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College football always brings out the crazies. Am I right Temple fans?
(By the way, enjoy your College Gameday experience this weekend, Owl fans. Be sure to say "hi" to Cuog fans)
On the field, there is a bevy of compelling matchups for you as a discerning college football fan to concern yourself with and, if necessary, cancel Halloween for your children over. Here are some things that I'll be watching:
- The Oregon / ASU matchup is very interesting not just because it is a #Pac12AfterDark game, but it involves two struggling teams who still have enough runway to become factors again in their respective division. I covered my pick right here, in case you are interested. I'll be very curious to see how Vernon Adams handles the clever blitzing that we are sure to see out of Todd Graham's defense. Keep in mind that VA came to Oregon in order to improve his NFL stock. This could be a make or break game when it comes to establishing his draftability.
- #11 Florida travels to Georgia on Saturday in a game that is very important to the overall playoff picture. If Florida can beat Georgia, their path to the SEC title game becomes very manageable. The odds of the SEC getting a second playoff team - the loser of the SEC Championship game - goes from "remote possibility" into the realm of "plausible" if Florida meets either Alabama or LSU in that game.
- #15 Michigan travels to Minnesota in what will be the first game that the Gophers will play since head coach Jerry Kill was forced to retire due to health concerns. Kill, as many of you know, developed epilepsy after his treatment for kidney cancer many years ago. Recently, he's experienced two more seizures during working hours and made the heart-breaking decision to step aside so at to not be a distraction. Anybody who knows both the Minnesota situation and the man himself can easily see that Coach Kill did more with less than just about any coach in the nation. He is an excellent human being and I fully expect his players to come out and give Michigan just about everything they have. I'm not calling the upset, but I think "UPSET ALERT" ought to be turned on..
- If you want my best upset pick, turn your attention to the Big 12. #12 Oklahoma State, which has not lost a game since then true freshman Mason Rudolph made his first start of the season last year against Baylor, travels to Texas Tech. The Red Raiders have been better - particularly on offense - than their record suggests and seem to match up relatively well against the Cowboys. I think that this will turn into a good ol' fashioned shootout with the Red Raiders winning it at the end.
And, if you happen to see this guy whereever you might find yourself this weekend, be sure to hide your children.
Seriously, friend, those are some cute Flordia Gator fans all around you. I get that you might be occupied with trying to calculate the volume capacity in your refrigerator, but try to enjoy yourself in the process!
CFB Week 9 Full Schedule
ESPN
North Carolina
(23) Pittsburgh
FS1
West Virginia
(5) TCU
CBSS
Western Michigan
ESPN3
Buffalo
ESPNU
Texas State
Oregon
Arizona State
ESPN2
Louisville
Wake Forest
Connecticut
Wyoming
FSN
ESPNN
Cincinnati
Illinois
Penn State
Nebraska
Purdue
BTN
Rutgers
Wisconsin
(19) Mississippi
Auburn
SECN
South Carolina
Texas A&M
ABC
Syracuse
(17) Florida State
Virginia Tech
Boston College
UTEP
Georgia Tech
Virginia
FOX
USC
Cal
PAC12
Colorado
(24) UCLA
ABC/ESPN2
(3) Clemson
NC State
CBS
(11) Florida
Georgia
(14) Oklahoma
Kansas
(12) Oklahoma State
Texas Tech
Maryland
(10) Iowa
Boise State
Tennessee-Martin
Arkansas
Oregon State
(13) Utah
Vanderbilt
Miami (FL)
(22) Duke
(15) Michigan
Minnesota
Texas
Iowa State
Tennessee
Kentucky
(9) Notre Dame
(8) Stanford
Washington State
Arizona
Washington