The college football season continues to roll on all too fast. We’re already into late October with five weeks left in the regular season. Feels like I just got back from my summer vacation a couple of
weeks ago but in reality I need to think about raking the leaves in my lawn in time for the vacuum truck to make its first pass. Hell, I haven’t even started on my son’s Halloween costume yet. Rocky’s garbage truck from Paw Patrol isn’t going to make itself out of cardboard boxes after all.
If there was a football equivalent to the Sunday blues we’re starting to creep into that territory. I start to get that sinking feeling when I can count a team’s remaining games on one hand when that graphic pops up during a broadcast. Think about how much has changed between week one and today. Back on Labor Day weekend Penn State was #2 in the country, everyone was expecting Indiana to come crashing back to reality, and most folks would’ve scoffed at the idea of private equity taking a stake in one of the country’s biggest conferences. Fast forward nine weeks and all three of those have been turned upside down, not to mention so many more.
Speaking of those Nittany Lions, last Saturday’s game was quintessential Iowa-Penn State and I’m jealous of all of you who were able to attend. It’s a shame that game was only available on Peacock because Kinnick After Dark 100% delivered and that juice came through loud and clear on the broadcast. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen an Iowa quarterback play hero the way Mark Gronowski did and it stands out by far as his signature moment in the black and gold, but I’d love it if he’d have a few more this season. The only thing that would’ve made that win better would have been if James Franklin had still been on the sideline and for Kirk to be the one to end his era at Penn State. Still, this’ll do just fine.
Here’s whats on deck for this weekend. Schedule graphics courtesy of Projection Sports.
Thursday, October 23
Friday, October 24
Saturday, October 25
Saturday begins with a couple of very interesting games that have ramifications on the top ten: UCLA at #2 Indiana and Syracuse at #7 Georgia Tech. UCLA has been on a tear since taking down Penn State, winning three in a row after starting 0-4. They have a chance to shock the world again if they can find that same magic against the Hoosiers. Meanwhile, Syracuse also travels to a top ten venue with hopes of righting their season. Since their victory over Clemson in week four they’ve lost three in a row. But the Orange have had a knack for upsets in the past, so I think this game will be a fun one to keep an eye on.
#8 Ole Miss at #13 Oklahoma is your headline game for the morning on ABC. The Sooners bounced back against South Carolina last week while the Rebels faltered against Georgia. With the top of the SEC being as crowded as it is, both teams can’t afford to lose more ground if they hope to compete for a conference championship, not to mention keeping their playoff resume from taking another hit. At the very least this would count as one of those “good losses” the SEC loves to trot out come early December.
Elsewhere we have Northwestern at Nebraska with the Wildcats hoping to hand the Husker’s their second consecutive loss, and #18 South Florida at Memphis pitting two mid major teams fighting for national rankings.
In the afternoon the games continue to be strong with #15 Missouri at #10 Vanderbilt leading the way. The Commodores got their first win against LSU in 35 years last Saturday and they’re now 6-1 for the first time since 1950. Missouri managed to squeeze by Auburn a week ago so this week should present a tougher test. Side note: three teams with tiger mascots is too much for one conference.
Anyway, Iowa State returns from their bye week to host #11 BYU with their playoff hopes on life support. Dropping back to back games against Cincinnati and Colorado will do that. The Cyclones’ last hope for a spot rests with a conference championship but they can’t afford any more slip ups.
Of course there’s Minnesota at Iowa for Floyd of Rosedale on CBS. Iowa is in its best stretch in the history of the series, winning ten of the last eleven meetings going back to 2015, and has won 19 of 25 going back to the beginning of this millennium. It’s obvious Floyd prefers wintering in Iowa over the frozen wastes up north.
Elsewhere in the afternoon we’ll see if #4 Alabama can continue their resurgence when they visit South Carolina, if Oklahoma State can hand #14 Texas Tech their second loss of the season, and if #9 Miami can bounce back when they host Stanford. You could also watch Wisconsin at #6 Oregon if you enjoy seeing Badger football continue to implode (which we all do).
Finally, the evening brings us #3 Texas A&M at #20 LSU on ABC as the stock Ranked SEC Game of the WeekTM. #25 Michigan and Michigan State renew their heated rivalry, and Houston travels to #24 Arizona State. The A&M-LSU game brings the rankings and glitz of high profile football, but I’m really interested in those last two. Michigan-MSU has given us amazing games in the past, and the Spartans could snap a four game losing streak with an upset. In the Big XII, Arizona State and Houston are tied for third place, so it’s highly likely a loss dooms either team’s dream of a conference championship.
Enjoy your weekend folks!
