Into the heart of the season, most teams playing conference games, some teams playing hard every week and some other teams just playing weakly. Arkansas fired their coach after last week’s blowout loss to Notre Dame, are there more firings on the way.
Thursday night’s only game is one of those for those too sick or lazy to leave the recliner. Two of the worst teams in college football. The Sam Houston Bearkats “Bear Craps” (0-4) at the New Mexico State Aggies (2-2). With both teams this bad at least it should be close enough to be somewhat entertaining.
Friday’s games aren’t much to rush home for. Quick, which schools have the nicknames of the Hilltoppers and the Blue Hens? Western Kentucky (4-1) at Delaware (3-1) who we have already forgotten about after three weeks of real games.
Somehow Fox is paying to put New Mexico (3-1) at San Jose State (1-3) on FS1. Look at the records and then see that San Jose is favored and that is all you need to know about this one.
BYU fans get to be the ones with two consecutive late night games this time. West Virginia (2-3) is at (23)BYU (4-0). Mountaineers have lost their last two by a combined 89-24. The fans who go to sleep after halftime can be excused because this one will probably be long over by then.
Saturday has a couple of matches between top 25 teams. It also has some games that could get ugly as weak teams are catching highly ranked squads coming off big losses.
Early games include Kentucky (2-2) at (12) Georgia (3-1.) Georgia lost a nailbiter to (10) Alabama last week. Kentucky’s record doesn’t look bad until you realize their wins are against MAC schools.
(14) Iowa State (4-0) looks to stay unbeaten at Cincinnati (3-1.)
Normally Clemson is worried about where they are in the rankings. They started the year expected to compete for the playoff, right now they just want to win a game. Clemson (1-3) is still a big favorite at North Carolina (2-2.) The Tarheels have their own problems with an old pro coach who is dating a young pro.
Mid-day most eyes will be on (16) Vanderbilt (5-0) at (10) Alabama (3-1.) Most years this is a game the Tide plans on playing the walk-ons but Vandy has turned a weak schedule into an undefeated record. Even more eye opening for Bama fans is Vandy upsetting them last year at a key time, can it happen again?
Another game of interest has Boise State (3-1) at (21) Notre Dame (2-2.) Boise has played a joke of a schedule. Notre Dame got off to a rough start but what isn’t a joke is them averaging 46 points per game against tougher competition.
Somehow Louisville (4-0) is a big favorite at home against (24)Virginia (4-1) despite Virginia knocking (18)Florida State down the rankings last week.
(9)Texas (3-1) is at Florida (1-3.) Florida has a history of being slow to fire coaches and Billy Napier survived last year after a slow start but the rumors are swirling and Texas has enough talent to put the kind of beating on the Gators to stir things up even more.
It may be time to park the coroner's van outside the Rose Bowl this week. (7)Penn State (3-1) is at UCLA (0-4.) Bruins have already fired their coach so they can’t do that again until they hire a new one. Meanwhile Pedo State is coming off a (yet another to a top 10) loss at home to (2) Oregon. Bruins fans instead of chanting U-C-L-A may be chanting U-N-C-L-E.
In the land of truck stops, trailer parks, and terrified sheep, Nebraska (3-1) hosts Michigan State (3-1) following a bye and another one score loss. A win by the Spartans would sent the red polyester crowd looking for their meth dealer.
The early evening slate starts with (11)Texas Tech (4-0) at Houston (4-0.) Red Raiders put a lot of money into NIL expecting to be good but few expected them to be this good.
Mississippi State (4-1) goes to College Station to face (6)Texas A&M (4-0). SEC schools all have a special kind of weirdness, Texas schools have a special kind of weirdness. It all seems to converge at A&M. Aggies are known for getting their fans' hopes up only to find a way to crush those hopes, not likely to happen this week though.
Big game of the night though is for supremacy in Florida. (3)Miami (4-0) at (18)Florida State (3-1.) Don’t blink because both teams are loaded with speed. Hurricanes are pushing for a high seed in the playoff, Seminoles still have hopes of getting in.
Late night game is a ho-hum Duke (3-2) at Cal (4-1.)
Penn State’s destruction of UCLA doesn’t qualify them for the blowout of the week. A greater mismatch by far is Kent State (1-3) at (5)Oklahoma (4-0.) The Golden Flushes have held their last three opponents to only a combined 159 points. The Sooners, never ones to pass up the opportunity to pile on to a blowout, are coming off a narrow win over Auburn and will be looking to get their offense working full speed.
The Garbage Game is the earlier mentioned Thursday pillow fight between Yosemite Sam Houston State and New Mexico State of Decay.
Locally CSU gets to avoid the hometown boos by playing Friday night on the road. CSU (1-3) is at San Diego State (3-1.) Sheep can’t afford to fire their coach but their few fans left will continue to call for it.
Air Force (1-3) is at Navy (4-0) Saturday in an early game on national television. Service academy games are always spectacular and can be unpredictable but the Falcons don’t look to have much hope against Canoe U. this year.
Wyoming (2-2) is hosting UNLV (4-0.) Cowboys have played a much tougher schedule buy may have trouble keeping up on the scoreboard. Rebels get lucky in visiting Laramie before winter hits.
Northern Colorado coming off a tough loss last week to Idaho State gets a bye this week. They are much improved over recent years, enough to look forward to the rest of the season.
Small colleges are also in the heart of the season. Not likely to see any coaches fired here though for teams that go to road games on buses.
(12)CSU Pueblo (4-1,2-0) is at New Mexico Highlands (3-1,1-0) this week.
Colorado Mesa (1-3,0-2) looks to get back on track at Colorado Mines (3-1,0-1) Mines has dropped off from the team they were a couple years ago but still a tough opponent.
(7)Western Colorado (4-0,1-0) goes to Durango to face Fort Lewis (1-3,0-2) who lost a heartbreaker by one point last week to South Dakota Mines.
Despite the score Adams State (0-4,0-2) did actually show up on the field last week for their 55-7 loss to Pueblo. Pueblo shut it down at halftime leading 45-0. This week they take another beating by Chadron State (3-2,3-0.)
Thursday night’s only game is one of those for those too sick or lazy to leave the recliner. Two of the worst teams in college football. The Sam Houston Bearkats “Bear Craps” (0-4) at the New Mexico State Aggies (2-2). With both teams this bad at least it should be close enough to be somewhat entertaining.
Friday’s games aren’t much to rush home for. Quick, which schools have the nicknames of the Hilltoppers and the Blue Hens? Western Kentucky (4-1) at Delaware (3-1) who we have already forgotten about after three weeks of real games.
Somehow Fox is paying to put New Mexico (3-1) at San Jose State (1-3) on FS1. Look at the records and then see that San Jose is favored and that is all you need to know about this one.
BYU fans get to be the ones with two consecutive late night games this time. West Virginia (2-3) is at (23)BYU (4-0). Mountaineers have lost their last two by a combined 89-24. The fans who go to sleep after halftime can be excused because this one will probably be long over by then.
Saturday has a couple of matches between top 25 teams. It also has some games that could get ugly as weak teams are catching highly ranked squads coming off big losses.
Early games include Kentucky (2-2) at (12) Georgia (3-1.) Georgia lost a nailbiter to (10) Alabama last week. Kentucky’s record doesn’t look bad until you realize their wins are against MAC schools.
(14) Iowa State (4-0) looks to stay unbeaten at Cincinnati (3-1.)
Normally Clemson is worried about where they are in the rankings. They started the year expected to compete for the playoff, right now they just want to win a game. Clemson (1-3) is still a big favorite at North Carolina (2-2.) The Tarheels have their own problems with an old pro coach who is dating a young pro.
Mid-day most eyes will be on (16) Vanderbilt (5-0) at (10) Alabama (3-1.) Most years this is a game the Tide plans on playing the walk-ons but Vandy has turned a weak schedule into an undefeated record. Even more eye opening for Bama fans is Vandy upsetting them last year at a key time, can it happen again?
Another game of interest has Boise State (3-1) at (21) Notre Dame (2-2.) Boise has played a joke of a schedule. Notre Dame got off to a rough start but what isn’t a joke is them averaging 46 points per game against tougher competition.
Somehow Louisville (4-0) is a big favorite at home against (24)Virginia (4-1) despite Virginia knocking (18)Florida State down the rankings last week.
(9)Texas (3-1) is at Florida (1-3.) Florida has a history of being slow to fire coaches and Billy Napier survived last year after a slow start but the rumors are swirling and Texas has enough talent to put the kind of beating on the Gators to stir things up even more.
It may be time to park the coroner's van outside the Rose Bowl this week. (7)Penn State (3-1) is at UCLA (0-4.) Bruins have already fired their coach so they can’t do that again until they hire a new one. Meanwhile Pedo State is coming off a (yet another to a top 10) loss at home to (2) Oregon. Bruins fans instead of chanting U-C-L-A may be chanting U-N-C-L-E.
In the land of truck stops, trailer parks, and terrified sheep, Nebraska (3-1) hosts Michigan State (3-1) following a bye and another one score loss. A win by the Spartans would sent the red polyester crowd looking for their meth dealer.
The early evening slate starts with (11)Texas Tech (4-0) at Houston (4-0.) Red Raiders put a lot of money into NIL expecting to be good but few expected them to be this good.
Mississippi State (4-1) goes to College Station to face (6)Texas A&M (4-0). SEC schools all have a special kind of weirdness, Texas schools have a special kind of weirdness. It all seems to converge at A&M. Aggies are known for getting their fans' hopes up only to find a way to crush those hopes, not likely to happen this week though.
Big game of the night though is for supremacy in Florida. (3)Miami (4-0) at (18)Florida State (3-1.) Don’t blink because both teams are loaded with speed. Hurricanes are pushing for a high seed in the playoff, Seminoles still have hopes of getting in.
Late night game is a ho-hum Duke (3-2) at Cal (4-1.)
Penn State’s destruction of UCLA doesn’t qualify them for the blowout of the week. A greater mismatch by far is Kent State (1-3) at (5)Oklahoma (4-0.) The Golden Flushes have held their last three opponents to only a combined 159 points. The Sooners, never ones to pass up the opportunity to pile on to a blowout, are coming off a narrow win over Auburn and will be looking to get their offense working full speed.
The Garbage Game is the earlier mentioned Thursday pillow fight between Yosemite Sam Houston State and New Mexico State of Decay.
Locally CSU gets to avoid the hometown boos by playing Friday night on the road. CSU (1-3) is at San Diego State (3-1.) Sheep can’t afford to fire their coach but their few fans left will continue to call for it.
Air Force (1-3) is at Navy (4-0) Saturday in an early game on national television. Service academy games are always spectacular and can be unpredictable but the Falcons don’t look to have much hope against Canoe U. this year.
Wyoming (2-2) is hosting UNLV (4-0.) Cowboys have played a much tougher schedule buy may have trouble keeping up on the scoreboard. Rebels get lucky in visiting Laramie before winter hits.
Northern Colorado coming off a tough loss last week to Idaho State gets a bye this week. They are much improved over recent years, enough to look forward to the rest of the season.
Small colleges are also in the heart of the season. Not likely to see any coaches fired here though for teams that go to road games on buses.
(12)CSU Pueblo (4-1,2-0) is at New Mexico Highlands (3-1,1-0) this week.
Colorado Mesa (1-3,0-2) looks to get back on track at Colorado Mines (3-1,0-1) Mines has dropped off from the team they were a couple years ago but still a tough opponent.
(7)Western Colorado (4-0,1-0) goes to Durango to face Fort Lewis (1-3,0-2) who lost a heartbreaker by one point last week to South Dakota Mines.
Despite the score Adams State (0-4,0-2) did actually show up on the field last week for their 55-7 loss to Pueblo. Pueblo shut it down at halftime leading 45-0. This week they take another beating by Chadron State (3-2,3-0.)