Guide To Your College Football Saturday

All times are in EST. Adjust the times accordingly if in a different time zone, of course.

Unless you have to work or sleep in on Saturday. You’ve had a long week, dammit. We all have. Wake up at 10:30, grab some breakfast and watch Lee, Kirk, and the bunch broadcast College Gameday live from lovable Starkville, Miss.

Gametime.

At noon, assume you have two games going on – and if you don’t, you’re just being lazy. You’re reading this article, so you obviously have a computer, iPad, phone, SOMETHING. Your two games for the noon slate should be No. 23 Missouri vs. No. 13 Georgia on CBS and No. 11 Oklahoma vs. Texas on ABC. The former could likely decide the SEC East, and it will be interesting to see how Georgia performs after this  Gurley debacle. The latter is a great rivalry, and Texas will give the Sooners their best shot – the Sooners are still reeling from their loss to TCU, which screams vulnerability if you’re the Longhorns. Flip over to ESPN during a commercial to make sure Florida State is blowing out Syracuse like they should. . . and don’t worry, they will be. During half time, if it’s being broadcasted in your area, check out the score of the No. 22 Georgia Tech vs. Duke game that starts at 12:30. It may be interesting, the Yellow Jackets’ strength of schedule is pretty bad and the 4-1 Dukies will at least give them a good game.

Noon games end. Moving on. The 3:30 games get a bit more interesting.

I think your number one game is obvious. There is a reason it’s the College GameDay game of the week, traveling to Starkville to see No. 3 Mississippi State vs. No. 2 Auburn on CBS. The options for your second game may depend on your conference preference: I believe the best game is No. 5 Baylor vs. No. 9 TCU on ABC/ESPN2. TCU is one of the hottest teams on the rise, and it’s about time we found out what Baylor was really about; their competition so far has been lackluster. In the former, the implications from that SEC West showdown can’t be described in words. If the Bulldogs win that one, Starkville may actually implode; it’s an incredibly interesting road test for the Tigers as well.

Be sure to flip over and keep in with the No. 6 Notre Dame vs. North Carolina game on NBC. The Tarheels have been on a massive decline, but you never know. A better secondary game would be No. 18 UCLA vs. No. 12 Oregon on Fox; talk about two teams that need to stop a skid and get a big win. This game would have been much more interesting a week or two ago but the offenses will still be worth watching (during commercial breaks, if another game gets out of hand, you have an extra medium to watch, ect…).

As those games wear on, keep an eye on the clock. At 6:00, Arkansas vs. No. 7 Alabama kicks off on ESPN. Arkansas played Texas A&M well, and is looking for a win to let the SEC know that the Razorbacks are back. Alabama, after losing that game to Ole Miss last weekend, will be looking to bounce back on the road. Good stuff there. At some point, ESPN will most likely become your main game as other games end.

After that kickoff, your secondary TV may eventually find it’s way to Michigan vs. Penn State on ESPN 2, which starts up at 7:00. Will it be a great game? Eh, maybe. But, it’s at least interesting to watch Brady Hoke melt. Michigan needs a win badly. Penn State needs to bounce back after losing to Northwestern, and this win would avoid a skid with Ohio State looming around the corner next weekend.

For the SEC Homers, like myself, 30 minutes later, Florida and LSU kickoff on the SEC Network. Another game between two teams whose coaches need a win. Depending on which game is more interesting between Florida/LSU and Michigan/Penn State, that’s my number two and three game.

The best game of the night will follow the Alabama/Arkansas contest on ESPN, and that will be the 9:00 kickoff of the No. 3 Ole Miss Rebels traveling to College Station to take on the No. 14 Texas A&M Aggies. If any games are going on still, keep that on your second streaming means, until 10:30 rolls around and No. 10 Arizona takes on USC on ESPN 2. After the Rebel/Aggie game ends, put that one on your main TV and let’s find out if Arizona is for real or the Oregon win was a bit of a fluke.

That game will take us well into the early hours of sunday morning, but if you are looking for a West Coast, late-night game for your second TV, an interesting Mountain West matchup between a 4-1 Air Force and 3-2 Utah State, who upset a ranked BYU (when Taysom Hill was actually playing) last weekend, which kicks off at 10:15 on ESPNU. Nevada and Colorado State at 10:30 on CBS Sports is the alternative Mountain West option. Also, not a bad game.

Sounds like a pretty good day to me.

*Section Photo credit to Shanna Lockwood, USA Today Sports; Featured Photo (above) credit to Jay Sailors, AP Photo

Week 7 Preview: Texas vs. (11) Oklahoma
Week 7 Preview: Texas vs. (11) Oklahoma