By Cody McClure

Hello again. It is now October. I write to you today for the first time in a couple weeks. Last week was Tennessee’s bye week, so some of us here at Fanrun took a bye week ourselves.

Could I have written this article last week? Sure. But people around here were sick and it rained all week. So, you know, excuses.

I don’t remember what I wrote two weeks ago. No need to rehash it. I’m sure it was all wrong.

Quite the game down in Alabama Saturday though, huh? Probably the game of the year so far.

In the first half it seemed like the Tide was going to run Georgia all the damn way out of the stadium and through the parking lot down Bear Bryant Drive and onto McFarland Boulevard then east onto I-20 back to Birmingham before heading south down I-65 to Montgomery and diverting onto Highway 231 south to the Florida border and all the way down to Panama City and right into the fucking Gulf of Mexico.

But Georgia withstood the blows that put them down 28-0 and climbed all the way back to take a 34-33 lead! — before ultimately succumbing 41-34. All that for nothing.

Alabama said “Not in my house. No, no, no.” RIP Dikembe Mutombo.

Anyway, big win for Kalen Deboer in year one. It’s not easy to fill the shoes of Nick Saban, but this baseball cap-wearing prick is off to a hot start. See you sons-a-bitches in Neyland.

Here’s what I’m looking at in Week 6:

5. The National Championship rematch

Granted, neither of these teams are what they were in January. Michigan lost a lot — particularly their coach and cheating coordinator — and Washington also lost their coach and stud quarterback.

Still, this is a primetime contest and a rematch of the natty. It’s also the only decent game on in the primetime window outside of our local interest in watching the Vols handle Arkansas.

And I know how you multi-screen folks are. You need the stimulation. You can’t just settle for watching Tennessee. You need different places for your eyes to go, and you like to gamble, and I get that.

Why focus on just watching Tennessee when you can also watch a six-leg parlay fall apart?

This will be an interesting game. Washington is a 2.5-point favorite at home over a Michigan team that plays tough defense and runs a unique offense inspired by their 1901 championship squad.

You know, that was supposed to be a shot at Michigan’s outdated offense, but after doing a little research it appears that 1901 team was ELITE on offense. And defense. In fact, I think I may have stumbled upon the most dominant team of all time. Forget 2001 Miami. Look at what these boys did!

*Michigan kicked everyone's ass in 1901. Credit: Wikipedia*

I don’t give a damn if it was 1901. They won a game 128-0 against Buffalo. Worst defeat ever for that city before losing four straight Super Bowls.

Anyway, I like Washington in the game.

4. Is Mizzou at A&M a playoff qualifier?

Sounds weird, but I think it could be. The schedules set up nicely for both of these squads.

The Aggies are quietly 4-1 since losing to Notre Dame to open the season. This is a big home game against the No. 9 team in the land. A&M’s schedule down the stretch is as follows: at Mississippi State, LSU, at South Carolina, New Mexico State, at Auburn, Texas.

Avoiding Alabama and Georgia is huge for the Aggies, as all of those games are winnable up to the classic rivalry renewal against the Longhorns. If A&M navigates this schedule to 10-2 they’ll likely be in the mix to make the playoff with at least a couple ranked wins at that point.

Same goes for Mizzou. The Tigers are still undefeated. Win this one on the road and then its at UMass (weird), Auburn, at Alabama, Oklahoma, at South Carolina, at Mississippi State, Arkansas. The only for-sure loss there is Alabama.

I don’t personally think Missouri should be in the playoff, but if they win this week they’ll have a good chance of navigating the rest of that schedule with only 1-2 losses and will pick up a couple ranked wins along the way.

So my prediction here is as the headline says. The winner of this game will make the College Football Playoff as an at-large team.

I wonder what Jimbo Fisher is doing this weekend. If I was him I’d be vacationing in the Mediterranean for at least a couple years.

$77 Million to not coach. That’s still such an astonishing number. I wonder if he’s gambling. I’d probably be gambling and trying to fend off the demons of a brand new coke habit. A house in the hills. A house on the ocean. A brand new Ford Focus. So many options with $77 Million. Good for Jimbo.

*A brand new Ford Focus. Credit: carmax*

3. Hang on, Billy, don’t let go

One more week, Billy Napier. One more week.

It’s been my goal all year. Tennessee beats down Florida so badly that it’s the last straw for the Gators administration and Tennessee gets him fired. So far everything has gone to plan.

Florida has already been embarrassed at home twice by Miami and Texas A&M, but the wins over Samford and at Mississippi State have been just enough to keep this imbecile employed.

Now that Billy has survived the first bye week, it is apparent that the administration is willing to keep him around for a little while longer.

We teeter on a fine line this week. If Florida loses to UCF, he might get canned, or he might still narrowly avoid the canning. If Florida wins, it might save his ass for a few more weeks despite getting beat down in Knoxville.

I think we need to root for Florida to lose a close one. And that’s roughly what the spread would predict. (UCF -2.5).

If Florida comes into Knoxville at 2-3 and we hammer that ass like I think we’re going to, I believe it will spell the end for Napier. We might be able to get it done even if they beat UCF, because I think we are going to beat Florida by 40 points.

Imagine the unrest Gator Nation will be feeling.

By the way, if you’re a Tennessee fan and still worried about this Florida team, stop being a coward. The dark days are done. They suck!

#GetBillyFiredInKnox

2. Is Lane Kiffin a fraud?

Hey look at me, I’m on TikTok with my daughter while she’s putting on makeup. I am hip and I am cool.

Oh no! I’ve just lost to Kentucky at home!

I don’t think these two things are connected, really, but the optics aren’t good. At least Kiffin admitted last week that the schedule Ole Miss had played hadn’t prepared them for Kentucky.

*Lane Kiffin with his daughter. Credit: TikTok.*

It begs the question — is Lane Kiffin a fraud?

Every time a high-profile coaching search comes around, Kiffin’s name gets tossed in the hat. Every fan base that has a loser coach wants Kiffin instead.

I get it. He’s brash, he’s cocky, and he’s a winner… to a point. But is he also exceptionally overrated as a coach? He might be. What’s Kiffin’s best win? No. 12 LSU last year is probably the answer. But against the big dogs, Kiffin’s teams haven’t really been close.

Would it be so bad if Florida hired Kiffin? It would at a minimum be very fun. But I don’t think I’d be scared. I used to think Kiffin would be dangerous having big-time resources and big-time talent, but now I’m not so sure of that. Not ready to call him a fraud, but he’s trending toward above average in my book.

The Rebs have got a big one at South Carolina this week. I’d call it a must win.

I wonder what Layla Kiffin is up to these days. That old fox. Maybe she’s with Jimbo now. I would be. And I’m not even gay. But for $77 Million you could convince me to do a lot of things. Would you be gay for $77 Million? Let me know in the comments.

1. I-40

The main thing I will be looking at this weekend is Interstate 40. It’s a long damn way from Knoxville to Fayetteville, Arkansas, but that’s where me and the boys are headed.

I’m looking forward to my annual college football road trip, as it appears Tennessee is set to barbecue the Hogs. The Vols are a 14-point favorite. Two years ago, the fellas and I hit the road for LSU and boy was that fun. Hopefully this trip will have similar vibes.

Last year, I put on my clown makeup and drove to Tuscaloosa to watch Joe Milton. Not nearly as fun as 2022.

I’m looking forward to showing the boys around my old stomping grounds before heading up to NWA. They’ll be able to see the field where I played football as a varsity athlete and the riverside parking lot where I drank copious amounts of Jim Beam as an underage tosspot.

My hope for this game is that we have a standout performance from Nico or Sampson, and the UT Football social media department is able to use a graphic titled “never would have made it through the Arkansas mud if I hadn’t been riding on a Tennessee stud” with the stat line from a big-time performance.

This is a nod to the song “Tennessee Stud,” written by Jimmy Driftwood, who originally recorded and released it in 1959. It was performed by Johnny Cash and Hank Williams, Jr., among others.

Driftwood is from a tiny, tiny town (hardly even a town) called Timbo, Arkansas. Timbo is an extremely rural place near which many of my people still reside. My now-deceased uncle was a good friend of Jimmy’s. Fun fact.

RIP Letus Avey.

Also — RIP Dikembe Mutombo. RIP Kris Kristofferson. RIP Pete Rose. RIP the guy from American Pickers.

Someone please let the UT Football social media department know that we need to use “Tennessee Stud” on the post-game graphic.

CODY’S ‘FIVE THINGS I’M LOOKING AT’ WEEK 6

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Fanrun Fantasy Football Fight Power Rankings: Week 5