Tag: Brett McMurphy

Notre Dame projected as College Football Playoff quarterfinalist

Minds are starting to change about the Irish.

For much of the time after Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois, the Action Network’s Brett McMurphy was not empathetic. He consistently had the Irish in the Pop-Tarts Bowl, thus rendering their first season in the expanded College Football Playoff era a failure.

McMurphy has changed his tune about the Irish however. A week ago, he projected the Irish as the No. 10 seed in the playoff. While he had them losing to Penn State, it still was a sign of progress.

Now, McMurphy has flipped the seeds for the Irish and Nittany Lions, meaning the Irish now would host the first-round game. What’s more, he has the Irish winning the game, which would give them a New Year’s Day date with Georgia at the Sugar Bowl. Regrettably, that’s where he has the Irish’s run ending, but this still is a nice projection.

A lot has to go right for the Irish to get as far as McMurphy thinks they will, but that he even made this projection shows how much the narrative surrounding the Irish has changed for the better.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Wisconsin returns to familiar setting in Action Network bowl projections after Week 9

Wisconsin returns to familiar setting in Action Network bowl projections after Week 9

The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy released his bowl predictions ahead of Week 10 of the 2024 college football season on Monday.

Wisconsin returns to the Pinstripe Bowl in McMurphy’s latest iteration of the bowl prediction list, the exact same game the Badgers were predicted to land in after Week 8.

This time, however, Wisconsin is slated to play NC State in the contest. The Wolfpack, a member of the American Athletic Conference, boast a 4-4 mark through eight games of the 2024 season. They are currently ranked No. 14 in the conference, only ahead of Stanford, Florida State and California.

The Badgers, meanwhile, are 5-3 after Week 9 after dropping its most recent game against No. 3 Penn State by two touchdowns. Luke Fickell’s program is in search of its 23rd consecutive bowl game appearance.

Action Network currently considers Wisconsin a 7.5-point favorite over NC State. If McMurphy’s prediction is accurate, this will be the first time the Badgers will play in the Pinstripe Bowl since 2018 season when they defeated Miami 35-3.

Wisconsin’s next batch of games could certainly alter where they land in the bowl game landscape. UW is yet to play Iowa, No. 1 Oregon, Nebraska and Minnesota. A strong showing in the regular season’s final month could push the Badgers into a better bowl standing.

Wisconsin returns to familiar stage in Action Network bowl projections ahead of Week 9

Wisconsin returns to familiar stage in Action Network bowl projections ahead of Week 9

Wisconsin returns to the Pinstripe Bowl for a matchup against Duke in Brett McMurphy’s latest bowl projections entering Week 9 of the 2024 college football season.

The Badgers are 5-2 after Week 8, in prime position to extend their record bowl streak to 23 seasons. Duke, meanwhile, is a strong 6-1 through the season’s midway point with wins over Northwestern, UConn, North Carolina and Florida State. Its only loss to this point was a 24-14 defeat at the hands of Georgia Tech.

Related: Ranking the biggest storylines entering Wisconsin’s premier matchup with Penn State

The Action Network projects Wisconsin as a double-digit favorite in the potential matchup with Duke — this projection made with a lot still left to change between now and bowl season.

If McMurphy’s prediction for the Badgers is to come true, the program will return to the Pinstripe Bowl for the first time since its trip to close the 2018 season — a 35-3 triumph over Miami.

https://twitter.com/Brett_McMurphy/status/1848384380281971176

Wisconsin first must reach bowl eligibility. Its remaining schedule includes vs. No. 3 Penn State, at Iowa, vs. No. 1 Oregon, at Nebraska and vs. Minnesota. One more win and its record-long bowl steak will extend another season.

Up first on that path for the Badgers is a primetime matchup with Penn State on Saturday.

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Brett McMurphy projects Notre Dame out of playoff, in Pop-Tarts Bowl

Maybe start booking your trips to Orlando now?

Let’s get one thing straight: Notre Dame will aim for the College Football Playoff as long as it has a chance. At this point, the best thing it can do is run the table for the rest of the regular season. But there always is a chance that that won’t happen, and the Irish thus will be on the outside looking in.

Brett McMurphy of the Action Network has released his weekly bowl projections, and he has the Irish out of the playoff. Instead, he projects that the Irish will face TCU in the Pop-Tarts Bowl.

It’s worth noting that McMurphy has had the Irish in this particular game ever since they lost to Northern Illinois. The only thing that occasionally has changed during that time is the opponent. So in his view, the Irish have not beaten anybody of high-enough quality since that loss to prove they belong in the playoff.

While it would be fun to see the Irish end their season eating their bowl game’s mascot, it’s not the end goal. Hopefully, they can make it so that it won’t have to be.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Wisconsin pitted against ACC opponent in Action Network bowl prediction ahead of Week 8

Updated bowl projection for Wisconsin after Rutgers win

The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy released his bowl predictions ahead of Week 8 of the 2024 college football season on Monday.

The outlet’s preseason prediction pitted Wisconsin against Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. Eight weeks later, Brett McMurphy currently predicts the Badgers to play in Bad Boy Mowers Pinstripe Bowl against the Louisville Cardinals on Dec. 28 in Bronx, New York.

Ahead of Week 5, McMurphy also predicted the Badgers to play in the Pinstripe Bowl. Instead of Louisville being UW’s projected opponent, the analyst then believed Boston College would wind up in the bowl game against Wisconsin.

A member of the American Athletic Conference, Louisville boasts a 4-2 overall output through six games of its 2024 slate. The team’s sole losses arrived in one-score games against No. 12 Notre Dame and No. 21 SMU. The team also received six votes in the latest installation of the AP Top 25 on Sunday.

If McMurphy’s forecast comes to fruition, it would be the 23rd straight season that the Badgers appear in a bowl game after the regular season. While Luke Fickell’s main priority revolves around the 12-team playoff scenario, extending the bowl streak is still an achievement.

Wisconsin could bolster its case for a more prestigious bowl game after its Week 8 game against the Northwestern Wildcats. After producing over 500 yards of offense against both Purdue and Rutgers in its previous pair of games, UW is primed for another offensive explosion in Evanston on Oct. 19.

Wisconsin last appeared in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27, 2018, in a 35-3 victory over Miami (Florida). Former Wisconsin head coach Paul Chryst, accompanied by quarterback Jack Coan and all-world running back Jonathan Taylor, cruised to a victory before 37,821 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Rutgers (7-6) faced Miami (7-6) in the 2023 Pinstripe Bowl, which figures to be where Wisconsin will land at the end of the season. The Badgers will next face No. 3 Penn State at home in Week 9, Iowa on the road in Week 10 and No. 2 Oregon at Camp Randall in Week 11.

Wisconsin faces ACC opponent in Action Network bowl prediction ahead of Week 5

Wisconsin faces ACC opponent in Action Network bowl prediction ahead of Week 5

The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy released his bowl predictions ahead of Week 5 of the 2024 college football season on Monday.

The outlet’s preseason prediction had Wisconsin facing Texas A&M in the Music City Bowl on Dec. 30. Now, Brett McMurphy forecasts the Badgers to land in the Bad Boy Mowers’ Pinstripe Bowl against the Boston College Eagles on Dec. 28 in Bronx, New York.

A member of the Atlantic Coast Conference, the Eagles are off to a blazing start in 2024. Boston College owns wins over Florida State, Duquesne and Michigan State through four weeks of play. The team’s sole loss was a 27-21 defeat against No. 11 Missouri.

Most notably, former Houston Texans’ head coach Bill O’Brien is in his first year manning Boston College’s sidelines. With 55 votes, the Eagles also landed just outside the Associated Press’ latest poll at No. 28 behind Washington State and Indiana.

If the prediction rings true, it would be the 23rd straight season that UW appears in a bowl game following the regular season.

The Badgers last appeared in the Pinstripe Bowl on Dec. 27, 2018, in a 35-3 victory over Miami (Florida). Former UW head coach Paul Chryst, accompanied by quarterback Jack Coan and all-world running back Jonathan Taylor, cruised to a victory before 37,821 fans at Yankee Stadium.

Rutgers (7-6) squared off against Miami (Florida) (7-6) in the 2023 Pinstripe Bowl, which figures to be where Wisconsin will land at the end of the season. The Badgers are scheduled to play No. 13 USC, No. 9 Penn State, No. 8 Oregon, Iowa and Nebraska this fall after starting the season 2-1.

Notre Dame projected to make College Football Playoff, go to Rose Bowl

That’s more like it.

It’s funny how one quality road victory by Notre Dame can change people’s opinions.

Before the Irish beat Texas A&M in their season opener, many college football experts had them on the outside looking in when it came to the College Football Playoff. Brett McMurphy of The Action Network was one of them.

After the Irish’s victory though, McMurphy has jumped into the Irish believers camp. He released his latest bowl projections, and it’s definitely an improvements from his previous projection of Notre Dame playing in the Holiday Bowl.

McMurphy not only has the Irish making the playoff as the eighth seed, but he sees them making the trip to Pasadena on New Year’s Day:

https://twitter.com/Brett_McMurphy/status/1830679017466536206

Losing to the top seed in the bracket would be nothing to be ashamed of and a positive step toward the future. If the Irish take care of business throughout the regular season though, we could be looking at even grander predictions for them.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on X (formerly Twitter) and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on X: @gfclark89

Another College Football Playoff projection leaves Notre Dame out

Stick this one on the bulletin board, too.

As we get closer to the 2024 season, it’s becoming increasingly clear that Notre Dame will need to prove a lot of people wrong. Even with the College Football Playoff expanded to 12 teams, no one is going to just let the Irish in. Some expert predictions in recent days are evidence of that.

Days ago, CBS Sports’ Jerry Palm left the Irish out of his playoff projection. Now, you can add The Action Network’s Brett McMurphy to that list. Instead, he has the Irish facing Washington in the Holiday Bowl, a bowl the Irish haven’t played in before:

So again, the Irish find themselves on the outside looking in of one expert’s bracket. The past few days have given them a heavy dose of reality that they’ll need to win almost every game to give themselves a shot at making it. Hopefully, all of this will give them the motivation to do just that.

Contact/Follow us @IrishWireND on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Notre Dame news, notes, and opinions.

Follow Geoffrey on Twitter: @gfclark89

This stat gives hope for Notre Dame football’s quest for a College Football Playoff title

So you’re saying there’s a chance…

Although Notre Dame football is ranked as the No. 7 team in both the US LBM Coaches Poll and the AP Poll, that doesn’t guarantee success.

They still have to prove it on the field, but as Action Network’s [autotag]Brett McMurphy[/autotag] pointed out on social media, only a few teams really will have a shot at winning the [autotag]College Football Playoff[/autotag].

The college football expert mentioned that “since 2004, every national champ ranked among AP preseason’s top 7 except FSU (2014, started 11) & Auburn (2010, started 22) landed inside the top-7.”

That means that one of Georgia, Ohio State, Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss or the Irish theoretically should take home the hardware.

This clearly isn’t an absolute fact, but it’s always good to look at history when trying to determine who actually is a CFP contender. It’s great to know that Notre Dame is in that group.

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You won’t believe where Brett McMurphy ranked Ohio State in his AP Top 25 ballot after Week 10

Are you sitting down? #GoBucks

One of the things we like to follow on this Ohio State homer site is where polls and analysts rank the Buckeyes after the latest results on the college football field each week.

We are obviously closely tied to the US LBM Coaches Poll with it being USA TODAY affiliated and all, but we also take a peek from time-to-time at the AP Top 25 poll, what Fox analyst Joel Klatt says, what Kirk Herbstreit thinks, and yes, even more when it makes sense.

Well, there’s one we couldn’t pass up this week and it’s from an old friend of Buckeye Nation. Brett McMurphy has some history with Ohio State fans (that we will not get into here), and it’s not a love affair, but one that many Buckeye fans cringe at.

However, he is an AP poll voter, and he just let everyone know how he voted in the poll after Week 10. You might be very, very surprised where he ranked OSU.

Are you sitting down? Good. If not, do so now.

McMurphy actually believes Ohio State is the … wait for it … No. 1 team in the country. What? Yes, that’s right. The guy that has thrown several haymakers to the OSU program over the years has the Buckeyes at No. 1 followed by Georgia, Florida State, Michigan, Washington, Oregon, Texas, Alabama, Ole Miss and Penn State in his top 10.

You can get a complete look at his top 25 below thanks to the post he lobbed out there on X, formerly known as Twitter, on Sunday.

Here’s a little Buckeye high-five to McMurphy for ranking the Wolverines at No. 4 as well. Maybe, just maybe, there’s hope for this world we live in when we see things like this, eh?

Contact/Follow us @BuckeyesWire on X (formerly Twitter), and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Ohio State news, notes, and opinion. Follow Phil Harrison on X.