Power Five….Power Four? Power THREE?

Really, who knows what we are looking at in the next few years. For sure, the two conferences on the left are the major players. I would be very shocked if neither conference went to 18 teams by 2025. As for the other three conferences, it’s a big game of conference chicken right now. I would say the Big XII has the slight upper hand at this point but that could change in an instant. So if you love realignment, ho boy, you must have a raging hard-on right now (and will for the next few years).

OK enough of that disgusting talk. Let’s get to the meat of this post. The Power Five conference predictions. All of them. Don’t lie, you liked all the Group of Five conference (and Independent) predictions in the last post, DIDN’T YOU? So one more time, I will cram as much information down your gullet I possibly can without choking you to death with college football information. Let’s begin.

Let’s start with the….well I can’t call them the undisputed king of conferences anymore because the Big Ten is making a big charge at them. Saying that, I can still call them #1…for now. Here are the predicted SEC standings followed by some grits and chitlins and other weird Southern “delicacies.”

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Georgia	8	0	12	0
	Tennessee	5	3	9	3
	Florida	5	3	8	4
	Kentucky	3	5	7	5
	South Carolina	3	5	6	6
	Missouri	1	7	4	8
	Vanderbilt	0	8	2	10
	West
	Alabama	8	0	12	0
	Texas A&M	7	1	11	1
	Ole Miss	4	4	8	4
	Arkansas	4	4	7	5
	Auburn	3	5	7	5
	LSU	3	5	7	5
	Mississippi State	2	6	6	6

Chitlins…GROSS!

• Who the fuck figured out to eat the large intestine of a hog?
• Yep, two undefeated teams coming from the SEC.  Bama and UGA don’t play each other during the regular season.  UGA has a relatively easy schedule (in an SEC sense).  Yes they have Oregon in a neutral-site game to start the season but they avoid the Tide, Aggies and Ole Miss out of the West.  Lucky Dawgs!
• As for the Fighting Nick Sabans, damn near everyone has them running the table, at least during the regular season, and I am going right along with that prediction.  Other than their matchup against TAMU (at home) and Ole Miss in Oxford, I can’t foresee any close games all season.
• As for the Aggies and their weird traditions (just watch a Midnight Yell practice…it’s fucking bizarre), I see them ending up one game short of getting to the SEC Championship.  Also one game short of the College Football Playoff.  Critics of Jimbo Fisher will find a way to make this sound like a failure of a season if they do comfortably make it to the New Year’s Six.
• As per usual, the SEC West is an absolute minefield.  The worst team is Mississippi State and they wouldn’t be last in any other conference…not by a long shot.  Unfortunately, Bama’s continued dominance and TAMU and Ole Miss not falling at all will mean the rest of the teams are playing for fourth.
• The Tennessee Volunteers are my Drinking The Kool-Aid pick of the year.  I’m buying that they will be improved enough to be on the precipice of a double-digit win season.  I can see them beating Pitt and South Carolina on the road and being perfect at home.  Now watch them go 5-7 and make me look like a dummy.
• Conference Championship prediction: Alabama 38 Georgia 30.  Closer than last year’s win by the Tide but still not enough for UGA.

When are they going to change the name of this conference? Just call it the BIG Conference now or something like that. Big Ten. For a conference with sixteen schools. Schools. Educational institutions. And they can’t count. Glorious. Anyway, here are the predictions followed by some BTN After Dark comments:

		Conference		Overall
	East	W	L	W	L
	Ohio State	8	1	11	1
	Michigan	8	1	11	1
	Michigan State	6	3	9	3
	Penn State	6	3	8	4
	Maryland	4	5	7	5
	Indiana	1	8	3	9
	Rutgers	1	8	3	9
	West
	Wisconsin	6	3	9	3
	Minnesota	6	3	9	3
	Purdue	6	3	9	3
	Nebraska	5	4	8	4
	Iowa	5	4	8	4
	Northwestern	1	8	4	8
	Illinois	0	9	3	9

BTN After Dark Comments

• I am so looking forward to Rutgers travelling clear across the country to face UCLA on Big Ten Network starting at 10:30 at night.
• Can The Fighting Ann Arbor Khaki Warriors repeat as Big Ten champs?  To be honest, I don’t think they will even repeat as Big Ten East champs.  It will come down to their big matchup with tOSU two days after American Thanksgiving.  This one is in Columbus so I am giving the nod to the Buckeyes here which will be huge when it comes to what The Committee has to look at.
• You know, considering how good the Terps’ recruiting has been lately, do you think they kind of wish, money aside, that they were back in the ACC?  Not saying they could beat Clemson but man, they would look like a really good team there.
• The Big Ten West is going to be ridiculous.  I just have this feeling.  Five teams within one game of each other.  Yes, even Nebraska is in there.  In the end, Wisconsin will win some sort of game of Spin The Bottle, except using an ear of corn, and end up getting to the Big Ten Championship where they can scare the Buckeyes for a quarter-and-a-half.
• Conference Championship prediction: Ohio State 32 Wisconsin 10.  As I said in the previous point, this will be close well into the second quarter and then the Buckeyes will decide enough’s enough and do away with Wisky on their way to the CFP.

I think that right there tells you all you need to know about what’s going on with the rest of the Power Five. The ACC, at this point, might as well chill since their contract with ESPN lasts for more than another decade and any change would require a hell of a lot more money to leave than what USC and UCLA will have to deal with.

Now, there are rumblings that ESPN is stepping in and trying to broker an ACC/Pac-12 merger of sorts but I can’t see that happening to be perfectly honest with you. As long as the Big Ten or SEC doesn’t decide to poach any of their members (which is still a possibility), they should be fine for the time being. Alright, let’s get to the predictions, followed by a bong hit or five:

		Conference		Overall
	Atlantic	W	L	W	L
	Clemson	8	0	11	1
	NC State	7	1	11	1
	Florida State	5	3	8	4
	Louisville	5	3	7	5
	Wake Forest	4	4	8	4
	Boston College	3	5	6	6
	Syracuse	1	7	3	9
	Coastal
	Miami	6	2	9	3
	Pittsburgh	6	2	9	3
	Virginia Tech	4	4	6	6
	North Carolina	4	4	6	6
	Virginia	2	6	5	7
	Georgia Tech	1	7	2	10
	Duke	0	8	2	10

Hey Dude

• I’ve honestly thought of going to one of those cannabis shops to see what’s there.  It’s basically punishable by death here (in this condo area) to have anything weed-related so I’d have to be super sneaky about it.
• Hey, is Clemson back on top?  Sure looks like it although NC State is going to give them a serious run for their money.  Both teams look like they are a tier above the rest (sorry Miami and Pitt) and their game on October 1st will probably be for the division title.  High stakes for sure.
• Coastal Chaos is…not back.  Speaking of the Canes and Panthers, they are also a step above all the other teams in that division.  They will battle it out in another important ACC game on American Thanksgiving weekend which might just decide who gets their shit pushed in by the Tigers or Wolfpack.
• I don’t consider this a Kool-Aid pick.  Florida State will be better.  No stupid upset losses to FCS schools.  Just the slow ascent back to, potentially, the top of the ACC.  Same goes for Louisville (without the FCS issue).
• I did have Wake also in the ACC title hunt but the news that Sam Hartman will be out for at least a bit is a massive worry in Winston-Salem.  He steers the ship and without him, sorry Deacs fans, the offense just doesn’t go like it normally does.
• Remember last year when I had North Carolina bullying their way into the College Football Playoff?  Yeah, not falling for that this time, Mack.
• Conference Championship prediction: Clemson 47 Miami 14.  Yeah this won’t be close.

OK now we get to the first of the quasi-feuding brothers (sisters? cousins?). The Big XII is adding four teams next season and is pushing hard to get the rest of the Pac-12 teams to join them. It’s almost a certainty Oregon and Washington would rather drop football than join this conference but the rest of the schools remaining could very well be up for grabs, especially the two Arizona schools and the Mountain region schools. Until the next shoe drops, though, it’s another year of the Big XII with X schools. Here are my predictions followed by musings from a pissed off Count Von Count:

		Conference		Overall
		W	L	W	L
	Baylor	8	1	10	2
	Oklahoma	8	1	10	2
	Texas	7	2	9	3
	Oklahoma State	7	2	9	3
	TCU	4	5	6	6
	Iowa State	4	5	6	6
	Kansas State	3	6	6	6
	West Virginia	2	7	4	8
	Texas Tech	2	7	3	9
	Kansas	0	9	2	10

ZERO!  ZERO FUCKS GIVEN!  AH AH AH!

• Funny that if things stay as they are, the Big XII will actually get back to twelve teams so at least one conference understands preschool math.
• The bottom of the Big XII looks to be the same.  Kansas at the bottom.  Texas Tech not far from them.  And it always feels like one of West Virginia, Kansas State or TCU ending up in eighth.  Will this change with the newcomers?  I’m gonna say no.
• Not quite their swan song in the conference but I see the Sooners, despite all the defections, getting back to the Big XII Championship.  They are just too deep a team to not contend for, at the very least, a NY6 spot.  I expect Baylor to continue to do well under Dave Aranda and join OU at JerryWorld.
• Conference Championship prediction: Baylor 25 Oklahoma 23.  Yeah I am predicting the Bears to finish the Big XII Championship State of Oklahoma sweep by beating the Sooners in a very close game.

I remember doing a post eight years ago on my Pac-12 predictions. Here is what I said in that post:

The Pac-12 has become the de facto second best conference in the land and it’s by a long shot as well.

Wow. I mean eight years is a long time but the fall off the cliff of the Pac-12 started not long after this post. It has been a near-disastrous eight years for the Conference of Champions in football and with USC and UCLA leaving for the Big Ten things are looking even worse for the soon-to-be Pac-10.

Look, let’s just get to the predictions before I make Bill Walton cry:

		Conference		Overall
	North	W	L	W	L
	Oregon	9	0	11	1
	Oregon State	4	5	7	5
	Washington	4	5	6	6
	California	3	6	5	7
	Washington State	3	6	5	7
	Stanford	3	6	4	8
	South
	Utah	8	1	10	2
	UCLA	7	2	10	2
	USC	6	3	9	3
	Arizona State	4	5	6	6
	Arizona	2	7	3	9
	Colorado	1	8	1	11

Bill Walton’s Tears

• Hey remember I had U of A being terrible last year and I was right?  Well, this year I am doubling down with the Colorado Buffaloes.  I have a feeling Karl Dorrell is going to be taking a lot of ibuprofen this season.  And may start drinking if he doesn’t already do so.
• I see a lot of experts saying USC is going to win the Pac-12 South.  They will be better, there’s no doubt about it.  But win the division after going 4-8 last year?  Let’s pump the brakes a bit.  I think Lincoln Riley is still a season away from really pushing USC to the heights they were at during the Pete Carroll era.
• So who will win the South Division?  I think Utah repeats as South Division champions but it will be UCLA that will give them the toughest time.  The Bruins should be really good…like New Year’s Six good.  Now watch them go 4-8 and Chip Kelly get fired.
• As for the North Division, Oregon should clinch by Thanksgiving…our Thanksgiving.  There is no one close to them.
• Conference Championship prediction: Utah 32 Oregon 20.  Closer than last year but this time the Utes will destroy the Ducks’ dreams of the CFP.

There you go!  All conference standings predictions complete!  Next up I will put it all together and tell you who I think will win the whole thing.  Have a great week everyone!

Most Important Games of the 2022 College Football Season: Prepare for Change

Alright let’s be honest here.  It has been a slooooooow return for ol’ Bossman.  This is partially done on purpose, though, not because I have forgotten about all of you.  I am going with the less is more approach…kind of.  At least in the off-season.  I think an explanation is warranted here.  The plan, on my part, is to post less but to put a lot more in each post.  Like not going to Wendy’s as often but when you do…it’s Dave’s Triple Cheeseburger time!  I think this might just work.  Or it won’t.  I mean you never know with these things, right?  Anyway, where was I?

Ah yes: change.  Change is sometimes tough but is also sometimes needed.  So as it pertains to the usual four-post Most Important College Games series, it is going to go through an overhaul.  This post will be just about the most important games but I won’t be going week-by-week.  It will be a relatively well-thought out selection of the best 30 games of this coming year (at least at this very early point).  Don’t worry, I will still rate the weeks.  Can’t change everything.  Then I will post again later on with some other lists of games.  You know, the worst Power Five games, best Group of Five games, etc.  You ready?  I am.  Let’s go.

Remember the rules (my rules).  Most of the games after Week 3 are not set in terms of time or network.  Any game that is confirmed, I will let you know that it is.  This time I won’t include Canadian info because, especially with TSN, it’s a complete crapshoot.  Just assume that ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, ACC Network and SEC Network games will appear on TSN or on the specialty packs.

It’s…time!  IT’S….TIME!  IT’S……RANKING TIME!  (cue Vader theme)  Alright the first piece of college football to discuss is the ranking of the weeks.  We know how this usually goes and it is almost never a surprise when it comes out that way.  So let’s get right to it and then I can tell you how I did this (if you didn’t know before) and all that jazz:

1. Week 13 (November 26 – American Thanksgiving)
2. Week 6 (October 8)
3. Week 10 (November 5)
4. Week 5 (October 1)
5. Week 9 (October 29)
6. Week 12 (November 19)
7. Week 7 (October 15)
8. Week 11 (November 12)
9. Week 4 (September 24)
10. Week 8 (October 22)
11. Week 3 (September 17)
12. Week 1 (September 3)
13. Week 2 (September 10)

Same as always, there are thirteen weeks of the regular season.  Week Zero is starting to get more games as more waivers are being granted but until they have I’d say at least 30 games on the schedule that Saturday then it can’t be counted as its own week.  I mean I could but it would be last place every year without a doubt.  I’ve said this before but I wish they would always have fourteen weeks in a season.  This way, every team gets two bye weeks and it’s perfect for the health and safety of the players (something that is sometimes put on the backburner).  I’m sure the NCAA will go along with my idea by the year 2058.  As for the rankings this season, not too many surprises.  The final week of the regular season is back on its perch as the best weekend of college football this season.  Week 1 has dropped off a cliff and doesn’t look  that great but the hype around it will be off the charts, I can guarantee you that.  October has a massive week as Week 6 truly starts the conference season in a big way (and you’ll see later on why I say that).  Just like last year, November is great, even SEC Sleepwalk Saturday which is a middle-of-the-road week rather than the awful week of games it used to be.  And of course, September is, well, September in college football.  A few really good games surrounded by a lot of meh but you know what will happen.  That’s right, Frank Stallone quite a few upsets since that’s how college football works.

Normally this would be the time I start the weekly breakdowns but those are no more (at least for this year).  This is a long list but I think it will be a good list.  It’s the top 30 most important games of the college football season (until some team like Northwestern comes out of nowhere and is battling for a conference title).

1. Texas A&M at Alabama (Week 6, 8:00, CBS) – Yes, Bama is again the favourite to win it all this season.  But the Aggies might be as ready as they have ever been during the Jimbo Fisher era.  Almost a guarantee this will end up as the lone CBS primetime game of the year.
2. Michigan at Ohio State (Week 13, Noon, FOX, confirmed) – Captain Khaki brings his Wolverines to Columbus to see if he can get his team to relive the magic of last season once again.  They haven’t won at the Horseshoe in 22 years.  Winner of this one most likely heads to the Big Ten Championship so huge stakes, as it usually is with this rivalry.
3. Notre Dame at Ohio State (Week 1, 7:30, ABC, confirmed) – As is normally the case, the Irish have a bunch of landmine games this season.  No game is a bigger landmine than this one.  If Notre Dame can pull this off, then the season is already turned on its head and Marcus Freeman immediately becomes a legend in his second game as head coach.
4. Clemson at Notre Dame (Week 10, 7:30, NBC, confirmed) – Clemson will be looking for a tiny bit of a rebound this year and retake control of the ACC.  Yes, this isn’t an ACC conference game but winning this game would put every other team in the conference on notice.  I am wondering, with all this realignment happening, if we may get to the point where the Irish are the only Independent team remaining.  This is something I wouldn’t have said even two years ago.
5. Georgia vs. Oregon (in Atlanta) (Week 1, 3:30, ABC, confirmed) – Is this an early-season College Football Playoff elimination game?  Could very well be.  Georgia is still loaded for bear again and the Ducks are ready to make that final climb back into the CFP.  This game (plus the ND-tOSU game later in the night) are the easy highlights of a relatively bland Week 1 schedule.
6. Notre Dame at USC (Week 13, 7:30, ABC) – It would be either a) horrible for Notre Dame fans if the Irish came in undefeated and blew a tire here against a probably good USC team or b) great for Notre Dame haters who don’t want them anywhere near the College Football Playoff (or the New Year’s Six for that matter).  This could end up being a massively important game in the grand scheme of things.
7. Utah at Oregon (Week 12, 7:30, ABC) – This might just be a preview of the Pac-12 title game and a statement game for both teams…as long as both teams are ranked at this point.  With the Pac-12 finally on the rise again (I think), this could bring in a lot of eyeballs during a week that is usually not the greatest on paper.
8. NC State at Clemson (Week 5, 3:30, ABC) – This is probably the game for the Atlantic Division title…the final Atlantic Division title if I get my way and divisions are abolished going forward.  With all due respect to Wake Forest, unless they pull off at least one upset, they aren’t getting close to these two teams.  This being in Death Valley may give the Tigers the slight edge but the Wolfpack have had some seriously huge wins on the road in their past.
9. USC at Utah (Week 7, 3:30, ESPN) – As I said above, I am only including American broadcast info at this point.  That will change when I get to network-specific posts later in the summer.  The Utes should worry about this USC team.  They are finally poised to get back into Top 10 territory and an upset of Utah isn’t a crazy idea at this point.  If Lincoln Riley can get the Trojans to pull this off, it may be off to the races and a return to glory in Los Angeles.
10. Michigan State at Michigan (Week 9, Noon, FOX) – Big brother and little brother are both good.  This always make this rivalry game extra spicy.  This game could honestly derail Michigan’s season before they get to the Game.  This should end up on FOX which means no THERE’S A TROUBLE WITH THE SNAP!  AND THE BALL IS FREE AND IT’S PICKED UP BY MICHIGAN STATE’S JALEN WATTS-JACKSON AND HE SCORES ON THE LAST PLAY OF THE GAME!  All in Sean McDonough Cracked-Voice perfection.
11. Clemson at Wake Forest (Week 4, 3:30, ESPN2) – This might be the first game I get seriously wrong.  Saying that, the ACC tends to get neglected in favour of the other Power Five conferences when it comes to game placement…especially when Wake Forest is involved.  And some would still consider this a surprising pick in the #11 spot but I stand by it.  Remember what I said above about the Deacs?  Well this would be their chance, at home, to shock the world and announce their true arrival as contenders for at least the New Year’s Six.
12. Ohio State at Michigan State (Week 6, 7:30, ABC) – Another THE Ohio State University roadblock game here.  Nothing would please Spartans fans (and Wolverine fans) for Sparty to knock off the mighty Buckeyes here.
13. Baylor at Oklahoma (Week 10, Noon, FOX) – Dave Aranda might be the most popular coach in college football and he wouldn’t give two shits about that nor would his facial expression change.  He’s in Waco to coach college football, dammit, and that’s all.  I’m sure his family has seen him smile before but those rumours are unconfirmed.  Lincoln Riley-less Oklahoma could be an interesting team to watch this year since no one knows how they will fare.  As much of a wild card as any team expected to be in the Top 25 to start the season.
14. Tennessee at Georgia (Week 10, Noon, ESPN) – This could very well be an SEC East title match although you never know what team will kind of come out of nowhere to cause havoc at the top.  Kentucky may still be good and the rest of the teams, sans Vanderbilt, could make a run if they get an upset or three.  Until further notice, though, the Dawgs are the defending champs so someone has to knock them off their perch.  Who better than the Vols?  I’m sure there would be many people who could give me quite a few examples.
15. Miami at Clemson (Week 12, 3:30, ESPN2) – If this was the 80s or early 90s or early 2000s, this wouldn’t be here because Miami would be like a 30-point favourite.  I’m sure there’d be a lot more cocaine and steroids involved as well, but I digress.  Instead, it’s the Tigers who could be a double-digit favourite coming into this potentially huge conference matchup for both teams.
16. Alabama at Tennessee (Week 7, 3:30, CBS) – Man, it took long enough to get to our first afternoon CBS game.  I guess that’s what happens when Alabama is on the network all the time.  So speaking of heavy favourites, the Tide will be those here.  The Vols, however, are better than they have been in over a decade and with the game at Neyland, who knows.  If this game is close going into the fourth quarter, watch out.
17. Miami at Texas A&M (Week 3, 9:00, ESPN, confirmed) – Oh god the weird three-hour windows rear their ugly head this week.  Game at 6:00 followed by a game at 9:00.  Can ESPN just fuck off with this horseshit?  What’s the big deal putting this at 9:30?  Half an hour won’t make a difference.  Anyway, this should be a pretty good game I think but those FUCKING THREE-HOUR WINDOWS…OK I’m gonna stop now.
18. Wisconsin at Ohio State (Week 4, 7:30, ABC) – If the Big Ten abolished divisions, this would become a much bigger game.  I mean it’s still huge but…OK fine I just hate divisions.  I’m sure Wisky’s gameplan here is to run the ball 60 times and hope tOSU’s run defense is snoozing for most of the game.
19. Wake Forest at NC State (Week 10, 7:30, ACC Network) – Look, this might change between now and then but as I’ve said before, this is how little respect the Demon Deacons get.  If both teams only have one loss (or less) at this point, then it definitely gets moved to ESPN or ABC.  Otherwise, there’s a good chance this is where this game will end up, sadly.  The winner here is probably the one and only contender to screw up Clemson’s ACC run this season.
20. Oklahoma State at Baylor (Week 5, Noon, FOX) – First appearance for the Fighting Mullets from Stillwater on this list.  The Pokes are almost always in contention even when it feels like they aren’t.  Eleventh-year starter Spencer Sanders hopes to finally find some consistency at quarterback and beat a Baylor team that could be even more special than last year’s squad.
21. Georgia at Kentucky (Week 12, 3:30, CBS) – Fine, I will put this game here but it’s iffy whether it belongs.  It isn’t like the SEC West where even the worst team usually isn’t that bad.  Saying that, UK could be good again.  It wouldn’t fully shock me.  The only thing on their side is this is in Lexington which is underrated for how rowdy the fans can get.
22. Arkansas vs. Texas A&M (in Arlington) (Week 4, 3:30, CBS) – Considering the SEC slate of games this week, it is almost a guarantee that this game will be on CBS.  Last year, the Razorbacks won this game rather easily and a good thing they did since they lost three straight right afterwards.  If both teams are as good as they are predicted to be, maybe JerryWorld will be at least three-quarters full this time around.  I still don’t get this always being a neutral-site game but whatever.
23. Ohio State at Penn State (Week 9, 7:30, ABC) – Now we are getting into the games that might not look close on paper but have a history of being inexplicably close.  I’ve seen the Nittany Lions make things difficult for tOSU so it wouldn’t be out of the realm of possibility for them to pull off an upset on a night that will most certainly be a White-Out.
24. Alabama at Arkansas (Week 5, 3:30, CBS) – See what I mean?  Saying that, it’s not like this game will be relegated to the SEC Network as Sam Pittman has the Hogs looking good.  Not Bama-good, but definitely a far cry from the Bret Bielema/Chad Morris years.
25. Oklahoma State at Oklahoma (Week 12, Noon, FOX) – BEDLAM!  Normally near the top of these kinds of lists, this could be a sneaky-good game this season for once.  The Sooners feel like they are in rebuild mode when they really aren’t and the Pokes always feel like they are a step behind one team every season in the Big XII.  By this point, we will know if either of these teams have a hope for the Big XII Championship and a trip to good ol’ JerryWorld or not.
26. Penn State at Michigan (Week 7, 3:30, ABC) – Not exactly a CFP elimination matchup but it will be very important in terms of the Big Ten East Division race.  Look, PSU now has Sean Clifford hopefully back for a full, healthy year.  That alone makes the Nittany Lions a bit more dangerous than they were last year.  Michigan is loaded for bear so this will not be easy between the two teams with the biggest stadiums in the land.
27. LSU at Texas A&M (Week 13, Noon, ESPN) – This could end up being a forgotten matchup by this point of the season.  LSU is certainly not the Joe Burrow LSU Tigers.  And Texas A&M has been hanging on the periphery of greatness for a while now.  At some point, you think something has to give.  My guess is there is a good possibility a NY6 spot could be on the line here.
28. Wisconsin at Michigan State (Week 7, 7:30, ESPN2) – At this point I would call this an underrated game as many would probably put it in the same spot I’m putting it now.  The Badgers are probably the odds-on favourite to win the Big Ten West which is never on par with winning the much more difficult Big Ten East.  The Spartans need to win games like this to have any chance of doing what they did last year (or even more).
29. BYU vs. Notre Dame (in Las Vegas) (Week 6, 7:30, NBC, confirmed) – BYU’s final year as an Independent and as usual they have loaded up.  Call it a Western version of the typical Notre Dame schedule.  These teams don’t play nearly enough against each other if you ask me so it’s fun when they do.  And boy, will they have a TV audience, there is no denying that.  The Irish love these games because it’s a recruiting bonanza.  I guess the same for the Cougs.  Independent supremacy is on the line in this one.
30. Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville) (Week 9, 3:30, CBS, confirmed) – The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.  How can this not be on this list of games?  I guess if both teams were bad which hasn’t happened in….well, it’s been a while.  This is my seventh straight year, I believe, imploring CBS to give the broadcast crew an open bar for this one.  Hey, either Gary Danielson becomes seriously fun to listen to or…he’s still Gary Danielson.

There you go.  Top 30 games of the season.  That wasn’t so bad, eh?  There is only 60 days left until the season begins.  That is much closer than I am used to when doing this post.  I may have to up my game over the next two months.

I’m not going to lie, this felt like a lot of work but it also felt good to do.  The craziness hasn’t stopped in my life and so this is my chance to start getting a break from “reality” by doing this blog again.  I think I’ve needed it (although I had to be sure I was ready to go again).  Have a great week everyone!

The NFL: Now with MORE Regular Season!

“Ha ha ha, that’s a great one Bossman.  Now fuck off while I sleep on a bed of money.”  I’m just assuming that’s what Roger Goodell would say to that.

If you didn’t already know, the NFL has now gone to a 17-game regular season.  This hasn’t exactly thrilled the players and I don’t blame them.  Just one more opportunity to get injured during the regular season.  It means one less week of preseason football which is fine by me.  I still believe every team should have one road, one home and one neutral-site game during the preseason but that’s a conversation I’ve had many times before that no one wants to listen to.  It also means there will be no more .500 teams unless you get a tie during the season.  Somewhere Jeff Fisher is shedding a few tears.

Alright enough of that.  It’s more football that means something so that’s not a bad thing for the fans, right?  Now do fantasy football seasons extend by a week?  I better figure that out before, say, December.  Now, let me get to my NFL predictions for the season which sometimes I do well at and other times…not so much.  Here are the predicted standings! (* means I predict them to be a Wild Card team):

AFC East	NFC East
Buffalo 13-4	Dallas 9-8
Miami* 9-8	Washington 8-9
New England 9-8	NY Giants 5-12
NY Jets 4-13	Philadelphia 5-12
AFC North	NFC North
Cleveland 12-5	Green Bay 12-5
Baltimore* 11-6	Minnesota 9-8
Pittsburgh 8-9	Chicago 7-10
Cincinnati 6-11	Detroit 4-13
AFC South	NFC South
Tennessee 11-6	Tampa Bay 14-3
Indianapolis 9-8	New Orleans* 10-7
Jacksonville 4-13	Atlanta 6-11
Houston 2-15	Carolina 6-11
AFC West	NFC West
Kansas City 14-3	Seattle 12-5
LA Chargers* 10-7	LA Rams* 11-6
Las Vegas 8-9	Arizona* 9-8
Denver 7-10	San Francisco 8-9

Notes

• I always seem to talk about parity with the NFL but it may not be as much of the case this season. I have six teams winning at least 12 games and if I put it down to 11 wins, 9 teams fit the bill, which is over a quarter of the league.
• Where will the good division races be?  The AFC North, NFC East and, especially, the NFC West should have some excitement.  This time it’s not the Patriots but the Bills who will run away with the AFC East (for something completely different).  Same goes for the Chiefs and Bucs who should easily win their divisions.
• The NFC Wild Card race should be very interesting.  The Rams, if they don’t win the division, should get the top Wild Card (otherwise it would be the Seahawks in that spot).  The other two spots will have six teams competing for it.  One of those teams will win the NFC East as I have the Cowboys and Washington Football Team Of Fun And Frolic going down to the final week for the division crown.  I think the Saints pull ahead and are joined by the Cardinals but it won’t be easy for those teams.  It’s going to feel weird for a team to lose eight games and be over .500.  Again, cue the Jeff Fisher tears.
• The AFC should also have a great Wild Card Race.  Hey, maybe this extra game is a good thing.  Still not for the players but I digress.  The Ravens or Browns, whoever doesn’t win the AFC North should have an easy road to playing the worst division winner in the conference.  As for the other two spots, pick two out of the Dolphins, Patriots, Steelers, Colts, Chargers and Raiders.  That Week 18 (yes, WEEK 18!) should be phenomenal this season.  Now watch it be a dud with only one game meaning anything at all and it’s the Sunday nighter.
• It really is a question of how bad the Texans could be, not if they will be last.  Seventeen losses in a season?  That has to be in play in Vegas and the odds can’t be too bad for it, either.  And if they trade Deshaun Watson (or he is released because of the legal issues he faces), this team is dead in the water.  Gonna be a long year in H-Town.
• This could end up being the closest MVP race ever.  You’ve got Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, Tom Brady, Russell Wilson and Kyler Murray all in the mix.  Matthew Stafford in that Rams offense has to be intriguing.  Then you have Dax Prescott returning from a horrific leg injury after having an amazing start to the 2020 season.  And finally, possibly the last hurrah for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay.  In the end, I think Rodgers wins a close vote over Allen and Wilson.
• Rookies of the Year are always a crapshoot.  I know many will pick Trevor Lawrence and that’s not a bad choice.  I am going to go slightly down from there and say Justin Fields wins it and is the main reason the Bears are even in the playoff race in December and January.  On defense it’s even more difficult to predict.  I believe it will be Patrick Surtain II winning it although watch out for Zaven Collins as he could be a big dark horse possibility.

I have decided the new tradition of not putting a reason beside every playoff prediction is a good thing now with two extra Wild Card games.  This post would have got seriously long otherwise.  Alright let’s get right into the predictions:

Wild Card Round

(2) Buffalo def. (7) Miami

(3) Cleveland def. (6) LA Chargers

(5) Baltimore def. (4) Tennessee

(2) Green Bay def. (7) Arizona

(3) Seattle def. (6) New Orleans

(5) LA Rams def. (4) Dallas

Divisional Playoffs

(1) Kansas City def. (5) Baltimore

(2) Buffalo def. (3) Cleveland

(5) LA Rams def. (1) Tampa Bay

(3) Seattle def. (2) Green Bay

Conference Championships

(2) Buffalo def. (1) Kansas City

(3) Seattle def. (5) LA Rams

Super Bowl

(2) Buffalo def. (3) Seattle

I think this is a dream season for the Bills.  With their roster and Josh Allen at the top of his game and pretty much no holes in their lineup, this is the season for them two win it all.  After last year’s loss to the Chiefs, I believe they are playoff-hardened and ready to get some revenge.  The NFC will be a bit of a mess as I don’t think the top two seeds get to the conference championship.  The Rams, if they get on a roll, could go all the way with that offense.  I know they say defense wins championships but if the Rams can score over 30 a game in the playoffs they could do some major damage.  The Seahawks are another team to watch in the playoffs.  Let Russ cook and you got a problem.  In the end, I have my Buffalo Bills finally winning the Super Bowl that eluded them in the 90s and sending me into complete delirium.  I won’t know what to do.  Honest.  I’ll have to take a week off of work just to recuperate.

Next up is for all of you to just watch some damn college football!  We are 17 days away from Week Zero!  I keep checking for a TSN schedule but still nothing.  As soon as I find something I can complete what I have for Week Zero and finally do an actual schedule post: the first of the 2021 college football season.  Can’t wait!  And in the meantime, watch some CFL or preseason NFL to whet the appetite.  Have a great hump day, everyone!

Most Important Games of the 2021 College Football Season – Part I (plus a blurb about the NFL Draft)

It’s been too damn long since I’ve written a post directed solely to college football.  Annnnnnnnnnnnnnnnd….this won’t be one either.  I did not do a full NFL draft review post because, honestly, I didn’t feel like it.  There are enough reviews of the draft so I can put a paragraph or two at the end of this post and that should suffice.  I will say it was nice to watch that.  And then to watch some actual college football?  An absolute delight.  The FCS, as a whole, has got a lot of publicity with this Spring season.  To play games on ESPN and even ABC is huge for some of those teams.  Don’t be surprised when realignment talk starts again (and oh it will), that some of these teams that got big national audiences in April and May surface as possible FBS teams.

Anyway, now to the task at hand: the upcoming 2021 college football schedules.  At least this year I am almost 100% positive that games won’t be cancelled except for reasons that aren’t COVID-related but those rarely happen.  I’m doing this a tiny bit later than I normally do so if for some reason you were waiting for these posts, I apologize.  As the saying goes, life sometimes gets in the way.  I will say the same thing I have said every year I have done this.  Very few of the games are confirmed.  I will try and note if they are in these important game posts.  A lot more should be set by the time I get to network-specific schedule posts but even then, it’s really a crapshoot once October comes around.

Saying that, there are a few probables.  Like let’s be honest here: the Iron Bowl will be on CBS.  The only way this doesn’t happen is if both teams are somehow under .500.  I’d bet everything I have (which isn’t much) on that not being the case.  So you can be rest assured some things will be the same as they’ve always been.

For the fourth year in a row, the Important Games list will be broken down week-by-week and then as per the following:

• Game of the Week – This is my opinion of the game of the week.  It may differ from your opinion.  That is OK.  Because the next part is…
• Other Really Important Games – See?  One of these games might be your game of the week choice.
• Sneaky-Good Underrated Game – Some games are underrated.  I will try to find one each week that could fulfill that criterion.
• Best Group of Five Game – Pretty self-explanatory but has to have TWO G5 teams involved.
• Worst Power Five Game – Just like above, except the opposite (with two P5 teams involved).

The “Other Really Important Games” section is the one section where the number of games I include may vary.  In some weeks you will only see one or two.  Others there may be like seven.  We pretty much know which weeks will have better games and which ones won’t so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

SOUND THE TRUMPETS!  Hear ye, hear ye!  It’s time for the commencement of the Bossman’s Blog college football blog posting season: the ranking of the weeks.  If you were looking for something similar to every other year then ho boy are you in for a shock…again.  For all that stays the same with college football, these weekly rankings have been changing a fair bit lately.  Just a reminder that I list the week and the date that corresponds to the Saturday of that week so you can follow along at home:

1. Week 10 (November 6)
2. Week 13 (November 27 – American Thanksgiving)
3. Week 5 (October 2)
4. Week 9 (October 30)
5. Week 1 (September 4)
6. Week 7 (October 16)
7. Week 12 (November 20)
8. Week 11 (November 13)
9. Week 8 (October 23)
10. Week 6 (October 9)
11. Week 3 (September 18)
12. Week 4 (September 25)
13. Week 2 (September 11)

First off, same as last year there are thirteen weeks to the regular season.  Do I like this?  I have not changed my stance from last year that no I do not like this.  Honestly I would prefer 14 if not 15 weeks in a season.  I understand there are issues there when it comes to the schools and players’ courses but for the health and safety of the players, this is a no-brainer.  Which means the NCAA will take another decade to figure this out.  For the first time since they did that Sunday night Notre Dame-Texas thriller years ago, Week 1 is really good.  Top 5 even!  There are some great games to start the season and that is what college football needs this season: a strong start.  American Thanksgiving moves up to second but still hasn’t regained its crown.  Weeks 10 looks ridiculously good.  Honestly, all of November is great, even the former SEC Sleepwalk Saturday which I really can’t call it that anymore because it’s a good week now.  October is a big drop from last year as it feels like we are really easing into the end of the season and then building to the November crescendo, if you will.  Then there’s September.  Ouch.  After Week 1 it’s a bit of a shitshow.  As per usual, there are a couple of potential games of the year in there with a lot of crap surrounding it.  Meaning at least one of those weeks will end up being the most exciting week of the year.  Why?  It’s what the college football universe has decided.  I don’t make the rules.

Now it’s time for the weekly breakdowns.  Many of the TSN times will be wrong but hey, it’s May.  If the game time has been confirmed it will be in bold.  Let’s GO!

Week 1

Game of the Week: Georgia vs. Clemson (in Charlotte) (7:30, ABC) – Wow this is quite the game of the week to start the season.  College football is seriously not fucking around.  I mean don’t get me wrong, it’s a neutral-site game which I am not the fondest of but I understand the reasoning behind them (spoiler: it’s money).  You can honestly say this game is a Game of the Year candidate right off the hop.  Let’s also be honest here: when the College Football Playoff expands to 8 teams, you could make the argument that this game isn’t nearly as big since a loss doesn’t even close to eliminate either of these teams from contention.  It will be interesting to see who gets the bigger start on the road to topple Bama from their throne.  Clemson is the favourite here but there will be a lot of questions after losing Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne in the NFL Draft.  Both teams are at least New Year’s Six or bust but the winner takes a step up in their bid for the College Football Playoff which is still four teams.

Other Really Important Games: Alabama vs. Miami (in Atlanta) (3:30, ABC) – Maybe the ACC and SEC should do an opening week ACC-SEC Challenge from now on.  Who the hell says no to this?  I mean yes it means that you will get a Duke-Vanderbilt game possibly somewhere but if you don’t want to head to the ACC or SEC Network then don’t.  No one is forcing you to.  But with the annual Labour Day game that seems to always end up being the SEC and ACC to opening up the day before Labour Day for college football and neutral-site games all over the place, this might be a good idea.  I’m sure there’s a party pooper out there that would say it’s a dumb idea but that might also be the same person who thinks scheduling games two decades out makes sense.  Anyway, Bama will probably win by three touchdowns.  NEXT!

Penn State at Wisconsin (4:00, FOX) – At least FOX has realized that opening weekend is a good weekend to at least try and get a good slate of games on.  Now if they can just realize that for the rest of the weeks during the regular season that only getting one good game to show with two mediocre ones after is not the greatest approach to grow a fanbase.  It looks like the Big Ten will be a huge part of FOX’s opening week which is no surprise since the B1G is to FOX like the SEC is to CBS (almost).  Both of these teams looking to rebound from bad years (at least for each of these programs).  The Big Ten West is always wide open so the Badgers have as good a chance as any team not named Illinois.  The Nittany Lions will be looking up once again at Ohio State so every game is huge and these are the games they have to win to have a shot at a division title.  I wish they would just do away with division titles but let’s not start that talk again.  Speaking of the Buckeyes…

Ohio State at Minnesota (Thursday, 8:00, FOX) – Will this be close?  Probably not but it’s an early Big Ten game on a night that Ohio State is not used to playing.  And now with no Justin Fields, we shall see if it’s steady as she goes for Ryan Day or a bit of stress and a higher blood pressure for Ryan Day.  See what I mean about FOX really stepping up this opening weekend?  This is the first Thursday night FOX college football regular season game ever if I’m not mistaken.

Indiana at Iowa (Noon, FOX) – The third straight FOX game and the third straight Big Ten game.  The Big Ten may have a good idea here with putting a few big conference games during Week One when pretty much no other conference is doing so.  I guess that’s the advantage of having nine conference games instead of eight.  Both of these teams have to be considered dark-horse contenders this season.  No one will put them in their College Football Playoff predictions.  Hell, I’m sure most won’t put either team in their New Year’s Six predictions.  I haven’t done my predictions yet but I have a feeling that will be the case with me.  And that’s fine since I wouldn’t mind either of these teams surprising a lot of people and being in contention late into November.

LSU at UCLA (8:00, FOX) – Four of the most important games of the week are on FOX (from what I believe).  That’s FOX’s entire weekend schedule.  Seriously impressive.  And something ABC does rarely and ESPN does never.  Here’s to hoping LSU is at least not worse than last year’s team (which they have the reasons why so I can give them that) and that UCLA is better than what they’ve been the past few years.  Many believe both those things will be true so we could be in for a great end to at least the Saturday portion of the 5-day Labour Day College Football Fiesta.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Ole Miss at Louisville (Monday, 8:00, TSN1/TSN4/TSN5) – Maybe some will consider this not so underrated.  Louisville was much better under Scott Satterfield this past season and, well, Lane Kiffin is Lane Kiffin.  But until either or both of these teams shows some serious Top 25 consistency, I can’t buy that we would be looking at one of the best games of the week.  Both teams have almost no chance to win their conference considering the teams on top but they could certainly put a scare in those same top teams if they are better than advertised.  We may look back at this game and realize this was, in actuality, a huge game in the battle for a New Year’s Six spot.

Best Group of Five Game: Boise State at UCF (Thursday, 7:30, TSN2) – Interesting that I have the chance to watch games on all sorts of different networks now and the best games of Week One will all be available quite easily in Canada.  C’est la vie.  Boise State has a very interesting part of the Mountain West’s new television deals (which started last year but really do come into play starting this season).  FOX gets ALL of Boise State’s home games on the season so there’s a good chance at least one time that the Broncos will get to the main network which would be huge for the conference.  CBS gets all of Boise State’s conference road games.  I don’t know if any of those will be shown late night on CBS (which is the plan at least once this season) but if I were them I would try and do so.  As for the other couple games that Boise State has, they can be shown anywhere.  Like this one, which will probably be on ESPN.  Bizarre?  Not really for a team that should have been picked up by the Big XII by now and is somewhat stuck in a Group of Five conference.  A good Group of Five conference but a G-5 conference nonetheless.

Worst Power Five Game: Oregon State at Purdue (3:30, Big Ten Network) – I had to go through a lot of games to find this one.  The next worst game?  Stanford and Kansas State in Arlington.  And this isn’t a part of Week One having a much better schedule than normal.  Week One is not really known for too many P5 vs. P5 games so it’s slim pickings trying to find a really bad one.  We will really see if either of these teams are worse than what they were last year: probably near the bottom of their conferences but honestly not that bad and a couple of breaks away from a bowl game.

Week 2

Game of the Week: Oregon at Ohio State (Noon, FOX) – Hey, how about that?  Same two teams occupy the Game of the Week spot for Week 2 and have to be considered a Game of the Year candidate.  I will not refer to the Oregon Ducks as the defending Pac-12 North champions.  They didn’t fucking win the division.  They only went to the Pac-12 Championship because Washington couldn’t due to COVID.  See this would have been a great year for USC to have been Top 5 and looking at a College Football Playoff spot and it’s ruined by a 4-3 team.  Considering what some people want, Oregon would have to also be put in the CFP.  How stupid is that?  It’s really fucking stupid.

Other Really Important Games: Washington at Michigan (7:30, ABC/TSN2) – Not fully confirmed for TSN2 but it will be on at least one TSN channel.  This could be a lot better than the two teams have been as of late.  Washington hasn’t hit the heights from early on in the Chris Petersen era.  And, Michigan is Michigan under Jim Harbaugh.  Usually good for at least 8 wins and a loss to Ohio State.  Big Blue can’t be as bad as they were last year can they?  No one thinks that but you never know.  This shows how bad Week 2 is since this may not even be an important game in the New Year’s Six story of the season.

Iowa at Iowa State (3:30, FOX) – Iowa State should be back in the Big XII title mix this season.  And Iowa has one of the longest tenured head coaches, Kirk Ferentz, who is good for at least one Ferentzing every season.  It’s why he gets these crazy contracts and great bonuses for a team that is almost never a Top 10 team.  Saying that, I would love to see one of these two teams on the precipice of the CFP because it needs some new blood, especially from non-blue blood programs.

Texas at Arkansas (7:00, specialty pack) – The first appearance of the specialty pack in this year’s important games series.  Not quite the Game of the Century of 1969…ok not even close to that.  But Arkansas is somehow trending in the right direction with one of the more popular coaches in college football nowadays and we get to see what Steve Sarkisian is really all about.  I sincerely hope he does well and doesn’t fall off the wagon again.  Now that doesn’t mean I want Texas to win the national championship.  I just mean I want Sark to have a good time in Austin and for people in Austin to give him a chance.  OK, I’m now officially worried for his well-being.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Missouri at Kentucky (7:30, specialty pack) – This will be buried in the schedule but could end up being a gem for the SEC Network.  We have two teams that really are on the rise (and in the Cats’ case, again).  It’s never the case that the SEC East is wide open but you need to win games like this to have a shot at the division title.  Kentucky knows that from a few years back when they still had a shot in November to clinch a spot in the SEC Championship.  I kind of wish this somehow gets to ESPN or ESPN2 but I doubt it.  And no, it won’t go to CBS, I’m almost certain of it.

Best Group of Five Game: Liberty at Troy (2:00, ESPN+) – Yes…ESPN+.  It was either this or UTEP-Boise State which I have going to FOX Sports One which, yes, is a better network.  But the Broncos should win that one by about 50 whereas this game should be fairly competitive.  It will be very interesting to see if the Flames are as good as they were last season.  It was funny watching the begrudging respect from so-called open minded college football media members last year so I hope they do well again this season.  Maybe, Conference USA finally gets their act together and invites them (unless the Sun Belt or even, dare I say, the American gets to them first).

Worst Power Five Game: Rutgers at Syracuse (Noon, ACC Network) – Funny I had these same two teams in this exact same spot last season before shit went sideways.  At least this season it would go to the proper network, unlike last year where the rumour was it would be on FOX because FOX just doesn’t care about their primetime window nearly as much as they should.  Again, I had other options here.  The one that stood out most was Illinois-Virginia but I think that might end up being good.  Just the Bronco Mendenhall-Bret Bielema coaching matchup is intriguing in itself.  RU-SU has none of that intrigue.  Zero.

Week 3

Game of the Week: Alabama at Florida (3:30, CBS) – This will have serious national championship implications but I don’t need to tell you that.  Now could this end up as a primetime game for CBS?  Possibly and it wouldn’t surprise me if they do it just for the fact that it would then be on at night and not in the afternoon where the players (and fans) would bake in the Gainesville sun.  This is a rematch of the SEC Championship where the Gators honestly looked like they could beat the Tide which is surprising considering how good Bama was last year.  It was the only time where the Tide looked like they were in trouble.  I wouldn’t even mind seeing a Bama loss here as it would make the SEC season, if not the entire college football season, a lot more interesting.

Other Really Important Games: Auburn at Penn State (7:30, ABC) – OK we’re still doing good with the high-profile games.  A definite step down from the Game of the Week but still a great game.  It was also really the only choice for ABC in primetime, especially since Boise State can’t be on the network for any of their home games and I can’t see them putting Cincinnati-Indiana on in that spot (although that would be a great idea in my opinion).  Two teams who have definitely taken a step, or two, back from previous seasons.  This should be a highly heated matchup as a loss could be devastating and portend not-so-good things to come on their season.

Nebraska at Oklahoma (Noon, FOX) – The story of this game was almost too good to be true.  Nebraska was trying desperately to get out of this game.  Social media found out and, predictably, took a huge creamy dump all over the Huskers organization.  In the end, they relented and kept this game on the schedule.  This is Scott Frost’s biggest chance since coming to Lincoln to put a huge stamp on the program and show that they are turning the corner.  A win here, as unlikely as it seems, would be the jolt the program needs to get back to prominence.  Now watch the Sooners win by 60.

Cincinnati at Indiana (4:00, FOX) – I would say FOX is kicking ABC/ESPN’s ass early on.  I mean they are but when it’s a week like this it doesn’t exactly mean a whole lot.  It’s a pretty good drop from the second best game of the week which was already a drop from the Game of the Week.  Much like last year’s Week 3 (or what it was supposed to be) this week is such a shit sandwich.  Meaning there is a very good opportunity for it to be an exciting and crazy week of college football, something that happens at least once a season.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Oklahoma State at Boise State (3:30, FOX Sports One) – Could this end up on the main FOX network?  If they take all of their broadcast windows seriously, then yes.  Which is why I have this game on FS1.  At least it’s not like last season when the Broncos were slated to host Florida State on FOX at Noon Eastern, 10:00 in the morning local.  Not saying they won’t have to do that in the future to get that big national audience but it’s a tough introduction to Big Noon Saturday (if it had ended up happening).  Hey, maybe this game will end up at Noon.  May be a better option than Nebraska-Oklahoma even if it’s just to promote the Mountain West.

Best Group of Five Game: Coastal Carolina at Buffalo (3:30, ESPN+) – Look I’m going to be honest again here.  I go through the season, setting up these schedules based on what I believe will happen by using current TV contract info and what has happened over the past year or two.  This does not mean that all the “choices” I make are good ones or ones that I agree with.  I may change my mind even before I start doing these posts.  This feels like a game, if it were in October, would easily be on ESPNU if not ESPN2.  So between now and the network-specific posts, I may change my mind.  This will be the first test to see if the Chants are as good as advertised and potentially a Group of Five favourite for the NY6 spot.

Worst Power Five Game: Baylor at Kansas (Thursday, 8:00, specialty pack) – This is more for Kansas than it is for Baylor.  Not saying the Bears are great because it was a struggle last year in Dave Aranda’s first season in Waco.  But until the Jayhawks show they can contend for a bowl game on a consistent basis, they will be treated like the Big XII’s ugly redheaded stepchild.  The hope is that the hire of Lance Leipold to coach the team will be a good one.  It should be but we won’t see any of that good stuff this season.  They should feel lucky that they get to be on ESPN, even if it is on a Thursday night up against the NFL.

There you go.  The first three weeks are complete.  And it’s the first official blog post for what should be a much more normal college football season.  96 days to the start of a regular regular season.  With fans in the stands.  Maybe not full stadiums but man, hearing fans is so much better than the empty arenas.

Now, let’s have that quick talk about the draft.  It was nice to see fans there in Cleveland despite the chilly weather.  It was nice to see Roger Goodell there even though him in his barcalounger was pretty damn funny.  I wonder how many fans just farted their brains out on that chair on stage.  I followed along with my mock draft and saw it was crap after the first few picks, as per usual.  I got a couple right later on but was way off on some.  It is what it is.  I won’t do a recap.  There are too many out there and I might be repeating what they say.  The Jags got Lawrence.  The Jets got Wilson.  The 49ers reached for Lance (in my opinion) but it was a better choice than Mac Jones who ended up a Patriot.  The Bears may have made the smartest move in the draft.  Yes the same Bears who traded up to get Mitchell Trubisky traded up this time to get Justin Fields in a trade that most everyone thought was brilliant.  The team I cheer for, the Buffalo Bills, did alright.  Not great but then again, they didn’t have serious needs.  They just needed to shore up some areas.  All in all, it was a good watch and I enjoyed it, even watching Mel Kiper try valiantly to keep his blood pressure from going through the roof with some of the picks.

Alright this felt good.  It’s a bit cathartic to do this post.  I’ve been through a pretty crazy last 15 months and now that my life (and hopefully, soon, life in this province) is getting back to normal, this is one of the final parts that need to return, so to speak.  Make my life as whole as it was before my life turned upside-down (not that it’s an amazing life but it wasn’t bad at the time).  Anyway, have a great Victoria Day, whatever you decide to do and have a great (and short!) work week as well…unless you don’t work Monday to Friday.  In that case, still have a good week even if you aren’t working all those days.

Let’s just call this a Scheduling Update post alright?

I’m going to be honest with you: I have no idea what is going to happen.  Let’s go through what has happened on a college football scheduling front:

• The Ivy League kicked things off by saying they would not have any fall sports.  Many in the media said this would basically make the decision for all the Power Five conferences which we all knew was bullshit because very few people care about Ivy League football.
• The Big Ten decided on a conference-only schedule.  This was the real first domino to fall as it affected many teams and their non-conference schedules, especially the MAC.  Because let’s be honest: Illinois going to play Rutgers is a lot safer than Illinois going to play Northern Illinois.  That makes sense, right?
• The Pac-12 followed suit with the conference only schedule.  Again, some of it doesn’t make sense although some games, like USC-Notre Dame, make sense to cancel.
• The MEAC became the first Division I HBCU conference to shut things down for the fall.  For us in Canada, it meant specialty packs lost a few Thursday night games.  The SWAC followed suit, officially, yesterday.
• The Patriot League has decided to not have fall sports.  Army and Navy, who are in the PL for basketball, would not be affected by this decision.
• The CAA has decided to not have football but James Madison and Elon are potentially looking at playing independent schedules for the season, with the thought that the FCS playoffs will still happen closer to winter.

The ACC is possibly going to a conference-only football schedule as well.  If this came to fruition, they would include Notre Dame in this agreement.  The SEC and Big XII have said very little on this so at this point we have to assume that it is business as usual (as much as it can be) when it comes to football.

The idea of conference-only schedules is kind of weird and, in some cases, really makes no sense.  When some of the teams would still have to travel over 1000 miles to get to some of these games means this has nothing to do with safety and everything to do with…well, I don’t know what it has to do with.

Now let’s look at how this affects what us as Canadians now will be seeing, if nothing else changes (and that includes predicted broadcast networks and times).  I am just going to look at the first three weeks, along with Week Zero.

September 5th		Colorado at Colorado State		3:30 PM
September 12th		Boise State at Air Force		3:30 PM
September 19th		Georgia at Alabama		3:30 PM

With the Pac-12’s decision to only have conference games, the Rocky Mountain Showdown has now been cancelled.  A possible replacement for that week would be Louisiana Tech-UNLV which is a weak replacement but they are almost out of potential Mountain West replacement games.

​​

September 5th		Michigan State at Northwestern		Noon
September 5th		Bowling Green at Ohio State		3:30 PM
September 5th		Alabama vs. USC (in Arlington)		7:30 PM
September 12th		Penn State at Virginia Tech		Noon
September 12th		Auburn vs. North Carolina (in Atlanta)		3:30 PM
September 12th		Tennessee at Oklahoma		7:30 PM
September 19th		Maryland at West Virginia		Noon
September 19th		Arkansas State at Michigan		3:30 PM
September 19th		USC at Stanford		7:30 PM

Weeks 1 and 3 have two games cancelled and Week 2 would have one.  Here are the possible replacements:

• BG-tOSU could be replaced by Indiana-Wisconsin if it will move from Friday.
• Bama-USC was one of the few headline matchups during Week 1.  I could see Florida State-West Virginia, that I originally had on at Noon on ABC, move from 3:30 to primetime as it is a neutral-site game.
• PSU-VT could be replaced by Mississippi State-NC State which is a non-conference game but the ACC hasn’t made the call just yet to off the non-conference schedule.
• UMD-WVU could be replaced by Vanderbilt-Kansas State which would put Vandy on ABC for the first time I think ever.
• ASU-UM could be replaced by Iowa-Minnesota if it moves off of Friday night.

USC-Stanford would be the first conference game of the year shown on ABC.

​

September 5th		Purdue at Nebraska		Noon
September 5th		Michigan at Washington		3:30 PM
September 12th		Iowa State at Iowa		Noon
September 12th		Ohio State at Oregon		3:30 PM
September 12th		Syracuse at Rutgers		7:30 PM
September 19th		Florida State at Boise State		Noon
September 19th		Buffalo at Ohio State		4:00 PM
September 19th		Arizona at Texas Tech		8:00 PM

Shit talking about a schedule being ruined.  FOX is almost to the point they might as well put everything they thought about the season into the shredder, pour a few stiff drinks and re-do everything.

• UM-UW could be replaced by USF-Texas if the Longhorn Network determines it can get a game later on in the season to air.
• ISU-Iowa doesn’t need to be replaced.  The teams are like two hours apart.  Why the fuck do this?  Anyway, this could be replaced by Kansas-Baylor since as a conference game there is a better chance this will end up staying on the schedule.
• tOSU-UO, one of the biggest games of the season, cannot be replaced by something of equal value.  Best bet could be Tulsa-Oklahoma State just to get something in that timeslot as Week 2, as a whole, looks like the biggest mess of them all.
• Oh man how many people will complain that Syracuse-Rutgers won’t air?  Again, they have almost nothing available but if they want to keep a primetime game and not just have MLB show a game, they could put UTEP-Nevada in that timeslot since CBS will not be giving up Boise State-Air Force, especially now.
• UB-tOSU could be replaced by Boston College-Kansas.  The MAC is going to suffer immensely with the loss of so many money games against Big Ten teams.
• UA-TTU could be replaced by UNLV-Iowa State.

This is where I believe the schedules could end up being put in a blender and all sorts of games moving to earlier weeks.

September 3rd		Eastern Washington at Florida (TSN5)		7:00 PM
September 3rd		BYU at Utah (TSN5)		10:15 PM
September 4th		North Carolina at UCF (TSN5)		8:00 PM
September 5th		Clemson at Georgia Tech (TSN2)		Noon
September 5th		UTSA at LSU (TSN2)		7:00 PM
September 5th		TCU at California (TSN2)		10:30 PM
September 6th		Notre Dame at Navy (TSN2)		2:00 PM
September 6th		Ole Miss vs. Baylor (in Houston) (TSN2)		7:30 PM
September 7th		Georgia at Virginia (TSN1, TSN4, TSN5)		8:00 PM
September 12th		Tennessee at Oklahoma (TSN2)		7:30 PM
September 18th		UCF at Georgia Tech (TSN2)		8:00 PM
September 19th		Maryland at West Virginia (TSN1, TSN4)		Noon
September 19th		Rutgers at Temple (TSN3, TSN5)		Noon

Huh, how about that?  My predicted TSN schedule isn’t altered that much.  That kind of surprises me.

• The Holy War being cancelled is dumb.  They are so close, you could probably shoot a cannon between the two schools and hit the campus…I think.  I don’t know.  All I know is that they are in the same state so cancelling this game but allowing Utah to travel to southern California is OK.  Alright then.  Anyway, this could be replaced by Georgia Southern-Boise State if that game gets moved from FOX Sports One to an ESPN channel.
• TCU-Cal could be replaced by probably nothing.  I am guessing TSN just doesn’t show a college football game in that timeslot.  It’s a late night timeslot so it’s not really a huge deal for most people.  UPDATE: TCU will now play UNLV during Week Zero.  Whether this game is on TSN is up in the air.
• UMD-WVU could be replaced by Auburn-Ole Miss which is appearing on ESPN.
• RU-TU could be replaced by NC State-Troy which is appearing on ESPNU.

I will not bother with the other schedules since there will be loads of changes.  I would drive myself nuts as I am still trying to edit out just the games that won’t be happening.  I will try and send an update to this post if another conference, mostly the ACC, makes a decision that alters the schedule before any games are moved back into September which is what I assume will happen.

Anyway, at this point, Week Zero is still on although there will only be a few games, at most.  As of right now we are 39 days away from the college football season starting.  What it will look like I have no fucking idea.  I have a better chance of finding a single specific bolt in an IKEA store.  Have a great rest of the week and let’s cross our fingers and hope for at least some semblance of team sports (not including soccer) returning soon.

Ladies and gentlemen…it’s time….the Week 1 College Football TV Schedule!!!!!!!!

The time is finally here!  Yes there was a big matchup and a couple good games this past Saturday but this is truly the start of the season.  At least ESPN doesn’t completely forget about Week Zero like they used to.  I wonder how Week Zero will continue to operate in the future.  Will we continue to get a big game to start the year along with a couple other games (and one involving Hawaii)?  Who knows.  It was a nice taste this past weekend…now we need the full spread.

So enough of this yappin’…let’s get to why you’re all here.  The first actual college football schedule of the season.  Here we go!

Thursday

		US	Canada
UCLA at Cincinnati	7:00 PM
Florida A&M at #17 UCF	7:30 PM
Georgia Tech at #1 Clemson	8:00 PM
Texas State at #12 Texas A&M	8:30 PM
#14 Utah at BYU	10:15 PM

We get right into the thick of it with the Holy War late at night.  And it’s the second half of a TSN doubleheader to start the season.  Noice!  Also, the ACC Network’s college football debut is this night as Georgia Tech tries learning an offense that isn’t the option against the defending national champs.  I’m sure that will go over well.  And finally, Texas State alum Alexis Texas gave her team a quick 18-second speech to try and pump them up for their opening game against Texas A&M.  Now many of those players will type ‘Alexis Texas’ into Pornhub and spend time not going over their playbooks.  Great work there Alexis.

UPDATE #2 : Thanks to nationscapital, we now know that the ACC Network is on Rogers (and presumably Eastlink).  I am checking Bell schedules to see if that’s the case there too).

Friday

		US	Canada
Rice at Army	6:00 PM
#19 Wisconsin at USF	7:00 PM
UMass at Rutgers	7:15 PM
Utah State at Wake Forest	8:00 PM
Purdue at Nevada	9:30 PM
Colorado State vs. Colorado (in Denver)	10:00 PM

There could be three or four upsets (kind of here)…well at least Group of Five teams beating Power Five teams.  I would say USU has the best chance here to pull off the win.  Another TSN doubleheader so a good start to the season by them since they are not known for showing a ton of college football until October or so.  Oh and Rutgers plays a game.  Against UMass.  Yeah.  Technically it’s college football but that game would struggle to get an audience during Week Zero.

Saturday Early

		US	Canada
Ole Miss at Memphis	Noon
East Carolina at NC State	Noon
Howard at Maryland	Noon
Akron at Illinois	Noon
Indiana vs. Ball State (in Indianapolis)	Noon
South Alabama at #24 Nebraska	Noon
Mississippi State vs. Louisiana (in New Orleans)	Noon
Florida Atlantic at #5 Ohio State	Noon
Toledo at Kentucky	Noon

A lot of games here.  Some interesting fare but nothing super important to be honest.  Ole Miss-Memphis could be the start of a dream season for the Tigers or a complete destruction of my Group of Five New Year’s Six prediction.  Would love to see FAU give tOSU a scare at the Shoe and don’t be surprised if Toledo makes things difficult for Kentucky.  Finally, watch for Louisiana’s rushing attack.  They have one of the best set of running backs in the country and this could be a bit of a coming out party for them (especially Trey Ragas).

UPDATE #3: Twitter reader @pinopanza76 has notified me that all the TSN2 games have changed from ESPN to ABC all day, except for the late night game where TSN2 will still show the ESPN game (Fresno State-USC).

Saturday Afternoon

		US	Canada
#2 Alabama vs. Duke (in Atlanta)	3:30 PM
Idaho at #15 Penn State	3:30 PM
Holy Cross at Navy	3:30 PM
North Carolina vs. South Carolina (in Charlotte)	3:30 PM
Georgia State at Tennessee	3:30 PM
Virginia Tech at Boston College	4:00 PM
Northwestern at #25 Stanford	4:00 PM
Portland State at Arkansas	4:00 PM

Do things really get better here?  Not really.  Northwestern-Stanford in the Nerd Bowl could be the underrated game of the week and could end up being very important down the line.  Bama-Dook shouldn’t be close.  Some of these neutral-site games planned years advance look silly once they finally come to fruition.  The ACC Network, on their first weekend, could end up having one of the best games of the week as VaTech and BC usually play each other tough.

Saturday Primetime

		US	Canada
#3 Georgia at Vanderbilt	7:30 PM
#16 Auburn vs. #11 Oregon (in Arlington)	7:30 PM
Virginia at Pittsburgh	7:30 PM
Middle Tennessee at #7 Michigan	7:30 PM
Missouri at Wyoming	7:30 PM
Georgia Southern at #6 LSU	7:30 PM

Alright this is better.  I mean I know Week One is overhyped because it’s the start of the new season (sorry Week Zero) but the games rarely match that hype.  Auburn-Oregon is a huge game where whoever wins has to be considered an early contender.  LSU should beat Georgia Southern but the Eagles aren’t pushovers.  It’s less than the normal amount of games usually in a primetime schedule.  No game on FOX, no games on ESPN2 all day and single games in almost all the BTN and SECN timeslots lends to this.  So hopefully at least one of these games has a great ending.  Just a note that the Florida State-Boise State game has been moved to Noon and will air on ESPNEWS so we will not get it in this area.  As of right now Georgia Southern-LSU will be on both ESPNU and SEC Network which doesn’t matter to us at this point.  However, there is a possibility another game will be put in the ESPNU spot.  Stay tuned for that.

Saturday Late Night

		US	Canada
Fresno State at USC	10:30 PM

Hey at least there’s one game in this timeslot right?  This could end up being a very good game meaning you have to stay up and watch it.  That’s the rules.  I don’t make them up, I just try to enforce them (on myself).

Sunday

		US	Canada
Jackson State vs. Bethune-Cookman (in Montgomery)	3:00 PM
Houston at #4 Oklahoma	7:30 PM

So FOX is officially (for now) out of the Labour Day Sunday college football business.  I’m not surprised since there isn’t much that could go here that would stack up against UH-OU.  I wonder if we will see another Cougs upset.  A reminder that it is our first glimpse of Drunk Uncle Dana Part II: Energy Drink Boogaloo.

Monday

		US	Canada
#9 Notre Dame at Louisville	8:00 PM

Hey finally we don’t have the shitshow that occurs because of the Labour Day Classic CFL doubleheader.  Thank fucking God.  Why they moved the Argos-Ti-Cats game to primetime is beyond me but hey, try something new and see if it works, right?

As for the game itself, it should be over sometime during the second quarter but the Irish have a habit, during good seasons, of playing at least one game against a team they should destroy and keeping it close and making Notre Dame fans drink even more than they normally would.

Games to set your eyeballs on

Auburn vs. Oregon (in Arlington) (7:30, ABC) – This is EASILY the game of the week and there really isn’t another game that’s close.  A must watch for even a casual college football fan.  It’s a huge game for both teams as the winner becomes an instant contender and will be in the College Football Playoff conversation.  Yes Auburn has to tackle the super difficult SEC West and Oregon has to deal with the Pac-12 North minefield but both teams need a hot start to get momentum into conference play.

Houston at Oklahoma (Sunday, 7:30, ABC) – We all remember what Houston has done the past few years.  And we know how the Sooners played against Army last season.  It will be intriguing to see how Dana Holgorsen deals with the Sooners in this one.  Don’t be surprised if this game is close going into the fourth quarter.

Utah at BYU (Thursday, 10:15, TSN5) – HOLY WAR TIME!  I know there are some that want to scrap the Holy War moniker but I love it.  This is a serious rivalry that people tend to forget because of East Coast bias.  This should be serious fun and the fans in Provo are usually good.  What they should do is serve caffeine for this one game to see how the kids deal with it.  I could see a riot.

Boise State vs. Florida State (in Jacksonville) (Noon, ESPNEWS so yeah no) – Yeah, some neutral site.  But let’s explain this a bit further.  This is part of a home-and-home series.  Next year’s game will be in Boise so this one is in Florida.  Why it was moved to Jacksonville rather than keep it in Tallahassee is unknown and honestly makes no sense to me.  This should be good (as most Boise games are) and will go a long way to showing whether the Noles are back (oh god back to this again).

UPDATE: As was stated above, thanks to the incoming hurricane, this game has been moved up seven hours to Noon and will now air on ESPNEWS.  This sucks for Canadians as now we miss this game which could end up being a good one.  It’s also being moved to Tallahassee as well so no longer a neutral-site game despite the fact it really never was one in the first place.

Northwestern at Stanford (4:00, FOX) – At least there wasn’t a debate to put this game in the Top Five of the week.  Hopefully we do get Gus and Joel for this one since I think they would be wasted doing FAU-tOSU.  The Nerd Bowl should be a good one and the winner could end up being a dark horse contender to win their conference (or at least be flirting with the Top 10).  At least FOX got one good game this weekend since their Week One history is pretty bleak.

Honourable mention: Notre Dame at Louisville (Monday, 8:00, TSN1/TSN4/TSN5); Georgia at Vanderbilt (7:30, specialty pack); Georgia Tech at Clemson (Thursday, 8:00, specialty pack)

Some gambling fun and games

Back to this bullshit.  Remember, I pick games straight up.  No against the spread stuff here.  Also, if you value your money, don’t copy these picks:

Notre Dame over Louisville

Oregon over Auburn

Stanford over Northwestern

Utah over BYU

Oklahoma over Houston

Florida State over Boise State

Clemson over Georgia Tech

Georgia over Vanderbilt

Ohio State over Florida Atlantic

LSU over Georgia Southern

Kentucky over Toledo

Five straight days of college football starts tonight!  I think I’m ready for it.  I say that every year but it’s always a bit of a process to get into the mindset.  At this point there is nothing on the specialty pack guides (that I can see).  I am pretty sure what I have in the schedule is correct, though.  I foresee no updates or maybe one or two depending on the primetime ESPNU situation.  I hope that’s the case since I hate updates.  I will be on the Twitter machine for a good part of the next five days.  My Twitter handle is now @TheBauceman.  I finally changed it so 1978 doesn’t appear which was stupid in the first place.  Then some people couldn’t find me and it turned into a mini-debacle.  Ah, technology.

Soon enough we will get back into the same old rotation of college recap-college schedule-NFL schedule.  I won’t be doing NFL recaps since I put some recap info in the schedule along with playoff outlooks later in the season.  Plus there are so many ways to get an NFL recap, it makes no sense for me to reinvent the wheel.  Alright have a great time watching all this glorious college football you crazy Canadian college football fans.  It should be a good time.  Have a great weekend!

Well it’s about damn time. The Week 1 College Football TV Schedule Everyone!

We made it!  OK we made it last week (technically) but this is where things kick into high gear, so to speak.  Despite ESPN showing two games last Saturday they are touting this as opening weekend.  I get that this is a huge weekend in the sporting landscape but why have Week Zero if this is how it will operate?  I’m not complaining.  I got the appetizer last Saturday.  Now I’m ready for the full Italian five-course meal!

Let’s stop dilly-dallying (not dilly-dillying you Bud Light drinking yahoos) and get to the damn schedule already!

Thursday

		US	Canada
New Mexico State at Minnesota	7:00 PM
#21 UCF at UConn	7:00 PM
Wake Forest at Tulane	8:00 PM
Northwestern at Purdue	8:00 PM
Northwestern State at Texas A&M	8:30 PM

We get right down to it with two of the Big Ten West’s bridesmaids trying to start their season off on the right foot.  Honestly, any sort of trip up puts them one step behind Wisconsin this season.  It also marks TSN’s first college football game of the season.

UPDATE #2: The Northwestern State-Texas A&M game is not showing on the Bell Fibe guide so don’t know if it is appearing on other guides either.  But the game is appearing.  So no need to worry about that.

Friday

		US	Canada
Syracuse at Western Michigan	6:00 PM
Utah State at #11 Michigan State	7:00 PM
Army at Duke	7:00 PM
Western Kentucky at #4 Wisconsin	9:00 PM
Colorado at Colorado State	9:30 PM

The best game of the night might end up being that Army-Duke matchup.  Pretty closely matched right there.  A couple years ago I would have said the two games with the Big Ten teams would be big ones but USU and WKU aren’t what they used to be.  Colorado State has to play better than they did last week or this could be a long season (and make my prediction for them look like absolute trash).

Saturday Early

		US	Canada
Houston at Rice	Noon
Oregon State at #5 Ohio State	Noon
Kent State at Illinois	Noon
Texas State at Rutgers	Noon
Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (in Houston)	Noon
James Madison at NC State	Noon
Coastal Carolina at South Carolina	Noon
Florida Atlantic at #7 Oklahoma	Noon
Furman at #2 Clemson	12:30 PM

A lot of games here.  I would say two of them are relatively important (I guess).  Ole Miss-Texas Tech is a weird neutral-site game although it was scheduled a few years back when both teams were probably much better.  FAU-OU should be something.  Don’t be surprised if the Lane Train puts a scare in Boomer Sooner (although I still honestly can’t see the Owls winning).

UPDATE #3: Alcorn State-Georgia Tech has been added to the specialty pack.  It will start at 12:30.

Saturday Afternoon

		US	Canada
Washington State at Wyoming	3:30 PM
#17 West Virginia vs. Tennessee (in Charlotte)	3:30 PM
Appalachian State at #10 Penn State	3:30 PM
Northern Illinois at Iowa	3:30 PM
#9 Auburn vs. #6 Washington (in Atlanta)	3:30 PM
Austin Peay at #3 Georgia	3:30 PM
Central Michigan at Kentucky	3:30 PM
North Carolina at California	4:00 PM
UT-Martin at Missouri	4:00 PM
Eastern Illinois at Arkansas	4:00 PM

OK looks like things get better here, especially with what I believe is undoubtedly the game of the week in Atlanta.  Auburn-Washington will definitely shape the College Football Playoff and New Year’s Six pictures and is the first mega-matchup of the season.  I’m glad to see ESPN isn’t doing the 3-hour window thing today since it is completely dumb and like 0.1% of games finish before the 3-hour mark.  A lot of good options other than AU-UW with CMU-UK, UNC-Cal, WVU-Tennessee and App State-Penn State.

Saturday Primetime

		US	Canada
Indiana at FIU	7:00 PM
Cincinnati at UCLA	7:00 PM
#14 Michigan at #12 Notre Dame	7:30 PM
Middle Tennessee at Vanderbilt	7:30 PM
Charleston Southern at Florida	7:30 PM
Stephen F. Austin at #18 Mississippi State	7:30 PM
Akron at Nebraska	8:00 PM
#1 Alabama vs. Louisville (in Orlando)	8:00 PM

Honestly it’s not a ton better in the primetime schedule than in the afternoon sked.  And that’s A-OK with me.  Michigan-Notre Dame is usually a great game with a loss definitely hurting either program (considering the schedules they are dealing with this season).  Bama should beat Louisville easily but you never know, right?  FOX gets a pretty bad schedule opening week and I am sure they don’t care.  They get some fantastic games later in the season.  Just be happy they have a tripleheader and move on.

UPDATE #4: Cincinnati-UCLA also appearing now on the specialty pack. This is odd but it is what it is.

Saturday Late Night

		US	Canada
BYU at Arizona	10:45 PM
Navy at Hawaii	11:00 PM

Unlike last year, this year as some late night fare opening weekend.  And I mean REALLY late night fare.  The Navy-Hawaii game starts at 11 so won’t end before 2:30 probably for certain.  Especially if the Fighting Roloviches toss the ball over the field like they did last week.  BYU shows how far back they really are and Khalil Tate gets to start his Heisman campaign after most normal people have gone to bed (which excludes me obviously).

Sunday

		US	Canada
NC Central vs. Prairie View A&M (in Atlanta)	Noon
#25 LSU vs. #8 Miami (in Arlington)	7:30 PM

Part of me was surprised when FOX decided against having a Sunday night affair since last year’s Texas A&M-UCLA game was bonkers.  Then I looked at what was available and immediately understood the issue: there just aren’t enough good games out there to put in this timeslot.  And going up against LSU-Miami is a different animal than going up against Virginia Tech-West Virginia (which was the ABC game last season).

Monday

		US	Canada
#20 Virginia Tech at #19 Florida State	8:00 PM		(JIP)

OK.  We know what has happened before with the Monday night college football opener and TSN.  It’s usually a shitshow.  I don’t understand how TSN can’t figure this out but they seemingly can’t.  So this is what I can determine at this point:

• The Toronto Argos-Hamilton Ti-Cats game is a Labour Day NIGHT game and on most of the TSN stations.
• That game ends at 8:30.
• It appears that TSN3 would pick up the game in progress at that point.  This would mean viewers would miss the first quarter perhaps.
• TSN2, the only TSN station not showing the Labour Day Classic, is showing US Open Tennis as per usual this time of year.

So there you go.  Looks like we will get to see the final three quarters of this game on TSN3.  Let’s pray that this ends up being the case.

UPDATE: Remember what I said about updates?  Scratch that…for now.  After seeing the guide, it looked like the game was going to the specialty pack AS WELL AS TSN3 joined in progress.  Thanks to reader Cam, this looks to be the case since TSN is, one hand, promoting the Megacast with like 10,000 feeds but is basically allowing this to also show on the specialty pack since otherwise no one would be able to see it on TV in its entirety.  Supposedly, you can see the game in its entirety on TSN.ca as well, probably on Feed #1 (of like a million).

Games to set your eyeballs on

Auburn vs. Washington (in Atlanta) (3:30, ABC/TSN2) – I believe this is the game to watch for Week 1 and many agree.  A must watch for even a casual college football fan.  Also it puts one program into the “Instant Contender” category and one into the “Maybe It’s The New Year’s Six For Us” category.  We also get to see if we get the Jake Browning of a couple years ago or the Jake Browning of last season.

Michigan at Notre Dame (7:30, NBC) – A game between two programs with coaches who many think should be on the hot seat but in reality aren’t because they’ve actually done fairly well although not compared to the legendary programs of the past.  Yeesh.  Should be intriguing though and usually games between these two teams produce exciting finishes.  This is the second of two ranked vs. ranked games this week by the way.

LSU vs. Miami (in Arlington) (Sunday, 7:30, ABC/TSN3) – Two teams that really haven’t faced each other much (12 times, last time in 2005) play in an ACTUAL NEUTRAL-SITE GAME!  Not this Auburn basically playing next door type of thing.  I am not really fond of those since they feel like cash-grabs (and probably are).  Cue the Ed Orgeron takes since I am sure we will hear a boatload of them.  Also a (probable) return of ESPN’s favourite inanimate object, the Turnover Chain!

Virginia Tech at Florida State (Monday, 8:00, TSN3 (kind of)) – This is a MEGACAST game so it’s good TSN3 has the game (even if it is joined in progress).  Otherwise they would have all the MEGACAST feeds but not the actual game and you wouldn’t be able to get it on the specialty pack either because TSN technically has the game and it would just be a big giant game of Fuck the Consumer.  Still waiting for a feed that has coaches at an all-you-can-eat restaurant where all the drinks are being comped.  Would be good to see Dana Holgorsen half in the bag singing Take Me Home, Country Roads and then vomiting all over Brian Kelly and Jim Harbaugh.

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma (Noon, FOX) – I debated putting either WVU-Tennessee in NASCAR Country or Bama-Louisville here but went with the non-neutral-site game instead.  The announcers (who will definitely be Gus Johnson and Joel Klatt) will gush all over Lane Kiffin and Lincoln Riley like everyone else seems to be doing.  Gus will go apoplectic over some crazy play and Joel will do his best Abercrombie + Fitch model smoldering look while breaking down the keys to the game.  Good way to start a Saturday.

Honourable mention: Alabama vs. Louisville (in Orlando) (8:00, ABC/TSN3); West Virginia vs. Tennessee (in Charlotte) (3:30, CBS); Northwestern at Purdue (Thursday, 8:00, TSN2)

Some gambling fun and games

Back to this bullshit.  And just a reminder, I don’t pick against the spread.  My picks are bad enough as is.  Here we go:

Alabama over Louisville

Notre Dame over Michigan

Texas over Maryland (which we can’t see)

Auburn over Washington

West Virginia over Tennessee

Florida State over Virginia Tech

LSU over Miami (upset pick of the week I guess)

Duke over Army

Oklahoma over Florida Atlantic

Purdue over Northwestern

Boise State over Troy (can’t see this one either)

Again we are back to the opening salvo of five straight days of college football!  And I am ready for it.  I think.  Everything, amazingly enough, is scheduled and in the guide except for the mystery of Monday night.  But I do think what I have above is correct for the VaTech-FSU game.  For this reason I probably don’t need to do many updates if any at all.  That would be nice to be honest with you.  I will be on the Twitter machine (@LikeABauce1978) on Saturday for sure.  Maybe at other points but definitely that day.  Don’t know why I put in the 1978 since I am sure no one else had that Twitter tag.  Oh well.  I think I mentioned this before too.  Always bugs me like twice a year.

Soon enough we will get back into the same old college recap-NFL recap-college schedule-NFL schedule rotation.  Actually it will be next week.  So enjoy the games all you crazy Canadian college football fans.  I know I will.

Most Important Games of the 2018 College Football Season – Part I

OK not really back…yet.  But at least I can start posting about it.  Schedules are out (at least for what days games are on…for the most part).  FBSchedules has released their popular (to me at least) helmet schedules.  And preview mags are finally starting to trickle out.  I am going with the digital version of the Phil Steele magazine this year since I don’t feel like waiting at least another six weeks for the physical version to arrive.  Also hoping to pick up Athlon, Lindy’s and Street & Smith’s if I can over the next couple weeks.  So yeah, I can start thinking about college football at least and not be sad that it’s eight months away.  I mean it’s still four months away but that will go quickly, no?

I figured I might as well put at least one post up in May before it ends.  Better late than never right?  I am sure I will get some of these right (as I always do) but many of them wrong (like I always do).  At least most of the wrong ones I can explain away.  I mean if the SEC on CBS shows Vandy-Tennessee for the final week of the regular season rather than the Iron Bowl, one of two things has happened:

1. Both Vandy and Tennessee are a whole lot better than anyone thought, or
2. Both Bama and Auburn are a whole lot worse than everyone thought.

So no I will not put Vandy-UT as the final SEC on CBS regular season game.  I feel safe with that choice.

Disclaimer: Just so you know, some of the broadcast info may change between now and the time I do my network-specific posts.  And I understand that.  Bear with me.  Or don’t.  I don’t care.

Another change from last year’s list.  Here is how the list of games for each week will be structured:

• Game of the Week – This is my opinion of the game of the week.  It may differ from your opinion.  That is OK.  Because the next part is…
• Other Really Important Games – See?  One of these games might be your game of the week choice.
• Sneaky-Good Underrated Game – Some games are underrated.  I will try to find one each week that could fulfill that criterion.
• Best Group of Five Game – Pretty self-explanatory but has to have TWO G5 teams involved.
• Worst Power Five Game – Just like above, except the opposite (with two P5 teams involved).

The “Other Really Important Games” section is the one section where the number of games I include may vary.  In some weeks you will only see one or two.  Others there may be like seven.  We pretty much know which weeks will have better games and which ones won’t so it shouldn’t be much of a surprise.

Let us commence with the week rankings.  This is almost the same every year so it should come as no surprise.  Rankings followed by insightful banter (remember, I list the week and the date that corresponds to the Saturday of that week):

1. Week 11 (November 10)
2. Week 13 (November 24 – American Thanksgiving)
3. Week 10 (November 3)
4. Week 6 (October 6)
5. Week 7 (October 13)
6. Week 5 (September 29)
7. Week 4 (September 22)
8. Week 9 (October 27)
9. Week 3 (September 15)
10. Week 8 (October 20)
11. Week 1 (September 1)
12. Week 12 (November 17)
13. Week 2 (September 8)

Week 1 is not nearly as good as it was last season.  Not saying there aren’t some good games but there is a LOT of non-conference fluff in there.  I mean it’s Week 1 so I will be hyped as fuck for it but, in the grand scheme of things, it is close to the bottom in terms of quality.  American Thanksgiving weekend has again been usurped at the top for the second time in three years.  This time it is Week 11 which is completely rammed with big games.  Here is hoping I have a full day to watch as much as possible  As per usual, November has the three top weeks and one of the worst.  SEC Shitbreak Week is not the worst week though this season.  That honour belongs to Week 2 (or should I say WEAK 2 ahahahahahahaha OK I’ll stop).  And of course Week Zero is a complete waste in terms of quality but it’s the first games of the year.  So I am fully prepared to believe that I will see the ESPN games that weekend and be shut out and then find out that no, Bell doesn’t start airing games until Week 1 officially starts.  Which will then piss me off.  Same roller coaster as last year.  Alright so no surprises.  Correct?  Let’s move on.

Weekly breakdown time!  The first few weeks are somewhat set in terms of American networks with some weekday games throughout the season also set.  Twitter user @CamPeverley has insight into the possible TSN college football schedule so I want to thank him for that as it allows me to put a bit more thought into what games will appear on TSN this season.  Here we go!

Week 1

Game of the Week: Auburn vs. Washington (in Atlanta) (3:30, ABC) – You have to wonder if this game was not put on in primetime so as not to have to go up against Michigan-Notre Dame in the same timeslot.  Either way, I believe this is the true game of the week for Week 1 and a massive matchup.  Not saying a loss here destroys either team’s chances but a win will definitely go a long way to setting the tone and being considered a College Football Playoff contender.

Other Really Important Games: Michigan at Notre Dame (7:30, NBC) – Regardless of how either team is doing, this game is always considered a must-watch.  It also makes it tough for other networks to go up against this game since it’s usually a ratings hit.  It’s almost a guarantee that both the Wolverines and Fighting Irish will not be great teams this season.  When was the last time that actually happened?  (Note: actually it was 2015.  Why does that seem so long ago?).  A good start is imperative for both, especially Brian Kelly who is on a massive hot seat to start 2018.

LSU vs. Miami (in Arlington) (Sunday, 7:30, ABC/TSN3) – Is Miami back?  Will Ed Orgeron be fired before the end of the season?  Expect these two questions to be asked about 6,000 times during this telecast.  At least this neutral-site game is pretty neutral even though LSU is a lot closer than Miami.

Alabama vs. Louisville (in Orlando) (8:00, ABC/TSN2) – If it wasn’t Bama in this spot, there is no way it gets the ABC primetime slot.  Then again, a chance for ESPN to put Bama on ABC only happens once a year (usually) so they have to take it when they can get it.  I would love to see the Fighting Petrinos keep this close but without Lamar Jackson I don’t know if they can.

Virginia Tech at Florida State (Monday, 8:00, specialty pack) – The traditional opening Monday ACC matchup pits the Hokies against a team whose fanbase doesn’t seem to like me, Florida State.  The Noles looking to bounce back and could end up being one of the most improved teams of the year after last year’s odd 7-6 season.  And after the first four games on this list appeared on network television, this is the first game to go to the specialty pack.  Hopefully we never have to live the debacle of three years ago when this game ended up not airing due to TSN screwing up (or was it the telcos?  Don’t remember).

Florida Atlantic at Oklahoma (4:30, FOX) – All aboard the Lane Train!  Choo-choo motherfuckers!  This could be a VERY interesting matchup if the Owls can somehow pull off the upset (or at least scare the Sooners).  See these are the games that are troublesome for the powers of college football: win and you were kind of supposed to do so.  Win by a little and may start to doubt your chances.  Lose and you’re eliminated from everything (according to the media and many fans).  It’s almost a lose-lose-lose situation.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Ole Miss vs. Texas Tech (in Houston) (9:30, specialty pack) – The Rebels won’t be playing in a bowl game yet again due to sanctions against the program.  They could end up being a team that does very well and shakes up the rankings a lot.  Kute Kliff Kingsbury may be on his last legs in Lubbock.  A win here could cool down the flames of a scorching-hot seat that he’s on.

Best Group of Five Game: Boise State at Troy (3:45, specialty pack) – This is an easy choice and nothing else is even close (I would say UCF-UConn is the next best G5 game).  Two of the G5 New Year’s Six contenders face off in what should be a nationally-televised game.  Nice to see since we rarely get Saturday Sun Belt games at all or Mountain West games in the afternoon.

Worst Power Five Game: Oregon State at Ohio State (Noon, ABC) – The OSU Bowl follows one of the best games of the week.  Odd.  But then again there aren’t many games to choose from.  Even in this slot there was this, UNC-Cal and Maryland-Texas to choose from.  I selected this game because I am sure it will be a blowout (although it will be intriguing to see if tOSU can get to 60+ points).

Week 2

Game of the Week: Clemson at Texas A&M (7:00, specialty pack) – This is the worst week of the college football season but it at least has a decent GOTW.  Not quite a season-changing game but still good.  Clemson is still considered a favourite to win the national championship this season so here’s to hoping this ends up being closer than it looks like it will be, at least on paper.

Other Really Important Games: USC at Stanford (3:30, ABC) – VERY early Pac-12 shit-test game.  Winner instantly becomes the big Pac-12 CFP contender who will eventually fail and everyone will then crap all over the Pac-12.  Loser may not even win their division.  I am hoping there are more Pac-12 games on in the afternoon timeslot since I do feel their pain when it comes to late-night scheduling.  It’s funny that even up until 2012, Pac-12 After Dark (and Late Night with Mountain West) wasn’t a thing.  Now it fully is, keeping me up until the wee hours of the morning and making Sundays sometimes not feel so good.

Georgia at South Carolina (3:30, CBS) – South Carolina, I believe, will be a lot better than many people think.  And Georgia is Georgia.  An upset here could kill any chances of a repeat SEC championship for the Dawgs and could propel the Gamecocks, yet again, to a really good yet somewhat unsatisfying season.

UCLA at Oklahoma (8:30, FOX) – Is UCLA great again?  I don’t know but with Chip Kelly there it should be a ton of fun to watch the Bruins.  Oklahoma having a pretty brutal first two weeks of the schedule that is for sure; however, win them both and they make a good early case to be at the top of the rankings.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: Duke at Northwestern (Noon, specialty pack) – See what I mean?  After Bruins-Sooners, the game quality kind of falls off a cliff.  It was either this or Cy-Hawk for this category but am going with the Academic Bowl.  Northwestern always seems to be on the precipice of something really good in the Big Ten only to somehow be derailed by either a very good team (Wisconsin last year for example) or a team that they probably should have beat and get upset by (think Illinois or Minnesota).  Duke should be back into the second-tier of the ACC as opposed to the bottom tier where they used to camp out for years on end.  I can see this game being very close and at least should be aesthetically pleasing as Ryan Field is just a nice stadium to watch a football game (on TV at least).

Best Group of Five Game: Memphis at Navy (3:30, CBSSN) – Expect the American and Mountain West conferences to make up most of these games.  Navy probably won’t be quite as good as they have been in recent years but the Tigers are still a strong team that might, yet again, contend for the AAC crown.  Plus, games at Navy are fun to watch.

Worst Power Five Game: Colorado at Nebraska (Noon, FOX) – FOX gets a shitty game to pair off with a good one.  Well kind of.  Shitty in a P5 sense.  I would love to see one of, if not both of, these teams return to past glory.  College football is inherently better when one of Nebraska or Colorado are good.  Then again, I would love a return of the Big Eight and that won’t happen either.  Beggars can’t be choosers.

Week 3

Game of the Week: LSU at Auburn (3:30, CBS) – This could potentially have national championship implications.  It is, in my very honest opinion, just a hair above the next couple games on this list.  But you could easily switch them in and out and no one would notice.  This is the true return of the SEC on CBS (since Week 2 is a game they would have to sublicense from ESPN).

Other Really Important Games: Ohio State vs. TCU (in Arlington) (8:00, ABC) – If you don’t think the Tiger Bowl is the GOTW, then maybe it’s this one  One of approximately 347 neutral-site games held at JerryWorld this season.  It should be a relatively partisan crowd but Ohio State fans travel well.  Should be a good atmosphere.  Also, watch out for TCU being a potential dark horse contender if they can pull out the win here.

Alabama at Ole Miss (7:00, specialty pack) – If Ole Miss is as improved as many say they will be, then this could be a barnburner.  We all know how Bama struggles with the Rebs and how Ole Miss gets up for the Tide game every season.  It really is a toss-up between this one and LSU-Auburn as to who will appear on CBS but I have a feeling this one will go here partially because of the limit of 5 appearances on the SEC on CBS in one season (excluding the SEC Championship).

Washington at Utah (10:30, specialty pack) – Talk about your big early-season doubleheader.  This game will probably follow Bama-Ole Miss.  Not often throughout a college football season do we get two huge conference games back-to-back on the same network.  The Huskies have to worry about a team on the cusp of Pac-12 greatness in Utah and the MUSS, arguably the loudest student section in college football.

USC at Texas (8:30, FOX) – Is Texas back?  Good lord I am honestly getting sick of that question.  Part of me hopes they are so every college football media member will stop fucking asking that.  USC will be good I’m sure.  Which is good since I am sure the media would be all over that like they were after coming off that one mediocre season a few years back.  Oh well I shouldn’t complain.  It’s college football and we should get peak GUS JOHNSON during this one.

Boise State at Oklahoma State (Friday, 7:00, TSN2) – An important Friday night game!  Nice!  The weekday night games are usually a bunch of hit-and-miss.  Some games are close, others are blowouts.  Not too often do you have a game that seems super important from the start.  More often than not it’s an upset that causes a huge shift in the rankings (think Syracuse over Clemson followed by Cal over Wazzu on the same October Friday night last season).  I wouldn’t consider Boise winning to be a huge upset in this one.  What I would consider it is Boise’s intent to seriously challenge for a College Football Playoff spot and Mike Gundy’s mullet to still be fantastic.

Sneaky-Good Underrated Game: West Virginia at NC State (3:30, specialty pack) – Two teams that are usually underrated (somewhat) meet in this pretty important early-season game.  The implications are a little different since here the team that loses is probably done for the CFP and probably even the NY6.  We shall see if we get peak Drunk Uncle Dana in this one.  I would say that being in the mid-afternoon gives us a better shot at that but honestly, time doesn’t matter to Mr. Holgorsen.

Best Group of Five Game: Southern Miss at Appalachian State (7:00, ESPN3) – To be honest, the early season doesn’t usually give us a bunch of good G5-on-G5 violence.  We kind of luck out the first two weeks but this is where it comes to a crashing halt.  We probably won’t even get this game in Canada to be honest.  I would say that sucks but I am still pushing for FOX Sports One games so ESPN3 games are currently WAY down the list of wants.

Worst Power Five Game: Rutgers at Kansas (Noon, FS1) – OK remember what I said about FOX Sports One…

The first three weeks are complete.  Don’t want to put everything in all at once.  As per usual I have broken this into four separate posts for your reading pleasure.  College football is on the horizon again, folks!

Biggest games of the 2016 College Football season – Part Three!

Now we are in the thick of the conference schedules.  As usual in this time of the college football season, we have a couple of pretty good weeks mixed in with a couple of not-so-good weeks.

Week 7

Stanford at Notre Dame – Last year’s game between the Irish and Cardinal was one of the best games of the year, which ended with Conrad Ukropina’s field goal with no time left to win it for Stanford.  I don’t know if this game can live up to that but it should be interesting, especially without Kevin Hogan calling the plays under centre for Stanford now.  He had a great game against Touchdown Jesus and may have been the difference in the end.  (7:30, NBC)

Alabama at Tennessee – This is where Rocky Top has to show that they are a contendah!  Beat Bama and they can start looking at hotels for the College Football Playoff.  Until that happens though, they will always be considered second-best (at best) in the SEC.  (3:30, CBS)

Ohio State at Wisconsin – Until further notice, tOSU has to be considered the king of the Big Ten.  Yes, I know they lost to Michigan State last year but let’s be honest: they trailed for ZERO SECONDS in the entire game.  Just at the end.  That’s it.  Urban Meyer has seemingly had a juggernaut since he arrived.  Now we see if J.T. Barrett can be the man one last season and bring the Buckeyes back to the big dance.  Wisky will not make it easy on him with their usual top-20 defense.  (8:00, ABC)

Northwestern at Michigan State – It’s like a battle of the bridesmaids in this one.  Michigan State is usually playing second fiddle to either Ohio State or Michigan (except for last season) and Northwestern always plays second (or third…or fourth) fiddle to the Iowas and Wisconsins and even the Nebraskas of the Big Ten West.  Something’s gotta give here.  Loser may play themselves out of their division race.  (3:30, ABC/TSN3)

Ole Miss at Arkansas – It must be tough always looking up at one team in the SEC West.  That’s what these two teams have to do with Bama every year.  Inside the division (so, six games) there can be no mistakes or usually it spells the end of your conference championship hopes.  What I’m trying to say here is the loser of this one basically drops out of the division title race.  (7:00, specialty pack)

Mississippi State at BYU – This is a very interesting non-conference tilt.  One that you rarely see.  A Power 5 team (especially an SEC one) going to an independent that is striving to get into a Power 5 conference.  Let’s hope Taysom Hill hasn’t gotten injured by this point since he plays with such reckless abandon.  (Friday, 9:00, specialty pack)

Honourable mention: Southern Miss at LSU (7:30, SEC Network), NC State at Clemson (3:30, specialty pack), North Carolina at Miami (3:30, specialty pack), UCLA at Washington State (10:30, TSN1/TSN4), Bowling Green at Toledo (3:30, MyTV)

Week 8

Ole Miss at LSU – Another week, another SEC West elimination game.  These happen pretty much every week from October on, except for the shitty week before American Thanksgiving where SEC football is the drizzling shits.  Unless everyone beats everyone else and no one comes out unscathed, every one of these divisional games is hugely important.  It is in Death Valley but during the day (as far as I know) so maybe the Rebels have a chance?  (3:30, CBS)

Wisconsin at Iowa – Let’s call this the Big Ten West Championship right now.  Then we can watch either Nebraska or Northwestern hit it out of the park and make me look like an idiot.  This should be close as Wisconsin will be slightly favoured but the game is at Kinnick Stadium.  Weather really makes no difference since these two teams have been known to play in some of the most horrendous football weather in the nation.  (3:30, BTN)

Texas A&M at Alabama – A few years back this would have been the game of the year.  That was before Johnny Football went Johnny Party and the Aggies were a top-10 team.  Now they could conceivably be considered the worst team in the SEC West (or at least you could make the argument for that case).  However you spin it though, the SEC West is still a bit of a gauntlet.  Bama cannot let up in this one with LSU a couple weeks later.  (7:00, specialty pack)

Oklahoma at Texas Tech – Another trap game much like the one just above. Oklahoma, especially with Baylor being in limbo for now, is the Big XII favourite.  But Texas Tech has Patrick Mahomes running Kute Kliff Kingsbury’s ridiculous offense so don’t be surprised if Tech puts up a bunch of points against the Sooner defense.  Should be closer than many think.  (3:30, specialty pack)

Ohio State at Penn State – Trap Game III: The Reckoning.  Penn State is a team that always seems to come up bigger against better opponents (and invariably coughs up one or two games to inferior teams).  They almost had Ohio State’s number a couple years ago during tOSU’s run to the national title.  With the Buckeyes getting Northwestern the next week, they can’t look past PSU or else any chance at the CFP may go down the toilet.  (8:00, ABC)

TCU at West Virginia – Both teams have a lot to gain here.  TCU can continue their run at the Big XII title as they will need every win they can get to overcome the trio of Oklahoma, Oklahoma State, and Baylor.  West Virginia can continue to help Drunk Uncle Dana keep his job as head coach.  I believe anything less than seven wins and Senor Holgorsen will be shown the door.  (4:00, FOX)

Honourable mention: Memphis at Navy (3:30, CBS Sports Network), Utah at UCLA (8:00, FOX), Oregon at California (10:30, specialty pack), BYU at Boise State (10:15, specialty pack), Arkansas at Auburn (3:30, specialty pack)

Week 9

Michigan at Michigan State – Nothing (and I mean NOTHING) can be better than last year’s ridiculously crazy finish.  Other than The Game against tOSU, this is the one the Wolverines (and Jimmy Harbaugh) want to win more than any other game this year.  They could go 2-10 and as long as the two wins were over Sparty and Bucky then Harbaugh would get a contract extension.  It’s too bad we won’t have Sean McDonough anymore calling games as his call was brilliance of the insanity of the last 7 seconds of last year’s tilt.  (8:00, ABC)

Clemson at Florida State – The ACC Coastal Championship.  Or is it the Atlantic?  Who gives a fuck.  It’s the better division’s title game and the one that could decide who represents the ACC in the College Football Playoff.  Being that this game is in Tallahassee, don’t write off the Noles just yet despite the fact Clemson is one of the favourites to run the table this season (again).  (3:30, ABC)

Northwestern at Ohio State – I remember a few years back I was moving one weekend and the only sliver of college football I got to watch that weekend was five minutes of this game at a bar before they changed it to Hockey Night in Canada.  I was sad.  Anyway, hopefully this year I get to watch this game (I will find a way I’m sure).  Another of the landmine games that tOSU has to endure to get themselves back to the Big Ten Championship.  A win here could propel the Fighting Pat Fitzgeralds into the catbird seat in the Big Ten West.  (5:30, TSN2)

Florida vs. Georgia (in Jacksonville) – Ah, the annual World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party (shhhhh, don’t tell the NCAA).  I won’t say it’s always a good game but it’s usually an important one since these two teams have combined for at least 50% of the SEC East titles since the SEC went to divisions (16 out of 24 to be exact).  So even though Tennessee is the prohibitive favourite this season, one of these teams will challenge them (and the loser of this game is probably eliminated from that opportunity).  (3:30, CBS)

Washington at Utah – The forgotten few of the Pac-12 might end up meeting again at the end of the season in the Pac-12 Championship.  Washington seems to have a better shot than the Utes but both teams seem ready to take that next step up.  And wouldn’t that just make the broadcasting executives happy right?  I can’t imagine any of them being happy with this matchup as they are two of the worst markets in the Pac-12.  Which means I hope it happens.  (10:30, specialty pack)

Miami at Notre Dame – Maybe it’s me just watching too much classic college football but this has to have the FEEL of a big game, yes?  We know the Canes have more than struggled over the past decade but if Brad Kaaya breaks out and becomes a true Heisman contender then you never know.  Plus the Irish are almost assured of at least a top 25 this season so this could be one of the sneaky-good games of the season.  (3:30, NBC)

Honourable mention: Texas Tech at TCU (Noon, FSN which means there is no chance we get this), West Virginia at Oklahoma State (Thursday, 8:00, FOX Sports One…I see a trend here), Auburn at Ole Miss (Noon, specialty pack), Stanford at Arizona (9:00, specialty pack), Appalachian State at Georgia Southern (Thursday, 7:30, specialty pack)

Week 10

Alabama at LSU – Let’s be honest.  For the past decade, every Alabama-LSU game, even the shitty defensive affair that one year that was one of the most unwatchable football games ever, has been a huge game and pretty much worthy of the hype.  This year is no exception.  LSU seems to be climbing back up the mountain and it wouldn’t be totally out of the realm of possibility to see the Tigers beat Bama in Death Valley at night on the only primetime game of the year on CBS.  (8:00, CBS)

TCU at Baylor – Let’s just say Baylor won’t be too affected by all that happened there recently.  What that means is that this game becomes huge and the Sooners watch with a whole lot of interest.  Baylor’s offense is still one of the best in the land and TCU seemed to follow in Big XII tradition by having a crazy good offense last year as well.  So this game should take about six hours and the over/under should be set at about 120.  (3:30, FOX)

Navy vs. Notre Dame (in Jacksonville) – The Irish have to take Navy seriously nowadays.  No more easy victories for Touchdown Jesus in this series.  This makes all those ACC games Notre Dame gets to play that much more important.  This is the first of the CBS tripleheader and an odd start time (11:30 in the morning).  Being a neutral site also brings this game up a notch in the rankings.  (11:30 am, CBS)

Oregon at USC – Two teams that many are writing off as not quite good enough to win their division.  Well, include me in there since I don’t think either of them will either.  Oregon has brought in another FCS quarterback (this time it’s Dakota Prukop from Montana State) and USC has to see what they get from a full year of Clay Helton and also having a new quarterback.  This could very well be an elimination game for one of these teams.  (7:00, specialty pack)

Georgia Southern at Ole Miss – Georgia Southern has seen a meteoric rise in the past few years.  And it has totally been due to on-field performance, not moving up to a higher division because you are in a good market or some shit like that.  It’s the kind of program that will soon have that Houston or Boise State or BYU reputation: a team that you almost don’t want to face in non-conference play because there is a good chance you might lose.  Ole Miss better be very careful because this isn’t your older brother’s SEC November non-conference schedule.  (Thursday, 8:30, specialty pack)

Wisconsin at Northwestern – One of the many elimination games in the Big Ten that might not be elimination games at all especially if everyone beats everyone else.  All that will accomplish is make it so no one gets a CFP bid out of the division or conference.  This should be a good one despite the fact that Wisky is no longer a guarantee for 300+ yards rushing per game.  (3:30, specialty pack)

Honourable mention: Florida at Arkansas (3:30, CBS), Iowa at Penn State (7:30, BTN), Nebraska at Ohio State (8:00, ABC), Florida State at NC State (3:30, ABC), Oklahoma State at Kansas State (7:30, FOX)

Biggest games of the 2016 College Football season – Part One!

Now we are getting serious.  The real college football posts are starting.  We are under 75 days until the start of the college football season.  FINALLY!  It feels like the 2015 season ended eons ago (it was a little more than five months but still).  I am starting to get excited for the upcoming season.

And as tradition states (all three years of it), the first big set of posts for this season is the annual biggest (and most important) games of the year posts.  As per usual, this will be split out among four separate posts.  Otherwise it would be such a long post that I would even get bored with it.

Before we get started with the actual games, I will do something I did last year and that’s rank the college football weeks.  As we all know, all weeks aren’t created equal in college football land.  Some are much better (American Thanksgiving weekend) than others (the week before American Thanksgiving weekend).  So without further adieu, here are the rankings (I have put the date as the Saturday of that week to ease confusion…I hope):

1. Week 5 (October 1)
2. Week 13 (November 26 – American Thanksgiving)
3. Week 6 (October 8)
4. Week 11 (November 12)
5. Week 9 (October 29)
6. Week 7 (October 15)
7. Week 4 (September 24)
8. Week 3 (September 17)
9. Week 1 (September 3)
10. Week 10 (November 5)
11. Week 12 (November 19)
12. Week 8 (October 22)
13. Week 2 (September 10)

Yes, I am serious.  The American Thanksgiving college football week is not the best one this season.  I have Week 5 pegged as the best and you will see why when I list the games.  In terms of biggest games, nothing trumps it.  No surprise with the bottom week.  Again it’s week 2 which is usually a horseshit week for college football.  I mean I’ll still watch it like the depraved, addicted college football fan I am, but I am always amazed at how brutally bad the schedule is almost every year in this one week.  The other interesting part is all the hullabaloo about opening week.  Sure it’s arguably the best opening weekend in college football this century.  But when you stack it up against conference play (which is almost always more important), it doesn’t hold up as well.  Saying that, it will be a great intro to the season.

I have not included Conference Championship week because of course it would be the most important week of the regular season.  Army-Navy is its own beast (or at least has been for the past decade).  So neither of those weeks get ranked.  So let’s get down to it!

Week 1

Houston vs. Oklahoma (in NRG Stadium in Houston) – This may ruffle a few feathers.  Especially Bama, Wisky, Nole, Reb, Trojan, Irish, and Horns fans.  With all the hype for opening week, this is the one game that hasn’t got nearly enough of it and should have got most of it.  This could very well be the true coming out party for Houston (yes the Peach Bowl victory over Florida State was huge but this is different).  If they can somehow win this game over the Sooners, they may set themselves up for an improbable run to the College Football Playoff (and eventual invite to the Big XII). (Noon, ABC)

Alabama vs. USC (in Arlington) – Now this is the game that everyone believes is the game of the week.  I can fully understand that.  The team of the century (so far) against a possibly resurgent Trojan program.  I still do wonder if USC is all the way back and if they made the right choice with Clay Helton as head coach.  I have a feeling we will find out a lot the night of this game. (8:00, ABC)

Florida State vs. Ole Miss (in Orlando) – The traditional opening week Monday nighter (before actual Monday Night Football starts).  This will be a good one and if it wasn’t in Orlando (let’s be honest, this is about as neutral site as Wisconsin playing LSU in Lambeau) I would almost pick the Rebels as the favourites.  Chad Kelly starts his Heisman campaign here and by then we should know if Ole Miss will be serving penalties from all the Laremy Tunsil fallout.  (Monday, 8:00, specialty pack)

LSU vs. Wisconsin (in Green Bay) – And speaking of home field advantage, despite the organizers making sure some LSU fans got tickets to this one, this will be a partisan crowd in favour of the Badgers no doubt.  Too bad LSU doesn’t give a shit about that.  The Hat plans on taking The Tigers into The Lambeau to beat The Wisky.  (3:30, ABC/TSN3)

Georgia vs. North Carolina (in Atlanta) – OK it is officially getting way out of hand with these neutral site games.  There are nine in week one.  Too many.  It takes the lustre off of the idea.  So are the Heels ready to take the next step?  Will Kirby Smart improve on what Mark Richt did in Athens for years?  Will Larry Fedora wear a fedora on the sidelines?  How many S-E-C chants will we hear?  You can find out all this and more…if you have the specialty pack.  Sorry.  (5:30, specialty pack)

Kansas State at Stanford – The only non-neutral-site game on the list.  This is a bit of a sneaky one as there are others that could have filled this #6 spot (as you will see in the honourable mention section).  Christian McCaffrey begins his second attempt at the Heisman while Papa Bill Snyder continues to try and do some more Bill Snydering in the Little Apple as the Wildcats try to rebound from one of their worst seasons in thirty years (Ron Prince era not included).  (Friday, 9:00, FOX Sports One….dammit)

Honourable mention: Bowling Green at Ohio State (Noon, BTN), Clemson at Auburn (9:00, specialty pack), Notre Dame at Texas (Sunday, 7:30, ABC), Arizona vs. BYU (in Glendale) (10:30, FOX Sports One dammit), UCLA at Texas A&M (3:30, CBS)

Week 2

Arkansas at TCU – And this is why Week 2 is the worst of all the weeks.  This is the game of the week?  Yup!  Not taking anything away from the Hogs or Frogs but unless they were facing a top 5 team they probably shouldn’t be at the top of any best games list.  Anyway, here we look at two teams that are juuuuuuust on the outside looking up at the major powers.  The loser here coughs up any chance at the College Football Playoff.  (7:00, specialty pack)

BYU at Utah – Regular season Holy War!!!  After last year’s Las Vegas Bowl where BYU almost made out with the comeback to end all comebacks, I don’t know how these two teams could come up with an encore.  They will have to.  Being one of the biggest games of the week means the hype meter on this may go off the charts.  And for the love of Joseph Smith, Big XII, just invite the Cougars already.  (7:30, FOX)

Western Kentucky at Alabama – No I don’t think the Hilltoppers can beat the Tide.  However, I do believe WKU will put a big scare into Bama in this one.  I don’t know if the Fighting Evil Sabans will look past this game but they shouldn’t.  This has upset potential all over it (even though, again, I don’t think that will happen).  This may be the true coming out party for Western Kentucky as they have almost nothing to lose and everything to gain.  (3:30, specialty pack)

Washington State at Boise State – It’s always fun when a Mike Leach-coached team is good.  Throwing the ball like 90 times a game.  All offense all the time!  YEE-HAW!  They will get a massive test though going to the blue turf as they will surely be an underdog.  Many are conflicted on who to pick as their Group of Five champion this season, the Broncos or Houston.  Boise may prove in this one why they should be everyone’s pick.  (10:15, specialty pack)

Tennessee vs. Virginia Tech (in Bristol) – Ah, the Battle of Bristol.  Bristol Motor Speedway will host a college football game.  The first time a racetrack has ever hosted a football game.  Because…well, to be honest I don’t know if it makes a whole lot of sense to host a football game on a racetrack.  Hopefully I am proven wrong and just the look of it is awesome.  Both teams are on the precipice of bigger things.  New coach in Blacksburg in Justin Fuente and Butch Jones hoping to finally reach his goal of an SEC East title.  Should be a good one.  And no TURNIN LEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEFT!  (8:00, ABC)

Penn State at Pittsburgh – Yes, this is not what you would call a star-studded week of college football.  Middle-of-the-road Big Ten team against middle-of-the-road ACC team doesn’t exactly move the needle.  Will be interesting to see if Christian Hackenberg’s replacement will be sacked less than 80 times this season.  (Noon, specialty pack)

Honourable mention: California at San Diego State (10:30, CBS Sports Network), Central Michigan at Oklahoma State (Noon, FOX Sports who cares we aren’t getting it), Nevada at Notre Dame (3:30, NBC), North Carolina at Illinois (7:30, BTN), Tulsa at Ohio State (3:30, ABC)

Week 3

Ohio State at Oklahoma – What a stark contrast between the previous week and this one.  Now this is a game of the week.  Hell, this could be considered the regular season game of the year (and after further look, yes, I can say it is by a hair).  Two CFP candidates going toe-to-toe in Norman.  I would say this is an elimination game but we know how early season games tend to not affect the rankings as much as late-season conference play.  This should be a dandy (say that in your head in a Keith Jackson voice).  (7:30, FOX)

Alabama at Ole Miss – Most weeks this would be the game of the week.  Not so here.  Then again, it should be a MASSIVE early season SEC West matchup.  Unless another team comes out of the woodwork to seriously contend (perhaps an LSU or Auburn or even Mississippi State), this may be for the SEC West title.  And the thing is, Ole Miss may end up being a slight favourite here especially since they have a true Heisman candidate in Chad Kelly.  Must-watch for sure.  (3:30, CBS)

Michigan State at Notre Dame – Another potential CFP quasi-elimination game that may not necessarily eliminate the loser.  But a loss here would make it very difficult for either team to get back into the final four at the end of the season.  With Connor Cook not around anymore, you have to wonder how good the Spartans will be.  The Irish have the opposite problem: two good quarterbacks and only one spot available.  Cue the QB controversy if the Irish have a not-so-good game here in South Bend.  (7:30, NBC)

USC at Stanford – It’s the Christian McCaffrey Show!  With special guests David Shaw…Clay Helton…new USC quarterback Max Browne…the guy handing the ball off to Christian McCaffrey…the return of Clancy Pendergast…and the Stanford tree!!!  This is where McCaffrey has to start his Heisman campaign.  Last year he didn’t get much in terms of recognition until a bit past the halfway point, which was too far back to catch up with the other contenders.  He goes off on the Trojans in this one, he may have one foot already at the Heisman Trophy presentation in the Big Apple.  (8:00, ABC)

Mississippi State at LSU – This is the consolation game in the SEC West…kind of.  This matchup may be forgotten with the Bama-Ole Miss hype.  The loser here is almost definitely out of the SEC West.  Harsh to say this so early but there’s no way you could lose this then somehow run the rest of the SEC schedule.  Not.  Gonna.  Happen.  And despite the fact LSU is as close to cash money as it gets when playing at night in Death Valley, remember what the Bulldogs did to them last time they were in that exact same scenario.  (7:00, specialty pack)

Florida State at Louisville – These days, you almost have to say that Louisville has the shittiest divisional setup.  Having to play Florida State and Clemson every year makes it near impossible to even get to the ACC Championship.  At some point, they may have the team to do it.  I can’t see them winning against both those teams but having the Noles come to Papa John’s and the rabid Cardinal fans there could be enough to propel Louisville up the rankings early on before their visit later on to Clemson.  (Noon, ABC/TSN5)

Honourable mention: Pittsburgh at Oklahoma State (3:30, specialty pack), Houston at Cincinnati (7:30, TSN3/TSN5), UCLA at BYU (10:30, specialty pack), Temple at Penn State (Noon, BTN), Miami at Appalachian State (Noon, specialty pack)

Biggest Games of the 2015 College Football season – Part ONE!

Hey, hey, it’s that time kids!  Time to look at the biggest games of the college football season.  It’s the one thing I can do mostly right and be pretty close to what all those fancy experts say.  I can do this a bit earlier this year because more scheduling information has come out at an earlier time than in previous years.  I have to make some good educated guesses as to what channels they will show up on here in Canada (and more specifically Southern Ontario) but those are usually pretty bang on as well (and Sportsnet makes it easy by not showing any college football….thanks Rogers!).

Unfortunately we are still 79 days away from the opening of the college football season.  Well, 79 days from the first game being aired that we can see (if you have one of the specialty packs).  It’s an FCS game but it’s still college football dammit, and I will watch it come hell or high water (what a stupid saying).  Speaking of specialty packs, I wonder what will happen to them for the 2016 season when pick n’ pay is all the rage?  I can save that for another post.

Before we begin with the actual games, let’s take a look at a week-by-week ranking.  I have ranked the weeks based on best games scheduled (as of this point) to worst schedule of games.  For the most part, this ranking makes sense.  The weekly schedule rankings from first to worst go a little something like this (I have included the Saturday the schedule is focused on in parentheses):

1. Week 13 (November 28 – American Thanksgiving)
2. Week 10 (November 7)
3. Week 7 (October 17)
4. Week 5 (October 3)
5. Week 11 (November 14)
6. Week 3 (September 19)
7. Week 1 (September 5)
8. Week 6 (October 10)
9. Week 12 (November 21)
10. Week 8 (October 24)
11. Week 4 (September 26)
12. Week 9 (October 31)
13. Week 2 (September 12)

I did not include the final week of the season since that’s conference championship week and of course they are important.  It’s probably also sponsored by Capital One or Chick-Fil-A or one of the other few companies ESPN tends to use over and over again.  I also haven’t included that pesky Army-Navy game since it is also very important but is messing up that darn brand-spankin new College Football Playoff.  I think it would be hilarious if Navy was undefeated, won the American conference championship, and then either barely beat Army or laid an egg and lost.

It makes perfect sense that the American Thanksgiving week has the best schedule pretty much every season.  At least a dozen rivalry games, games all day Friday and Saturday, and games of huge importance littered throughout makes it special.  So special I try to get the Friday off to watch them all day.  Another thing that isn’t surprising is that two of the bottom three weeks are in September.  Other than Week 1 (which has the excitement of the start of a new season) and Week 3 (there’s always one fairly good week in September), the other two are filled with non-conference affairs and many of them not that great.  But, hey, it’s college football so again, I will watch as much as I can.

Alright, here we go with the top games of the season (part one):

Week 1

Alabama vs. Wisconsin (in Dallas) – Opening week and Wisconsin is playing in Texas in a neutral-site game yet again.  Will they play three decent quarters and then shit the bed again?  To be honest, depending on Nick Saban’s mood, the Badgers may not be that close to begin with. (8:00, ABC/TSN3)

Ohio State at Virginia Tech – Hey, remember what happened last season?  That’s right, the one thing that made tOSU’s inclusion controversial was The Fighting Beamers’ shocking win over the Buckeyes.  Then after that the Hokies were fantastic, right?  Right?  Is this mic on? (Monday, 8:00, TSN3)

Arizona State vs. Texas A&M (in Houston) – Another one of the way-too-many neutral site games nowadays.  It makes it feel a lot cheaper when there are about 40 of them scattered across the college football schedule.  Anyway, this should be a good one.  Both teams are considered dark horse contenders for the New Year’s Six and the loser here has a much tougher road to hoe for sure. (3:30, specialty pack)

Texas at Notre Dame – This feels like it would have been more important like ten years ago.  Back when Vince Young wasn’t broke.  Back when Charlie Weis was semi-successful as a head coach.  Ah, the good ol’ days.  Honestly, the Irish look like they could break through this year and this opening game will show everyone how good they are against fairly stiff competition.  This may be the beginning of the Charlie Strong Termination Watch as well. (7:00, NBC)

Auburn vs. Louisville (in Atlanta) – Fun Bobby and Malzahni coaching in the same game.  Should be fun to watch.  Another one of the Chick-Fil-A Combo #48 Neutral-Site Games El Fantastico.  This may be the last time they hold it in the Georgia Dome since the Georgia Dome seems like a dump (as evidenced by the Atlanta Falcons wanted to leave there, like, yesterday).  Also, since the US Open has moved to ESPN, CBS of all networks got this game from ESPN to show.  Some very early season Verne and Gary perhaps?  (3:30, CBS)

TCU at Minnesota – Now it’s time to get down to brass tacks, brah!  Arguably, the two teams that had the biggest coming-out parties last season hook up on opening night….that sentence doesn’t look right.  Anyway, two of the better coaches in college football square off with potential Heisman candidate Trevone Boykin being the first one to get a leg up on the Heisman competition. (Thursday, 9:00, TSN3)

Other candidates: Michigan at Utah (Thursday, 8:30, FOX Sports One so none of us will see it), South Carolina vs. North Carolina (in Charlotte) (Thursday, 6:00, specialty pack), Washington at Boise State (Friday, 10:15, specialty pack), BYU at Nebraska (3:30, ABC/TSN3)

Week 2

Oregon at Michigan State – Arguably the worst week of the college football schedule for 2015 has, arguably, the biggest game.  Go figure.  Sparty is going to try and get some revenge on the Ducks, this time in the friendly confines of East Lansing.  This is where we will see how good the Mariota-less Ducks are, but I will say this…I have a feeling Vernon Adams is the real deal and could be a darkhorse Heisman contender.  This could be the ultimate coming-out party for him.  (8:00, ABC)

LSU at Mississippi State – This will be a good game and a rather important one I am sure (especially being an early season SEC conference game).  But for this to be the second-best game of the week shows how weak the rest of the sked is.  I am sticking with Leonard Fournette in the Heisman race until he wins or goes to the NFL.  (7:00, specialty pack)

Oklahoma at Tennessee – Butch Jones saved his job by getting the Vols to a bowl game last season.  He will be expected to do more this season and it probably starts with this massive game against Oklahoma.  The biggest question?  How many times will you hear Turn Down For What during the telecast?  I have the over/under at 14.  (7:45, specialty pack)

Notre Dame at Virginia – Yes, the fourth most important game is the Irish visiting the Wahoos.  This would be a perfect PVR weekend for me that is for sure.  Anyway….the Irish need a strong start to a season where it looks like they contend and Mike London needs to continue the upward trend of the Cavs as of late.  This is one of the quasi-ACC-conference-but-non-conference-Notre-Dame-involved games that…oh hell, just join the damn conference already!  (3:30, ABC/TSN3)

Boise State at BYU – Taysom Hill is back!  Hopefully his leg holds up.  Not that I am a BYU fan at all but he sure is fun to watch.  A game between arguably the top two programs not in a Power-Five conference (although the Big XII office may be watching this game closely).  (10:15, specialty pack)

UCF at Stanford – The worst college football week comes to a close with this game.  Then again it’s still college football so I guess I shouldn’t complain.  Stanford has to be the Stanford from the UCLA game last year and not the rest of last season.  UCF is the type of school the ACC would love to poach (especially if they lost Florida State…ugh talking about realignment happens way too often in the off-season).  (10:30, FOX Sports Fucking One so no)

Other candidates: Utah State at Utah (Friday, 9:00, specialty pack), Oregon State at Michigan (Noon, ABC), Minnesota at Colorado State (3:30, CBS Sports Network), Iowa at Iowa State (4:30, FOX)

Week 3

Ole Miss at Alabama – This early SEC conference showdown gets the slight nod for the best game of the week.  A good early test for both teams and a chance for Evil Saban and his Crimson Tide Juggernaut Express to get some revenge after the Rebs’ win last year (during the craziest week in college football history…relive it HERE!).  (7:00, specialty pack)

Auburn at LSU – Best Game #1B for Week 3.  And again, it’s in the SEC West, the best division in football (until the Pac-12 South or Big Ten East goes crazy).  The gauntlet starts here in Death Valley.  Lucky for the Tigers (of the Auburn variety) that it isn’t a night game since the Tigers (of the LSU variety) are almost unbeatable at night at home.  (3:30, CBS)

Georgia Tech at Notre Dame – Georgia Tech is a bit like Missouri…not enough respect is given to them.  They came within a hair of putting the first College Football Playoff on its ear in the ACC Championship against Florida State.  They run the option to near-perfection (which frustrates the hell out of many defensive coordinators).  But to show they are real they have to win the big games.  They have a bunch of them this year with this being an early one.  Win in South Bend and they have to be considered a contender.  (3:30, NBC)

Stanford at USC – Supposedly USC is back as a Pac-12 contender.  I want to believe the hype since I, too, feel they have a great shot at winning the Pac-12 South at the very least.  But it’s USC.  And since the Trojans played the Longhorns for the national title oh so many years ago (nine-and-a-half years to be exact), they have been, for the most part, a disappointment.  Stanford was a disappointment for the first time in many years last season.  Something has to give here.  (8:00, ABC)

South Carolina at Georgia – Yet another SEC game.  Are we surprised?  To be honest this feels like a lot of SEC conference action for September.  I don’t remember this many conference games this early.  Maybe my memory just sucks.  Aaaaaaaaaaanywho…the Dawgs have to be considered the clear favourite here but never count out the Head Ball Coach.  The kids might be scared enough about having to walk all the way back to Columbia to play well enough to make Mark Richt sweat.  And no, there is no Mark Richt Firing Watch this season…unless UGA tanks.  Then it would be fair game.  (12:00, TSN2)

Clemson at Louisville – More Fun Bobby!  Louisville has been such a frustrating team to watch since they joined the ACC.  Some weeks they look like world-beaters. Then during others, they look like they’d have trouble beating an FCS school.  It’s maddening.  But Senor Petrino’s near-aneurysm look every game makes up for it somehow.  And from frustrating to frustrated we find Clemson who is tired of playing second fiddle to Team Jimbo (who, by the way is now divorced and no, I wouldn’t call his wife hot…just average).  (Thursday, TSN1/TSN3/TSN4/TSN5)

Other candidates: BYU at UCLA (10:30, FOX Sports One god damn it!), Nebraska at Miami (3:30, specialty pack), California at Texas (7:30, FOX), Air Force at Michigan State (Noon, ABC/TSN4)