As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Louisiana State @ Auburn (ABC): Tigers! Okay just kidding, but I am pretty confused about this one. Is LSU that bad? Is Auburn that good? Maybe I should stick to Tigers, but I’ll take the Plainsmen at home.
• Indiana @ Michigan (FOX): Indiana doesn’t have that gear this year, but they won’t need it here.
• Pittsburgh @ Miami (ESPN): If there ever were a time for the Pitt Superweapon thing to happen, would it make more or less sense for it happen with their third string QB? I’m not sure. But one cannot predict the Superweapon, at any rate. So I’ll take the Canes.
• West Virginia @ Texas Christian (ESPN2): The Neers have emerged not as the best college football team, not the worst college football team, but certainly the most college football team. They’re not great but they’re fun to watch. Will that get them a win in Fort Worth? Uh, ask me later. I’ll take the Frogs for now.
• Texas Tech @ Cincinnati (FS1): Texas Tech is also not as good as anyone involved would like, but that’ll be enough to get them past Cincy.
• California @ Southern Methodist (The CW): Cal is a disaster right now, thus will be Ponies all the way.
• Rice @ Florida Atlantic (ESPNU): Rice is sorta like West Virginia, except they’re bad. Owls all the way.
• Western Michigan @ Toledo (CBSS): This will be one of the most consequential games in the MAC this season, and yet I just keep thinking “man Toledo always kinda blows it”, so yeah, I like the Broncos.
• Rutgers @ Northwestern (Peacock/NBCSN): Northwestern is “fun” and also “good”? Somehow, yes. Turns out Chip Kelly can still call an offense.

1:00:

• Baylor @ Kansas (TNT): Baylor?
• Miami @ Central Michigan (ESPN+)
• Akron @ Kent State (ESPN+)

3:00: Oregon @ Illinois (BTN): There’s so many years in recent memory where Illinois would be game enough to put this Oregon team out of its misery. This isn’t one of them.

3:30:

• Texas A&M @ Alabama (ABC): Evaluating the upsets from last weekend is always difficult. After all, part of the fun of college football is the upsets. But to have them concentrated like that, is something larger in play to generate a 2007-esque level of happenings? This is all to say, I still think Bama is a significantly better team than the Aggies, but how do I (and, well, possibly more importantly, them) pick up the pieces?
• Michigan State @ California-Los Angeles (CBS): I don’t have to think about this one a lot at least, Bruins all the way.
• Brigham Young @ Central Florida (FOX): BYU is good, UCF is not. Next!
• Tennessee @ South Carolina (ESPN): Okay, anyone who knows anything about SEC football knows that while the Gamecocks aren’t usually good, they’re randomly feisty and Columbia, SC is a downright unfun place to play sometimes. The Vols should be okay, but again, talk about hangover watch.
• Iowa @ Minnesota (FS1): Iowa’s definitely better than the Gophers, but that’s not important. What’s important is that there’s a statue of a pig on the line here, which makes this almost certainly the most appealing game in this time slot. I’ll take the Gophers,
• Oklahoma @ Mississippi State (SEC): Okay, Miss State will have Kamario Taylor back apparently, which makes me feel significantly better about picking them here.
• Boston College @ Georgia Tech (ACCN): Well, I was definitely wrong about one thing this season. As I sat in the stands a few weeks ago with my brother watching Stanford dismantle our defense, I said that Stanford would not win another FBS game this season. Naturally, NC State came into Palo Alto banged up and never led, eventually losing to the Cardinal by 10. It is what it is, I suppose.
  As far as we go here, we’re still pretty banged up, but this is as good as an opportunity as we’ll get for a win the rest of the season. It’s Homecoming, too. Maybe I should’ve gone as December will be 20 years since I got out, but I’ll be watching it from San Francisco. But it’d be nice to see some progress nonetheless, and maybe some hope.
• North Texas @ Navy (CBSS): I don’t think Navy’s got it this year, Mean Green all the way.
• Bowling Green @ Buffalo (ESPN+)
• Sacramento State @ Ball State (ESPN+)
• Hawaii @ Northern Illinois (MWN)

3:45: Kansas State @ Arizona State (ESPN2): Speaking of not having it this year, both these teams are in a sort of mini-malaise. Sure, they both beat Kansas, but there’s not been much else going on. I’ll view this as basically a coin flip with the Sun Devils having more to fix than the Wildcats.

4:00:

• Eastern Michigan @ Ohio (ESPNU): Sorry folks, there’s not that much further got go, but I’m going to need to lightning round this except for the two absolute bangers at the end. (Seriously, think about staying up late.) BOBCATS!
• Louisiana-Monroe @ Troy (ESPN+)

5:00:

• Old Dominion @ Louisiana Tech (ESPN+)
• Louisiana @ Southern Mississippi (ESPN+)
• San Jose State @ Nevada (MWN)

6:00: Boise State @ Washington State (USA): BRONCOS!

6:30: San Diego State @ Colorado State (The CW): Ugh. Sickos game of the week, indeed. Stoppable force versus movable object. The Azetcs are bad, but they’re at least a coherent football team, which the Rams aren’t at the moment.

7:00:

• Virginia Tech @ Clemson (ESPN): Hokies?
• Colorado @ Oklahoma State (FS1): POKES!
• Georgia State @ Arkansas State (ESPN+)

7:30:

• Mississippi @ Texas (ABC): Texas is just too good to be struggling like this. Remember when they beat Ohio State? It’s baffling. The thing is, I think there’s a good chance they can figure it out… because if they don’t the consequences are dire. The Rebels and Trinidad Chambliss are definitely good enough to beat them, but I still think that’s more on Texas than anything else.
• Southern California @ Wisconsin (NBC): Trojans? Though boy howdy Wisconsin is playing well these days…
• Iowa State @ Arizona (ESPN2): Clones!
• Vanderbilt @ Kentucky (SEC): Cayuts!
• Syracuse @ North Carolina (ACCN): Heels!
• Utah State @ Texas State (CBSS): Bobcats!

8:00: Texas-San Antonio @ Tulane (ESPNU): Road Runners? (Seriously, it’s been kind of a disappointing campaign for the Green Wave so far.)

10:00: North Dakota State @ New Mexico (The CW): Okay, time for the nightcaps. This game will determine the G6 playoff representative (probably). I don’t expect a lot of offense in this one, but in the way that’s more “yeah the defenses are that good”. I sort of like the Lobos at home here. The Bison are more than showing they can hang in FBS with a roster that is mostly unchanged from their last FCS campaign, but the main difference between the two levels is depth and late October is when that depth really begins to get tested. I still expect a tight content that demands your attention.

10:15: Houston @ Utah (ESPN): Anyone as online as me will know the meme I’m referencing when I say that there are two games this week where both teams are in the AP Top 25, and that the disgusting one is Mississippi-Texas and the good one is this one. Houston is sneaky good: they’ve got a narrow loss to a good Texas Tech and that’s it for blemishes. The Utes are undefeated, but their best win is against, uh, um, Arkansas? That said, the Utes wins are all of the “solid margin of victory” variety, barring some weirdness against Colorado last weekend. This will be a good one. I’m leaning toward the Utes, but I’m looking forward to both of these late games.