Report: Saints working out free agent linebacker Curtis Akins

The New Orleans Saints scheduled a free agent workout with former Cincinnati Bengals LB Curtis Akins, after Stephone Anthony was injured.

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The New Orleans Saints may be considering their options at linebacker, at least near the bottom of the depth chart. Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle reported Tuesday that the Saints scheduled a workout with free agent linebacker Curtis Akins, a rookie out of Memphis who spent the summer on the Cincinnati Bengals’ 90-man roster. Akins is listed at 6-foot-1, 229-pounds and timed the 40-yard dash in 4.57 seconds at his pro day. He led the Memphis Tigers defense in total tackles in both 2017 (88) and 2018 (100).

NFL teams typically work out free agents on Tuesdays, giving them an opportunity to update in-house scouting reports and consider all available options. So don’t be shocked if more reports come in with other free agent linebackers making the trip to New Orleans.

What caused the Saints to go down this route? They’re set at the top of the depth chart with Demario Davis, Kiko Alonso, and A.J. Klein, but may have an opening among their backups. Linebacker Stephone Anthony has become a core special teams ace for the Saints (and first-year special teams coordinator Darren Rizzi, who he played for last year with the Miami Dolphins) but he limped off the field on Sunday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneeers. Anthony was spotted walking into the blue medical tent, leaning on teammates, though he later exited it and was seen running on the sideline.

If Anthony is hurt, it makes sense for the Saints to bring in free agent linebackers who would also help out on special teams. Whether Akins or someone else could resolve that issue is up in the air, but New Orleans is running short of options. They’ve lost four linebackers to injured reserve this year including a starter (Alex Anzalone) and a rookie backup (Kaden Elliss). Hopefully Anthony is fine; if not, Akins may end up being the best option.

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The Race To A New Year’s Six Bowl Game: AAC Games This Week Could Shake Things Up

Where do the AAC contenders fare along with Boise State in terms for the Cotton Bowl?

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The Race To A New Year’s Six Bowl Game: Big AAC Games This Week Could Shake Things Up

Boise State needs the AAC’s help to move up.

Contact/Follow @JeremyMauss & @MWCwire

Games to watch.

The latest College Football Playoff polls are out and the order of the Group of Five teams did not change with only a two-team gap now between Boise State and the current leaders which are Cincinnati which is No. 17 and Memphis sitting at 18.

The two teams in between No. 21 Boise State are Texas and Iowa but that could easily change as Iowa takes on a top 10 Minnesota team and Texas goes to Iowa State and the Longhorns have not been extremely reliable each week despite a few good wins.

What to look for this week is a pair of AAC games, plus one non-conference title that could allow Boise State to make a move. The Broncos face New Mexico and a win is expected.

AAC Games To Watch

No. 23 Navy at No. 16 Notre Dame, 2:30 p.m. ET, TV: NBC (Irish -7.5)

This is a big game because if the Naval Academy can defeat Notre Dame then that will be the best win among any Group of Five team and push Navy up the rankings ahead of Boise State and in the cluster of Memphis and Cincinnati.

The only problem for the Middies is that they still need Memphis to lose to have a chance at the conference title in the AAC. Remember, a conference championship is required to earn the New Year’s Six spot from the Group of Five. Also, a Navy win keeps my dream chaos scenario alive of the Army vs. Navy game the week after championship Saturday to have meaning and delay the final College Football Playoff polls.

No. 18 Memphis at Houston, 3:30 p.m. ET, TV: ESPN2 (Tigers +10.5)

Don’t be fooled by the 3-6 Houston Cougars. They will at the very least put a scare into this Memphis team. The Cougars lost by only three points to SMU at home and hung sort of close with Cincy and lost by 15.

Being a road game makes it a bit tougher for Memphis, but their offense will probably be too much for Houston. Look for this game to crush the over which is set at 69.5 as the Tigers defense is not the type that will just shut down opponents.

No. 17 Cincinnati at South Florida, 7 p.m. ET, TV: CBS Sports Network (Cincinnati +14)

This is the least likely of an upset and the Bearcats should role into Raymond James Stadium and cruise to victory over the Bulls. The big games for Cincinnati come the following weeks when they take on both Temple and Memphis.

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Odds Of Winning Out

The importance of winning out and winning a conference title can not be understated, so we will use ESPN’s FPI for a closer look at the chances of teams going unscathed.

Boise State: 45.2 percent chance to win out, 74.5 percent to win its conference.
Appalachian State: 23.4 percent chance to win out, 33.5 percent to win its conference.
Cincinnati: 23.3 percent chance to win out, 63.7 percent to win its conference.
SMU: 14.4 percent chance to win out, eight percent to win its conference.
Memphis: 10.7 percent chance to win out, 16.6 percent to win its conference.
Navy: Two percent chance to win out, 10.2 percent to win its conference.

End Of Season Projected Rankings

Remember these rankings are not based on who is wherein a given week but rather where a one-loss team would fit in the pecking order. Since App State is back in the top 25 they need to be considered and reappear this week.

1. One-loss Cincinnati – This is pretty clear as the Bearcats are the highest-rated team and they play Memphis which would basically knock the Tigers out of consideration. However, a rematch with Memphis the following week would be interesting. (Next week we can look at wild scenarios)

Remaining Games: at USF, Temple, at Memphis

2. One-loss Memphis – In reality, Memphis and Cincinnati should be tied for the top spot. The Tigers play the Bearcats on the final week of the regular season and would then vault to the highest-rated Group of Five team. However, winning back-to-back games against one team is tough. Trust us, we went through that two seasons ago when Boise State and Fresno State played consecutively.

Remaining Games: at Houston, at USF, Cincinnati

3. One-loss Navy – Navy has the schedule with Notre Dame this week and wins there will put them in the conversation rankings-wise and maybe even make them the highest-ranked team in the Group of Five.

Even if they defeat Notre Dame, Navy has the problem of not even playing for its own conference title as Memphis owns the tie-breaker. Navy would need to have the Tigers lose to get back in the race.

Remaining Games: at Notre Dame, SMU, at Houston, Army

4. One-loss Boise State – The Broncos have the best odds to win out and win the Mountain West so that is a huge advantage compared to the other AAC teams. The only problem is the schedule does not allow for opportunities to move up on that merit alone. The Broncos need a two-loss AAC champ or a one-loss SMU champ who might be too far in the rankings to surpass Boise State, maybe.

All the Broncos can do is focus on winning and hope a team falters above them.

Remaining Games: New Mexico, at Utah State, at Colorado State

5. One-loss SMU – This one is interesting. The Mustangs dropped from the rankings and were essentially replaced with Appalachian State who defeated South Carolina. The Mustangs are a good team but its lack of defense caught up with them vs. Memphis.

SMU needs the Tigers to lose a game to move above them in the AAC standings, then SMU still has Navy to play in two weeks and it is on the road. That is a must-win game as well to stay atop of the AAC West.

The Mustangs late SOS could boost them ahead of Boise State and take the bid if both are league champs. SMU would play at least one ranked team down the stretch, maybe two if Navy upsets Notre Dame. If the Mustangs were to beat a top 20 Navy and Cincinnati teams would that be enough to jump them over a likely top 20 Boise State team?

Remaining Games: at Navy, Tulane

6. Two-loss Cincinnati – With the Bearcats having a cushy lead in its division they have a small margin of error. If they lose to Memphis but then turnaround and beat them in the AAC title game then there could be a scenario where they are the representative. The Bearcats more than likely would drop behind a one-loss Boise State heading into championship Saturday but what happens if they beat a top 15 Memphis team, would the committee jump them ahead of the Broncos?

7. One-loss Appalachian State – Beating South Carolina and re-entering the rankings is good and gives this team a shot. Unfortunately, they will need a lot of help with Boise State earning another loss and a two-loss AAC champ that is not Memphis or Cincinnati. Even a one-loss SMU champ likely would jump them and earn that Cotton Bowl bid.

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3 teams disrespected by the latest College Football Playoff rankings

Why is Minnesota only No. 8?!

Three teams were disrespected by the selection committee in the second College Football Playoff rankings, which were released Tuesday.

This is a subjective process, so it will never be perfect. But clearly, the committee holds some teams to certain standards and other teams to different ones. Some teams’ one-loss records hold up against undefeated squads, while other unbeaten teams can’t seem to do enough to get respect (even when they’re literally doing all they can). All wins and all losses aren’t equal, of course, but how is a win over a top-4 team less valuable than a loss to a top-4 team?

These rankings obviously don’t mean a whole lot in the middle of November because we have no idea what the College Football Playoff picture will look like in a few weeks. But they offer a little insight into the committee’s logic.

They also do a nice job of riling up college football fans, and the people who cheer for these three disrespected teams are right to be outraged.

No. 8 Minnesota (9-0)

What exactly do the Golden Gophers have to do to get a little respect? Plenty of people underestimated them against Penn State — For The Win included — but they took down a team the selection committee initially identified as the fourth best in the country. And the game was not nearly as close as the final 31-26 score. Minnesota was up, 24-10, at one point against a team just about everyone assumed it would lose to badly.

Minnesota debuted this season in the rankings at No. 17, which already seemed absurdly low. And then the Golden Gophers knocked off the No. 4 team and only rose to eighth, which is still the largest jump into the top 10 in the CFP era, per ESPN. Looking at the seven teams ahead of Minnesota, LSU is the only other that can say it beat a top-4 team, and it’s appropriately No. 1. But Minnesota should be higher than it is.

The logic for putting No. 4 at Georgia is its big wins against Florida and Notre Dame matter more than one bad loss to South Carolina. Minnesota has no losses, a massive win and a top-four strength of record, but it’s four spots behind the Bulldogs. We’re not saying the Golden Gophers should be No. 4, but anything less than No. 6 or even No. 7 this week is disrespectful.

No. 13 Baylor (9-0)

Unlike Minnesota, Baylor doesn’t have a win over a top-4 opponent. Actually, it hasn’t played a ranked opponent yet and needed triple-overtime to beat a TCU team that’s now 4-5. But the Bears are still undefeated and deserve to at least be closer to the top 10. Instead, their No. 13 spot is the lowest ranking by a 9-0 Power Five team in the CFP era, according to ESPN.

There are six one-loss teams and two two-loss teams ranked ahead of Baylor, and many one-loss teams deserve to be there. Despite Baylor’s No. 65 strength of schedule (which is still four spots higher than Clemson), it has the No. 3 strength of record, putting it higher than Auburn (No. 7) and Florida (No. 9). This undefeated Bears team should probably be No. 11, and if it beats Oklahoma this weekend, it needs to crack the top eight at least.

No. 18 Memphis (8-1)

Surprise! A team from a Group of Five conference is being disrespected. The Tigers have a two-point loss to Temple, which is important to remember. But in Week 10, they also beat a good and previously undefeated SMU team, 54-48, before having a bye last week. (And SMU actually dropped out of the rankings this week after debuting at No. 25, despite winning in Week 11. Just because the committee wants to add Appalachian State to the top-25 doesn’t mean it has to drop another Group of Five team.)

Memphis jumped three places in this week’s rankings, but maybe it should have been a couple spots more, especially when we know the committee won’t seriously consider a Group of Five team for the playoff anyway, regardless of record.

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College Football Bowl Projections: New Years Six Still Possible for Notre Dame?

“So you’re saying there’s a chance?” as Jim Carey once said in Dumb and Dumber. It might not be a great one, but it’s not entirely done. At least yet. That being Notre Dame’s chances of making a New Year’s Six bowl game. The vast-majority of …

“So you’re saying there’s a chance?” as Jim Carey once said in Dumb and Dumber.

It might not be a great one, but it’s not entirely done. At least yet.

That being Notre Dame’s chances of making a New Year’s Six bowl game. The vast-majority of prognasticators still don’t see it happening that way, but we found one respected expert that did.

So where are the Irish likely headed? Here’s what we found in this week’s edition of the Notre Dame Bowl Projections:

247Sports/Brad Crawford
Camping World Bowl vs. Texas

CBS/Jerry Palm
Camping World Bowl vs. Texas

College Football News/Pete Fiutak
Camping World Bowl vs. Texas

ESPN (2 Experts)
Bonaqura – Camping World Bowl vs. Texas
Schlabach – Camping World Bowl vs. Oklahoma State

The Sporting News/Bill Bender
Cotton Bowl vs. Memphis

Stadium/Brett McMurphy
Camping World Bowl vs. Oklahoma State

There you go. He’s @BillBender92 on Twitter if you’re looking for more of his work but he’s got the Irish in the New Year’s Six with three to go.