Okay, so I’ll level with you: you know how last week’s slate of college football games was unreal and there was no way that Week 2 was ever going to compare to Week 1? Well, uh, it appears that the schedule makers agree with this assessment.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some really fun games in this week’s slate, but it’s not the kind of weekend where you turn on football at noon and don’t get off of your couch until 2 a.m. Rather, this week’s kind of mellow – the kind of weekend where you can watch a game and then not feel guilty about leaving for a little to grab lunch or do the laundry or something.
But still! There is college football this weekend. It’s fun. Let’s look at the matchups you need to check out, from the start of the day all the way up until you want to go to bed:
Early Slate
FRONT AND CENTER
Noon: Penn State at Pittsburgh (ESPN)
Full disclosure: I am a Penn State alumnus. I do not like the University of Pittsburgh’s football program. I am also essentially out of fingernails at this point because I have bitten them all off.
This is a big game for both programs, as both are trying to claim supremacy in Pennsylvania. For Penn State, knocking off Pitt means that it will beat its biggest in-state rival, both in terms of on-field success and off-field things like recruiting. For Pitt, this means that it gets to call itself the undisputed best team in the commonwealth for the first time in eons. Both programs are trending upward, and this game could end up being fun to watch. It could also be a horrible, disgusting slopfest the likes of which we haven’t seen since the last time these two squads played and Pitt won 12-0 in 2000. Who knows.
All I know is James Conner is the man, and this may be pessimism setting in, but this seems like the kind of game where he announces he’s back in a big way and goes for like 120 yards and two touchdowns. I am very nervous and will watch this entire game curled up in a ball.
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
Either Noon or 12:30 p.m.: Troy at Clemson or Charleston Southern at Florida State or UCF at Michigan or Lamar at Houston or Nicholls State at Georgia (ACC Network Extra or ACC Network Extra or ABC or ESPN3 or SEC Network)
I won’t lie and say that you should expect an upset in any of these games. However, if you want to watch a good ol’ fashioned whoopin’, odds are that you’ll get a few in this group. And who knows? Maybe one of these underdog squads – the respective lines are Clemson -36.5, N/A, Michigan -36, N/A, and N/A, per Bovada – can make things interesting.
Dog Day Afternoon
FRONT AND CENTER
2 p.m.: Utah State at USC (Pac-12 Network)
3:30 p.m.: Kentucky at Florida (CBS)
Don’t let last weekend fool you: USC is a good football team, Alabama is just horrifying, and Lane Kiffin was gunning for 500 points. Unfortunately, USC gets to follow up its ‘Bama beatdown by playing a game that kicks off at 11:30 their time against a Utah State team that, while not great, is going to punch them in the mouth repeatedly. Keep an eye on JuJu Smith-Schuster, who caught one ball against the Crimson Tide and will try his hardest to carve up a solid Aggies secondary. Also, Chuckie Keeton is no longer at Utah State, which is sad, but Kent Myers is a pretty good quarterback who has the potential to make this game intriguing.
Quick question: what is the longest active winning streak for one opponent over another in college football?
(say Florida over Kentucky)
That’s right! It’s Florida over Kentucky! The Gators and the Wildcats have played every year since 1987, and Florida has not lost once in that time. That’s 29 consecutive wins over Kentucky, and while plenty of people thought this might be the year, the Wildcats went out and lost 44-35 to Southern Miss last week. Still, watch this one because even though Florida is (probably) a better team and the game’s in Gainesville, it’s always fun to watch something historic happen. (Unless, of course, your team is the one that loses. That’s not that fun.)
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
3:30 p.m.: Western Kentucky at Alabama (ESPN2)
4 p.m.: Ball State at Indiana (ESPNEWS)
Western Kentucky is known for being really, really fun under Jeff Brohm. The Hilltoppers went 12-2 last season and scored fewer than 30 points twice: once against Vandy, once against LSU, both on the road. Of course, it’s a new year, and Alabama is college football’s version of a black hole. The Crimson Tide are in all likelihood going to maul the Hilltoppers, but this game has a little chaos potential (admittedly not much, but a little).
Hey, speaking of chaos, let’s talk about my favorite college football program: the Indiana Hoosiers! Indiana is so perfect because they’re the team that epitomizes everything that makes college football so great – absolutely anything can happen when the Hoosiers take the field. This is especially true when they play Ball State, as Hoosiers coach Kevin Wilson has never beaten the Cardinals (in fairness, both games came during his first two years when IU went a combined 5-19). Indiana should win this one, but if you’re looking for *actual* potential chaos, look no further than this game.
Under the Lights
FRONT AND CENTER
7 p.m.: Arkansas at TCU (ESPN)
8 p.m.: Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee (at Bristol Motor Speedway) (ABC)
In all honesty, Va. Tech at Tennessee may not be that great of a game – we saw last week that the Vols either have a way to go before they’re ready to compete for the SEC title, or they’re just not that great. And no one knows what to expect with the Hokies under new head coach *Mack Brown voice* Justin Fuente. But it’s being played at a dang NASCAR track, so visually, it’s going to be cool. Seriously, look at this!
https://twitter.com/BMSupdates/status/773159058790617089
That’s insane! Anyway, Tennessee, for how it looked last week, is still really talented, while Virginia Tech wide receiver Isaiah Ford is a total beast. Heck, just watch Isaiah Ford every weekend. He’s fantastic.
If you want a game that will definitely be fun, watch what’s going to happen when the Hogs travel to Fort Worth. Arkansas always manages to play in games that go completely insane, as does TCU. Last week, Arkansas beat Louisiana Tech, 21-20, and TCU beat South Dakota State, 59-41. This game is going to be silly. If Va. Tech vs. Tennessee turns into messy football, definitely throw this on. Even if it doesn’t, this game has the potential to be the best one that you’ll see this weekend.
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
7:30 p.m.: BYU at Utah (FOX)
7:30 p.m.: Iowa State at Iowa (Big Ten Network)
Two really great rivalry games will warrant your attention on Saturday. First, there’s BYU and Utah, who will face off for the 97th Holy War. This game is going to be really ugly, and both teams are going to attempt to grind out a gross win. It won’t be the most aesthetically pleasing game of the weekend, but emotions will be high and you’ll probably see at least one grown man cry no matter the outcome.
And then there’s the most important game of the weekend, ¡El Assico! For the uninitiated, this is the annual meeting between Iowa and Iowa State, and this year’s game is hosted by the Hawkeyes. Odds are Iowa is going to roll Iowa State, but respect the G.O.A.T. rivalry in North American sports and watch this for a little.
The Late Show
FRONT AND CENTER
10 p.m.: Texas Tech at Arizona State (FS1)
10:15 p.m.: Washington State at Boise State (ESPN2)
10:30 p.m.: California at San Diego State (CBS Sports Network)
SECOND SCREEN SPECIAL
10:30 p.m.: Virginia at Oregon (ESPN)
Any of these games can be front and center and any of them can be on a second screen. At least one of these games is going to be completely bonkers – my money is on Cal vs. SDSU, as Cal’s combination of high-octane offense and not great defense doesn’t match up very well against San Diego State’s stout defense and stellar running game led by Donnel Pumphrey (this year’s award winner for best college football player you’ve never heard of). Seriously, if he runs for 1,500 yards this year, he’ll end his career with the sixth-most yards (5,870) in the history of the sport. Considering how he ran for 1,867 yards as a sophomore and 1,653 as a junior, that seems entirely possible. Donnel Pumphrey rules, and you should love him is what I’m trying to say. Let’s move on.
Washington State is going to try to throw for all the yards on a really good Boise State team (shocker: Boise State is really good), Texas Tech and Arizona State has “first to 50 wins … maybe” written all over it, and considering that Virginia got mollywhopped by Richmond last week and this game kicks off at 10:30 p.m. EST, Oregon may beat the spirit of the Lord out of them.
Considering how this isn’t the best weekend of the year, you should definitely stay up late and watch some of these. And who knows? Maybe one of these games will be better than anything we saw during the first week of the season.
