These are the best games of the college football schedule, including Michigan traveling to Wisconsin where College GameDay also sets up shop.
College football fans have been spoiled the last two weekends with seven games featuring ranked opponents and nine ranked teams losing. This week only features one game featuring ranked teams, but there is still plenty worth watching across the nation. These five games represent the best viewing options this weekend, so if nothing is interesting to you, this may be a great weekend to catch up on all the things you’ve put off during the first 11 weeks of the college football season.
5. Nebraska at Penn State
Nebraska is playing out the string and there are serious doubts about whether Mike Riley will keep his job. I want to see if he can rally the Huskers for a tough road test at Penn State. If they can’t, one of the best programs in the country is sure to have a vacancy. Meanwhile, can Saquon Barkley have a performance that gives his Heisman resume a bit of momentum heading into next month’s ceremony?
4. LSU at Tennessee
There has been little reason to watch Tennessee all season. Butch Jones drove this program right into the ground, but after his firing, will we see a renewed fire and intensity from the players now that he’s gone? Don’t expect an upset over LSU, but expect the Vols to play hard as they play for pride. The home fans will surely be excited as they celebrate Game 1 without Jones, which will feel like a win no matter what the scoreboard says.
3. Navy at Notre Dame
Navy has played Notre Dame tougher in recent years, so they’re no longer an automatic win for the Fighting Irish. What will be interesting to watch for this game is how well Notre Dame picks themselves up after losing to Miami. They are out of the playoff for now, but there is a chance they can sneak in if chaos ensues. Further, what will Brian Kelly do at quarterback after benching Brandon Wimbush vs. Miami?
2. USC at UCLA
It’s always a great time when these two rivals get together. It may not be such a great time for UCLA, however, as USC is playing some good football of late, especially quarterback Sam Darnold who is coming off his finest performance of the year vs. Colorado. The duel between Darnold and Josh Rosen will be fantastic to watch and could foreshadow a competition that lingers into the NFL Draft where both compete to see who is the first signal-caller picked.
1. Michigan at Wisconsin
The lone game between ranked teams this weekend is must-see TV. This is the toughest test for Wisconsin so far this year as they put their undefeated record on the line against Jim Harbaugh’s Michigan Wolverines. A win for Wisconsin will boost their strength of schedule and could move them closer to a Playoff berth, but don’t discount the Wolverine defense that’s fully capable of slowing down Heisman hopeful Jonathan Taylor and pulling off the upset, and perhaps eliminating the Big Ten from the Playoff in the process.