“Out in this brave new world you see. Oh, the valleys and the peaks, and I can see you on the top” – Tim McGraw
- Morning Ramblings about college football
Drinking a double red eye on the side porch early this morning and enjoying this early start to what will end up being a very long and productive day.
And just like that we have made it to the Tuesday before week 3 of college football, and the first Tuesday after the NFL’s first week. Hope your fantasy team won. I got lucky.
16 games are grabbing my attention this week, and 12 of them kickoff before 4:30 EST Saturday. Buckle up bucko!
Friday Night KICK
Arizona @ Kansas St 8PM/ est Big FOX
I will be watching Kansas St week 4 live from Provo as they take on their hosts, Brigham Young. 9/21 10Pm EST on ESPN. Looking forward to getting to know them a bit better Friday night against Arizona before next week’s matchup, and I know Manhattan, Kansas and Bill Snyder Family Stadium will be alive.
NOON KICK
Alabama @ Wisconsin Big FOX
I turned over to the Alabama game Saturday night when they were leading South Florida 14-13 late in the second half. They went on to score 28 points in the fourth and won 42-16. Based on the 4th quarter, they looked unstoppable, but hoping for a good game in Madison to truly evaluate them.
After all, SingleHighSports’ List of Impressive Teams will come out 9/16. Of course, I’m sure coaches across America are putting a little more juice in practice this week to be sure their teams look sharp enough to make such an exclusive list.
LSU @ South Carolina ABC
I love watching South Carolina home games on tv. In fact, have your tv set tuned into to ABC right at NOON to catch the opening kick. Crank the volume and let “Sandstorm” and the dancing fans inside Williams Brice Stadium set your mood right for the rest of the day. Also, let’s hope this game is tight late. Kelly is feeling the heat in Baton Rouge.
Memphis @ Florida St ESPN
Well, if you’re from my neck of the woods in West TN, this game needs no introduction. Mike Norvelle.
I could get lost in the weeds on my personal feelings towards Mike Norvelle and what he did during his time coaching Memphis. What he did to continue on Coach Justin Fuente’s (Prior coach left for Va Tech) already laid foundation and win an AAC Championship inside the Liberty Bowl…Maybe I will one day, but not today. To sum up Mike Norvelle based on my own interaction with him: Professional, First Class, Clever.
In terms of the game…LETS GO TIGERS! I always have to root for the hometown Tigers.
Boston College @ Missouri (12:45) SEC Network
People say the Missouri Tigers are the “6th” best team in the country. Well, let’s see it.
3:30 EST KICK
Tulane @ Oklahoma ESPN
Can Oklahoma look dominant?
West Virginia @ Pitt
THE. BACKYARD. BRAWL. Only 75 miles along Interstate 79 separate these two familiar foes. History, rivalry, and tradition. The Mountaineers have not forgotten about 2007. Brutal game. 12/1/07. Brutal
Notre Dame @ Purdue CBS
Man, the SEC on CBS was a thing as long as I’ve watched football. The Irish at the Boilermakers seems more like an NBC game to me. Oh well. Notre Dame’s metal is going to be tested after that historic home loss to Thomas Hammock and Northern Illinois this past weekend.
Oregon @ Oregon St FOX
Oregon has looked poor this year. I kept waiting for them to impress me in some way this past Saturday vs Boise St, but Boise looked like the better side most of the game. The Ducks are the “9th” ranked team in the country, so let’s see what they have against the Beavers in the game formerly known as “The Civil War.”
Texas A &M @ Florida ABC
This game holds very little priority this weekend for me, but it certainly has the big school name pedigree worth mentioning. The Gators and The Swamp looked flat in week 1 against Miami. “Flat” is a nice way to put it. Gators looked awful at everything.
Washington St @ Washington Peacock
This game carries little weight with me this weekend, but like the previous game, it is worth mentioning. Washington St looked strong at home against Texas Tech in week 2.
Utah @ Utah St (4:30) CBS Sports Network
Logan, Utah is going to be buzzing Saturday afternoon. Throw the stats away. They will not matter in this one. Merlin Olson Field at Maverick Stadium and the 25,000+ Aggie faithful will be hosting their big brother from 2 hours south. Cam Rising is questionable, but regardless of if he plays, the home team has a chance. The last time the Utes were brave enough to make the trip north it ended in a loss. That was 2012. That was two completely different teams, and that was a better built Utah St squad, but 2012 wasn’t that long ago, anything can happen. Actually, 2012 feels like a century ago…and last year simultaneously. Look, Coach Whittingham has been around a long, long time, and he will not overlook what I referred to as the Utes “little brother.” I 100pct believe that Utah will not just win but dominate, but I’m wrong all the time.
Evening KICK
Mississippi @ Wake Forest 6:30 PM Est on the CW
Lane Kiffin has the Rebel offense looking smooth, fast, efficient, near flawless, and determined. Will this be the year that the team from Oxford competes for an SEC Championship? Will they be one of the 12 at the end? Will they make my “List of Impressive Teams”? Yes. I will be watching the first half of this game as it leads up to the next game on this list.
UCF@TCU 7:30 Big FOX
(Feature coming this week)
Georgia @ Kentucky 7:30 ABC
Will Kentucky score? Will they cross the 50? I want to see Georgia continue to dominate. 46-3 sounds good.
Brigham Young @ Wyoming CBS Sports Network 9Pm/ est
Laramie is a tough spot to win. That said, Idaho just went in there and put a 17-13 beatdown on the Cowboys, so not that difficult it seems. BYU has not impressed me yet. They won a tough game on the road against SMU Friday night, but only scored 18 points and the offense lacked identity and cohesive rhythm. With Kansas st coming to Provo next week, Kalani Sitake will be coaching his young men to focus on the task at hand. Personally, I hope both Kansas st and BYU will be undefeated going into that Week 4 matchup.
So, those are the games I am looking forward to the most. Too many days between right now and Saturday to focus on it too much, but looking forward to it, nonetheless. Let’s focus on today. What is in front of you today? Be there. Sports have their time and place, but it is important to be present in each moment, even the difficult ones. Never stay too high on the highs or too low on the lows because remember “And this, too, shall pass.”
I’ll have a piece coming out on UCF @ TCU to highlight a few things I like and preview the action. Stay tuned.
I truly hope life has been nice to you, but if it hasn’t, well,
Find the humor and keep on movin’
Whit W.