It’s a calm Saturday for college football

Published 3:34 pm Friday, September 13, 2019

This weekend’s college football schedule is a huge come down after last week’s lineup of exciting games.

I don’t think anyone can be blamed if they chose to take the day off (apart from watching your own team, of course). There just isn’t a big enough marquee matchup to warrant sitting in front of the TV all day and night. This is your weekend to build up those karma points—that is, spend some quality time with the family or your significant other and take your time getting those chores done and running errands. You’ll want to cash in next Saturday, I promise.

However, for those of you who just can’t go a Saturday without nonstop college football, I am here to reveal a few diamonds in the rough that could turn into some good action.

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First on the list is Arkansas State at Georgia, a noon kickoff that will surely feel like the deepest pits of hell for everyone inside Sanford Stadium. This game has a few interesting tidbits to it. First and foremost, Arkansas State coach Blake Anderson lost his wife three weeks ago to breast cancer. In honor of her memory, and for all those who lost the fight or are still fighting this terrible disease, Georgia has elected to make pink it’s primary color on game day. How cool is that?

This game will have a lot of emotion coming from the Red Wolves for this very reason. A high-flying, sling-it-around offense stacked with All-Conference players, Arkansas State will be amped and eager to upset the No. 3 team in the country. I can’t wait to see how Georgia responds. For non-Bulldog fans, this might be a good one to have on the background while you get stuff done around the house.

Don’t bother watching South Carolina-Alabama at 3:30 p.m. unless you’re a diehard fan for either team. This game won’t be a repeat of the last time the Crimson Tide rolled into Columbia (Spurrier’s Gamecocks upset the defending national champs 35-21). It’ll be over by halftime, Tua will have four touchdown passes—you know, all the usual fixins. 

Instead, watch Arizona State vs. Michigan State on FOX. The Fighting Herm Edwards (my nickname for Arizona State, named after its eccentric, old school head coach) beat Sparty last season in one of the first shockers of 2018. Could it happen again? Probably not. I happen to think Michigan State is a pretty good team this year that won’t allow an upset like that to happen again.

Kicking off at 7 p.m. on ESPN is Florida at Kentucky, a game that last season saw the Wildcats snap a 32-year losing streak to the Gators. You think Florida wants that one back? Uh, yeah, I do too. Not to mention, the Gators are seriously, no-kidding gunning for an SEC East title. It starts against the Boys in Blue. I think Kentucky will put up a fight, but will ultimately lose by a couple touchdowns, despite Franks turning the ball over more than once.

Florida State vs. Virginia will be… interesting. For the first time in history, an unranked Noles team will meet a ranked Virginia squad. Most folks don’t have the ACC Network, so watching this one might require some finagling. Then again, just about every Seminole fan I talk to doesn’t care to watch this game to begin with.

Nothing in the Pac 12 peaks my interest this week, unfortunately. I suppose if you want to watch UCLA get skinned alive by Oklahoma, go for it, but that just sounds too violent for me.