We’re in the home stretch of the college football season, and there’s a ton of football to watch. Note that all rankings are from the AP Poll and not the CFP Poll because I started writing this Tuesday morning.
Thursday
There are three games on today. I only have things to say about the last one.
4:00 p.m. on ESPNU: SC State at Howard
6:30 p.m. on ESPN: UTSA at FAU
7:00 p.m. on ESPN2: James Madison at Southern Miss
Sun Belt Billy’s in a tailspin recently. The last two games have shown that the problems that plagued
him at Florida are still here. Losing this game would be truly disastrous.
Friday
There are five games tonight, so I’ll talk about all of them for the heck of it.
6:00 p.m. on ESPN: Virginia Tech at SMU
SMU is the greatest football team in the country if you like to be entertained. One thing is certain, you will enjoy their games. Virginia Tech is in a weird first year under James Franklin, go look at the results to see what I mean, but this win would be great.
6:30 p.m. on ESPN2: USF at ECU
It’s football, baby, eat it up.
7:00 p.m. on Fox: Nebrnois (Nebraska at Illinois)
It’s time for the best game with a nickname derived from a weird house-divided style sweater (iykyk). These teams are both okay at best, so I expect to be wowed by something funny.
8:00 p.m. on CBSSN: #22 New Mexico at Nevada
Do not adjust your screens, that is a ranked New Mexico for the first time ever. Jason Eck is going to be going somewhere else next year, but he has the Lobos in position to usurp Boise State for the G6 playoff spot if they keep winning big.
9:15 p.m. on ESPN: TCU at #24 Arizona
Arizona almost beat Texas Tech in Lubbock, and now they get to play an overmatched TCU team. Noah Fifita is a fun QB to watch, so keep this on if you stay up late.
Saturday morning
Holy loaded 11 a.m. slate, Batman!
ABC: The Holy War of the Century (#7 BYU at #3 Utah)
ESPN forcing this game at 10 a.m. local is absolutely criminal. This game has heavy playoff implications, and the winner gets one step closer to Arlington. These two teams are very physical and match up well, so it’ll be interesting to see who wins.
ESPN: #10 Texas at #19 Missouri
This is very interesting. Both of these teams are ranked, of course, but my interest comes from the Missouri of it all. We’ve seen them look like world beaters in the Florida game, but we’ve also seen them fall flat on their face in the Ole Miss game. This is the game that determines whether the Tigers have a chance at the CFP or if that dream dies.
Fox: #5 UCLA at Minnesota
UCLA remains undefeated despite everything that should’ve stopped them from doing so. Minnesota has been inconsistent all year, but they have the pieces that give them a chance in this game. I’m not even going to try and guess what happens.
ESPN2: Clemson at Syracuse
This feels like a must-win for Clemson, or at least for Dabo. After last week’s game, Dabo was defending Mike Norvell and saying that he shouldn’t be fired. I think he knew that if Norvell was canned, Clemson might start thinking about making a change of their own. Syracuse is feisty and coming off an upset win over SMU, so it could be a good one in Upstate New York.
Saturday afternoon
This is the slot where LSU is playing because the SEC is dumb. Here are four other games to look at when that’s in a break. All but one kick at 2:30 p.m.
2:00 p.m. on ESPN: Texas A&M at #23 South Carolina
Yes, A&M is bad, but this is more about the fact that South Carolina is randomly good. Computer rankings have them as the best three-loss team, and there’s a chance they win out. With enough chaos, there’s a chance that a 9-3 South Carolina makes the CFP.
Fox: Cincinnati at #17 Houston
Utah ran over Cincinnati in the first half last week, and Houston loves to run teams over. A Cougar win keeps their fringe playoff hopes alive while a loss kills them.
CBS: Oregon at #11 Ohio State
Ohio State is not as good as they were when Julian Sayin was leading the offense, and now they’re a loss away from being on the outside of the playoff bubble. Oregon turned up the offense in last week’s win over Northwestern thanks to a change of OC. If Oregon’s offense can get something against Ohio State’s ferocious defense, they have a shot of winning.
FS1: Penn State at Washington
If you like terrible vibes and two fanbases who are not having good seasons, you’ll love Penn State-Washington. Penn State is in a weird spot after deciding to hire Matt Campbell from Iowa State instead of Bob Chesney, a guy who is as Pennsylvania as they come. Washington is just bleh and has a coach who won’t stop complaining about the lack of investment in the roster (while conveniently overlooking the fact that they spent about as much as Iowa). One of them will lose.
Saturday evening
This is where the biggest game of the night kicks. It’s such a packed slate, I got five games that deserve attention. The middle three kick at 6:30 p.m.
5:15 p.m. on ESPN: #8 Kentucky at #16 Tennessee
Tremble before the might of SEC leaders Kentucky. If the Cayuts win this one, they’re in the driver’s seat for a trip to the final SEC Championship Game with a very beatable road left. Tennessee is a feisty home underdog looking to keep their playoff hopes alive. This could be really fun.
NBC: #1 Miami (FL) at #4 Notre Dame
This is the test for both teams. Notre Dame lost their first big test at BYU, while Miami’s closest game came against Florida State somehow. If Notre Dame loses, they can kiss their playoff hopes goodbye. If Miami loses, they need to be re-examined.
ABC: #2 Georgia at #12 Ole Miss
The other team at the top of the SEC is Georgia. Despite a weird loss to Auburn, the Dawgs look as strong as ever. Ole Miss still has Super Chambliss, and he beat Georgia in their last meeting. The biggest break for Ole Miss is that it’s a home game.
Fox: #21 Iowa at Northwestern
Northwestern looked bad against Oregon last week, and that’s why I have my eye on them this week. Despite pitching a shutout last week, Iowa’s defense isn’t as good as they’ve been in years past. They’ve made up for it with a better offense, but it isn’t consistent as seen in the loss to Minnesota. It’s a matter of who shows up when needed.
6:45 p.m. on SECN: Oklahoma at #25 Florida
Ben Arbuckle is out as Oklahoma’s OC. Surely that’ll fix the John Mateer of it all. Florida has a freshman QB tasked with figuring out a Brent Venables defense. This game is going to be a glorious trainwreck.
Robert Kekaula Memorial Shift
There isn’t anything happening too late on Saturday, so I’m stretching this a little earlier than I’d like to.
8:30 p.m. on ESPN: West Virginia at #13 Texas Tech
This is the only 8:30 kick that interests me, especially when compared to Fresno State-Utah State and Hawaii-UTEP. WVU is inconsistent. They’ve had games with no defense and games with a great defense. They had a game with 76 rushes and a game with 400+ passing yards. Texas Tech should have the bodies to win this one, but we’ll see.
9:30 p.m. on The CW: Texas State at Oregon State
If you like high-powered offenses, this is the game for you. Both teams love to throw the ball, though Oregon State struggled last week, and they love to score. Add in the CW-ness of it all, and baby, you got a stew going.
9:30 p.m. on CBSSN: Wyoming at UNLV
Dan Mullen can’t escape UNLV despite his best efforts. He’s had good teams and even gotten the team ranked, but he’s yet to win the MWC title. Wyoming should be an easy foe, but the Rebels had a tough time with winless Northern Illinois last week in the same building.
Tuesday
6:00 p.m. on ESPNU: Kent State at Bowling Green
6:00 p.m. on CBSSN: Western Michigan at Akron
7:00 p.m. on ESPN2: Ohio at Miami (OH)
Wednesday
6:30 p.m. on ESPN2: Buffalo at Ball State
6:30 p.m. on ESPNU: Sacramento State at Central Michigan
6:30 p.m. on CBSSN: UMass at Toledo
