Our time here is already too short – so many games to watch, family members to hug, tailgates to attend, bets to lose – yet we flood our country with tools of violence, death, and destruction. Too many lives are cut short – homecomings never attended, touchdowns never scored, paintings never created, laughs never shared – because of the accessibility of such needless killing machines. We lose so much – family members, friends, teammates, students, fans, brothers, sons, sisters, mothers – because of our preposterous dedication to one sentence written centuries ago.
My sincere condolences to the family and friends and all those connected to the University of Virginia and its football team. We shouldn’t have to keep doing this.
Some college football games will be played this weekend, and many of them will be on your television. You are forgiven if you find it hard to muster up the usual excitement for the games this weekend.
Below I’ve listed the nationally televised games, sorted by viewing window for you to keep track. All times are Eastern, because, well, duh. Included is each team’s rank in Bill Connelly’s SP+ rankings to give you a sense of the matchup.
Friday:
(120) South Florida at (87) Tulsa – 9 PM on ESPN2
(86) San Diego State at (128) New Mexico – 9:45 PM on FS1
Pretty “meh” Friday night slate, to be honest. San Diego State is playing some interesting offensive football for the first time in a couple years, but otherwise this might be a good time to catch up on “Andor.”
Saturday Morning:
(94) Navy at (21) UCF – 11 AM on ESPN2
The Knights’ ground game is absolutely humming these days; they just ran all over a sturdy Tulane outfit last week. Navy isn’t really good at anything except it is very good at shutting down the run, but that doesn’t matter if you just throw over the top like Houston and SMU did against the Mids. Will Gus Malzahn and his converted receiver at quarterback be able to pull off the same trick?
Saturday Noon:
(61) Duke at (49) Pittsburgh – 12 PM on ACCN
(29) Florida at (88) Vanderbilt – 12 PM on SECN
(26) Illinois at (3) Michigan – 12 PM on ABC
The Wolverines are running out of chances to earn some style points for the College Football Playoff committee. If they play with their food again this weekend, Illinois is the kind of food that will bite back.
(92) Indiana at (58) Michigan State — 12 PM on BTN
This is the Traditional Unwatchable Big Ten Network Noon Game of the Week.
(108) Northwestern at (47) Purdue – 12 PM on FS1
This is the Traditional Unwatchable Big Ten Network Noon Game of the Week, presented by FS1.
(6) TCU at (25) Baylor – 12 PM on Fox
The Horned Frogs are special – they play their asses off, and they are full of speed and athleticism. They can’t seem to escape playing in close games, and it will be fascinating to see how this bully-ball Baylor team tries to slow them down, and if it even can.
(FCS) Yale at (FCS) Harvard – 12 PM on ESPNU
(117) UConn at (90) Army – 12 PM on CBSSN
UConn is already bowl eligible, and yes, even with that SP+ rating. Absurd. Army can not make a bowl game, but it is more than happy to make life miserable for you for about three hours.
(33) Wisconsin at (75) Nebraska – 12 PM on ESPN
Big Ten West games, even ones that matter, got me feeling like Melania at this point. I really don’t care – do U?
Saturday Midday:
(37) Washington State at (81) Arizona – 2 PM on Pac-12 Network
(27) Oregon State at (77) Arizona State – 2:15 PM on ESPN2
These two games should have been switched – the hidden Pac-12 Network game has far more intrigue and also has Jayden de Laura, who is a Knife Kid QB.
(104) Boston College at (36) Notre Dame – 2:30 PM on NBC
(130) Akron at (96) Buffalo – 3:30 PM on CBSSN
If you’re one of those snow football fetishists, this game will be a treat! The status of Akron’s do-it-all QB DJ Irons is up in the air; his absence would rob this game of much of its on-field intrigue.
(1) Georgia at (30) Kentucky – 3:30 PM on CBS
Will Levis’s NFL draft stock is stuck in some sort of weird feedback loop where the worse he looks on the field, the more the anonymous scouts and draftnik-types sing his praise. With that in mind, he might shoot up to the rank of top prospect ever after Jalen Carter, Christopher Smith, Malaki Starks and the rest of the Bulldogs are done with him.
(72) Miami at (14) Clemson – 3:30 PM on ESPN
No.
(2) Ohio State at (41) Maryland – 3:30 PM on ABC
Why?
(7) Penn State at (84) Rutgers – 3:30 PM on BTN
Do I have to?
(32) South Alabama at (80) Southern Miss – 3:30 PM on NFL Network
Letter of recommendation for Sun Belt football, especially the rivalries like this one. The South Alabama Jaguars need to continue to win to keep pace with Troy; they can steal the West division if the Trojans slip. Southern Miss has a mean, nasty, and chiseled defense full of veterans and SEC depth chart casualty transfers. Both running backs — La’Damian Webb of the Jaguars and Frank Gore Jr. for the Golden Eagles — are a treat to watch.
(8) Texas at (43) Kansas – 3:30 PM on FS1
Lance Leipold is going to get diabolical in his quest for a second straight win over the Longhorns. If Quinn Ewers has another off night, Texas would be well-advised to lean on Colonel Mustard Bijan Robinson and try to play keep-away.
(24) Cincinnati at (112) Temple – 4 PM on ESPNU
(20) Iowa at (16) Minnesota – 4 PM on Fox
(45) Western Kentucky at (69) Auburn – 4 PM on SECN
Now this? I’m all about this. Western Kentucky likes to pitch it all around the yard, and Auburn stinks. but at least the Tigers are playing their butts off for Cadillac Williams. If Auburn doesn’t stay focused between the huge win over Texas A&M last week and the Iron Bowl next week, things might get dicey on The Plains.
Saturday Purgatory:
What is this weird little time slot?! 5:30 p.m.?? At least with North Carolina you can enjoy the best quarterback in the country plying his trade.
(110) Georgia Tech at (31) North Carolina – 5:30 PM on ESPN2
(91) Stanford at (83) California – 5:30 PM on Pac-12 Network
Saturday Primetime:
(51) Boise State at (95) Wyoming – 7 PM on CBSSN
Don’t look now, but Wyoming has seven wins and has done it mostly in that Iowa method of “I’m not stuck in here with you, YOU’RE STUCK IN HERE WITH ME!!” style of football. The Cowboys play Mountain West division leaders Boise State and Fresno State in the final two weeks. Havoc might get wreaked.
(5) Tennessee at (46) South Carolina – 7 PM on ESPN
This is the “Do You Want To See a Dead Body?” Game of the Week.
(50) Texas Tech at (40) Iowa State – 7 PM on FS1
(123) New Mexico State at (64) Missouri – 7:30 PM on ESPNU
If Missouri covers this spread, I will personally give you a dollar.
(22) Oklahoma State at (18) Oklahoma – 7:30 PM on ABC
Does this game kick off the era of “spurned Big 12 teams doing vengeful things to Texas and Oklahoma?” I believe Mike Gundy is going to pull out all the stops, play every trick up his sleeve, dial up every play call in the book, etc, whatever cliché you got.
(13) Ole Miss at (35) Arkansas – 7:30 PM on SECN
(67) Syracuse at (39) Wake Forest – 8 PM on ACCN
(11) USC at (15) UCLA – 8 PM on Fox
They are calling this “The Battle of Los Angeles,” which is sacrilegious. How dare you steal the name of my favorite album from when I was a sophomore in high school? Whatever you call this game, it should be an absolute riot of points, yards, and scoring.
(124) Colorado at (23) Washington – 9 PM on Pac-12 Network
Colorado picked a really bad year to have the worst Power Five defense in decades. The Buffs face top 20 offense after top 20 offense in the Pac-12, week in and week out.
(126) Colorado State at (57) Air Force – 9 PM on FS2
(62) UAB at (17) LSU – 9 PM on ESPN2
UAB has had a bit of a disappointing season, considering it was considered one of the preseason favorites to win Conference USA. But running back DeWayne McBride is not disappointing – he’s second in FBS in rushing yards – and he could single-handedly make this an entertaining game.
Saturday Late Night:
(82) San Jose State at (111) Utah State – 9:45 PM on FS1
(70) Fresno State at (125) Nevada – 10:30 PM on CBSSN
(9) Utah at (10) Oregon – 10:30 PM on ESPN
This is one of the best games of the day — and a matchup of SP+ neighbors — that should be worth staying up for. Last year, Utah won a pair of late-season games against these Ducks by just physically whipping them on both sides. Both teams have regressed in terms of beef, and a high-scoring affair seems likely.
About the author
Born in Washington, DC, and living in New York City, I am the target demographic of the Big Ten's last expansion. I attended the University of Missouri in the Big 12 era, but I love life in the SEC. I am passionate about college football, baseball, board games, Star Wars, the written word, progressive politics, and the perfect slice of pizza.
