And then we hit week number four. In typical early season fashion I have attempted to watch just about every game that has been televised these last three weeks in an effort to get a better feel for the national landscape. Perhaps I went a little bit too hard those first three weeks or maybe I just have a bit of a Notre Dame hangover after back to back tough losses.
Regardless I’m not nearly as riled up about this weekend as I typically am for a fall Saturday.
The truth is that it is probably a combination of both of those things and when you toss in a relatively uninteresting week 4 schedule my motivation is waning. There are a few less interesting games this weekend so I will scale my viewing back a little bit and recharge. Then again if the Irish pull the upset I’ll probably be on here banging out a 5,000 word post about what a great weekend it turned out to be.
Below are the games that I am most interested in this week. If you want the full TV Schedule for the week it is available here.
*All times listed are EST.
Thursday 23 September
Miami at Pitt 7:30 ESPN
Both teams took last week off in preparation for this Thursday night showdown at Heinz Field. Having watched both of them play I can’t really imagine that Pitt will win this game despite the fact that they remain a 1 point favorite. Then again Jacory Harris could throw a handful of picks and make the Stache look like a genius.
Friday 24 September
TCU at SMU 8:00 ESPN
The last time I saw June Jones the Ponies were getting slapped around by Tejas Tech on opening weekend and he looked like he could have cared less. That probably won’t work out too well for him against Gary Patterson and the Frogs. I will say that I still kind of dig the SMU uniforms. Those helmets still look as cool as they did back when Eric Dickerson was sporting one. Frogs roll.
Saturday 25 September
NC State at Georgia Tech 12:00 ESPN
Welcome to the current state of the ACC. This is the game that ESPN picked up for the week? Really? Wait! I know how this one ends. Jon Tenuta has the secret formula to stop the Paul Johnson offense dead in its tracks. Yeah right. The facade that is NC State’s 3-0 record will come to an end in Hotlanta.
Virginia Tech at Boston College 12:00 Gameplan
Why couldn’t the WWL show this ACC game instead? Oh yeah, the Hokies lost to JMU. I guess that probably isn’t good for ratings. Regardless I would much rather scout BC against the Hokies than watch that other game. This one is interesting. I might have to shell out the $24 for Gameplan this week. I think VT gets it together and wins this one.
Alabama at Arkansas 3:30 CBS
This game has a ton of potential. Of course it is on at the exact same time that the Fighting Irish are playing. I suppose now that I’m back at the house this weekend I will fire it up on TV #2 and attempt to keep an eye on it. I expect Bama to win but the Hogs might give them a run for their money at Razorback Stadium.
UCLA at Texas 3:30 ABC/ESPN (Regional)
This game looked a lot more interesting before the season kicked off. While Texas hasn’t looked like world beaters thus far UCLA is pretty much terrible. This game will give the Horns a chance to shift into a higher gear at the expense of Slick Rick.
Stanford at Notre Dame 3:30 NBC
We already beat this one to death. Stanford has looked fantastic against inferior competition thus far. ND is coming off of back to back tough losses. Sounds like a perfect recipe for an ugly ND loss. Then again it could be the perfect recipe for a huge Irish upset victory that gets the season back on track. I’ll be glued to the TV regardless.
Oklahoma at Cincinnati 6:00 ESPN2
This is another one that sounded interesting during the preseason. As of today I expect OU to drop the hammer on the poor Bearcats. Thanks again for the coach!
South Carolina at Auburn 7:45 ESPN
With Georgia struggling a bit out of the gate and Florida not looking like their usual selves the talking heads keep saying that this just might be Spurrier’s year. Naaaaahhhh. War Eagle.
Oregon State at Boise State 8:00 ABC
Is this really the prime time game of the week? Two Boise State games in the first month of the season huh. Looks like the WWL is already on the blue bus to BCS Championshiptown. I heard the Beavers painted one of their practice fields blue this week to get psyched up. It’s a technique. I hope Mike Riley and the Rogers brothers kick their ass. It won’t happen but I will probably tune in just in case.
West Virginia at LSU 9:15 ESPN2
I remain convinced that LSU just isn’t that good. Can the probable Big East Champs sneak into Red Stick and knock off the Bayou Bengals? LSU probably hasn’t slipped quite that far just yet.
What do you think? Enjoy the weekend.