Today's Schedule of Games

A Big Ten showdown in Happy Valley, and a lot of subplot games with upset potential this week (Please don’t be us. Please don’t be us. Please don’t be us. Kthx). 

Here are some highlights:

At Noon on FOX: #2 Ohio State at #13 Penn State.  It’s dumb to do the “We beat team [fill in the blank] by more/less than Ohio State did” as a predictor of how we will do against them.  Different teams play each other differently.  But I’m going to do it anyway as I watch this game.  It would be awesome to watch Ohio State struggle with Penn State in areas where Michigan had no problems, and see that maybe Ohio State does not really have it all figured out running the ball and defending the run like they claim.  Penn State won’t win, but here is hoping that they can give OSU something to think about and fret over as November 26th looms ever closer.

Also at Noon on ABC: Notre Dame at #16 Syracuse.  Any time Notre Dame loses a game, it is good for us.  We constantly compete with them for top recruits.  Any Notre Dame win is a nauseating media-driven Return To Glory ™, especially with a new coaching regime.  Spare me please.  So I’ll be rooting hard for a Syracuse win and a Notre Dame loss.  Plus Dino Babers seems like a cool guy, and Syracuse deserves a break because they got chumped hard last week by the refs “Ohio State treatment” of Clemson.  But . . . the world is not a fair place.  This will be an ugly Notre Dame win.     

In the Afternoon at 3:30 PM on CBS: Florida at #1 Georgia.  The "World's Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party".  This has typically been a big game nationally, but it’s under the radar this year.  Courtesy of Florida.  They looked like they had a pulse early in the year, but it was a false dawn.  I’ll take a peek at this game for the pageantry of it, but it won’t be much of an actual football game.  Georgia wins big.

Also at 3:30 PM on FOX: #9 Oklahoma State at #22 Kansas State.  This is a game to stay in the hunt for the Big 12 title.  This game hinges on whether Adrian Martinez can play, and play 100%.  He’s the difference maker (suck it, Scott Frost).  If he can go effectively it will be a KSU win.  If not, THE OSU will win it.  I’ll be optimistic here and go with KSU to win.   

Also at 3:30 PM on ABC: #17 Illinois at Nebraska.  Nebraska is a quirky team that has some talent (suck it, Scott Frost).  They have not put all the pieces together yet, but they are capable of it for a game.  I think this will be that game.  They will play inspired and focused and take down Big Ten West leader Illinois in an upset.  The winner of the Big Ten West could easily have four losses when it is all over.  Even Northwestern is not actually out of it.  Stupid.  Embarrassing.  Fun.

In the Evening at 7:00 PM on ESPN: #19 Kentucky at #3 Tennessee.  Kentucky specializes in these kinds of games where they look like a real ranked team in the middle of the season that looks like they could pull off a big SEC upset.  But they seldom do, and by season’s end their attention is turning to basketball.  They won’t do it today either, and Tennessee stays on a roll. 

At 7:30 PM on ABC: Michigan State at #4 Michigan.  If I’m Sparty, I am arm-punting Rocky Lombardi-style on every play and hoping for astonishing catches by Reed (or astonishing pass interference calls against Michigan).  On defense I am putting 10 in the box and run blitzing like crazy to take away Harbaugh’s “favorite way to win”.  There is a 95% chance they will lose in humiliating fashion doing that, but there is a non-zero chance they can pull off a win.  It’s happened before.  I hope that Harbaugh is not too stubborn to take what they leave on the table and club them to death with it.  Our favorite way to win should be to not let them hang around and think they have a chance.

Also at 7:30 PM on SECN: #15 Ole Miss at Texas A&M.  Nobody is talking about this game, but if I'm Ole Miss I am nervous as hell.  Texas A&M is erratic to say the least.  They lost to App State . . . but then they nearly beat Alabama.  You don’t know what team you are going to get week-to-week and that’s why Ole Miss should be nervous.  I’m predicting the upset here: Texas A&M in a convincing win.

Finally, your Pac-12 After Dark Special - meaningless crazy football just for the fun of it:

At 10:30 PM on ESPN: Stanford at #12 UCLA.  This week is a half-off Pac-12 After Dark Special.  It’s only meaningless to Stanford.  UCLA is trying to stay in the Pac 12 title hunt, and will play like it.  Only 200 people will be there to witness it, but UCLA will win and stay alive in the Pac 12. 

SATURDAY OCTOBER 29, 2022:

AWAY                        HOME         TIME         TV

NOON:

2 Ohio State @ 13 Penn State   12:00 PM   FOX

7 TCU @ West Virginia   12:00 PM   ESPN

Notre Dame @ 16 Syracuse   12:00 PM   ABC

Arkansas @ Auburn   12:00 PM   SECN

Oklahoma @ Iowa State   12:00 PM   FS1

Boston College @ UConn   12:00 PM   CBSSN

Georgia Tech @ Florida State   12:00 PM   ACCN

South Florida @ Houston   12:00 PM   ESPN2

Toledo @ Eastern Michigan   12:00 PM   ESPNU

Miami (OH) @ Akron   12:00 PM   ESPN+

AFTERNOON:

Miami @ Virginia   12:30 PM   ESPN3

Charlotte @ Rice   2:00 PM   ESPN3

Rutgers @ Minnesota   2:30 PM   BTN

Old Dominion @ Georgia State   3:00 PM   ESPN+

Florida @ 1 Georgia   3:30 PM   CBS

8 Oregon @ California   3:30 PM   FS1

9 Oklahoma State @ 22 Kansas State   3:30 PM   FOX

10 Wake Forest @ Louisville   3:30 PM   ACCN

17 Illinois @ Nebraska   3:30 PM   ABC

20 Cincinnati @ UCF   3:30 PM   ESPN

Northwestern @ Iowa   3:30 PM   ESPN2

New Mexico State @ UMass   3:30 PM   ESPN3

Temple @ Navy   3:30 PM   CBSSN

SMU @ Tulsa   3:30 PM   ESPN+

Robert Morris @ Appalachian State   3:30 PM   ESPN+

North Texas @ Western Kentucky   3:30 PM    -

Missouri @ 25 South Carolina   4:00 PM   SECN

South Alabama @ Arkansas State   4:00 PM   ESPNU

EVENING:

19 Kentucky @ 3 Tennessee   7:00 PM   ESPN

10 USC @ Arizona   7:00 PM   PAC12

Colorado State @ Boise State   7:00 PM   FS1

Coastal Carolina @ Marshall   7:00 PM   NFL NET

UAB @ Florida Atlantic   7:00 PM   CBSSN

Michigan State @ 4 Michigan   7:30 PM   ABC

15 Ole Miss @ Texas A&M   7:30 PM   SECN

Arizona State @ Colorado   7:30 PM   ESPNU

Baylor @ Texas Tech   7:30 PM   ESPN2

Pittsburgh @ 21 North Carolina   8:00 PM   ACCN

Middle Tennessee @ UTEP   9:00 PM   ESPN+

LATE NIGHT:

Stanford @ 12 UCLA   10:30 PM   ESPN

San Diego State @ Fresno State   10:30 PM   FS1

Nevada @ San José State   10:30 PM   CBSSN

Wyoming @ Hawai'i   11:59 PM    -