Texas A&M is on bye this week, which means that you can spend your Saturday doing household chores spending time with loved ones watching other college football games instead! With the Aggies not in action, here are the games you should have on your radar, either because they impact the Ags or simply because they’ll be a fun watch.
1. #22 Auburn at #11 Oklahoma
2:30 p.m., ABC
With the Tigers being A&M’s next opponent on Sept. 27, watching this game is a natural fit. Auburn got a road win at Baylor in Week 1 and faces another big test against
the Sooners, and will shape a lot of the expectations around their game in College Station next weekend. This is also Jackson Arnold’s return to Norman, and who doesn’t love a good narrative?
2. #17 Texas Tech at #16 Utah
11 a.m., FOX
Two Big 12 undefeateds looking to stake their claim as the conference front-runner and firmly plant themselves as a College Football Playoff contender. Red Raider fans will definitely start getting insufferable online if they win this one, so plan your rooting interests accordingly.
3. South Carolina at #23 Missouri
6 p.m., ESPN
It’s two teams on the Aggies’ schedule, so it’s worth a watch to try and figure out who we should be worrying about more. It does appear that after leaving last week’s game with an injury, South Carolina QB LaNorris Sellers is on track to play in this game, so that could make it interesting, even if Mizzou enters as the favorite.
4. SMU at TCU
11 a.m., ESPN 2
It’s a battle for Metroplex superiority between the Mustangs and the Frogs! When you get this kind of classic Big 12/ACC matchup, you don’t pass it up, plus we don’t know the next time the Iron Skillet game will get played, so best tune in while you can.
5. Nebraska at #21 Michigan
2:30 p.m., CBS
Do I think either of these teams is elite or will challenge to win the Big Ten? No. But it’s two blue blood programs facing off against one another, and if nothing else, the uniform matchup should be sublime. So it’s at least worth a check-in from time to time.
6. Purdue at #24 Notre Dame
2:30 p.m., NBC
Make no mistake, Texas A&M fans should also be Notre Dame fans the rest of the way, wanting the Irish to win as many games as possible to make the Aggies’ win in South Bend look as good as it possibly can. That starts with wanting Notre Dame to obliterate the Boilermakers.
7. Florida at #4 Miami
6:30 p.m., ABC
The Gators are just trying to keep car from skidding into the ditch after two straight losses, and knowing that they travel to Texas Oct. 4, a loss to the Hurricanes here starts to open up the possibility that Billy Napier isn’t even around by the time this team comes to College Station on Oct. 11.
8. #9 Illinois at #19 Indiana
6:30 p.m., NBC
This game may not excite anyone from a brand perspective, but these may be the best teams in the Big Ten not named Ohio State/Oregon/Penn State. You could do a lot worse than tuning into this one on a Saturday evening.
9. Tulane at #13 Ole Miss
2:30 p.m., ESPN
The Rebels are a 12-.5-point favorite here, but Tulane is 3-0 and has already taken down two power conference teams this season (Northwestern and Duke), so they shouldn’t be completely dismissed, especially with Ole Miss potentially starting a backup QB for the second straight week. Plus the Lane Kiffin press conference following a loss would be must-watch television.
10. Washington at Washington State
6:30 p.m., CBS
It’s great to see the Apple Cup still being played, and you know that the Cougar faithful are going to have Pullman rocking. You gotta think the Huskies win this one (they’re 20-point favorites), but it would be easily the most fun upset of the weekend if it happened.
11. Oregon State at #6 Oregon
2 p.m., Big Ten Network
This one may be a bit harder to find on the channel guide, and promises to be a blowout from the jump, but the Civil War will always get me to stop in for a few minutes. If nothing else, they’re known for doing color-on-color uniform matchups, which I am always a big supporter of.
12. Sam Houston at #8 Texas
7 p.m., ESPN+
There is a 0% chance Sam Houston wins this game, but I am not above a Longhorn hate watch just to see if Arch’s accuracy struggles continue.
