Five Intriguing Games This Weekend – From the Bird’s Nest
You just gotta love October.
You're starting to see some meaningful games being played in college football. And, there are a few really good ones this week. There are a couple of traditional rivalry games and a couple that could have a bearing on who represents the Group of Five on New Years' Day.
Let's take a look.
(6) OKLAHOMA (5-0, 2-0) (-10') vs TEXAS (4-1, 2-0) (Dallas) 11:00 am FOX--Remember last year when Texas shocked the Sooners? My guess is the Sooners do. Jalen Hurts is being prominently mentioned as a Heisman Trophy candidate and he's got a chance to boost his resume this week. The Longhorns have only the tight loss to LSU marring their record. The Red River Shootout is must see TV Saturday morning.
(23) MEMPHIS (5-0, 1-0) (-5') at TEMPLE (4-1, 1-0) 11:00 am ESPN2--Memphis has a big West Division showdown with Tulane next week and can't afford to overlook this road game against the Owls. Temple has beaten a pair of Power 5 schools this year, but has that curious loss to Buffalo. The Tigers have to avoid what could be somewhat of a trap game against a pretty good team on the road.
(10) PENN STATE (5-0, 2-0)(-3) at IOWA (4-1, 1-1) 6:30 ABC--Iowa's offense didn't show up last week and they'll need to this week against Penn State. The Nittany Lions are unbeaten but there's nothing on their resume that jumps out at you. That's getting ready to change, starting this week. Michigan, Michigan State and Minnesota are right around the corner. This game isn't the mismatch some might think.
(7) FLORIDA (6-0, 3-0) (+13) at LSU (5-0, 1-0)--I'm not a fan of the permanent cross-division game, but let's be honest...this has turned into a hate fest. Not so much among the fan bases (although Joe Alleva's handling of the Hurricane Michael situation jacked that up) as it is the teams themselves. They don't like each other. Nice win for Florida last week and that raised some eyebrows. For those who question the spread in this game, if LSU were a 6.5 favorite on the road, would you be surprised? Probably not.
HAWAI'I (4-1, 1-0) (+12') at (14) BOISE STATE (5-0, 2-0) 9:15pm ESPN2--The Rainbow Warriors are 2-1 against the Pac-12 this year so they aren't easily intimidated. It's a solid football team that is set up to win as many as nine games this year. Boise State was my pick at the beginning of the season as the G5 representative to the New Years' Six. I'm not changing my mind here, especially with the game on the blue turf.