The little things mean more in November. The calendar year in its waning stages. Clocks are forced backwards one hour. Self-reflections are in-store. Beware–An unhealthy amount of reflection on the past year may lead to regret. Regret coupled with the newly shortened days may make for an unhappy time.
Mid-July can sometimes be a similar time of reflection. The relaxing vacation nights on beach condo balconies or out in cool mountain cabins allow life to slow down enough to reflect on the first half of the year and perhaps plan for the second half. There will be equal parts smiles and regrets. Like the West Texas barren lands or the College Football season–life gives and takes. But it don’t give much.
Some calm evening, sitting on a cushioned wicker chair, staring at the distant flickers far out on the inky horizon, the oceans wave’s rhythmically caressing the brown sugar shoreline, the one you love most by your side-
-A spooky still night on a dim lit wraparound cabin porch amongst towering ancient Evergreens, listening to owls’ hoot and Katydid’s swoon, the one you love most by your side–life finally levels and it’s still enough to reflect.
The alpine pond reflects the grandeur of the mountain’s peaks, the gentle Gulf reflects the moon’s glow, both images from the past; self-reflection is exactly that–the past.
There is no need to linger long when looking back, but like any self-respecting Cold War Submarine Captain would do
take a peek toward the baffles once in a while.
So, let’s reflect prospectively into what the college football landscape could look like on the morning of November 2, 2025 assuming that “Predicting the Unpredictable” is one hundred percent correct.
I’m neither on a beach condo balcony nor a cool remote cabin wraparound porch.
This Tiki Shore blue love seat in my air-conditioned drop-down den with the fuzzy snoring the day away will suit me just fine.
Just another dose of sports to curb the workday boredom. Dreaming of the upcoming College Football season once again…
A glimpse ahead to November 2, 2025, to see which teams may be smiling in the mirror when the clocks fall back one hour and which teams show wrinkles of regret.
Week 10 Nov. 1 Recap:
- 7-2 West Virginia win @ 6-3 Houston
- 5-4 Iowa St hands Arizona St first loss (8-1)
- 7-1 Vols win, drop Sooners to 7-2
- Ohio St and Penn St both 7-1 after Buckeye’s home win over the Nittany Lions
- Buffalo 8-1 after win over Bowling Green. Over 7.5 Season wins
- Georgia improves to 6-2 with a win over Florida
- Texas to 7-2 after beating Vandy
- 6-2 Alabama, 7-1 LSU, 7-1 Oregon, 7-1 UCLA, 7-1 Washington on a BYE
- Kentucky 6-2 after winning at 5-4 Auburn
- Arkansas 7-2 after beating Miss St
- 4-5 Vandy loses @ Texas (7-2)
- Michigan 7-2 after beating 5-4 Purdue
- Illinois 5-4 after beating Rutgers
- Indiana 6-3 after win at Maryland
- USC drops to 6-2 after 1 point loss @ Nebraska (5-4)
- Air Force 7-1 after beating Army
- Memphis 8-1 after winning Halloween night @ Rice
- UTSA 6-2 on a BYE
- Texas Tech drops to 4-5 after loss @ 7-1 Kansas St
- Pitt 8-1, Wins @ Stanford
- Clemson 7-1 after easy Duke Win
- SMU drops to 7-2 after loss to 6-2 Miami
- Louisville 6-2, Wins @ VA Tech
- Notre Dame improves to 6-2 with win over Boston College
So, who, besides high-minded Texas Tech, might be feeling some regret at this stage?
I’ll start–Southern Cal. There isn’t a chance in the world that Head Coach Lincoln Riley won’t regret losing at Nebraska by 1.
“USC fails on 2-pt conversion in the waning seconds and lose the game by 1.”
There would certainly be a hint of regret if this came to pass, but to be fair, the Trojans being 6-2, including a win over Notre Dame would only need to win the last 4 games to have a place in the CFP. Don’t linger in the loss long.
Coach Riley would know this, so any regret would fade as the Trojan Bus finally rolls back into Downtown Los Angeles 21 hours and 1500 miles later. Or 3-hour flight.
Whichever they choose, at least one wrinkle of regret will sag beneath Lincoln’s restless eyes November 2 morning.
So, who is waking up sprite and refreshed and smiling at their reflection on this first November of 2025?
From this couch on this day in July, it looks like there could be quite a few. 26 to be exact.
A Top 25+1 of sorts of fan bases that would be smiling at their team’s first ten weeks.
Maybe Penn St fans won’t necessarily be smiling due to losing to the Buckeyes, but 7-1 is strong and playoff bound. It’s ok to lose now and again.
Jerimiah Smith’s 220 yards and two TD’s might haunt James Franklin’s secondary, but that’s one of those ‘smile through the pain’ situations. #4 is elite. He’s going to do that to everybody.
Ergo, Penn St should be smiling and that’s why they will be on the list.
In fact, this should only be about happy fan bases. Coaches are never happy mid-season. And if coach isn’t happy, no one in that locker room is either.
“Happy Fan Bases”
TOP 25+1 11/2/25
- Pitt 8-1
- Memphis 8-1
- LSU 8-1
- UCLA 7-1
- Buffalo 8-1
- Air Force 7-1
- Washington 7-1
- Ohio St 7-1
- Tennessee 7-1
- Kansas St 7-1
- West Virginia 7-2
- Clemson 7-1
- Oregon 7-1
- Penn St 7-1
- Michigan 7-2
- Arizona St 8-1
- Arkansas 7-2
- Kentucky 6-2
- Notre Dame 6-2
- Alabama 6-2
- Georgia 6-2
- Miami 6-2
- Oklahoma 7-2
- Louisville 6-2
- Texas 7-2
- +1 SMU 7-2
Congratualtions to the Pitt Panthers! Number 1! Now, whatever you do–don’t read the rest of your preview in “Predicting the Unpredictable.”
Winning games is a helpful but not necessary ingredient to fanbase happiness.
Perhaps given the expectation, a 5-4 Purdue fan is happier than a 6-2 Georgia fan. So, let’s retitle the list (that does not matter in any way shape or form) to this:
“Happy Fan Bases with a Playoff Chance”
Prospective reflections glimpse ahead. Present reflections reveal the past. Present moments unveil truth. The past is etched in stone.
Reflections can be a fun glimpse back into the past. Take in the present with the one you love most. That’s the stuff that lasts.
5 Saturdays from Dublin. Cheerful Cyclones smiling on the shores of the Irish Sea–A truly wonderful place to be.
Or a beach condo, a mountain cabin, or a Tiki Shore love seat typing the day away…The present is truly a wonderful place to be.
Find the Humor and Keep on Movin’
Whit W.