Sorry for missing last week, I had some scheduling issues. Though I’m assuming most of you were able to find South Carolina-Georgia and Notre Dame-Michigan on your own. Anyway, here are the five best college football watches this weekend.
Louisville at Kentucky (Saturday 12:00 p.m. on ESPN)
Sadly, this might be Teddy Bridgewater’s toughest test of the year. Yes…..I’m not joking. That’s how easy their schedule is. A road game against Kentucky is probably Bridgewater’s best chance to prove to Heisman voters he’s worthy of the trophy come December. For that reason alone, this game is one of the best watches of the week. If Bridgewater plays a near flawless game against the Wildcats, say 25-30, with 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, expect to see him in Radio City Music for the Heisman Celebration. However if Teddy struggles, he’ll most likely become an afterthought for the rest of the football season.
Wisconsin at Arizona State (Saturday 10:30 p.m. on ESPN)
This is the first real test of the season for First Year Badger Coach Gary Anderson. If the team is still a legitimate Big 10 contender, they’ll have no problem winning a tough game in Tempe, Arizona Saturday night. However, something tells me the Badgers aren’t ready for this. Yes they haven’t allowed a touchdown yet this season, but their first two games were against Mass and Tennessee Tech. Additionally, I think Badger Quarterback Joel Stave will face serious problems against the elite Sun Devil Pass Rush led by Defensive Tackle Will Sutton. Regardless of what happens, it’s suppose to be 100 degrees in Tempe on Saturday Night and I expect Sun Devil Stadium to be crazy. Definitely the best late night watch of the weekend.
Ole Miss at Texas (Saturday 8:00 p.m. on The Longhorn Network)
How good is Ole Miss and just how bad is Texas? There’s a good chance we’ll have answers to both of those questions come this Saturday in Austin, Texas. Ole Miss has looked great their first two weeks, thanks to stellar play from true freshmen Wide Receiver Laquon Treadwell and Safety Tony Conner. Additionally, QB Bo Wallace has been a solid game manager for the Rebels. On the other hand, the Longhorns were upset to the BYU Cougars last weekend and just fired Defensive Coordinator Manny Diaz. Still, Longhorns QB David Ash has been solid his first two weeks and Texas always plays great for home night games. All this makes for a very compelling game with the stakes equally high for both teams.
UCLA at Nebraska (Saturday 12:00 p.m. on ABC)
I’m always interested in games that feature a highly touted program from California going to the heartland. I just love the animosity the home crowd has for the flashy West-Coast team and their utter lack of Midwestern values. Well come Saturday afternoon the UCLA Bruins travel to Lincoln, Nebraska to play the Cornhuskers. Expect the home crowd to be energized here, as there’s nothing Nebraskans like more than beating a coastal team. However, more importantly, this game is a great test for both the Bruins and Cornhuskers, as both teams are ranked in the AP Top-25. Additionally, this will be an emotional game for the Bruins, as their walk-on wide receiver Nick Pasquale died last week after being hit by a car while walking in San Clemente, California. Basically, there’s going to be a lot of passion from both teams here and that always makes for a compelling game.
Alabama at Texas A&M (Saturday 3:30 p.m. on CBS)
What will ultimately be the “Legend of Johnny Football?” If he loses on Saturday, he’ll surely be remembered as a great Texas A&M QB that won the Heisman trophy in 2012 and led the Aggies to relevance for a two-year period. However, he’ll mostly just be remembered as a cautionary tale for letting success get to a player’s head. Then, barring any great NFL success, Johnny will soon be forgotten. Sure he beat Saban’s Crimson Tide once, but so did Cam Newton and Tim Tebow. Yet, if Johnny Manziel wins Saturday, his legend will forever be engrained in the minds of College Football fans as the Quarterback who bested Nick Saban twice-in-a-row. Imagine, in the midst of creating one of the great College Football Dynasties ever, Nick Saban was defeated two consecutive times by a cocksure quarterback who stands as one of the most polarizing athletes in sports today. Manziel would go down with Tom Landry and Davy Crockett as a Texas folk hero. This is one of the most important College Football games of my lifetime. And, like most fans, I have no idea who to root for? Do I root for an unlikable rich kid who disrespects his own coach (poor Kevin Sumlin) or do I root for Nick Saban’s unstoppable Crimson Tide dynasty? I’m completely conflicted, which only adds an extra element of drama to this game. This is College Football at its best.
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