These are the five games that college football fans can’t afford to miss this weekend, so make sure you clear your calendar so you can sit in front of the TV all Saturday for the college football frenzy that awaits.
For your own sake, I hope you haven’t committed to cleaning out the garage or running errands all weekend long as you work on your to-do list around the house because this weekend’s slate of college football games is pretty awesome. There isn’t a Friday night showdown between ranked teams like we had last week with USC losing at Washington State, but that’s a good thing because all the good stuff is concentrated on Saturday which will make for a binge-watch marathon of epic college pigskin goodness.
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I’ve picked out a handful of games for you to make sure you are in front of a television screen, or at the very least, in front of a phone or mobile device so you can stream the games. I didn’t plan it this way, but I’ve picked out one game from each of the Power 5 conferences too, so we’ll call that a happy coincidence.
College Football Games of the Week
11. Washington State at Oregon – 8:00 p.m. EST – FOX
Is Washington State for real? That’s the question college football fans are asking after the Cougars upset Sam Darnold and USC last week. Oregon has looked much better under first-year head coach Willie Taggart, but the Ducks will be without quarterback Justin Herbert in this game and running back Royce Freeman was banged up last week, so the Ducks won’t be at full-strength, but this should be a hotly-contested Pac-12 North game.
13. Miami at Florida State – 3:30 p.m. EST – ESPN
The season has not gone according to plan for Florida State after beginning the year as the No. 3 ranked team in the country. A loss to Alabama, Deondre Francois lost for the year and a second loss has dropped the Noles out of the Top 25. The rivalry game against Miami could be what FSU needs to get back on track. The Canes have looked great so far this year with quarterback Malik Rosier and running back Mark Walton and a defense that’s allowing one of the best in the country. Anytime these two teams play, you know something crazy is going to happen, and let’s hope it comes down to a field goal in the final seconds.
Michigan State at No. 7 Michigan – 7:30 p.m. EST – ABC
A rare night game in the Big House sets the stage for this great rivalry. The Spartans have rebounded nicely and already matched last year’s win total. They’ll face their toughest test of the year in the form of “Big Brother” and Jim Harbaugh and his Wolverines will be ready for the challenge. Michigan will be without quarterback Wilton Speight so all eyes will be on his replacement, John O’Korn, who may actually be a better option to run the offense. Expect this to be a classic Big Ten slugfest with the team that runs the ball the best and limits turnovers to be the winner.
No. 1 Alabama at Texas A&M – 7:15 p.m. EST – ESPN
Johnny Manziel isn’t walking through that door for Texas A&M. That would give the Aggies a fighting chance against Alabama. Nick Saban’s team is ranked No. 1 and is coming off two straight SEC wins where they’ve outscored opponents 125-3. Another one-sided could be in store from College Station as Jalen Hurts, Damian Harris, Bo Scarbrough and the Alabama offense are firing on all cylinders. Aggies head coach Kevin Sumlin is feeling the heat and a blowout loss could rekindle the flames burning under his hot seat.
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No. 23 West Virginia at No. 8 TCU – 3:30 p.m. EST – FSI
Two of the best offenses will do battle in this Big 12 showdown from Fort Worth and College GameDay will be in attendance. No. 8 TCU is one of the biggest surprises of the year with quarterback Kenny Hill and running back Darius Anderson leading an offense that’s averaging 48 points and nearly 500 yards per game. But it’s the West Virginia offense led by former Florida quarterback, Will Grier, that’s been even better. The Mountaineers have one of the top passing attacks in the country and Grier will need to be at the top of his game to pull off this road upset. TCU needs this win to match Oklahoma for Big 12 supremacy.