Category Archives: On TV This Weekend

This Weekend in College Football: Week 2

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

  • Pennsylvania State @ Virginia (ABC): Last week I said Penn State wouldn’t be that bad. I was wrong. I’ll take UVA here.
  • Miami @ Kansas State (FX): Yes, it is in fact, the Miami, not a Miami. That said, this Miami did allow Boston College to score 32 points last week. Whoops! I’ll take K-State here.
  • Auburn @ Mississippi State (ESPN): 5 years ago, these two teams “worked” together to score 5 points in a game. Hopefully that number will be eclipsed this year. I actually like Miss State better here, for whatever reason.
  • Central Florida @ Ohio State (ESPN2): The Big Ten’s other team suspended from postseason play, but unlike Penn State, the Buckeyes still have some teeth. They should win easily.
  • Tulane @ Tulsa (FSN): I won’t believe Tulane is any good at all until proven otherwise.
  • Maryland @ Temple (ESPNU): Temple scored 41 points against Villanova last week. Maryland scored 7 in the 4th quarter to come from behind against William & Mary. Yeah.
  • East Carolina @ South Carolina (SEC): Does South Carolina have a quarterback? We’re still not sure. Nonetheless, it is difficult to pick against them here.

12:30: Ball State @ Clemson (ACC): I nearly didn’t list this one, but well here it is.

3:00: North Carolina @ Wake Forest (ACC/FSN): Again using the “how badly did they beat their opening week creampuff” metric, Carolina wins in a landslide.

3:30:

  • Purdue @ Notre Dame (NBC): Hard to get a read on this one, but it is safe to say that Navy is a slightly more impressive blowout win than Liberty. I’ll take the Irish here.
  • Air Force @ Michigan (ABC/ESPN2): Michigan just has to be too fast for Air Force, don’t they? Maybe they’ll let their awesome running quarterback run the ball this week.
  • Southern California vs. Syracuse (@East Rutherford, NJ; ABC/ESPN2): Syracuse is no longer terrible, but that doesn’t mean they’re good. USC is one of the nation’s top teams, no doubt, but their depth is so razor-thin an injury or two could spell disaster against the right team. Syracuse is not that team.
  • Florida @ Texas Agricultural and Mechanical (ESPN): Oh boy it’s TAMU’s SEC debut! I’m not really that excited about it. Also, they’ll probably win for what that’s worth.
  • Rice @ Kansas (FSN): Even Kansas should be able to at least beat Rice. Probably. Maybe.
  • Michigan State @ Central Michigan (ESPNU): Even if you didn’t know anything about these two teams, you probably still like the chances of the team that starts with the name of the state rather than the one that has a cardinal direction and then the name of the state. Just sayin’.
  • South Florida @ Nevada (CBSS): I like Nevada here. They just beat Cal in the refurbished Memorial Stadium, and USF has to fly all the way to Reno to face off at altitude against Nevada’s somewhat rare offense.
  • Iowa State @ Iowa (BTN): Oof. Iowa only beat Northern Illinois 18-17. This year is certainly ripe for a Iowa State win, which is probably news to many but not Paul Rhodes.
  • Western Kentucky @ Alabama (SEC): A Western Kentucky backup linebacker boasted this week that they’re going to beat Alabama. Look, I think it would be hilarious, but well, good luck with that.

400: Wisconsin @ Oregon State (FX): Sometimes you make a big deal out of top teams nearly losing to FCS teams, especially game ones like Northern Iowa. Sometimes, you don’t. This game is an example of the latter. I like the Badgers here.

7:00:

  • Washington @ Louisiana State (ESPN): As I commented to a Washington alum friend on Facebook, having a live tiger at practice is pretty much a win-win as far as I’m concerned. Still not sure how it will help the Huskies beat LSU, at LSU, at night though, unless they were practicing letting it loose on LSU players or something.
  • Louisiana-Monroe @ Arkansas (ESPNU): I believe this is my first chance to mention this season how much we here at ASimSports love, love having John L. Smith back as a head coach at a major college program. I may watch this just for the halftime interview. Arkansas should probably still win though.
  • Texas-El Paso @ Mississippi (SEC/FSN): Hey Ole Miss still sucks right? Though I’d like UTEP’s chances a lot better if the game were in the strange confines of El Paso, but I’ll take the Miners anyway.
  • Presbyterian @ Georgia Tech (ESPN3): I spent most of the summer ranting at anyone who would listen how dumb having our most important conference game the first week of the season was, but they, that’s ESPN for you. Anyway, we have to use this game to get back to normal and shake off the rust heading into the remaining two conference games this month, which are now that much (much) more important.

7:30: Nebraska @ California-Los Angeles (FOX): So apparently Taylor Martinez learned how to throw this past offseason and UCLA probably still isn’t really that good? Yeah, those are just the kind of write-ups you’re going to get in September, sorry. I like the Huskers.

7:45: Georgia @ Missouri (ESPN2): Oh good, another SEC debut. I hope Mizzou rips them to shreds, because by joining the SEC Mizzou went from like the 2nd or 3rd best passing team in the Big 12 to far and away the best passing team in the SEC. So you know what, let’s get crazy and pick the Tigers here.

8:00:

  • Louisiana Tech @ Houston (CBSS): Geez Houston we knew that you lost just about everyone from your pretty good team last season but losing to Texas State is just proving that point a little too hard, eh? I’m not sure firing their offensive coordinator is going to fix their issues, so I’ll take LaTech.
  • Vanderbilt @ Northwestern (BTN): Vandy lost in a very Vandy-like fashion last week to a pretty okay South Carolina, while Northwestern came from behind to win dramatically over Syracuse. I think both these teams are pretty decent and will pull off at least one major upset this year, but on this night I like the Commodores.

10:30: Illinois @ Arizona State (ESPN): I just have no opinion on either of these teams, so let’s go back to the creampuff beatdown metric mentioned earlier. Hrm, let’s see… well, even adjusting for the division of the opponent, the scale still favors the Sun Devils.

Don’t forget if you live on the West Coast you probably have a and/or the Pac-12 networks now. Those may get included in future weeks.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 1

Welcome back! This is my weekly guide to each weekend’s slate of televised college football. In general, I list any game that is being televised on a national network, as well as several games that are on regional networks for the ACC and SEC. In addition, CBS Sports Network (CBSS) games are listed if they involve two Division I-A/FCS teams. Also, Georgia Tech games are always listed, regardless of video platform. Massive thanks go out once again to Matt Sarzyniak, for his meticulous listings of all college football on all media platforms everywhere.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Thursday
7:00: South Carolina @ Vanderbilt (ESPN): The season opens with question marks galore for the Gamecocks, but I have my doubt that even a James Franklin-amplified Vanderbilt can take them.

7:30:

  • Texas Agricultural and Mechanical vs. Louisiana Tech (@Shreveport, LA; ESPNU): This game actually got postponed to October due to Hurricane Isaac. Alas.
  • California-Los Angeles @ Rice (CBSS): Remember that one time, a few years ago, when Rice was kind of good? That was kind of weird, wasn’t it? Well, it’s fortunately not an issue anymore, at least if you’re a Bruins fan.

10:15: Washington State @ Brigham Young (ESPN): Given the fiasco of Mike Leach’s firing at Texas Tech, it seems a little weird that his first game back as a college coach will be on ESPN. Now the question is whether he has managed to transform Wazzou in just one offseason to a somewhat competent outfit, because they will need to be to beat BYU. I’ll take my chances with Leach.

11:00: Minnesota @ Nevada-Las Vegas (CBSS): Hey, it’s football, it’s on TV, and is probably one of the few games Minnesota will have a chance to win this year.

Friday
7:30: North Carolina State vs. Tennessee (@Atlanta, GA; ESPNU): This is the appetizer to the Clemson-Auburn game. Like most appetizers, it may offer some excitement but will hopefully not overshadow your main course. It’s hard to get a read on either of these teams (a phrase I am really trying not to overuse in this preview). While NC State was mostly mediocre last season, Tennessee was ravaged by injuries to just about everyone. That said, the Volunteers still seem to be a team with more questions than answers, so I’m going with the Wolfpack.


8:00: Boise State @ Michigan State (ESPN): I’m having a hard time bucking the main thing I’ve learned about Boise going into this season: they’re replacing, like, everyone on offense. Usually not good for an opening road game against a Big Ten school. I’ll take Sparty.

Saturday
9:00 AM: Notre Dame vs. Navy (@Dublin, Ireland; CBS): So they’ve done this a few times, so I guess having a game that kicks off at 6AM on the West Coast seems like a good idea to someone. Anyway, in this series, there’s no reason to really favor Navy over Notre Dame, but there’s plenty of reasons to root for the Midshipmen regardless.

Noon:

  • Marshall @ West Virginia (FX): It’s a rivalry game, which will provide an amount of intrigue that will last probably about as long as WVU’s first two drives on offense.
  • Ohio @ Pennsylvania State (ESPN): Boy howdy some stuff sure did happen at Penn State during the offseason. I’m not really sure what else to even say, other than that they’ll probably win this game.
  • Northwestern @ Syracuse (ESPN2): Northwestern should feel right at home. Oh, sure, they’ll be in the Carrier Dome, but they’re on at noon and on ESPN2, which as I was musing recently is pretty much the near-Northwestern-upset-power-hour. Beating the ‘Cuse probably won’t be much of an upset, though.
  • Western Michigan @ Illinois (ESPNU): Playing a MAC team should be nothing new for Tim Beckman, and being at the controls of even Illinois must seem like a huge upgrade.
  • Miami @ Ohio State (BTN): It’s on BTN because, well, it’s the Miami in Ohio. Anyway, start the clock on your brand new Urban Meyer, Buckeye fans, because he’s the supergiant of football coaches: burns brightly for a short period of time and then ends in a fiery explosion.
  • Buffalo @ Georgia (SEC): Remember that one time Buffalo was good and Turner Gill parlayed that into the Kansas job? Yeah, times have changed. Or, more accurately, gone back to normal.

12:30: Elon @ North Carolina (ACC): I struggled to list these games because I just really have nothing to say about Elon or Richmond. I’m still trying to figure out how Julius Peppers’s transcript from UNC was leaked online, though. I’m pretty sure at any rate that violates at least a law or two, right?

3:00: Richmond @ Virginia (ACC): Fun fact: Richmond are the Spiders, making them one of the few college animal mascots that isn’t a mammal or a bird. Remember, though, that spiders are technically not insects, they’re arachnids.

3:30:

  • Miami @ Boston College (ABC/ESPN2): Well, BC fans, Doug Flutie is not walking through that door. Miami should roll.
  • Southern Mississippi @ Nebraska (ABC/ESPN2): Southern Miss should be a pretty solid team this year, by all accounts, but Nebraska should be solid-er, I guess?
  • Bowling Green @ Florida (ESPN): The fact that Florida is treating the game as a tryout to determine their quarterback either says something about the state of their quarterbacks or about how worried they are about their opponent. Or, most likely, a little of both.
  • Iowa vs. Northern Illinois (@Chicago, IL; ESPNU): Schools from the Midwest are okay with playing games in Chicago for the same reason schools from the South are okay with games in Atlanta: a lot of their grads migrate there because that’s where the jobs are. Expect this to basically be an Iowa home game.
  • Northern Iowa @ Wisconsin (BTN): One of these days, Wisconsin will need to develop their own quarterbacks. Saturday will not be that day.

4:00: Colorado State vs. Colorado (@Denver, CO; FX): Note to the lunatic fringe of Georgia Tech fans who want the Georgia game moved to this week: games like this and WVU-Marshall are the sorts of rivalries played on opening weekend. I’d like to think we’re better than this. Buffs should roll.

7:00:

  • Clemson vs. Auburn (@Atlanta, GA; ESPN): Tigers-Tigers! For a game with names like this I should really have something to say about it, but it’s been a quiet offseason for both these teams other than the big pieces they’ve lost: Micheal Dyer and Sammy Watkins. Presumably the latter is a large part of why Clemson is ranked coming into this game as well. That said, Clemson won’t have a new quarterback, unlike Auburn, which should give them a slight edge.
  • North Texas @ Louisiana State (ESPNU): It looks like this game will be played, which means UNT will get their beatdown and subsequent paycheck sooner rather than later.
  • Jackson State @ Mississippi State (SEC/FSN): Even I’m not sure why I listed this game.

7:30: Hawaii @ Southern California (FOX): Yes, nationally televised beatdowns of Hawaii. This is what I needed. (In the off-chance there are any FOX executives reading this: that was not a sincere statement.)

8:00:

  • Alabama vs. Michigan (@Arlington, TX; ABC): This is the big one. Well, I guess. The thing is, unless Denard Robinson is just so utterly fast and unpredictable that the straight-laced Alabama defense can’t account for him, I’m not really sure how the Wolverines have a chance.
  • Rutgers @ Tulane (CBSS): Tulane had to relocate to Birmingham to practice this week. Fortunately for Rutgers, it looks like the New Orleans airport will be back up and running on or by Friday, still giving them enough time to get into town as normal. As if the Green Wave wasn’t at enough of a disadvantage already anyway.
  • Indiana State @ Indiana (BTN): You only need to know two things about Indiana State: they are the Sycamores and Larry Bird played for them (in basketball).

10:30:

  • Arkansas State @ Oregon (ESPN): I can safely say this about this game: points will be scored. I’m still pretty confident Oregon will score more points than Arkansas State, mind you. I’m just saying that this could be a very high scoring game. The over/under is set at 110 right now. I would probably take the over. This could easily be a 84-49 final or something like that.
  • Oklahoma @ Texas-El Paso (FSN): I almost wish I could watch this game. Oh, Oklahoma will almost certainly win. But still, if anything weird is going to happen on this day, my money would be inside the hill that surround the Sun Bowl in the dark of night. So, yeah, either this is the expected Sooner blowout or a very crazy UTEP win (as though there’s any other kind).
  • Toledo @ Arizona (ESPNU): Holy Toledo! That’s all I got. Though, there is a halfway decent chance Arizona is still bad enough to lose this game. Probably not, though.

Sunday
3:30: Kentucky @ Louisville (ESPN): Here’s another opening weekend rivalry game. I guess this is more of a measure of who is going to be less awful this year. Wait, this just in: Louisville is ranked? (No, seriously, I just noticed that.) And is apparently favored to win the Big East? (For what that’s worth, anyway.) I guess I’ll have to go with them then.

6:30: Southern Methodist @ Baylor (FSN): Baylor: probably still better than SMU.

Monday
8:00: Georgia Tech @ Virginia Tech (ESPN): Yeah, wow, let’s just, you know, have our most important conference game in the first week of the season. I’m so mad about this I used bold text right there just to demonstrate it. Despite that, the timing may actually favor us. VPI will be breaking in an entirely new offensive line and offensive backfield, as well as several positions on defense. Georgia Tech returns one of the most experienced offensive lines in the country, looks to finally have the makings of a decent defense, and has a legitimate offensive star in a-back Orwin Smith. On the flip side, Tech’s (and remember: on this site Tech is always the one in Atlanta) starting an entirely new wide receiver corps and still has shaky special teams. Also, the Hokies still have Paul Bunyan-esque quarterback Logan Thomas, who, at 30 feet tall, needs merely to take the snap and fall over to gain a first down. (Well, at least, that’s what it seemed like last year.) In addition, the game will be at night and in Blacksburg with all the attendant issues that brings. (The last time the Jackets went up to Blacksburg at night was the night everything went wrong when Josh Nesbitt broke his arm trying tackle a guy running back an interception.) Also, if you haven’t heard this already, since the ACC has had divisions, the winner of the Coastal division has always been the winner of this game, and VPI holds a 5-2 advantage in that regard (with Tech’s wins coming at Blacksburg in 2006 and in Atlanta in 2009). So chances are, this one will be fun, unless you’re me, in which case I’ll be losing my mind either way.

Programming note: I wanted to get a post analyzing this year’s batch of rule changes in, but I only found the exact rule changes a few weeks ago after I started doing the OOC scheduling series and never got around to it. I’ll try to do that in the next couple of weeks.

This Weekend in College Football: Week 15

The regular season is technically over, but we’ll cover the Army-Navy game as well as the various playoff games that are actually on television (not to mention the others that’ll be on the Internet).

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Friday
8:00: Northern Iowa @ Montana (Division I Quarterfinal; ESPN): These teams entered as the 5 and 4-seeds (respectively) in the tournament, and thus both received byes to the second round in the 20-team bracket. The Grizzlies thumped their second opponent, Central Arkansas, 41-14 while UNI ended up winning 28-21 with some help from probably the most boneheaded play of last weekend. Nonetheless, Montana has all the cards here, with superior offensive and defensive rankings as well as a projected game time temperature of about 25 degrees in their home stadium, which looking at attendance figures will probably be sold out. Meanwhile, UNI plays their home games in a dome. I think I know who I like here.

Saturday
Noon: Montana State @ Sam Houston State (Division I Quarterfinal; ESPN): Sam Houston State is the #1 seed in the tournament, but they’re last in spelling, because apparently they are officially the “Bearkats”. I mean, at least “dawgs” is usually an unofficial nickname, but nope, it’s right there on their ESPN page. In protest, I refuse to write anything further about this game.

1:00: Alabama Agricultural and Mechanical vs. Grambling State (SWAC Championship @ Birmingham, AL; ESPNU): I really debated putting this game on the list. It’s on TV and all, but… I don’t know, maybe I just don’t fully understand the traditions of the SWAC that would cause them to want to have their own title game and not participate in the playoffs that so many of us at the top level of the sport of would love to have. Not only that, but the SWAC has 10 teams and plays 9 conference games, which means that a title game is wholly unnecessary. Oh, and speaking of rematches, A&M beat Grambling 20-14 back in September. If anything, the game should be the resolution of the three 7-2 teams that all beat each other in the regular season (Jackson State, A&M, and Alabama State).

2:30: Army vs. Navy (@Landover, MD; CBS): This has not been a banner year for these two academies. Navy is 4-7 and Army is 3-8 and is, last I checked, narrowly favored for what has to be the first time in awhile. Both have been undone by very mediocre-to-bad defenses. That said, though, Navy’s schedule was a lot tougher than Army’s, with Navy’s only really bad loss to San Jose State, then again, that’s countered by Army’s upset of Northwestern (which probably says a lot about how far the Wildcats have come more than anything else, since we can properly call it an “upset”). I’ll stick with the Midshipmen to continue their nine game winning streak.

Look for bowl previews starting next week!

This Weekend in College Football: Week 14

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Thursday
8:00: West Virginia @ South Florida (ESPN): The very last edition of Thursday night college football comes to you from “beautiful” Tampa, where “South” Florida will attempt to not lose to the Mountaineers. After starting 4-0, the Bulls have gone 1-6, so I can’t say I really like their odds. Also, if WVU wins, they will probably get the Big East’s BCS bowl bid if Cincinnati also wins.

Friday
7:00: Ohio vs. Northern Illinois (MAC Championship @ Detroit, MI; ESPN2): Unlike the other conference title game on this night, these two teams actually are the best teams in their league. Both teams can score, but the Bobcats seem to actually play defense sometimes, so I’ll take them. I will say that I think this game will probably be close, unlike…

8:00: California-Los Angeles @ Oregon (Pac-12 Championship; FOX): This game. The only question is not if Oregon will win, but by how many touchdowns. By the way, UCLA did in fact get a waiver to go a bowl game at 6-7. Bruins fans: get your Kraft Fight Hunger Bowl tickets now!

Saturday
Noon:

  • Southern Mississippi @ Houston (C-USA Championship; ABC): Southern Miss may arguably be the best team Houston has seen all season, which is one of the reasons why the Cougars haven’t been getting a lot of national attention. A win here does seal a BCS bowl bid for them, though, along with a large payday for the rest of Conference USA. Fortunately for the conscience of everyone involved, I really don’t think they’ll have that many issues, as the game will probably play out a lot like their game against Tulsa: a slow start and then pulling away in the second half.
  • Connecticut @ Cincinnati (ESPN): So it turns out the Big East can potentially end in a 3-way tie, among Louisville, Cincinnati, and West Virginia. Louisville is in the clubhouse with a 5-2 league record. If Cincy wins this game and WVU loses tonight, then Cincy wins the league outright due a head-to-head tiebraker. If Cincy loses this game, then Louisville wins the league outright by either having the best record (WVU loss) or due to their head-to-head tiebreaker over WVU. If there is a 3-way tie, then it will go to the BCS, and right now that benefits Cincy. In any case, I think Cincy is going to win this game.
  • Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (ESPN2): Do you want to see two 5-6 Big East teams attempt to sneak into a bowl game? Probably not, but in case you do, Pitt should win this game. The Orange have lost 4 straight after a 5-2 start and don’t look to be getting any better.

12:30: Iowa State @ Kansas State (FSN): You what they say, “You don’t just walk in to Bill Synder Family Memorial Stadium and expect to win.” This applies to the Cyclones especially, as no one else has succeeded in beating the Wildcats at home this year expect for Oklahoma.

2:30: Nevada-Las Vegas @ Texas Christian (Versus): UNLV is awful. TCU should clinch the MWC title easily.

3:30: Texas @ Baylor (ABC): Texas basically McGuyver’ed a victory in College Station last week. Texas’s offense hasn’t shown enough ability to score against the other generous defenses of the Big 12, though, and while their defense is competent I don’t think it’ll be enough to prevent Robert Griffin III from doing his thing. If Texas had any offense at all, this would be a shootout, but instead I really like the Bears’ chances.

4:00: Louisiana State vs. Georgia (SEC Championship @ Atlanta, GA; CBS): Georgia’s good and all, but their best win of the year may, technically speaking, be over Georgia Tech. LSU is the best team in the land and should clear this hurdle, and probably easily.

7:30: Brigham Young @ Hawaii (ESPN2): BYU visits Hawaii! Why? Because they can! They should also get a victory for their efforts, though Hawaii does need the win to get bowl eligible.

8:00:

  • Wisconsin vs. Michigan State (Big Ten Championship @ Indianapolis, IN; FOX): Here’s one rematch I can’t say I mind too much. I think even the first time I liked the Badgers, and I’ll stick by that here. Both of these teams are “pretty good” but not “great” and this should be a close, fun game once again.
  • Oklahoma @ Oklahoma State (ABC): Oh, what could have been. The mind still reels trying to comprehend how Texas Tech beat Oklahoma in Norman. I mean, at least OSU had the decency to get upset on the road. Anyway, this is still Bedlam and it’s still in Stillwater. I always think “hey, this matchup is always pretty crazy!” but this ignores the historical reality. Anyway, we also know both of these teams can score, but Oklahoma can sort of/kind of actually play defense sometimes. That said, I’ve liked these Cowboys all season to win this game, and I’m not changing my mind now.
  • Virginia Tech vs. Clemson (ACC Championship @ Charlotte, NC; ESPN): Clemson has lost of its last four, with, as I’ve grown fond of saying, that one win being a last second FG to beat Wake Forest. This Clemson team shouldn’t have any business needing last second field goals to beat Wake Forest, but here we are. Virginia Tech, meanwhile, easily beat Wake Forest and just finished routing their cross-state rival while Clemson lost to theirs, continuing to look lost on offense. What I’m saying is this: I really like the Hokies to prevail in this rematch.
  • Fresno State @ San Diego State (CBSS): SDSU likes to score points, and Fresno State doesn’t like to play defense. Blowout, ahoy!

Check back in starting Saturday night for bowl predictions.

    This Weekend in College Football: Week 13

    As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

    Noon:

    • Ohio State @ Michigan (ABC): Ohio State has won seven straight, but for the first time that I can remember Michigan has all the advantages. They play good enough defense, and while their offense is spotty it’s more consistent than the Buckeyes’. Add in the fact it’s in the Big House and the Wolverines have to be a clear favorite.
    • Iowa State @ Oklahoma (FX): Iowa State rocked the college football world in Ames last weekend, however, this contest is in Norman. Oklahoma, provided they learned anything from Baylor, should take the Cyclones seriously enough so as to not have any trouble with them.
    • Georgia @ Georgia Tech (ESPN): To hell with Georgia.
    • Rutgers @ Connecticut (ESPN2): I guess Rutgers is going to win this? I dunno. No, really, I don’t.
    • Rice @ Southern Methodist (FSN): Neither of these teams are particularly good, but SMU is just slightly less bad.
    • Michigan State @ Northwestern (BTN): Spary’s already clinched a spot in the Big Ten title game, but they shouldn’t overlook the Wildcats. I don’t think they will.
    • Tennessee @ Kentucky (SEC): Oy. This is a SEC East slapfight. Both teams of these teams are also pretty bad, but again, the Vols are just slightly less bad.
    • James Madison @ Eastern Kentucky (NCAA Tournament; ESPNU): I like giving props to the NCAA football tournament, and this is the the only game on national TV. I know even less about these teams than I do even Rice and SMU, so I won’t offer up a pick.

    12:30: Maryland @ North Carolina State (ACC): Maryland is still simply awful this year and NCSU has rallied in the second half of the year, making the Wolfpack an easy choice.

    3:30:

    • Alabama @ Auburn (CBS): While this will likely be closer than the line, I just can’t really imagine a scenario where Auburn can win this game.
    • Oregon State @ Oregon (ABC/ESPN2): It’s the Civil War! This is an underrated rivalry game, but the Beavers have just had an awful time of it this year. I really like the Ducks.
    • Virginia Tech @ Virginia (ABC/ESPN2): UVA has exceeded every expectation for this year. While VPI still had legitimate offensive issues, it’s hard to see how UVA will prevail.
    • Pennsylvania State @ Wisconsin (ESPN): Well, Penn State has exceeded at least my expectations these past couple of weeks. But Wisconsin has regained at least some offensive swagger, though they were a little slow to really get going against Illinois last week. However, I just can’t see how Penn State’s offense can keep up.
    • Missouri vs. Kansas (@Kansas City, MO; FSN): Probably one of the last meetings of these two bitter rivals, but this KU team is simply awful. Mizzou all the way.
    • Vanderbilt @ Wake Forest (ESPNU): Vandy needs this to get bowl eligible, and for me it’s a difficult call to make. Both of these teams are undermanned the vast majority of the time, so it’s hard to say what will happen when they meet each other. I’m leaning toward Vandy though.
    • East Carolina @ Marshall (CBSS): The winner goes to a bowl game. The loser doesn’t. I think it’ll be ECU heading off to some far-flung C-USA bowl game.
    • Illinois @ Minnesota (BTN): It would be the most Ron Zook thing ever for them to lose to Minnesota, right? I’ll go with that.
    • Purdue @ Indiana (BTN): This is rivalry game, of sorts. Another game where neither team is very good but Indiana is just awful. I like the Boilermakers.
    • Duke @ North Carolina (ACC): Duke and UNC meet once again, but it’ll be another couple of months before they meet in a fashion anyone in the Raleigh-Durham area really cares about. I’ll take the ‘Heels.

    7:00:

    • Florida State @ Florida (ESPN2): Florida can’t score, but sort of plays defense. FSU, meanwhile, just suffered a bad loss to Virginia. Provided FSU actually shows up for this one, though, I have to take the Seminoles here.
    • Mississippi @ Mississippi State (ESPNU): Houston Nutt’s tenure at Ole Miss will not go out with a bang, but with a whimper.
    • Texas Tech vs. Baylor (@Arlington, TX; FSN): Robert Griffin the III singlehandedly lead Baylor to their biggest victory ever against Oklahoma. Provided he’s not looking forward to a trip to Manhattan (New York, that is) he should have considerably less trouble against the Red Raiders.

    7:30: Washington State @ Washington (Versus): It’s the Apple Cup once again! Udub lost to Oregon State somehow last weekend, but I have a hard time figuring out exactly how they could lose to equally morbund Wazzou. I like the Huskies here.

    7:45: Clemson @ South Carolina (ESPN): I’ve been grappling with how to pick this game all week. South Carolina is now an offensive non-entity, but Clemson has lost two of their last three, and the third was a last-second FG win over Wake Forest. I’m sitting here in my family’s living literally scratching my head over my head over this. I think this is basically a toss-up. If Clemson shows up, then they have the offensive firepower to win. However, based on the last few weeks I have to think this will be a defensive struggle that favors the Gamecocks.

    8:00: Notre Dame @ Stanford (ABC): ND may put up a fight, but I really like Andrew Luck and Stanford here.

    10:00: California-Los Angeles @ Southern California (FSN): Boy howdy USC has looked good the last couple weeks haven’t they? And besides, it’ll make for good trivia for UCLA to represent the Pac-12 South next week at 6-6 and likely to be multiple touchdown underdogs.