The greatest time of the year is upon us: college football is back! And that means 15 straight Saturdays of tailgating, bar-b-queuing, TV-watching fun! It also means that I am back on the blog, to provide you with a viewing guide for each week. If you watch everything I tell you to watch, you will have maxed out your quality football watching experience each week. Of course, you'll want to tune in to see your favorite team play, but this should give you a good guide of what the action is in week 1.
Thursday August 29th, 2013
It's the first week, which means college football kicks off on a Thursday. Make sure you beat that rush hour traffic and get home a little early, because there are some great games, starting with:
6:00 PM: North Carolina @ #6 South Carolina (ESPN):
This is a perfect way to kick off the year, with a good old fashioned battle for Carolina. While both teams have more important rivals, there will be no love lost between these two squads. Watch for: Jadeveon Clowney, because he is a beast.
8:00 PM: Utah State @ Utah (Fox Sports 1):
If the UNC-USC game is good, make sure you have this one on "last" for something to watch during commercials. If it's a snoozer, then switch over to Fox Sports 1 for this battle of Utah. These long-time rivals are always good for a close game. Utah State, however, has been the better program of late. Watch for: This is Fox Sports 1's first ever game that they will be covering. Lets see how they do.
9:15 PM: Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt (ESPN):
This game will be following the completion of the UNC-USC game, and is a great way to kick off the SEC season. Vanderbilt has been good as of late, and Ole Miss comes in with lots of hype, and potentially the #1 incoming recruiting class. Watch for: Ole Miss' freshmen, and how they impact the game.
10:30 PM: Rutgers @ Fresno State (CBS Sports):
It may not seem like a great matchup, but it is. Both teams are coming off of very good 9-4 seasons, and both have a real shot at winning their respective conferences. Watch for: how Rutgers responds to the road environment and Fresno State's fast paced offense.
Friday August 30th, 2013
Well, work is done for the week. Yeah, you stayed up too late last night, but it's okay, because this is the first college football weekend of the year!
8:PM: Texas Tech @ SMU (ESPN):
This is the only matchup on Friday worth watching, and it's a good one. This in state battle will feature points, points, and more points. Two of the better offenses in the nation clash in Dallas. It will definitely be worth your time. Watch for: points.
Saturday August 31st, 2013
Oh, how we have waited for this day. Call your buddies, and fire up the grill! It's football time!
11:45 AM: College Gameday (ESPN):
This might just be the best part of Saturdays in the fall. Watch the crew pick all of the big games, and see Lee Corso don some ridiculous mascot head. College football doesn't officially start until that happens.
12:00 PM: Purdue @ Cincinnati (ESPN U):
I'm sorry, but I want to see good football, not Ohio State crushing Buffalo from the first snap. This will be an even, back and forth affair. Watch for: Both of the quarterback situations; and kickoffs and punts: both teams have great return men.
3:30 PM: Mississippi State vs #13 Oklahoma State (ABC/ESPN2):
The 3:30 window has some great games, and this is one of them. Played at a neutral site in Houston, it will be a much needed win for both teams to jump-start their seasons. Watch for: Lots of passes: both teams love the "spread and shred" philosophy.
3:30 PM: Syracuse vs Penn State (ABC/ESPN2):
This is the opposite of the previous game, as points will probably be kept to a minimum, as both teams will try and grind their way to a victory. Watch for: the QB situation for both teams, as both teams lost their starting QBs, both of whom led their respective conferences in passing.
5:30 PM: #1 Alabama vs Virgina Tech (ESPN):
Virginia Tech is not supposed to win, but this is Alabama's biggest non-conference test, and it comes in week 1. Played at a neutral site in Atlanta, this is going to be a great game between two very hungry teams. Watch for: If VT gets behind in this game, it's all over. See if they can jump out to a lead and put some pressure on Alabama.
8:00 PM: #5 Georgia @ # 8 Clemson (ABC):
If you only watch one game this week, I suggest you watch this one. By now, your tailgate should be in full swing, and you can watch what is going to be a high powered, back and forth battle. Watch for: everything, really. UGA's offense should be great, but they are replacing a lot of players on defense, and we will see how that stacks up against Clemson's offense.
9:00 PM: #12 LSU vs #20 TCU (ESPN):
It's the battle of the three letter acronym schools, as LSU and TCU take the field for the Cowboy Classic in Arlington, Texas. LSU thinks they can hang with the best in the SEC, and they will have to prove that against a TCU team that is favored to do well in the Big12 this year. Watch for: LSU to come out firing. If they win this, there's a good chance they will be 4-0 going into their showdown @ Georgia.
10:30 PM: #22 Northwestern @ California (ESPN 2):
By now, everyone has probably gone home, and once the two above games finish, turn to this one to see what will probably be a good finish. Normally excelling in the classroom, these two schools have been on the rise as of late. Watch for: Northwestern to handle the Cal defense easily with their edge speed.
And that's it. Enjoy your weekend, and try and recover before work on Monday! Because we have to do it all over again in week 2! 'Til next time.
No comments:
Post a Comment