As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Friday

7:00: Louisville @ Georgia Tech (ESPN): I think all I really have to say about our season so far is that I really hope we start to look at least somewhat improved by December.

Saturday

Noon:

• Virginia Tech @ North Carolina (ABC): Well, this figures to be Virginia Tech’s toughest test so far, since COVID wasn’t enough to give Duke a chance against them. Carolina figures to have no such issues, though.
• Texas vs. Oklahoma (“The Red River Shootout” @ Dallas, TX; FOX): Well, at least some things have gone as expected so far in 2020, that particular thing being the continued “not being back”-ness of Texas. That said, they do seem to have a particular “playing up/down to their competition” as I suspected last week, so I still like them over Oklahoma.
• Florida @ Texas A&M (ESPN): Well, A&M just got pasted by Alabama, so I’m sure the Gators will be the cure for what ails them. Er, wait, no, it’s probably the other thing.
• Louisiana-Monroe @ Liberty (ESPN2): Liberty figures to be 4-0 after this one.
• South Carolina @ Vanderbilt (SEC): Speaking of cures for what ails them, Vandy appears to slide onto the schedule at just the right time for the Gamecocks.
• Missouri vs. Louisiana State (@Columbia, MO): Well, Hurricane Delta forced this to be LSU’s first ever trip to Columbia, despite the Tigers being one of the 4 SEC teams west of the Mississippi (along with LSU) and the fact they’ve been in the SEC for 8 years, but that’s divisional scheduling for you.
• North Carolina State @ Virginia (ACCN): Well, NC State got surprise win against Pitt last week, which may signal they’re stronger than we thought. UVA, well, we still don’t know a lot about them, but I’m still leaning toward the Cavs here.

12:30: Duke @ Syracuse (ACC/RSN): ‘Cuse? Sure, why not.

1:30: The Citadel @ Army (CBSS)

3:30:

• Tennessee @ Georgia (CBS): Tennessee is ranked? Sure, um, well, they won’t be after this.
• Texas Tech @ Iowa State (ABC): Okay, I gotta get up early today for work, and this is going up on Friday because Tech (my Tech, not this Tech) is playing on a Friday. So… LIGHTNING ROUND! Cyclones!
• Texas-San Antonio @ Brigham Young (ESPN2): Stormin’ Mormons!
• Central Arkansas @ Arkansas State (espn3.com)
• Texas State @ Troy (espn3.com)

4:00:

• Kansas State @ Texas Christian (FOX): TCU?
• Arkansas @ Auburn (ESPN): Auburn!
• Middle Tennessee State @ Florida International (ESPNU): FIU!
• Pittsburgh @ Boston College (ACCN): Pitt took a tumble against NC State last week, but I still like them here.

6:00: Temple @ Navy (CBSS): I thought Navy would get a little better as time went on, but they got straight waxed by Air Force last weekend. What’s going on in Annapolis? It’s going to be Temple’s first game of the year but I find myself liking the Owls here.

7:00: East Carolina @ South Florida (ESPN+)

7:30:

• Florida State @ Notre Dame (NBC): FSU’s loss to us is continuing to look worse and worse. Irish win easily here.
• Miami @ Clemson (ABC): Hey, Miami’s in the top 10, eh? DA U IS BACK! Well, uh, not for much longer.
• Alabama @ Mississippi (ESPN): Naturally, Alabama being “down” this year has already translated into them pasting a decent Texas A&M team 52-24. I think they’re going to be okay.
• Texas-El Paso @ Louisiana Tech (ESPN2): “This game will go a long way toward to calibrating the middle of the pack in Conference USA”, he thought to himself without a smidge of irony. He continued: “That said, I’m not sure if this game will be that even. SP+ has LT as a two touchdown favorite, so provided the hurricane situation allows this game to be played in Ruston, the Bulldog figure to win.”
• Mississippi State @ Kentucky (SEC): Mike Leach goes back to the homeland, where Hal Mumme originally brought the Air Raid to Frankfurt in the early 90’s. Naturally, Kentucky runs an offense that’s about as un-Air Raid as you can get. This game figures to be a fun contrast of styles, but Kentucky seems less raw and I like them better.
• Marshall @ Western Kentucky (Stadium/RSN)

8:00: Charlotte @ North Texas (ESPNU): Miami-Clemson and Miss State-Kentucky will probably have you (well, me at least) flipping between channels. They’re going to be tense and exciting (hopefully), so you may need a come down afterward. Well, boy howdy, do I have the Sun Belt game for you! (Read: man do I miss Pac-12 After dark.) Anyway, I like UNT here.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Baylor @ West Virginia (ABC): You can watch this game, but this is a 3rd-tier Big 12 game at this point. I’ll take the ‘Neers and otherwise avoid this one like the plague.
• Texas Christian @ Texas (FOX): Hey Texas, how’s that season of being back going? Ah, overtime with Texas Tech you say? Well, fortunately you get… okay this one should be pretty tough as well, but you should win.
• South Carolina @ Florida (ESPN): Florida figures to win this in possibly the most hilarious and/or stressful way possible, which should make for a good time when you’re catching up on your Twitter timeline.
• Arkansas State @ Coastal Carolina (ESPN2): I have no idea in this one. Redwolves?
• East Carolina @ Georgia State (ESPNU): I’m assuming both of these teams are awful, but I guess I’ll guess ECU?
• Missouri @ Tennessee (SEC): Tennessee, just so I don’t have to think about this one too hard.
• North Carolina State @ Pittsburgh (ACCN): Pitt.

12:30: Texas-San Antonio @ Alabama-Birmingham (Stadium/RSN): UTSA is possibly one of the worst teams in college football this year, UAB should win easily.

3:30:

• Texas A&M @ Alabama (CBS): Bama may well be “down” this year, but that seems like a strictly relative term. I’ve got them here.
• North Carolina @ Boston College (ABC): BC is improved, but probably not improved enough to prevail over UNC. This could be a good game though,
• Oklahoma State @ Kansas (ESPN): This won’t, OSU all the way.
• Memphis @ Southern Methodist (ESPN2): This one may be the “hidden” gem of the 3:30 timeslot. It should be a proper barnburner, but I have Memphis coming out ahead in the end. By which I mean “I hope they have the last possession”.
• Texas Tech @ Kansas State (FS1): Texas Tech tries to show that they’re real, but I suspect I Texas played down to their level as much as anything else and that K-State won’t have much of an issue here.
• South Florida @ Cincinnati (ESPN+)

4:00:

• Charlotte @ Florida Atlantic (ESPNU): I had to remember that Lane Kiffin has taken his show to Oxford (Mississippi) so the Owls are no longer also known as the Fightin’ Kiffins. Alas. At any rate, I still like FAU here.
• Mississippi @ Kentucky (SEC): Speaking of Kiffin, he’ll get the pleasure of losing to Kentucky. It’s like a death from a thousand cuts. Have fun!
• Virginia Tech @ Duke (ACCN): Duke? Sure.

5:00: Western Kentucky @ Middle Tennessee State (espn3.com)

6:00: Navy @ Air Force (CBSS):

7:00: Georgia Southern @ Louisiana-Monroe (ESPN+)

7:30:

• Auburn @ Georgia (“The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry”; ESPN): Hoo boy. The first real “hype” game of the year. Georgia’s offense is moribund and boring, but when has that not been the case? I’m hoping Auburn wins, but I’m guessing Georgia will prevail.
• Tulsa @ Central Florida (ESPN2): UCF figures to continue their dominance.
• Louisiana State @ Vanderbilt (SEC): LSU figures to have no issues with Vandy.
• Arkansas @ Mississippi State (SECA): The blowouts continue, as Arkansas is… bad.
• Southern Mississippi @ North Texas (Stadium/RSN):  Still truckin’ through these bad teams. USM seems to be inspired by their interim coach, let’s go with them.

8:00: Virginia @ Clemson (ACCN): And finally the blowouts conclude. I haven’t a reason to pay for a streaming service to get ACC Network yet, and that will continue for at least two more weeks! (Essentially, until Georgia Tech plays on the network.)

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Kansas State @ Oklahoma (FOX): All right, it’s been a rough week, but I’m psychin’ myself up to do some picks, do some commentary, and, well, look, this shouldn’t be close, but hey, maybe K-State can limit possessions and keep it close.
• Central Florida @ East Carolina (ABC): CENTRAL FLORIDA IS THE GREATEST TEAM EVER, AFTER I HAVE WITNESSED THEIR FULL GLORY. (Okay, happy UCF fans? Can you leave me alone now? Thanks.)
• Florida @ Mississippi (ESPN): Well, fortunately for UF, Tennessee is playing South Carolina later today, so the crazy stuff equilibrium for the SEC should be satisfied by the prime time slot instead. Rest easy, Gators.
• Georgia Southern @ Louisiana (ESPN2): Pedal to the metal now for the Eagles, but I don’t think there’s quite enough GATA-ness on this team to get after the Cajuns.
• Kentucky @ Auburn (SEC): Kentucky may be ranked, but I think they’re about to realize exactly how much of their offense depended on one dude who is no longer on the team. (That dude being the incomparable modern-day single-wing quarterback Lynn Bowden.) I have Auburn all day in this game.
• Louisville @ Pittsburgh (ACCN): I’m a college football fan who is extremely online, but yeah I’m not going to spend a lot of time watching Pitt in this one.
• Georgia Tech @ Syracuse (ACC/RSN): Well, my primary concerns for this one are: 1) waking up at 9am on a weekend and 2) checking to see if I need to re-subscribe to YouTube TV to this one. We’ll find out both of these things in about 8 hours or so! Seriously, though, the UCF game, yeah, sure, there may have been some iffy officiating, but still, we were thoroughly outclassed by UCF. (See UCF fans, I mean it!)

1:00: Florida International @ Liberty (ESPNU): Georgia State and Charlotte got canceled, so I have to talk about this one. I suppose it’s good that was the only cancellation on this weekend that was, uh, canceled this week? I dunno, I guess we have to take progress where we can get it. In the rudderless ship that is college football, though, it’s somehow even harder than usual make sense of any of this. But hey, at least I can just pick FIU on principle.

1:30: Iowa State @ Texas Christian (FS1): TCU? Probably? Maybe? I don’t got nothin’ on these Big 12 teams right now.

2:30: Tulane @ Southern Mississippi (Stadium)

3:30:

• West Virginia @ Oklahoma State (ABC): I have no reason to think WVU is especially good, so I’m going with Oklahoma State.
• Texas @ Texas Tech (FOX): Well, the college football internet would have you believe that TEXAS IS BACK. And that could well be the case. Maybe. I mean, I’d pick them to win anyway, but this game gives me the heeby-jeebies.
• Mississippi State @ Louisiana State (CBS): Okay, well, Joe Burrow plays for the Browns now, which is unfortunate, but LSU will persevere.
• Army @ Cincinnati (ESPN): Cincy is a huge favorite in this one, which I don’t quite see? Army has looked good in the games I’ve seen them, and yeah, Cincy will definitely out-talent them and I think they’ll prevail, but this is gonna be close. Take Army to cover here.
• Texas-El Paso @ Louisiana-Monroe (ESPN2): I’ll spare you having to watch UTEP by saying that ULM will win,

4:00:

• Georgia @ Arkansas (SEC): This game will start at 1:00 Pacific, by which time I should be wrapping up pre-flight on an airplane and taking the sky, and by the time I’m finished, I will have not watched a single second of this game, and I think I’ll be better for it.
• Duke @ Virginia (ACCN): I’m still coming to terms with the idea that UVA is good, okay? I just need time and space to process this.

6:00: Texas State @ Boston College (ACC/RSN): As the crow flies, it is 1720 miles from San Marcos, TX to Boston, MA. But, yeah, we definitely can’t play Clemson-South Carolina or Georgia-Georgia Tech this year. Yeah, that makes sense. But hey, BC will be able to convert some cash into a win.

7:00: Alabama @ Missouri (ESPN): You know, it’s been a while since I’ve thought about… oh, no wait it hasn’t. Even Alabama football, of all things, has been in the news-cycle that his 2020. From the Bama AD exhorting partying students in Tuscaloosa to wear masks to Nick Saban marching with his players in a protest, to even then finding out that the reason while the otherwise robotic Saban being there likely because he was there when the Kent State massacre happened (you know, “tin soldiers and Nixon’s comin’/we’re finally on our own…”). 2020, y’all. And yea, ‘Bama’s gonna roll in this one.

7:30:

• Florida State @ Miami (ABC): Well, FSU hasn’t played since losing to us, so… yeah, I’m defaulting to Miami in this one.
• Kansas @ Baylor (ESPNU): Baylor isn’t good. But Kansas is, like, really, really, not good.
• Tennessee @ South Carolina (SEC): I know this game will be awful. I know this game will be ugly. But… that’s kinda why I want to watch it? Like even to the point where I’ll pick an upset and give the Gamecocks the edge? I dunno, it’s just a feeling.
• Vanderbilt @ Texas A&M (SECA): Good thing this one is on the alternate channel, ’cause TAMU should roll.

8:00: North Carolina State @ Virginia Tech (ACCN): There’s no way I can pick VPI in this scenario, so it’s NCSU I guess?

10:15: Troy @ Brigham Young (ESPN): Well, we’re still a ways off from Pac-12 After Dark, even though I live in Pac-12 country so for me it’s always been more “Pac-12 in Prime Time”, but anyways I like BYU here.

As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Navy @ Tulane (ABC): Navy looked bad last week, and while it stands to reason they they’ll be a little more in shape this week, it’s still tough to call this one for them. I’ll take Tulane.
• Tulsa @ Oklahoma State (ESPN):  Oklahoma State shouldn’t have any issues.
• Louisiana @ Georgia State (ESPN2): Georgia State is kinda bad? I’ll take the Cajuns to rage here.
• Liberty @ Western Kentucky (ESPNU): Go Hilltoppers!
• Syracuse @ Pittsburgh (ACCN): Syracuse seemed to take a step back last year, and uh, without the traditional sources of internet previews I’ve come to rely on over the years this year, I have no idea what their current state is. I’ll take Pitt.
• Boston College @ Duke (ACC/RSN): Duke isn’t what was in the past under Cutcliffe, but I can’t see them losing to BC just yet.

2:30: South Florida @ Notre Dame (USA): This doesn’t figure to be pretty, but hey I guess if you want the novelty of seeing Notre Dame on a cable channel you can watch this one.

3:30:

• Central Florida @ Georgia Tech (ABC): Beating Florida State always feels good, even FSU is a shadow of its former self. (Seriously, I figured our d-line play would be improved, but FSU offensive line has somehow been atrocious for like three years running.) GT is still young, extremely young, and this actually figures to be a harder test than FSU was last week. This will be a yardstick, but it could well be one of our tougher games this year.
• Appalachian State @ Marshall (CBS): App State figures to walk in this one.
• Florida Atlantic @ Georgia Southern (ESPN): Is FAU still any good? Is Georgia Southern? Y’all, I don’t know. It’s early in the season, it’s week 3 and the teams that have played have played like one game, and I’m so slammed with work that I haven’t had time to do even the most superficial of research. So, uh, Southern?

4:00: Troy @ Middle Tennessee State (Battle for the Palladium; ESPN2): THIS IS ACTUALLY RIVALRY GAME. SUPPOSEDLY. MAYBE. IT’S GOT A WIKIPEDIA PAGE. But yeah I like Troy.

6:00: Southern Methodist @ North Texas (CBSS): I’m going with the Ponies here? Yeah, I’ve just received word—I’m going with the Mustangs.

7:30:

• Miami @ Louisville (ABC): I’m picking Miami here mostly on the assumption that Louisville is still garbage. That’s a college football opinion from like two years ago, but look, that’s what I got right now.
• Louisiana Tech @ Southern Mississippi (ESPN2): Okay, one piece of current college football news that I am up on is that they were so good last week they fired their coach. Or he resigned, who can say? Either way, yeah, I’ll take LT over an interim coaching staff.
• Texas State @ Louisiana-Monroe (ESPNU): Just picking ULM out of reflex out of this point. I’ll say this about the Big Ten: I definitely have a better idea of how, say, Indiana or Northwestern is doing in a given year than the Texas States of the world,

8:00: Wake Forest @ North Carolina State (ACCN): It feels like every year is the year NCSU is finally going to win more than 9 games, so this year seems as good as any to pick them.