Introducing the new “This Week in College Football”. With the proliferation of conferences desperate for ESPN’s money and exposure, we now have college ball on practically everyday of the week. So each week, I’ll write up a short post about this week’s weekday games in the same vein as my weekend column.
As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.
Tuesday
8:00: Middle Tennessee State @ Troy (ESPN2): SUN BELT GRUDGE MATCH. I don’t know if ESPN is bringing back Interactive Tuesday (let’s hope not), but this game features two potential Sun Belt front runners, and Troy won the conference last year (and should’ve two years ago). I think this may actually be a rivalry, but my perception is slightly colored because I know folks who went to both schools. MTSU has had a strong season so far, so I’ll have to pick again the reigning champs. (Sorry Rob.)
Thursday
9:00: Nebraska @ Missouri (ESPN): It’s “bad mojo week” at Mizzou, as yesterday was the 19th anniversary of the infamous “5th down” that cost Missouri a victory over Colorado and GT an undisputed national title. 11 years ago was also the “das boot” game against Nebraska. Back in the present day, both these teams are undefeated and poised (along with Kansas) to challenge for the Big 12 North title. Missouri hasn’t done much since running Illinois off the field in Week 1, which as we know isn’t really that impressive. Nebraska has been putting up tons of points against teams that aren’t Virginia Tech, but on the flip side all those other teams were from the Sun Belt. Nonetheless, I expect the usual Big 12 North defensive presence, which is to say none. I think Nebraska will ultimately come out on top, though.
Friday
9:00: Louisiana Tech @ Nevada (ESPN): You’ve probably read by now about how Nevada absolutely exploded on UNLV last Saturday. If not, consider these facts. 772 total yards. (Note, this is just Nevada.) 559 yards rushing. Of course, this was a tight game through the end of the 3rd quarter, when Nevada went up 35-28. Then they proceeded to score 28 unanswered points. Talk about letting off some steam after an 0-3 start. LaTech held a tired Hawaii team to no touchdowns and “only” 300 or so yards last weekend in a 27-6 win. Honestly, I like Nevada here, provided they average out a bit.