise you I did not–“Stupid Boy” by Keith Urban just started playing in my ears. My iTunes shuffle is trying to intervene and keep me from typing some ‘Stupid Boy’ crap..Nice try.
30 Season Total UNDERS
- Liberty (9-3) Under 9.5
- Losses: LA Tech, Bowling Green, ODU
- Oklahoma St (4-8) Under 4.5
- Boston College Under 5.5
- Iowa Under 6.5
- Marshall Under 5.5
- Auburn (7-5) Under 7.5
- Utah Under 7.5
- Rutgers (5-7) Under 5.5
- Minnesota (6-6) Under 6.5
- Brigham Young Under 7.5
- Baylor Under 7.5
- Clemson (9-3) Under 9.5
- Losses: GT, L’ville, S. Car
- Mississippi Under 8.5
- Florida Under 6.5
- Florida St (7-5) Under 7.5
- Duke (6-6) Under 6.5
- Illinois (7-5) Under 7.5
- Ohio St (10-2) Under 10.5
- Losses: Wash, Mich
- Oregon (10-2) Under 10.5
- Losses: PSU, Wash
- Penn St (10-2) Under 10.5
- Losses: Ohio St, MI St
- Texas (8-4) Under 9.5
- Losses: Ohio St, OU, UGA, A & M
- UNLV (8-4) Under 8.5
- Northwestern (2-10) Under 3.5
- Wins: Western IL, LA-Monroe
- Troy (1-11) Under 5.5
- Win: Nicholls St
- LA Monroe (2-10) Under 4.5
- Wins: St. Francis, Troy
- Temple (2-10) Under 3.5
- Wins: Howard, East Carolina
- Charlotte (2-10) Under 2.5
- Wins: Monmouth, Temple
- Iowa St (7-5) Under 7.5
- South Carolina Under 7.5
- Boise St (8-4) Under 9.5
- Losses: USF, ND, CO St, Utah St
Take a beat. Breathe.
“I was born on a Wand’rin Star.” -Lee Marvin “Wand’rin Star”
Lookout for the Bull and Bear. They’ll both wreck you in the end. “Paint Your Wagon” (1969) is the flick.
Bulls and Bears. Highs and lows. Buys and sells. Overs and unders. All terms when talking about investing whether it be Stocks or Sports. But, just like the No Name City gets destroyed by the bull and bear fight in the end of “Paint Your Wagon,” both can wreck you in the end. Financially as it were. The Boxed Jellyfish may just kill you, but the Bull and Bear will leave you maimed and helpless.
Beware the Boxed Jellyfish, irrational fan bases–and the Bull and the Bear. And watch “Paint Your Wagon.” Lee Marvin and Clint Eastwood Star.
Liberty, Boise St, UNLV, Baylor, Texas, Clemson, Florida, Auburn, Utah, etc would all logically be disappointed to go under the season totals, but sometimes, things just happen. Putting Utah and Baylor on this list hurts my feelings the most. I’ve been a fan of Coach Whitt as long as anyone else and am always inspired by Coach Dave Arranda. Whether from the podium, observing him coach on the sidelines, or watching how his team reflects his disciplined nature, I am always inspired by Coach Arranda.
In fact, I remember writing something similar on this site last season after Baylor visited Utah. That Baylor defense played with so much effort on each play to attempt to give their meek offense a chance on that 90+ degree day in Rice Eccles.
That said, I don’t see success for either team in 2025. Sometimes, things just happen.
Look, for all I know Texas and Clemson could both go undefeated and play for the Natty. Manning vs Klubnik. Sark vs Dabo. It’d be a great game to watch, especially if both teams were somehow, someway undefeated on Jan 20th in Atlanta. It’s unfortunate that the undefeated stakes will not be part of the equation, but there will still be a chance to get this matchup.
There are several bowls that come to mind that would love to host these two different orange teams: both Burnt and Clemson.
Clemson fans will know this city well having been here many times for ACC Championship games, but I don’t know if Texas would be as familiar in Charlotte. The Dukes Mayo Bowl usually features an ACC vs SEC game and is the first option to potentially see a Clemson vs Texas matchup.
After that–The Tax Slayer Bowl in Jacksonville, the Birmingham Bowl, and if the season really goes the way of yesterday’s lunch, the Union Home Gasparilla Bowl in Tampa.
Remember, if it happens to be the latter, don’t sleep on the Cuban Sandwich in Tampa. Havana 86 INC is just one of the many places.
And just like those “hot, flavorful” tastes from Cuba will eventually go down the drain, so will the playoff chances for both the Tigers and Longhorns wearing Orange in 2025.
With Parity approaching its peak in this sport at this point in time, it will be more difficult than ever to win every week. 9-3, 8-4 and so on will be plenty to get into the yearend playoff beginning next year. Not just because the playoff field will be expanding from 12 to 16, but because there will be more teams with records that reflect this sort of Parity and less that win 10+ in the regular season.
This is a transition time for the college football landscape. The tectonic plates that are the inner workings of the NCAA showrunners are colliding seemingly every month bringing about uncontrollable changes, and at times, unpredictable results.
Yes, Clemson and Texas both look very strong on paper. Yes, Boise St looks primed to win at least 10 games again. Yes, Iowa St with Rocco Becht looks like winning at least 8 games would be their floor this season, but “looks can be deceptive” as Chad tells us in the Coen’s “Burn After Reading.”
Beware the Boxed Jellyfish–looks can be deceiving.
The thumbnail sized Irukandji is a boxed jellyfish that is lethally armed with 15 tentacles that extend from each corner. Each tentacle contains up to 500,000 cnidocytes (cells that contain organelle that can sting and capture prey) containing nematocysts, which are microscopic harpoon-shaped mechanisms that inject venom into the victim. Yikes. Pure nightmare fuel for lovers of the ocean.
To conclude,
Troy Trojans–it’ll be a long season. Maybe squeak out a home win vs Georgia St or @ Louisiana Monroe, but it’ll be a long season.
Charlotte hosting Temple for Homecoming October 18th will be a must watch game. On this “Pie and Beer Day” in Utah, I’ll take the 49ers.
Inching towards the College Football season that will be gone in a flash, “predicting the unpredictable” yet again. Peroni’s and Pizza are on the menu shortly. I love “Pioneer Day.”
Beware: Bears, Bulls, Boxed Jellyfish
Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’
Whit W.