The Carla and Crappy Show

Carla and Crappy Show: The 2018 Wivalwy Week Edition

In this week of giving thanks, here at the #CnCShow, we're thankful for the abundance of college football happening this weekend. It's Week 13 on the calendar, but really only one name matters - it's Rivalry Week, boys and girls. So fix another plate of leftovers and practice your very best Elmer Fudd impersonation. After checking in with AJ and his #GroupOfFiveAfterDark games ... and our last hope for someone beating Notre Dame (insert sigh here), here's this weekend's feast of football: Oklahoma at West Virginia (8 ET Friday, ESPN): This isn't a traditional rivalry game, but gosh, we hope it could become one. If you're not familiar with nighttime games in Morgantown ... you're in for an experience. There's nothing quite like it in all of college football. Is that a bad omen for the still-playoff-hopeful Sooners? Washington at Washington State (8:30 ET Friday, FOX): The Apple Cup may be the most important game in the Pac-12 this season. (If you had that at the beginning of the season, kudos to you.) The Huskies have underachieved this year ... the Cougs are aiming for their first Rose Bowl appearance since 2003. Auburn at Alabama (3:30 ET Saturday, CBS): The Iron Bowl is one of the great college football rivalries. Will the Tigers be able to knock off the top team in the nation? (Spoiler alert: We're not overly optimistic.) Michigan at Ohio State (Noon ET Saturday, FOX): Is this finally the year that Harbaugh gets over the slump and beats Ohio State? The college football world seems to think so. One of us, however, has a different perspective. (We'll give you one guess as to who that might be.) Happy Thanksgiving and happy football. We're thankful for you!

Carla and Crappy Show: The #BakedGoods 2018 edition

It's Week 12 of the college football season ... and we have visions of baked goods dancing in our heads.   While teams like Alabama, Florida, and LSU playing the powerhouses of The Citadel, Idaho, and Rice respectively, it's officially cupcake week. And that means it's an opportune time to sit down with our buddy AJ to talk about the most exciting games this weekend. Yep, it's a full show of #GroupOfFiveAfterDark.   Memphis at SMU (9 ET Friday, ESPN2): We start in the American, where AJ hopes they’ve upgraded the scoreboard in Dallas because this game should be pointsy as all get out.    South Florida at Temple (Noon ET, ESPNNews): USF has fallen dramatically over the past month. Three straight losses and heading into a surging Temple doesn’t right that ship. Also, this will be just the second game in five years that USF will play in sub-40 degree temperatures at kickoff.   Cincinnati at UCF (8 ET, ABC):  This might be the game of the weekend. Cincinnati is super ahead of schedule. UCF is trying to keep the train running to maybe make a shot at convincing the playoff committee to give them a chance.    Louisiana-Monroe at Arkansas State (3 ET, ESPN+): Don't sleep on the Fun Belt either this weekend! The Red Wolves (that's Arkansas State for those of you who don't follow the Sun Belt regularly) have the top passing offense in the conference ... ULM has the last-ranked pass defense. But ULM is playing for a chance at the conference title game.    Fresno State at San Diego State (10:30 ET CBS Sports Network): This is for the Mountain West West division and should be a defensive fight. Fresno has given up 60 points all year. SDSU is right behind them with 94. Alabama has given up 92. Just some perspective.    So, grab your nearest baked good (c'mon, it's almost Thanksgiving ...) and settle in for a great weekend of under-the-national-radar-but-still-really-good football. 

Carla and Crappy Show: The Stiff Drink Edition

One of us is offering an alternative reality for the playoff rankings. The other one is totally distracted by mid-week #MACtion. And thus begins Week 11 of the college football season. In preparation for the upcoming holiday season, we have a full buffet of games that we're keeping our eyes on this week. So, after our "Dear God, someone please beat Notre Dame already" conversation (hint: Florida State isn't it), we dive right in to the goodness. Mississippi State at Alabama (3:30 ET, CBS): This game was closer than anyone expected last year. That's probably the best thing we can say about this game. Alabama looks like an unstoppable train right now. Clemson at Boston College (8 ET, ABC): The Clemson offense keeps rolling right along, putting up a casual 77 on Louisville last week. But the Tigers have had trouble with road games in the Northeast in past years (see: Syracuse, 2017). Enjoy the national spotlight Boston College, but ... yeah. This shouldn't be close. Ohio State at Michigan State (Noon ET, FOX): Ohio State is having trouble as of late with things like ... tackling. Michigan State is the top-ranked rush defense in the country. Will Crappy pick against his beloved Buckeyes for the first time in this show's seven-year history? Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (3:30 ET, ABC): Oh, Bedlam. You should be silly fun this year. The Cowboys have lost three of four ... but their one win was over then-No. 6 Texas. Oklahoma fired DC Mike Stoops after giving up a bunch of points to Texas Tech last week ... but does defense really matter in the Big 12? Take the over. Auburn at Georgia (7 ET, ESPN): Auburn loves playing spoiler ... and after last year's loss to the Bulldogs in the SEC title game, motivation is high in this one. But will that be enough to stop Jake Fromm and the Georgia offense? Wisconsin at Penn State (Noon, ABC): Penn State has been playing better on the road. The loser of this game likely plays itself out of a post-Christmas bowl game. Will Carla pick against her beloved Nittany Lions? Texas at Texas Tech (7:30 ET, FOX): The Longhorns desperately need a win to stop their two-game skid. Texas Tech is likely without its starting quarterback, Alan Bowman, for the rest of the season due to a repeat occurrence of a collapsed lung. A lot of questions in this game. Which team will answer? Whew. Got all of that? It's going to be a fun weekend, kids. Enjoy the football ... and Crappy's reactions to #MACtion.

Carla and Crappy Show: The Lions and Tigers and Wildcats, Oh My, Edition

Week 10 of the college football season is underway ... and boy, is it a big weekend. With a slate of impact-heavy games on the docket, we give our thoughts on the first College Football Playoff ranking and then get right into the four games we're keeping a close eye on this weekend. Georgia at Kentucky (3:30 ET, CBS): The road to the SEC East title goes through Lexington, just as we all predicted. (Heh.) The Bulldogs rebounded in a huge way last weekend; the Wildcats have been trending downward over the last several weeks. But with a division title on the line? Throw all of the statistics out the window. This one's gonna be fun. West Virginia at Texas (3:30 ET, Fox): After losing on the road at Ames, the 'Eers put up a casual 31 points in the 2nd quarter last week against Baylor. Texas is right in the thick of things in the Big 12, despite a stumble in Stillwater. But this is a must-win for the Longhorns to keep up with Oklahoma. Expect a silly fun offensive shootout in Austin. Penn State at Michigan (3:45 ET, ESPN): The Nittany Lions have gotten really good as of late in making games way too interesting. (See: Indiana, Iowa.) Michigan is setting its sights on a conference championship. The Big House may not be as intimidating as it seems, but this is a lofty task for the questionable-at-best Penn State defense. Alabama at LSU (8 ET, CBS): The only thing that could make this game any better is if Uncle Verne came out of retirement for the call. The Tide is putting up absolutely ridiculous offensive numbers, but LSU is the toughest defense Bama has faced this season. LSU is certainly battle-tested, having played five Top 25 teams already this season ... and the Tigers are playing at home. Popcorn. Ready. Settle in for a fun weekend of college football, friends. And ... hey .... here's to you, Pittsburgh. We love ya.

Carla and Crappy Show: The Crappy Hates College Football Edition

It's Week 9 of the college football season ... but we'd prefer not to talk about it. (One of us is still being a bit overly dramatic after a road loss. So, hello, MLS and MLB playoffs!)   Anyhow, yes, we do eventually discuss Ohio State's loss at Purdue ... and then consider the hierarchy of teams at this point in the season. We also hear from AJ, who says he's done with the Pac-12. (Which, you know, might be problematic as he's our Pac-12 correspondent.)   But somehow, even with all of these trials and tribulations, we do manage to discuss a handful of games that we may begrudgingly be interested in this weekend.   Florida vs. Georgia (3:30 ET, CBS): This year's Cocktail Party holds quite a bit of intrigue. Will the Bulldogs bounce back to their former selves? Or will Florida do what it's done all season and just find a way to win?   Iowa at Penn State (3:30 ET, ESPN): The Nittany Lions have been lackluster at best over the past month. (And yes, one of us might have something to say about that.) After last weekend, though, Penn State again has a bit of life in the Big Ten East. But, beware the Hawkeyes; they're an outstanding football team ... that looks an awful lot like Michigan State. Hmm.   Washington State at Stanford (7 ET, Pac-12 Network): Tree's strategy the last couple of weeks has been ... play keep away. The Stanford defense is, quite frankly, not good ... and it now faces the top-rated passing offense in the country in Gardner Minshew and the Cougs. (One word: Yikes.)   So, we'll try our best (although we probably won't admit it) to enjoy the football this weekend. And you should too.

Carla and Crappy Show: A Chill In The Air Edition

It’s Week 8 of the college football season … and it finally feels like football weather. (And for one of us, that’s true both inside the house as well as outside. Gotta love furnaces!) We begin by recapping the insanity that was Week 7, including Florida's offensive inconsistencies, a poorly timed trip to the nacho line, and anxiety over October performances. Then, AJ explains the cause of his heartburn in this week’s #Pac12AfterDark report. And finally, we break down the rest of this week’s action. Michigan at Michigan State (12 ET, FOX): The two Teams Up North roll into this rivalry game on high notes. Michigan dominated Wisconsin last week; Sparty stunned Penn State at Beaver Stadium. (Yep, one of us is still bitter about that. You can probably guess who.) Can Michigan State pull off two big wins in a row? Is Michigan as improved as they look? Should be a great one in East Lansing. NC State at Clemson (3:30 ET, ESPN): So, the Wolfpack has very quietly worked its way into an undefeated season and national ranking. (Who knew?) But the Tigers are quite the test … and the first one that NC State has seen all year. Ryan Finley (who must be a 12th-year senior at this point) faces his toughest test of the season against a top-5 Clemson defense. Mississippi State at LSU (7 ET, ESPN): Yes, we’re talking about LSU yet again … but can you blame us after the performance the Tigers had against Georgia last week? LSU needs to be careful that this isn’t a letdown game (because, you know, Alabama looms); Mississippi State is hoping that Nick Fitzgerald can just run the ball for a zillion yards again. We’ll see how that plays out against an LSU defense that baffled Jake Fromm last weekend. So, grab your parka and your fuzzy hat … find yourself a hot chocolate vendor … and settle in for a great Week 8.

Carla and Crappy Show: The Halfway Home Edition

It's Week 7 of the college football season and Carla and Crappy are both looking back at the first half of the season ... and still hoping someone would just beat Notre Dame already, dammit. (We're looking at you, Virginia Tech.) After our first-half highlights and AJ's Pac-12 After ... Noon? report, we dive into three games with big-time implications this weekend: Pitt at Notre Dame (2:30 ET, NBC): OK, so maybe we're just talking about this one because we REEEEAAAALLLLY want someone to beat Notre Dame. But, to their credit, the Panthers do have a history of winning one game each year that they have no business being in. Maybe this is the week? Or just wishful thinking on our parts? Probably the latter. Georgia at LSU (3:30 ET, CBS): If Georgia wants any chance of making the playoff this year (because, you know, Notre Dame), it absolutely, under any circumstances, cannot lose this game. LSU's looking to rebound at home after its loss last week at Florida; we just wish this game was a nighttime kick. Anyhow, clear your schedules. Don't miss this one. Wisconsin at Michigan (7:30 ET, ABC): We're salivating over this classic Big Ten matchup. It's strength-on-strength as Jonathan Taylor and one of the top rush offenses in the nation face off against the top-rated defense in the country. Michigan's an improved squad, but are the Wolverines' offensive struggles fixed? Insert shoulder shrugs here. This should be a low-scoring, bruising (and chilly!) game in the Big House. So, grab a glass of cider and hunker down for a great weekend of college football, kids.

Carla and Crappy Show: The It’s A Whole Other Country Edition

It's Week 6 of the college football season, and one of us is still basking in the glow of last weekend ... and the other one is still a bit bitter over 4th and 5. But we digress. There are some amazing games -- many of them taking place in Texas -- to occupy our time this first weekend in October ... even if it's still pretty darn hot outside. Texas vs. Oklahoma (Noon ET, FOX): This year, the old "Red River Shootout" moniker would seem to be more apt as these two offenses go head-to-head in one of the best rivalry games in all of the land. (And go ahead -- YOU try to say "Red River Rivalry.") LSU at Florida (3:30 ET, CBS): The antithesis of the Big 12's showcase game, this one looks to be more of a defensive affair. Can Joe Burrow and the LSU offense figure out the Florida defense in the Swamp? Kentucky at Texas A&M (7 ET, ESPN): Kentucky is unbeaten. In football. And while we say that a bit tongue-in-cheek, the Wildcats face a tough test on the road this weekend ... and breakout phenom Benny Snell faces one of the toughest rush defenses in the country. Notre Dame at Virginia Tech (8 ET, ABC): OK, Ian Book, let's see what you're made of. In addition to one of the best night game atmospheres in college football, the Hokies also boast a top-five rush defense. And ... we'll raise our midday fizzy flavored water beverages (the disadvantages to a noonday taping!) during this show to Tennessee State linebacker Christion Abercombie who is still recovering in the hospital after a serious head injury last weekend. We're pulling for you, kid. Hang in there. Enjoy the football this weekend. (And gosh darn it, someone beat Notre Dame already, would ya?)

Carla and Crappy Show: The White Out and Gray Edition

Carla's wearing White Out gear. Crappy is taunting her about last year's come-from-behind win (in their gray jerseys). It must be time for Penn State-Ohio State. But before Beaver Stadium starts rocking (and those offenses start rolling) CnC (and A.J.) take in a ridiculously full slate of great games this weekend: BYU and Washington, Oregon and Cal, West Virginia and Texas Tech, Florida and Mississippi State, Stanford and Notre Dame. And then the two best scoring offenses in the country square off in State College, with an over/under of approximately 130 points. And with plenty of questions about the defenses of the Lions and the Buckeyes, our suggestion is to take the over.

Carla and Crappy Show: The Contender or Pretender Edition

In the first few weeks of the season, it's hard to know what a team is all about. Even teams with high expectations -- like, say, Washington and Wisconsin* -- can stumble unexpectedly early on. (*Note: Crappy apologizes to fans of Alabama and Clemson for the inevitable losses their teams have coming -- sort of like the ones suffered by the Huskies and Badgers -- after Crappy picked them to make the final four.) This week, though, we'll find out about three of those teams, all of which have tough road games that could easily result in losses. 17 TCU at Texas (4:30 p.m., Fox): Texas may or may not be "back," but the Longhorns will provide a stiff challenge for the speedy and physical Horny Toads 24 Michigan State at Indiana (7:30 p.m., BTN): Sparty hasn't been playing inspired football, and if Indiana's offense can score a bit, this could be a happy night in Bloomington. No. 18 Wisconsin at Iowa (8:30 p.m., Fox): One week after a last-second loss at home to BYU, the Badgers will try to recover ... with a night game in Iowa City.