There’s college football on all weekend, and we expect you to watch the bejeebers out of it. And we’re once again willing to help you figure out the best of your viewing options. As always, the full (and we mean full, because you might want to find out what time the Pacific Lutheran game kicks off) schedule is below. It first here are the highlights in each viewing window.
Thursday night: Back in my day we watched mid-tier ACC football and dadgummit we LOVED it!
In these modern times college football
fans have become a little spoiled in terms of viewing options. Even a midseason Thursday usually brings some choices for how to invest your viewing time. Not this Thursday, buddy. If you’re watching college football while you wait for Grey’s Anatomy to come back from its summer hiatus then you’ll be watching Syracuse at Pitt on ESPN. Thrill to a Fran Brown coached team doing something freaky deaky on special teams to extend a drive then punting from the 45. Enjoy the spectacle of 5,300 fans enjoying the crisp mugginess of Pittsburgh in mid-September (it’s a particular thing, trust me). Yinz are in for a treat.
Friday night: Old rivalry, new juice.
Houston and Texas Tech have played 36 times going back to 1951, with the Cougars holding a slim 18-17-1 margin over the Red Raiders. But this matchup between #22 ranked Houston and #13 Texas Tech is only the third time they’ve met as ranked opponents. The last was in 1989 when the Houstonians were quarterbacked by Andre Ware. For low key hate and offensive hijinx, this game is your best bet. The game kicks at 8:00 Athens time on FOX.
Saturday early: There is, for the third week running, but one correct answer. But query me this: now that we knowthe Oklahoma game next week is a 3:30 start, is it possible Georgia won’t play a night time kickoff before Georgia Tech in November? I believe it is.
Also, for reasons I don’t fully understand, Arizona State and Kansas will be playing at noon eastern/5:00 pm local time in London, England. Again, I don’t understand. And I don’t know that anyone affiliated with Arizona State football owns any clothing appropriate for a drizzly London fall evening. But I guess we’ll see?
Saturday afternoon: Don’t get cocky, unless you’re Kamario Taylor, then it’s fine.
You could watch Florida State play Alabama at Tuscaloosa on ABC at 3:30, but Mike Norvell probably wishes you wouldn’t. You’ll learn little or nothing from this one other than that Keelon Russell has the potential to be Kalen DeBoer’s savior or his downfall. And that Mike Norvell probably shouldn’t bother making reservations for the New Years brunch at the Tallahassee Country Club.
You could also catch Kentucky traveling to College Station to play Texas A&M, a thing which is apparently possible. Who knew? But again, not sure there’s much to be gleaned from this one. Instead after watching the Dawgs make pulled pork of the Arkansas Razorbacks I’m turning over to SEC Network at 4:15 to catch Mississippi State at South Carolina. Normally this wouldn’t be a compelling matchup. But the Gamecocks are back on the Bulldogs’ schedule and Mississippi State features the SEC’s leading passer (290.0 yards per game, 7 TDs, 0 interceptions) in Kamario Taylor.
Saturday night: Ole Miss fans dream of rearranging Lane’s chakras.
Again, I think there’s only one answer here.
Lane returns to the Grove as #7 LSU visits #8 Ole Miss. I think the Lane hype has gotten a little over its skis in Baton Rouge, but paradoxically I also think this is the high water mark of the Pete Golding era, as the talent Lane found and brought to Oxford (but don’t take with him to Baton Rouge) may be enough to beat the Bayou Bengals.
FULL COLLEGE FOOTBALL SCHEDULE
Thursday, Sept. 17
Syracuse at Pitt | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
Friday, Sept. 18
No. 5 Miami (Fla.) at Wake Forest | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN
No. 22 Houston at No. 13 Texas Tech | 8 p.m. | FOX
Portland State at No. 21 Oregon | 10:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Saturday, Sept. 19
Coastal Carolina at Delaware | 11:30 a.m. | CBSSN
No. 2 Georgia at Arkansas | 12 p.m. | ABC
Kent State at No. 6 Ohio State | 12 p.m. | FOX
Buffalo at No. 14 Penn State | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Tulane at Kansas State | 12 p.m. | ESPN2
Bowling Green at Iowa State | 12 p.m. | ESPNU
Arizona State at Kansas | 12 p.m. | FS1
Mercer at Georgia Tech | 12 p.m. | ACC Network
North Carolina at Clemson | 12 p.m. | ESPN/Disney+
Akron at Minnesota | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
North Texas at Texas State | 12 p.m. | USA Network
Lafayette at Columbia | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Dartmouth at Lehigh | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
West Georgia at East Tennessee State | 12 p.m. | ESPN+
Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin | 12:30 p.m. | Peacock
NC State at Vanderbilt | 12:45 p.m. | SEC Network
Wyoming at Central Michigan | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Chicago State at Butler | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Cornell at Colgate | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Valparaiso at Indiana State | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
VMI at Davidson | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Benedict College at Fort Valley State | 1 p.m. | ESPN+
Adrian at Mount St. Joseph | 1 p.m. | YouTube
Maine at Boston College | 2 p.m. | ACCNX
Southern Illinois at Illinois | 2 p.m. | Peacock
Yale at Holy Cross | 2 p.m. | ESPN+
Rockford at Concordia Chicago | 2 p.m. | YouTube
Lakeland at Wisconsin Lutheran | 2 p.m. | YouTube
Presbyterian at Western Carolina | 2:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Temple at Toledo | 3 p.m. | CBSSN
Eastern Illinois at Illinois State | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Central Connecticut at Montana State | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Penn at Bucknell | 3 p.m. | ESPN+
Kentucky at No. 9 Texas A&M | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN
Florida State at No. 10 Alabama | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
No. 12 USC at Rutgers | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN2
Utah State at No. 17 Utah | 3:30 p.m. | FOX
UTEP at No. 19 Michigan | 3:30 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Wagner at Cal | 3:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Duquesne at Washington State | 3:30 p.m. | USA Network
Stonehill at UMass | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Georgetown at Richmond | 3:30 p.m. | ESPN+
Western Kentucky at No. 4 Indiana | 4 p.m. | Peacock
UNI at No. 18 Iowa | 4 p.m. | FS1
Stanford at Duke | 4 p.m. | CW
Ball State at Liberty | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Louisiana Tech at Baylor | 4 p.m. | ESPNU
Abilene Christian at Idaho | 4 p.m. | ESPN+
Mississippi State at South Carolina | 4:15 p.m. | SEC Network
SE Louisiana at UL Monroe | 4:30 p.m. | ESPN+
East Carolina at Old Dominion | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Florida International at Florida Atlantic | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Charlotte at Appalachian State | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
North Carolina Central at Gardner-Webb | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Fordham at William & Mary | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Dayton at Eastern Kentucky | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Point University at Charleston Southern | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Wofford at Chattanooga | 6 p.m. | ESPN+
Marshall at Missouri State | 6:30 p.m. | CBSSN
Troy at No. 20 Missouri | 7 p.m. | SECN+
Florida at Auburn | 7 p.m. | ESPN
Georgia State at UCF | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Murray State at Oklahoma State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
UConn at Southern Miss | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
UT Martin at Memphis | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Western Michigan at Rice | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Delaware State at South Florida | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Nevada at Middle Tennessee | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Ohio at South Alabama | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Georgia Southern at Jacksonville State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Nicholls at Sam Houston | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Youngstown State at South Dakota State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
South Carolina State at Furman | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Austin Peay at West Florida | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Central Arkansas at SE Missouri State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Alcorn State at North Alabama | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Morehead State at Western Illinois | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Merrimack at Tarleton State | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
Houston Christian at UIW | 7 p.m. | ESPN+
North Dakota at Nebraska | 7:15 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Eastern Washington at Washington | 7:15 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame | 7:30 p.m. | NBC
No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
No. 11 BYU at Colorado State | 7:30 p.m. | CBS
New Mexico at No. 24 Oklahoma | 7:30 p.m. | ESPN2
West Virginia vs. No. 25 Virginia (in Charlotte, N.C.) | 7:30 p.m. | ACC Network
Colorado at Northwestern | 7:30 p.m. | FOX
Virginia Tech at Maryland | 7:30 p.m. | FS1
Kennesaw State at No. 15 Tennessee | 7:45 p.m. | SEC Network
UTSA at No. 1 Texas | 8 p.m. | SECN+
Arkansas State at TCU | 8 p.m. | ESPNU
East Texas A&M at Tulsa | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
UAB at Louisiana | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
San Diego at Cal Poly | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Northern Arizona at Utah Tech | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Northeastern State at Northern Colorado | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Northwestern State at Weber State | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
McNeese at UT Rio Grande Valley | 8 p.m. | ESPN+
Pacific Lutheran at Trinity (TX) | 8 p.m. | YouTube
South Dakota at Boise State | 10 p.m. | CBSSN
James Madison at San Diego State | 10 p.m. | CW
Stetson at UC Davis | 10 p.m. | ESPN+
Northern Illinois at Arizona | 10:30 p.m. | TNT
North Dakota State at Sacramento State | 10:30 p.m. | ESPN
Purdue at UCLA | 11 p.m. | Big Ten Network
Montana at Oregon State | 11 p.m. | USA Network
Fresno State at San Jose State | 11 p.m. | FS1
