As always, the Watch Grid sorts your Saturday into three watchability columns. And as always, watchability is not strictly about game quality, team quality or quality of any kind. These things matter, though, I guess.
We’re nearly through October, the annual semi-lull when many conferences dump their less-appealing matchups. And historically speaking, as the season progresses, things only get stranger. The Halloween weekend includes some matters of real importance, and also some things certain to go really poorly for somebody. Perfect!
Be advised the weeknight schedule is extra light this weekend, because of something happening in a sport I’m told is referred to as baseball.
Thursday, Oct. 28 and Friday, Oct. 29 college football schedule
Home runs!
Saturday, Oct. 30 college football schedule
SICKOS GAME OF THE WEEK
Two of this season’s most consistent participants in the Main Character, a weekly review of which college football teams made themselves a bit too perceptible, have been Florida State and Clemson. And now we are delighted to see them face each other.
One of the most critical Sicko Factors is this: How much guaranteed frustration does this contest promise, no matter who wins? In FSU-Clemson, the guarantee is large.
If Florida State wins, Clemson hits four losses in a regular season for the first time since 2010, the year that made everyone assume Dabo Swinney would never succeed as a head coach. And that’s with likely challenging games at Louisville and against Wake Forest still to go. Swinney’s team dropping from preseason No. 3 to 6-6 certainly isn’t likely, but it is on the table.
But if Clemson snaps the Noles’ three-game winning streak, bowl eligibility remains a major concern for Mike Norvell. And he would need to go 3-1 against NC State, Miami, Boston College, and Florida just to equal the record that got predecessor Willie Taggart fired.
The absolute state of the ACC’s two most recent national champs! Anyway, the conference title game could be a Pitt-Wake Forest playoff play-in.
The actual most important game of the week
Finally, an obvious one! Rivals Michigan and Michigan State meet with their highest combined ranking since 1964 and, for the first time ever, records of 7-0 or better. The Big Ten’s backloaded schedule means the winner still has to get past Ohio State, but with the playoff committee’s first rankings due out on Tuesday, I’d expect the Paul Bunyan Trophy champ to rank in the initial top four. (If the Wolverines win, I’m guessing they’ll rank No. 2. The AP has been squeamish about Michigan all year.)
Also, expect a livelier game than this rivalry’s archetypical grim display. Vegas has this game’s total over 50 points for just the third time since 2010, and both teams rank in the top 30 in yards per play.
In the middle time slot, let’s not count Georgia-Florida as critical viewing until the Gators score multiple touchdowns and/or play any defense at all.
And in the primetime spot, it’s the opposite story. Ohio State’s offense against Penn State’s defense could be one of the year’s best matchups, but is Penn State gonna, like, score? No matter how laser-focused James Franklin is on playing Illinois in Ann Arbor?
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