As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong:

Saturday
Noon:

• Akron @ Pennsylvania State (ABC): It’s on ABC, sure, but the Zips should give the Nittany Lions little trouble.
• Kent State @ Clemson (ESPN): Again, this is the downside of Week 1. I hope you get Big Ten Network!
• Maryland @ Texas (FS1): This vaguely interesting, but then you remember the talent disparity at work here and go with Texas.
• Bowling Green @ Michigan State (ESPNU): Sparty going 3-9 last year definitely didn’t seem to gain the, er, cachet that Notre Dame going 4-8 did, but still, it was a pretty shocking result for a consistently successful program. At a minimum, though, they should have this one.
• Wyoming @ Iowa (BTN): Okay, so this is a trendy looking game, and I think it has the most potential to be fun out of all the games in this time slot. Will it be, though? Well, if it follows the typical Iowa blueprint, and it probably will, then maybe not so much.

12:20: California @ North Carolina (ACC): As noted in my OOC schedule previews, I enjoy inter-sectional matchups like this imminently. Nonetheless, one of these teams at least enjoys a semblence of a defense, and Cal doesn’t provide a lot of hope that situations gotten better. So I’m going with Carolina here.

3:00: North Carolina State vs. South Carolina (@Charlotte, NC; ESPN): I’m going with the Wolfpack here, mostly because the alternative scenario where the Gamecocks win seems pretty unpalatable.

3:30:

• Michigan vs. Florida (@Arlington, TX; ABC): I saw on the ESPN bottom line earlier today that this it the first time Florida has opened away from home since 1987. Which I knew the Gators didn’t around much, OOC-wise, but that’s kind of ridiculous. Anyway, while the conventional wisdom is that Michigan is a year or two away from contending again, I still like them here, especially when you factor in all of Florida’s suspensions.
• Temple @ Notre Dame (NBC): Temple is actually kinda good now, but even after using this as one last chance to remind you Notre Dame went 4-8 last year, we’ll say that ND can pull this out.
• Texas-El Paso @ Oklahoma (FOX): Not sure how UTEP has a chance here.
• Nevada @ Northwestern (BTN): Nevada used to be decently exciting, but the chance seems to have passed.
• Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical @ Alabama-Birmingham (Stadium): I’m listing this because UAB football is back, y’all. It’s of course a fiasco that it was canned in the first place, but still. Go Blazers!

3:45: Troy @ Boise State (ESPNU): I feel like I should go with Boise all the way here, but still, my gut says Troy. But my brain says Boise, so that’s what I’m going with.

4:00: Kentucky @ Southern Mississippi (CBSS): I don’t think USM is actually that good, but you never know with these kinds of teams. Sticking with UK though.

5:15: Western Michigan @ Southern California (Pac12): This might be fun. Real fun. Or… it might not. Going with USC.

6:15: Appalachian State @ Georgia (ESPN): This would be hilarious, but yeah sticking with UGA.

7:30:

• Louisville vs. Purdue (@Indianapolis, IN; FOX): This is a neutral site game for some reason? Also Purdue will have to prove itself to me, so sticking with UL.
• South Alabama @ Mississippi (ESPNU): See “Appalachian State @ Georgia” above.

8:00:

• Florida State vs. Alabama (@Atlanta, GA; ABC): Hopefully this turns out to be the absolute cracker of a game that it should be. I keep going back and forth on who I like in this game and I think the line (Alabama by 7) is crazy. Does the likely rematch in December hurt this one a bit? Yeah, sure. But this should still be a great game even on its own merits. I’m going with FSU.
• Arkansas State @ Nebraska (BTN): That said, if you wanted to see if anything wacky was going on, the BTN’s got you. Nebraska though.
• Vanderbilt @ Middle Tennessee State (CBSS): Vandy improved last year, but this one feels ike a trap. Going with MTSU.

9:30: Brigham Young vs. Louisiana State (@New Orleans, LA; ESPN): I also find this one hard to pick. I think we’ll find out a lot about both teams, but it’s still looking good for LSU and DaCoachO.

Sunday
7:30:

• Texas A&M @ California-Los Angeles (FOX): I find this game impossible to pick mostly because of these teams recent penchant for underachieving. For now, going with TAMU.
• West Virginia vs. Virginia Tech (@Landover, MD; ABC): By all rights, this one should be a home-and-home, not played at the NFL’s most soulless venue. I really like VPI this year so I’m going with them.

Monday
8:00: Georgia Tech vs. Tennessee (@Atlanta, GA; ESPN): Tennessee is Georgia Tech’s 8th most played opponent, despite this game having not been played since 1987. The Vols also lead the all-time series 24-17-2. Change is afoot for the Jackets, with a new QB and a new B-back core. It could be awesome or it could be really bad, and hopefully Tennessee’s own inexperience at key positions (especially QB) looms larger than ours.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Friday
7:00: Ohio vs. Western Michigan (Mid-American Conference Championship @ Detroit, MI; ESPN2): By any reasonable measure, Western Michigan should win easily. However, I can’t help but think back to the 2013 MAC title game, where an unranked Bowling Green beat an undefeated Northern Illinois 47-27. That said, yeah, you can’t reasonably pick against the Broncos here.

9:00: Washington vs. Colorado (Pac-12 Championship @ Santa Clara, CA; FOX): Strangely, an upset here probably results in overall less intrigue, since Colorado will just slide right into the Rose Bowl. Instead, all the drama is in the Huskies winning. That said, a win here would give Washington a pretty solid victory for the ol’ strength-of-schedule, and they would be a conference champion. Would that be enough to ensure their spot? I think so. And while I think these Buffs are pretty good, I think Washington is just a bit better.

Saturday
Noon:

• Temple @ Navy (American Athletic Conference Championship; ABC): If you like keeping the ball on the ground, this is the game for you. Featuring two of the best rushing attacks in the country, passing will be at a premium. That said, I think the Owls are better matchup for Navy than South Florida would’ve been, and I think they’ll be able to prevail at home.
• Louisiana Tech @ Western Kentucky (Conference USA Championship; ESPN): If you like to see the pigskin spending most of the afternoon in the air, well then good news! Featuring two attacks that absolutely like to fling out it around, consequences be damned, this game figures to be a rollicking good 62-58 kind of time. In that scenario, I like the Hilltoppers.
• Troy @ Georgia Southern (ESPN2): Southern enters this game on a four game losing streak that doesn’t figure to stop there.
• Kansas State @ Texas Christian (FS1): With the two teams otherwise through the rest of the Big 12 schedule, they enter pretty darn close when it comes to most statistical categories, so I figure this a coin flip. In that case, I like K-State’s chances.

12:30: Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma (FOX): It’s Bedlam! And honestly, I don’t figure this one to be especially crazy. Oklahoma has been pretty good this year! While Oklahoma State is 8-1 in conference, they haven’t exactly dominated the way the Sooners have (seriously, as fluky as that Central Michigan loss was, they should’ve also lost to Texas Tech). I’ve got the Sooners all the way here.

3:30: Baylor @ West Virginia (FS1): West Virginia.

4:00: Alabama vs. Florida (Southeastern Conference Championship @ Atlanta, GA; CBS): Seriously, SEC, just move Alabama (and Auburn) to the East and be done with it. Bama should roll.

7:30: Arkansas State @ Texas State (ESPN2): Texas State is basically the Rutgers of the Sun Belt, so the Red Wolves should roll easily.

7:45: San Diego State @ Wyoming (Mountain West Conference Championship; ESPN): the Aztecs ventured up to Laramie two weeks ago and had a chance to tie with the clock expired with an extra point. Instead, they opted for the two point conversion, which failed. Since then, both these teams have fallen backward into the game. SDSU’s position as West champs was never in any doubt, but they lost to Colorado State last week kinda badly (63-31!). Wyoming, meanwhile, is here mainly because Boise State had the courtesy to lose to Air Force the day before they got bowled over by New Mexico. So, basically, I don’t know what to expect here, except that the San Diego State players are probably going to be very, very cold, with the temperature expected to be somewhere around 20 degrees (Fahrenheit!) at kickoff. So good luck with that, and I like Wyoming here.

8:00:

• Clemson vs. Virginia Tech (Atlantic Coast Conference Championship @ Orlando, FL; ABC): Hey, remember that time North Carolina totally recovered an onside kick to have a chance at beating Clemson in the ACC title game last year? All I’m saying is that, for maybe only the third or fourth time all year, the Tigers need to come to play, lest they need to get bailed out again. It’s not a good look.
• Wisconsin vs. Pennsylvania State (Big Ten Championship @ Indianapolis, IN; FOX): So, yeah, this is totally the Big Ten title game we all expected a few weeks ago. Well, okay, it half is, since Wisconsin is pretty good and was a pretty expected pick to win the Big Ten West at that point. Instead, it was the East not holding up its end of the bargain, the circumstances of which we’re all familiar with at this point. So who’s going win this game? I have to say, I’m still skeptical on Penn State. Yes, they beat Ohio State, but (for the umpteenth time) the transitive property does not apply to college football. Also, it wasn’t like the Nittany Lions went out there and dominated the Buckeyes: they were outgained by over 200 yards and needed some special teams luck to win the game. On the balance, the Badgers’ defense was second only to Michigan’s in the Big Ten. They’re a force to be reckoned with, and in a different year Wisconsin would be coming into this undefeated. I like the Badgers here.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Michigan @ Ohio State (ABC) (41Ëš, clear): Once again, I’ll be doing weather for each of these games, though I can go ahead and sum it up here: it’ll be chilly-to-cold in most places but clear, with overcast conditions in the northeast and rain throughout most of the day on the West Coast.
  Anyway! Here’s a wonderful demonstration of why having rivals in the same division is still pretty neat. Of course, it could be slightly neater if either Michigan or Ohio State were still undefeated, but what can you do? Either way, theses are still two of the best teams in college football, though each has their weaknesses. I personally think this game is going to be tight and low-scoring. Both teams sport pretty good defenses, and the best player on the field will be one of Michigan’s linebackers (Jabrill Peppers). Both have had difficult with their offenses in the past few weeks, and Ohio State’s run game has really been kind of lacking all year. I view this game as kind of a coin flip, and earlier in the week I picked Michigan. I’m not terribly convinced either way, though.
• Kentucky @ Louisville (ESPN) (47Ëš, clear): In mid-September, I think most of us who follow college football thought Mark Stoops was going to get fired, but then the Wildcats put together a respectable season against the very soft underbelly of the SEC East. So, naturally, they get to face a frustrated Louisville after a close loss to Houston. Good luck with that!
• Virginia @ Virginia Tech (ESPN2) (41Ëš, clear): Over in the other Commonwealth, VPI sort of won the Coastal by default, but that means the pressure is off and, yeah, I think they’re going to pound UVA.
• Kansas @ Kansas State (FS1) (55Ëš, clear): Like I said the other day, I still really miss KU-Mizzou, but I’m okay with this game being moved to rivalry week for now. But yeah, I think K-State’s got this.
• Purdue @ Indiana (ESPNU) (45Ëš, clear): Nothin’ like playing Purdue to get that necessary sixth win…
• Rutgers @ Maryland (ESPNEWS) (49Ëš, clear): [substitute “Purdue” with “Rutgers”]
• Georgia Tech @ Georgia (SEC) (62Ëš, clear): To Hell With Georgia
• Illinois @ Northwestern (BTN) (44Ëš, clear): So Illinois is slightly better than Purdue and Rutgers, but not by much. Northwestern should also get to 6.
• Central Florida @ South Florida (CBSS) (78Ëš, clear): I think this one could be pretty tight, but USF is just on too much of a roll this year. Also, USF needs this game to stay in the AAC East title hunt.

12:30: Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (ACC) (40Ëš, overcast): At least Pittsburgh is holding up its end of the weather bargain. Shouldn’t matter either way against the ‘Cuse, though.

3:00: Boston College @ Wake Forest (ACC/RSN) (53Ëš, clear): BC’s 30-0 win over UConn last weekend says a lot, lot more about the current state of UConn football than it does about the Eagles, who still struggle to score points, and that doesn’t figure to change against Wake Forest.

3:30:

• Notre Dame @ Southern California (ABC) (60Ëš, rain): After this game Notre Dame will be 4-8 and it will be fantastic. But chin up, Domers, the Cowboys are good this year, and the Yankees are finally rebuilding a little bit!
• Auburn @ Alabama (CBS) (63Ëš, clear): so my parents don’t live in Alabama anymore, which means I’m not there this week like I usually am. I can’t say I miss it too much, but one thing I do miss the absolutely frenzy about this game that engulfs the whole state. That said… I think this will probably be kind of a boring game? It’s in Tuscaloosa and Alabama is just too dominant this year.
• Michigan State @ Pennsylvania State (ESPN) (42Ëš, overcast): Sparty showed some signs of life in its past two games, pasting Rutgers the way everyone is pasting Rutgers this year and then losing a tight game to Ohio State. Will the Buckeyes be watching this game the lockers under Ohio Stadium, hoping for an upset? I’m not sure about that part, but I can say a little more definitively that the odds are pretty long here. Yeah, Penn State’s schedule other than Michigan and Ohio State has been pretty easy, but they’ve also beat most of those opponents pretty soundly. I like the Nittany Lions here.
• Duke @ Miami (ESPN2) (79Ëš, clear): Duke may be playing for bowl eligibility here (more on that later today or Sunday), but it doesn’t look good against a rejuvenated Miami squad.
• West Virginia @ Iowa State (FS1) (54Ëš, clear): Iowa State needs to be taken seriously, but as long as can do they should be able to take care of business in Ames.
• Navy @ Southern Methodist (ESPNU) (62Ëš, partly cloudy): Navy’s got the AAC West in the bag already, but they should be able to close out conference play with a statement and a potential shot at hosting the AAC title game (depending on who wins the East).
• Mississippi State @ Mississippi (SEC) (55Ëš, clear): I think recent years have made us forget that this is was pretty much the norm for the Egg Bowl in most years. Losing 38-18 to Vandy is never a good look, but I still like the Rebels here.
• Minnesota @ Wisconsin (BTN) (48Ëš, partly cloudy): Paul Bunyan’s Axe is also for the Big Ten West there year, but let me be clear: if Minnesota wins this will be a huge upset.
• San Jose State @ Fresno State (CBSS) (55Ëš, rain): Of all the games at this timeslot, this sure is a game that you could watch. I’m going with SJSU.

4:00:

• Tulane @ Connecticut (ESPNEWS) (46Ëš, clear): Tulane, mostly because I’d like to see them win.
• Oregon @ Oregon State (Pac12) (47Ëš, rain): Well, this is probably the most low-key Civil War in several years (I’m not even sure I’ll be able to watch it here, I should probably check that). At any rate, I’m picking the Beavers here, because why not?

5:30: Florida Atlantic @ Middle Tennessee State (beIN) (55Ëš, partly cloudy): Going with MTSU here.

7:00:

• California-Los Angeles @ California (ESPN2) (55Ëš, rain): UCLA has a litany of issues, yes, but frankly I think they’re still probably a better team than Cal. Going with the Bruins over the Bears here.
• Western Kentucky @ Marshall (ESPNU) (41Ëš, partly cloudy): This used to be one of those sneaky-good fun games, but the Thundering Herd are 3-8 on the year and 2-5 in Conference-USA, so the odds are not looking good for them.

7:30:

• Utah @ Colorado (FOX) (51Ëš, partly cloudy): If they gave “comeback of the year” awards to teams, the Buffs would win in a landslide. I think they’ll complete their rise with a win here and a meeting with Washington next week in Santa Clara.
• South Carolina @ Clemson (ESPN) (53Ëš, clear): I think Clemson is as good and as flawed as either, say, Michigan or Ohio State, but they’re still miles ahead of a punchless South Carolina.
• East Carolina @ Temple (ESPNEWS) (45Ëš, partly cloudy): If Temple wins this game, they’ll be playing next week in Annapolis for the AAC title, otherwise Navy will have to go to Tampa. That said, I don’t figure ECU to offer up much resistance.
• Tennessee @ Vanderbilt (SEC) (46Ëš, clear): Well, Vandy sure did a good job of beating up a very injured Ole Miss team last weekend. Will lightning strike twice for the Commodores? I’m figuring no.

8:00:

• Florida @ Florida State (ABC) (57Ëš, partly cloudy): It’s going to be completely up to the Gators’ defense to keep them in this game, and I’m not sure they can really stave off FSU’s attack for a full 60 minutes.
• Rice @ Stanford (Pac12) (54Ëš, rain): Stanford.

9:00: Colorado State @ San Diego State (CBSS) (60Ëš, rain): If it weren’t for their bizarre loss to South Alabama, the Aztecs would definitely be in play for the Group of Five bowl slot. Instead, they should be able to take care of business here.

10:15:

• Wyoming @ New Mexico (ESPN2) (48Ëš, clear): Speaking of taking care of business in the Mountain West, the Cowboys should be able to do so here.
• Utah State @ Brigham Young (ESPNU) (41Ëš, chance of rain): Apparently this does have rivalry game name (“The Old Wagon Wheel”), but nonetheless the Cougars figure to roll.

I will try to get a bowl predictions update up late tonight or early Sunday, so stay tuned!

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Wisconsin @ Purdue (ABC): It doesn’t get much easier for the Badgers, as they should continue to cruise through the non-Michigan/Ohio State portion of their schedule.
• Ohio State @ Michigan State (ESPN): One upside of my trip to Columbus last weekend: being around a bunch of Ohio State fans as it gradually dawns on them that they no longer control their own destiny in the Big Ten East. Better hope Sparty finds a sudden burst of competence sometime after this game, Buckeyes!
• Kansas State @ Baylor (ESPN2): Baylor.
• Oklahoma State @ Texas Christian (FS1): Oklahoma State has made it tough on themselves as of late. Yes, they handled West Virginia, but since they’ve beaten K-State by 6 and Texas Tech on a missed extra point. (I don’t mean they won by a point, which they did; the margin literally was a missed extra point on what was thought to be the tying touchdown by Texas Tech.) And now they roll into Forth Worth, where I still have them pegged as the favorite, but with major reservations.
• Texas-San Antonio @ Texas A&M (ESPNU): Welcome to SEC Cupcake Weekend, where most of the SEC doesn’t even play other FBS teams, unlike TAMU here. In accordance with our long-standing policy, I don’t list FCS vs. FBS matchups, so this is one of the few SEC games listed here.
• Maryland @ Nebraska (ESPNEWS): Fun fact: Maryland and Nebraska lost to Ohio State by the exact same score (62-3). I still have the Huskers here, though.
• Louisiana-Lafayette @ Georgia (SEC): This is definitely a game that it taking place in Athens, Georgia this weekend. Yep.
• Iowa @ Illinois (BTN): You know, I’m not sure I’d be much more inclined to watch the Big Ten Network, even if I did get it in HD. I’ll go with Iowa here.

12:30:

• Virginia @ Georgia Tech (ACC): You can pick an number of recent events to point out that you didn’t see that coming, but even considering its relative unimportance, last week’s update of VPI was pretty shocking. Yes, Virginia Tech’s offense was awful, but we did generate actual pressure on the defensive line; started three freshman offensive linemen, which then played its best game as a unit on the season; and, oh yeah, our backup short-yardage QB had a 50+ yard touchdown run. It was good, vintage stuff, though it makes me terrified of what might happen when we play the Hokies next year.
  As for this game, hoo boy, the potential for a let down feels high, eh? I don’t know if I’d call it a trap game (can 6-4 teams really have trap games?), but I’d like to think the focus will be there on Senior Day. I don’t expect the team to suddenly be a lot better than they’ve been over the course of the season, but let’s hope something was learned in Blacksburg last wekeend.
• Miami @ North Carolina State (ACC): I wrote last week that the Canes seemed to get their early-season mojo back, and sure enough, they beat Virginia by three scores. I expect the trend to continue here.

1:00: Florida @ Louisiana State (SEC): The odd timeslot and network placement for this game should tell you that yep, this was the game that was rescheduled. I still don’t know what magic was worked to both make this game happen and at Baton Rouge, but we’ll take it. Check your local listings to see if you get this instead of UL-Lafayette and Georgia. Also I like LSU.

2:00: Oregon @ Utah (Pac12): After two straight blowout losses to Southern Cal and Stanford, Oregon’s at 3-7 and effectively done.

3:00: Duke @ Pittsburgh (ACC/RSN): Pitt’s a good team! The only really shocking thing about their upset of Clemson was that they did in Death Valley, so I’ll give them credit for that. About the only thing that could stop them against the Blue Devils is a let-down.

3:30:

• Missouri @ Tennessee (CBS): Tennessee.
• Washington State @ Colorado (FOX): If I told myself back in September that this would be the late-season Pac-12 game you need to have circled on your calendar (along with the Apple Cup), I would’ve said you were a lot crazier than any of the scenarios presented in those Chick-fil-a “chicken for breakfast” commercials. Yet, here we are. With a win, Colorado also ensures the Pac-12 South comes down to their clash next week against Utah. I suspect there will be plenty of reasons to look forward to that one.
• Virginia Tech @ Notre Dame (NBC): Okay, so yeah, losing to Georgia Tech isn’t really the best look this season, but chin-up Virginia Tech! You’re still much improved over last year, and you’ll get a chance to soothe the sting of the loss by pasting the worst Notre Dame team in a decade.
• Florida State @ Syracuse (ABC/ESPN2): I still have FSU running the table, so…
• Texas @ Kansas (ABC/ESPN2): I don’t think there’s a number of points Texas could run up on the Jayhawks that would have any effect on Charlie Strong’s job status after the season, and perhaps more damningly, I don’t think Texas’s dysfunctional offense is really capable of shellacking anyone anyway. (They’re still going to win, though.)
• Indiana @ Michigan (ESPN): I like the idea of Indiana as TEAM CHAOS as much as the next person, but they beat Maryland and Rutgers by a combined 12 points and lost to Penn State by two touchdowns. Also included are losses to Wake Forest and Northwestern. The Hoosiers are just, like, not really that good this year.
• Texas Tech @ Iowa State (FS1): So Texas Tech needs to win out against Iowa State and Baylor to get to 6-6 and maybe keep Kliff Kingsbury employed. I’d say odds are good they win on or the other (and probably this one), but not both.
• Buffalo @ Western Michigan (ESPNU): So Gameday’s at this point, but who watches Gameday anymore? I still might if I lived in on the East Coast, I’m not getting up at 6:00 AM to watch 3 hours of people talking about football. At any rate, the boat will continue to be rowed.
• Northwestern @ Minnesota (BTN): These teams have been excruciatingly similar in Big Ten play so far, mostly in that they’re both 4-3 and have scored 201 and 199 points, respectively. Since it’s at Minnesota, I’ll give the edge of the Gophers.
• San Diego State @ Wyoming (CBSS): And here’s where Boise is pinning their hopes after Wyoming’s triple overtime 69-66 loss to UNLV last weekend. San Diego State is probably actually the second best team in the Mountain West despite a bizarre loss to South Alabama (seriously, the Jaguars beat Mississippi State and SDSU and are 1-5 in the Sun Belt). I have them as the favorites here, which should get the Aztecs a match with Boise in a couple of weeks.

4:00: Navy @ East Carolina (ESPNEWS): Like the Florida-LSU game, this game was also pushed back due to Hurricane Matthew. Unlike that game, though, I don’t have any doubts about who’s going to win, and it’s not going to go well for the Pirates versus the government.

5:30:

• Southern Mississippi @ North Texas (beIN): I’d say Southern Miss is just a touch better than UNT. A touch.
• Stanford @ California (Pac12): It’s the Big Game! Much like their last opponent, Cal also doesn’t really have a defense, and Stanford put up 52 on Oregon. It doesn’t figure to go much better for the Bears, but hey, it’s a rivalry game, so there’s always a wildcard factor.

7:00:

• Clemson @ Wake Forest (ESPN): Yes, Clemson lost to Pitt, and yes, the Tigers didn’t really look great in the process, but like I said above, Pitt is pretty good. Wake, however, is just good, and it’s going to cost them here.
• Arkansas @ Mississippi State (ESPNU): A 38-10 loss pretty much has me saying “so much for Novembert” but I still like the Razorbacks here.
• South Florida @ Southern Methodist (CBSS): I’m going to be honest: I don’t like SMU’s chances here.

7:30: Arizona State @ Washington (FOX): USC is enjoying a resurgent second half, Arizona State, not so much. Washington gets back into shape here.

8:00:

• Oklahoma @ West Virginia (ABC): Morgantown. Night. Right now (as of 7:30 AM, Eastern) the forecast for kickoff is 38 degrees with a 30% chance of snow. Football weather! I still like the Sooners, but boy howdy the conditions will be ripe to ignite some couches.
• Tulsa @ Central Florida (ESPNEWS): If there were a “comeback team of the year” award, UCF would probably win it. I’m not sure it’ll be enough against this high-flying Tulsa team, though.
• Mississippi @ Vanderbilt (SEC): The only other conference game of the day in the SEC! Ole Miss rallied to beat Texas A&M after taking the redshirt of their freshman quarterback, who came into his own in the 4th quarter. The task will be easier against the Commodores.
• Pennsylvania State @ Rutgers (BTN): The Big Ten Network apparently is the home of games that figure mostly to be akin to a trainwreck. Hopefully those rights fees are worth the brand dilution of having Rutgers in your league! (… they probably are, but still)

10:15: New Mexico @ Colorado State (ESPN2): If you, like me, prefer 6-6 teams in bowl games over 5-7 teams, you really need Colorado State to win this game.

10:30:

• Southern California @ California-Los Angeles (ESPN): Though there’s basically nothing about UCLA’s season to indicate this, I have a feeling the Bruins will be able to keep it close until USC pulls ahead in the 4th quarter. Also, this game is always worth a peek due to the color uniforms for both teams and the immaculate Rose Bowl field.
• Air Force @ San Jose State (CBSS): If you’re into bowl eligibility, well, this isn’t the game for you, since Air Force is 7-3 and SJSU is 3-7. I think that’s about what you need to know about this one.
• Arizona @ Oregon State (Pac12): Seriously, the bottom of this column is particularly dire. These two teams have a combined 4-16 record. Oof. Uh, Beavers I guess?