Hate Week, midweek football, and a top-tier primetime slate. After a weekend of snoozy matchups gave us must-watch TV, this one gets mean in a hurry.
PS: I'll be in Seattle on Saturday. Anyone know a good spot to watch the games?
Lines are the Circa opening lines.
Tuesday game
Florida International @ Liberty (-18) - 7/6 CBSSN: Vice U versus the world's most annoying money laundering front. Just like every week, we hope one of the community colleges Liberty plays removes them from the Playoff conversation.
Wednesday games
New Mexico State @ Jacksonville State (-18) - 7:30/6:30 ESPN2: Aggies at Gamecocks! No, the other ones. Sorry.
Thursday games
Coastal Carolina @ James Madison (-10) - 7:30/6:30 ESPN2: Fun Belt action! Say hello again to Tim Beck, who has already made the Chanticleers much less fun to watch.
Middle Tennessee State @ Louisiana Tech (-6) - 8/7 CBSSN: It's college football. It's on TV.
Friday games
Harvard @ Cornell - 6/5 ESPN2: Did you know Ithaca is gorges? Why is this televised? Harvard even has a conference loss already.
Memphis (-5) @ South Florida - 7/6 ESPN: A pair of talented G5s, in what should be a close game. (NOW SATURDAY AT 3:30ET, THANKS MILTON)
Northwestern @ Maryland (-12) - 8/7 Fox: Well, it is a B1G game. But it's not a good one.
#16 Utah (-5) @ Arizona State - 10:30/9:30 ESPN: The Big XII has been very good at cannibalizing itself. Can Utah stop Cam Skattebo?
Saturday games
South Carolina @ #7 Alabama (-22) - 11/12 ABC: Two wounded teams face off. Dylan Stewart had one of the funniest, most utterly braindead penalties of the week last week. Bama lost to the New Mexican Superhombre, Diego Pavia. Feels like Bama rights the ship here.
Washington @ Iowa (-1) - 11/12 Fox: A Big Noon Saturday game finally makes the watch list! It's not very good, and it's mostly here because it's a weak early slate, but still.
Georgia Tech (-4) @ North Carolina - 11/12 CW: How low can Mack go?
It might be fun to check in on some decent MACtion with Toledo (-10) @ Buffalo (11/12 ESPNU) and see if the Deacs can put up any resistance in #10 Clemson (-23) @ Wake Forest (11/12 ESPN).
-
#t18 Oklahoma vs. #1(!!!) Texas (-14) - 2:30/3:30 ABC: OU sucks.
#4 Penn State (-4) @ USC - 2:30/3:30 CBS: Now we're reaching the kinds of games James Franklin loves to lose. USC's schedule is a bag of hammers, and Minnesota is an ugly loss, but they should be up for a top 5 visitor.
California @ #22 Pittsburgh (-3) - 3:30/2:30 ESPN: Top-tier online fanbase matchup, but it's hard to imagine Cal has much left in the mental tank after the officials swiped a monster win from them in Berkeley.
Arizona @ #14 BYU (-3) - 4/3 Fox: It doesn't feel like BYU can keep this undefeated streak up, and Zona is coming off a big win against Utah. Should be an excellent game.
Keep an Upset Watch eye on Stanford @ #11 Notre Dame (-23) (3:30/2:30 NBC) and Mississippi State @ #5 Georgia (-34) (4:15/3:15 SECN).
-
#2 Ohio State (-4) @ #3 Oregon - 7:30/6:30 NBC: Fuck yes, this is going to kick ass.
#9 Ole Miss (-3) @ #13 LSU - 7:30/6:30 ABC: A mean, hateful ranked rivalry undercard. The Magnolia Bowl is a guaranteed mudfight, and Lane and Kelly are box office head coaches.
#11 Iowa State (-3) @ West Virginia - 8/7 Fox: A nasty trap game for the force 5 Cyclones. Night games in Morgantown hit different.
Florida @ #8 Tennessee (-17) - 7/6 ESPN: A strong helmet game. Tennessee can't let Arkansas beat them twice. Being at home should help.
-
#t18 Kansas State (-4) @ Colorado - 10:15/9:15 ESPN: KSU is the fully-weaponized version of the NDSU team Colorado almost lost to. Good luck, Buffs.
#17 Boise State (-18) @ Hawaii - 11/10 CBSSN: Can Ashton Jeanty pass the Hawaii test?