Dod Dodson
TIR
With this week’s slate of college football providing the promise of heated matchups and down-to-the-wire competitions, there are also games that would make a grown man cry out of the sheer mediocrity between the two programs passing themselves off as football teams, as well as games that aren’t even worth watching due to the sizable mismatch between the two squads.
All times Central (best time zone).
All rankings via the CFP committee (bunch of fools).
WHAT TO WATCH – NINE GAME SPECIAL
11 a.m.
Note:
In years past, the 11 a.m. slot was when you ran over to Publix to grab some buffalo chicken dip and Fritos because no one cared who was playing. Now, it is must-see T.V. and a fantastic way to kick off the day.
No. 7 Michigan State at No. 4 Ohio State
This game has consistently been one of the best matchups over the past 15 years of football. Though Ohio State has dominated the overall series, this game usually determines who has a shot at the CFP from the Big Ten. Sparty’s running back Kenneth Walker was nicknamed “wild man” by an ESPN reporter who literally forgot his name on air mid-sentence. At least the nickname fits.
No. 10 Wake Forest at Unranked Clemson
The Demon Deacons continue to stay hot besides having the worst defense since Poland in WWII. They travel to Unranked Clemson with a chance to turn the tide in the ACC, with Unranked Clemson finding themselves in unfamiliar territory having to scratch and claw for every win. Despite Unranked Clemson being unranked, they are still -4.5 as the home favorites. Unranked Clemson will assuredly make this a game and could very well ruin Wake’s season.
Iowa State at No. 13 Oklahoma
These are two teams that have underperformed compared to expectations to begin the season. OU’s playoff hopes hinge on not losing again. If Caleb Williams does poorly in a second-straight week, we may very well see Spencer Rattler. If Rattler does poorly, we may very well see him transfer. If he transfers, ends up at Alabama, and does poorly there, he may very well just become an offensive analyst for Bama. After two years of that, he may very well end up the head coach of a Power Five school.
Texas at West Virginia
This game could easily fall into the unwatchable category. But, what makes this game watchable is recruiting. If Texas falls again, guaranteeing a losing season, we may start seeing players, future and current, jump ship. Just last week, a player decided to transfer after allegedly getting into an argument with a coach. This would be Texas’ sixth loss in a row. What would Arch Manning think about that? He would probably be more disgusted watching that game than watching Eli’s golf swing on the MNF Manning broadcast.
2:30 p.m.
No. 21 Arkansas at No. 2 Alabama
All Arkansas has to do is keep it close against Bama and Hunter Yurachek, the athletic director for the Hogs, will give Sam Pittman a 30-year extension. I am meeting Blake Sims next week, and I really want to ask him “remember in 2014 when you jumped straight in the air on a quarterback sneak?” That was against Arkansas, in the closest they’ve ever come to beating Saban, with Bama winning 14-13. Astronomy news: a friend of mine who is real into outer space stuff told me “Saturn’s moon alignment predicts Bama covers -20.5.” I don’t really know what he is talking about, but it is good enough for me.
SMU at No. 5 Cincinnati
Cincinnati feels more disrespected than I do every time I am asked if I am old enough to drive at night, which happens way too frequently for someone who is 26 years old. Cincy is the popular pick for people to complain about, despite it honestly being one of the least-egregious actions the committee has done recently (Oregon over Ohio St but Michigan over Michigan State?) I have a feeling the same people who crowned UCF national champions back in 2017-2018 are the same people who think Cincy deserves to be over the Buckeyes and the Tide. Nevertheless, Cincy has playoff hopes hinging on beating SMU in prime fashion.
6 p.m.
Auburn at South Carolina
With Auburn losing their starters at the two positions where consistency is the most important, quarterback Bo Nix and kicker Anders Carlson, combined with the Gamecocks seemingly deciding moments before kickoff whether they feel like playing football or not that day, this game should be entertaining and filled with storylines. Will the South Carolina team that needed all 60 minutes to beat Vanderbilt show up, or will it be the team that made Florida see shades of Ron Zook?
6:30 p.m.
No. 3 Oregon at No. 23 Utah
#pac12afterdark takes place #earlier on this #Saturday. Oregon needs to stay laser-focused against a Utah team that almost lost to the worst Power Five football program in the nation: the Arizona Wildcats. Mario Christobal has been linked to every job opening from USC to the Wendy’s down my street offering signing bonuses.
7 p.m.
No. 9 Oklahoma State at Texas Tech
Bedlam inches closer and closer. The Pokes are a popular pick to beat OU twice and make the CFP. Texas Tech, no matter how much they are marred with internal turmoil, can always upset anyone in Lubbock. All season, Oklahoma State has had their sights set on their Bedlam matchup with the Sooners, after the Cowboys back over the Summer got extremely angry at OU for leaving the Big 12 with archrival Texas. OSU believed they had a good relationship with their in-state rivals, but now it has become a complicated love triangle. But instead of love it is passive-aggressive hate that could very well boil over into physical hate in Stillwater next weekend. Stay tuned.
WHAT NOT TO WATCH – FOUR GAME SPECIAL
11 a.m.
Florida State at Boston College
This game is like going to your five-year-old cousin’s soccer match. You sit on your phone for three hours wishing you were anywhere else. The Noles are so mediocre that it may cost the head coaching job of a second former-Memphis coach in the span of a week, with Virginia Tech canning theirs earlier. Boston College may always play spirited football but that does not make it watchable. “Spirited football” is a very nice way of saying “they are trying hard, but it is still unbearable.” Coincidentally, BC is the school that basically put the final nail in VT’s coffin.
Washington at Colorado
Please do not watch this game. Unless you enjoyed watching Mason Rudolph duke it out with the Lions last week, please do not watch this game. Colorado won a title in the 90s, and Washington made the CFP back in 2016. Now, they are the two dudes who were popular in high school, but after years past, never lived up to their old glory days. They will spend the entire high school reunion telling you how high they would have been drafted “but I blew out my knee.” With Washington firing their head coach for striking a player, a couple weeks after the same coach said he only recruited against smart schools, things are not looking up.
Florida at Missouri
Watching Florida trying to figure out their defense some weeks is hilarious, which was the case in their barnburning offensive shooutout with Samford Not Stanford. Samford Not Stanford scored 42 first half points and made Dan Mullen so mad he pretended to be better than the rest of us during his halftime and postgame press conference. Mullen is as much a top-tier SEC coach as Adam Gase is a quarterback guru. Missouri is the definition of average in every single thing they do in every single sport they participate in.
California at Stanford Not Samford
These are the two smart schools I was referring to when Washington’s former head coach Jimmy Lake said the Huskies only competed with them in recruiting, and not with Oregon, who is the No. 3 team in the country. Makes sense. I do not know if the rocket surgeons at these two renowned universities could crack the code to that mystery. This sad excuse for a football game will certainly make people scratch their heads as to why Washington would want to recruit against either of them, or why that would even be a challenge in the first place. Cal has won three games; Stanford Not Samford has won three games. The road to four begins now.
Adam Dodson is the sports editor for The News Courier.
Dod Dodson is a contributing writer for TIR.