GKJ
Global Moderator
- Feb 27, 2002
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Now that it is October, we're starting to look ahead to some of the rivalries and where some of these undefeated teams might get tripped up. I'm not sure the schedule this week does much for that with only one ranked matchup, and kind of a soft schedule. All of this considering we have a theoretical rematch of last year's national championship game. Good week to have baseball playoffs.
There are no baseball playoffs on Friday night, where both games are on the Fox side, and luckily two ranked teams, although not playing each other, both games with 9pm starts.
Fox College Football Friday, on actual Fox, pits two Big Ten teams, once again playing their first game as Big Ten rivals. Out in Eugene, #6 Oregon welcomes a familiar coaching foe, former Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith brings the Michigan State Spartans fresh off of losing to Ohio State 38-7. The Ducks are favored by 23.5 as of this writing.
The Runnin' Rebels of #25 UNLV have had an awful lot going on. More like U-NIL-V amirite? It's been well documented that starting QB Matt Sluka has left the team over an NIL dispute. But it was no problem last week with Hajj-Malik Williams, a transfer from Campbell (?!) taking over, and after running over Fresno State 59-14, they are ranked in the AP poll for the first time in program history. They also have been courted by the Pac-X to make the jump across. Beating Syracuse out of a power conference would go a long way toward their case for being the top ranked G5 team and a spot in the Expanded College Football Playoff. UNLV is the favorite by 6.5. This may actually be the more compelling game on Friday, airing on FS1.
Big Noon Kickoff is in Happy Valley. As I said, the schedule is a bit soft this week, so they have to settle for yet another non-A program. For the first time #7 Penn State sees UCLA in Big Ten play, and UCLA stinks. This is a mismatch, but the faculty can't be too careful, the boosters will expect them to support James Franklin in covering a 28-point spread. Noon start.
Our only ranked matchup comes from the SEC, with former Big 12 rivals playing at noon. No, it's not Red River time yet, this is #9 Missouri, despite being undefeated, has not looked the part against two power conference teams (BC and Vandy). Texas A&M - also ranked #25 (it was a tie), hosts the Tigers at noon, and the home team is slightly favored. This one's on ABC.
Sneaky good matchup, also at noon, #22 Louisville plays SMU for the first time as ACC rivals. Both teams only have 1 loss. SMU completely wasted Florida State 42-16, while Louisville is coming off a loss a Notre Dame. Louisville -6.5 on ESPN
In the mid-afternoon 3:30 slot, CBS gets #3 Ohio State again, should be the best Big Ten game of the week, they host Iowa, whose only loss was to in-state rival Iowa State at the last second. OSU -18.5, and the over/under is usually one to watch in Iowa games, set at 45.5. Iowa has not won in Columbus since 1991.
The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is the SEC on ABC game in the afternoon. It's the second most-played matchup in FBS. Auburn gave one away last week at home to Oklahoma, and now they make the trip to Athens, where #5 Georgia has been stewing all week after losing one of the best college football games we've seen. Georgia is favored by 22, but you can throw out the record books in this rivalry.
#12 Ole Miss felt the heat for the first time last week playing someone who wasn't a shithouse program, and they got skunked by Kentucky, who they hadn't lost to at home since the 70s. Will they get right against South Carolina? They are 9 point favorites on the road, on ESPN.
Shoutout Indiana, they are 5-0 and ranked for the first time since before Michael Penix transferred, they are in there at #23 and at Northwestern, favored by 14. BTN has the game.
By the way, we have a new #1 team in the AP poll, after what felt like the Game of the Century last week, Alabama looked like they were going to boatrace Georgia early, and look like they had blown a huge lead in short order, only to be bailed out in the end by their star freshmen. They get a trip to Vanderbilt, who are 2-2, have played tight games. The Tide, favored by 22.5, might be caught napping. This is a SEC Network game.
Moving to the night time, it's yet another chance for Florida State to turn down the temperature after their 1-4 start. Unfortunately, it's not going to be the DJ Uiagalelei revenge game as he is injured, and may be in witness protection. Brock Glenn takes over, and he gets a #17 Clemson, who are now putting up points after getting slapped around by Georgia. Clemson is a road favorite by 14.5, and with a win Dabo Swinney will set an ACC record, passing Bobby Bowden with 174 wins. Maybe that will give the Seminoles some extra incentive to not let that happen in their house.
NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night has the rematch nobody is talking about, or as I noted, really even asked for. Except maybe the kids out in Seattle. It's easy to forget with all the changes to the two teams, that we have a rematch of last season's College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Doesn't quite have the heft as it does when Georgia and Alabama do it, in part because the game wasn't very good, but Washington - unranked at 3-2 - hosts #10 Michigan, and it sounds like everyone's smelling upset because it's the Huskies who are currently favored, by 1.5 points. Most of the main names have changed, but the fans don't. We'll see if the energy is matched.
ABC's SEC prime time feature once again is giving us #4 Tennessee. They are rested and are ready to end a three-game losing streak in Fayetteville. But are they looking past Arkansas? They have 4 consecutive home games after this week. Arkansas has not beaten an AP Top 5 team since beating Tennessee in 1999. Vols favored by 13.5. Chris and Kirk are on the call, and it might be the first time Kirk has to make the midday trip to a game that will be played prior to the GameDay site.
That's because ESPN's College GameDay is going After Dark. I don't know the last time they've been on campus for an After Dark game, but they're out at Cal for the first time ever, when the show will likely being while it is still dark out. The game itself won't be until 10:30 EDT. It's Cal's first ACC home game, and they welcome The U, ranked at #8, coming off of a controversial, some would say screwjob win, over Virginia Tech last Friday. Miami boasts QB Cam Ward, a Stanley Cup winning goaltender in a previous life, now being discussed for the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Miami is favored by 10, Cal is 3-1, and a win will take them a long way since they had a weak SOS to start, and were ignominious losers to Florida State two weeks ago, 14-9. Cal doesn't currently have another ranked opponent on the schedule.
Other After Dark game has 4-1 Texas Tech and 3-1 Arizona at 11pm on Fox. Arizona is -6.5. This week I learned that there's a law in Arizona that no college football game can begin before 6pm local, in September.
But it's October.
There are no baseball playoffs on Friday night, where both games are on the Fox side, and luckily two ranked teams, although not playing each other, both games with 9pm starts.
Fox College Football Friday, on actual Fox, pits two Big Ten teams, once again playing their first game as Big Ten rivals. Out in Eugene, #6 Oregon welcomes a familiar coaching foe, former Oregon State head coach Jonathan Smith brings the Michigan State Spartans fresh off of losing to Ohio State 38-7. The Ducks are favored by 23.5 as of this writing.
The Runnin' Rebels of #25 UNLV have had an awful lot going on. More like U-NIL-V amirite? It's been well documented that starting QB Matt Sluka has left the team over an NIL dispute. But it was no problem last week with Hajj-Malik Williams, a transfer from Campbell (?!) taking over, and after running over Fresno State 59-14, they are ranked in the AP poll for the first time in program history. They also have been courted by the Pac-X to make the jump across. Beating Syracuse out of a power conference would go a long way toward their case for being the top ranked G5 team and a spot in the Expanded College Football Playoff. UNLV is the favorite by 6.5. This may actually be the more compelling game on Friday, airing on FS1.
Big Noon Kickoff is in Happy Valley. As I said, the schedule is a bit soft this week, so they have to settle for yet another non-A program. For the first time #7 Penn State sees UCLA in Big Ten play, and UCLA stinks. This is a mismatch, but the faculty can't be too careful, the boosters will expect them to support James Franklin in covering a 28-point spread. Noon start.
Our only ranked matchup comes from the SEC, with former Big 12 rivals playing at noon. No, it's not Red River time yet, this is #9 Missouri, despite being undefeated, has not looked the part against two power conference teams (BC and Vandy). Texas A&M - also ranked #25 (it was a tie), hosts the Tigers at noon, and the home team is slightly favored. This one's on ABC.
Sneaky good matchup, also at noon, #22 Louisville plays SMU for the first time as ACC rivals. Both teams only have 1 loss. SMU completely wasted Florida State 42-16, while Louisville is coming off a loss a Notre Dame. Louisville -6.5 on ESPN
In the mid-afternoon 3:30 slot, CBS gets #3 Ohio State again, should be the best Big Ten game of the week, they host Iowa, whose only loss was to in-state rival Iowa State at the last second. OSU -18.5, and the over/under is usually one to watch in Iowa games, set at 45.5. Iowa has not won in Columbus since 1991.
The Deep South's Oldest Rivalry is the SEC on ABC game in the afternoon. It's the second most-played matchup in FBS. Auburn gave one away last week at home to Oklahoma, and now they make the trip to Athens, where #5 Georgia has been stewing all week after losing one of the best college football games we've seen. Georgia is favored by 22, but you can throw out the record books in this rivalry.
#12 Ole Miss felt the heat for the first time last week playing someone who wasn't a shithouse program, and they got skunked by Kentucky, who they hadn't lost to at home since the 70s. Will they get right against South Carolina? They are 9 point favorites on the road, on ESPN.
Shoutout Indiana, they are 5-0 and ranked for the first time since before Michael Penix transferred, they are in there at #23 and at Northwestern, favored by 14. BTN has the game.
By the way, we have a new #1 team in the AP poll, after what felt like the Game of the Century last week, Alabama looked like they were going to boatrace Georgia early, and look like they had blown a huge lead in short order, only to be bailed out in the end by their star freshmen. They get a trip to Vanderbilt, who are 2-2, have played tight games. The Tide, favored by 22.5, might be caught napping. This is a SEC Network game.
Moving to the night time, it's yet another chance for Florida State to turn down the temperature after their 1-4 start. Unfortunately, it's not going to be the DJ Uiagalelei revenge game as he is injured, and may be in witness protection. Brock Glenn takes over, and he gets a #17 Clemson, who are now putting up points after getting slapped around by Georgia. Clemson is a road favorite by 14.5, and with a win Dabo Swinney will set an ACC record, passing Bobby Bowden with 174 wins. Maybe that will give the Seminoles some extra incentive to not let that happen in their house.
NBC's Big Ten Saturday Night has the rematch nobody is talking about, or as I noted, really even asked for. Except maybe the kids out in Seattle. It's easy to forget with all the changes to the two teams, that we have a rematch of last season's College Football Playoff National Championship Game. Doesn't quite have the heft as it does when Georgia and Alabama do it, in part because the game wasn't very good, but Washington - unranked at 3-2 - hosts #10 Michigan, and it sounds like everyone's smelling upset because it's the Huskies who are currently favored, by 1.5 points. Most of the main names have changed, but the fans don't. We'll see if the energy is matched.
ABC's SEC prime time feature once again is giving us #4 Tennessee. They are rested and are ready to end a three-game losing streak in Fayetteville. But are they looking past Arkansas? They have 4 consecutive home games after this week. Arkansas has not beaten an AP Top 5 team since beating Tennessee in 1999. Vols favored by 13.5. Chris and Kirk are on the call, and it might be the first time Kirk has to make the midday trip to a game that will be played prior to the GameDay site.
That's because ESPN's College GameDay is going After Dark. I don't know the last time they've been on campus for an After Dark game, but they're out at Cal for the first time ever, when the show will likely being while it is still dark out. The game itself won't be until 10:30 EDT. It's Cal's first ACC home game, and they welcome The U, ranked at #8, coming off of a controversial, some would say screwjob win, over Virginia Tech last Friday. Miami boasts QB Cam Ward, a Stanley Cup winning goaltender in a previous life, now being discussed for the #1 overall pick in the NFL draft. Miami is favored by 10, Cal is 3-1, and a win will take them a long way since they had a weak SOS to start, and were ignominious losers to Florida State two weeks ago, 14-9. Cal doesn't currently have another ranked opponent on the schedule.
Other After Dark game has 4-1 Texas Tech and 3-1 Arizona at 11pm on Fox. Arizona is -6.5. This week I learned that there's a law in Arizona that no college football game can begin before 6pm local, in September.
But it's October.
