A look at games that might pique your interest
No, I’m not late, there’s just no Thursday night college football games this week. I know, weird.
There are three Friday night games, but only two that you should care about and both of those involve ACC teams. SMU is the favorite over BYU, but the Mustangs have had two dramatically different performances so far this year, so who knows what they look like in their toughest test so far. Duke vs Northwestern…
There are some really good games on Saturday, but still a slew of games against FCS foes, with the ACC taking its share. Texas-Michigan starts things off at noon and based on Week 1 results, the Longhorns will be the favorites. Michigan had a similar performance last week to what NC State had against Western Carolina while Texas whipped up on Colorado State.
I don’t necessarily buy Arkansas as a borderline Top 25 team as SP+ thinks they are, but that should be a good game against Oklahoma State. Georgia Tech, meanwhile, has an opportunity to jump to a 2-0 start in ACC play as they take on Syracuse. The Orange took down Ohio in their debut under Fran Brown, but I’d be surprised to see them pull this one out. A Pitt win over Cincy would be a good look for the ACC.
Iowa State vs Iowa should be entertaining, especially if the Hawkeyes can maintain the offensive momentum they had last week against Illinois State, although sledding against the Cyclones will be much tougher.
Another opportunity for the ACC to make a statement lies in Cal’s hands (again, what an awkward statement). If the Golden Bears can head into Auburn and knock off the Tigers, that would be a huge victory for the conference. I’d bank on Hugh Freeze’s second-year Auburn, though.
In other SEC games, South Carolina vs Kentucky kicks off the SEC conference slate. The Gamecocks struggled against Old Dominion last week, getting outgained by the Monarchs and needing a late touchdown to secure a 4-point win. Needless to say, I’d expect the Wildcats to take the W this week.
Go Charlotte!
Marshall is looking for their second straight win over Virginia Tech while the Hokies are looking to bounce back from a season-opening loss to Vanderbilt. My money is on the Hokies.
Virginia vs Wake Forest is about as evenly matched a game from an advanced rating perspective as you’ll see this early in the year. Fun times ahead.
You’re here, so you know Saturday night is really only about one game: NC State vs Tennessee. The advanced metrics don’t like the Wolfpack’s chances, but forget that. Go Pack!
Also on Saturday night, Clemson should dispatch App State if they’re for real, but the Mountaineers are a well-coached team and won’t be an easy out. If they are, then that says a heck of a lot about Georgia’s 2nd half performance last week.
Money’s that there will be no Falcon Punch Part II in that Boise State vs Oregon game, but it’ll still be worth keeping an eye on. The other late night games won’t necessarily be must-watch TV, but they’ll certainly be worth watching. What? Are you not going to watch late night college football? Absurd.
Enjoy, folks! Go State!
Rankings for SP+ Ratings and Sagarin Ratings listed, respectively, ahead of each team’s name.
Friday
62/54 BYU @ 26/36 SMU – 7:00pm – ESPN2
42/75 Duke @ 77/74 Northwestern – 9:00pm – FS1
Saturday
3/2 Texas @ 12/14 Michigan – 12:00pm – FOX
27/42 Arkansas @ 19/18 Oklahoma State – 12:00pm – ABC
14/15 Kansas State @ 52/58 Tulane – 12:00pm – ESPN
53/56 Georgia Tech @ 71/59 Syracuse – 12:00pm – ACC Network
57/66 Pittsburgh @ 67/63 Cincinnati – 12:00pm – ESPN2
85/106 Northern Illinois @ 10/6 Notre Dame – 3:30pm – NBC
39/38 Baylor @ 13/9 Utah – 3:30pm – FOX
29/26 Iowa State @ 17/20 Iowa – 3:30pm – CBS
118/121 Jacksonville State @ 18/22 Louisville – 3:30pm – ESPN+/ACC Extra
47/52 California @ 16/21 Auburn – 3:30pm – ESPN2
48/43 South Carolina @ 22/29 Kentucky – 3:30pm – ABC
FCS/200 Duquesne @ 70/62 Boston College – 3:30pm – ESPN+/ACC Extra
127/135 Charlotte @ 44/44 North Carolina – 3:30pm – ACC Network
74/70 UTSA @ 100/82 Texas State – 4:00pm – ESPNU
81/90 Marshall @ 51/51 Virginia Tech – 4:30pm – CW
FCS/201 Florida A&M @ 15/16 Miami – 6:00pm – ESPN+/ACC Extra
80/92 East Carolina @ 107/100 Old Dominion – 6:00pm – ESPN+
25/27 Kansas @ 49/50 Illinois – 7:00pm – FS1
FCS/209 Cal Poly vs 82/87 Stanford – 7:00pm – ESPN+/ACC Extra
69/76 Virginia @ 68/79 Wake Forest – 7:00pm – ESPN2
9/12 Tennessee vs 37/40 NC State – 7:30pm – ABC
63/48 Colorado @ 33/31 Nebraska – 7:30pm – NBC
56/61 Appalachian State @ 31/23 Clemson – 8:00pm – ACC Network
46/32 Boise State @ 8/7 Oregon – 10:00pm – Peacock
58/46 Texas Tech @ 50/47 Washington State – 10:00pm – FOX
40/60 Mississippi State @ 66/55 Arizona State – 10:30pm – ESPN
60/49 Oregon State @ 86/102 San Diego State – 10:30pm – CBSSN
93/97 Utah State @ 21/17 USC – 11:00pm – Big Ten Network