Playoff rankings are coming out soon. We're past the middle point of the season, in which some teams are even becoming bowl eligible, like 7-0 Marshall. In the preseason, I mentioned Marshall as a team that I expect to go undefeated in 2014.
What matters for no. 12/13 Ohio State is not bowl eligibility, which it could minimally obtain if it were to win on Saturday night. Ohio State wants help above it. Four of the top five teams in the AP Poll are in the SEC West. Many of them have yet to play each other. Only Mississippi State-Auburn and Ole Miss-Alabama have played among those top five teams. Still, the Buckeyes need help. Ohio State fans will have plenty of rooting interests beyond the primetime clash with its mid-season rival. Here's your viewing guide for games before that kickoff.
The honorary TV Guide cover is Tom Selleck of Magnum PI fame. Selleck is not a Penn State alumnus, but the guy who created Magnum PI (as well as NCIS, JAG, and, most importantly, Airwolf) is. Donald Bellisario graduated from Penn State in 1961.
Our condolences to Arkansas State and UL-Lafayette, who played on Tuesday before they could be a subject of this week's guide. UL-Lafayette won 55-40. Arkansas State should really stop trying fake punts.
Thursday
Connecticut at East Carolina (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). All else equal, this looks like a throwaway game on ESPN's third-tier network for live-game telecasts. However, East Carolina is the no. 18 team in the country. It has just one loss on the season (at South Carolina by ten points). The Pirates have the country's fourth-best passing offense.
Miami at Virginia Tech (ESPN, 8 p.m.). Fifteen years ago, this game is probably a marquee event. Now, it's a game between two 4-3 teams.
Friday
South Florida at Cincinnati (ESPN2, 7 p.m.). Cincinnati is a lost cause this season. South Florida was a lost cause before this season. The only intrigue will be the crowd. Cincinnati is hoping it can leverage its market into an invite from the ACC or Big XII when its attendance for this game should be around 20,000 people.
Troy at South Alabama (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.). Sun Belt is the Fun Belt.
Brigham Young at Boise State (ESPN, 9 p.m.). This game had so much more promise in the preseason than it does now. Boise State is a solid 5-2, but BYU is hurting after losing Taysom Hill to a season-ending injury. The Cougars have lost three games straight without him.
Oregon at California (FOX Sports 1, 10 p.m.). Oregon is the no. 6 team in the country, despite looking meek in a win at Washington State and overwhelmed in a game at home against Arizona. Want a sure way to piss off college football fans in both the Midwest and the South? Argue for Oregon's inclusion into the playoff, as Stewart Mandel did.
Saturday
Kansas State had a party the last time it hosted Texas in 2012. It won the Big XII championship and Fiesta Bowl berth.
Texas at Kansas State (ESPN, 12 p.m.). Texas is 3-4 this season. The game at home against Brigham Young notwithstanding, Texas hasn't looked hopeless in any game. Outmatched and/or impotent? Sure, but not really hopeless. I think that's a testament to what Charlie Strong is at least trying to do this season.
Long story short, I don't think it's a stretch that it could upset Kansas State in the Little Apple on Saturday afternoon.
Rutgers at Nebraska (ESPN2, 12 p.m.). Because when you think Big Ten football, you think Rutgers at Nebraska.
UAB at Arkansas (SEC Network, 12 p.m.). Maybe I'm biased, but at least BTN tries to put on decent games on its network for the 12 p.m. slot.
Minnesota at Illinois (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). Illinois is the only orange team in the Big Ten. No one else looks quite like it, even if orange and blue are a hard color scheme to not make visually repulsive.
So, with that in mind, Illinois is wearing gray for this game in order to look like Utah State, I think. The official excuse is to honor Red Grange, whose nickname was bestowed upon him in a poem by legendary sportswriter Grantland Rice.
By the way, Illinois lost to Minnesota that season. It was the only loss in Illinois' 1924 season. Good job at understanding program history, Illinois.
Maryland at Wisconsin (BTN, 12 p.m.). Wisconsin moved from the more "Eastern" Leaders division to the Big Ten West. Its prize? Getting B1G newbies Maryland and Rutgers on its schedule from the Big Ten East in lieu of traditional Big Ten teams like Michigan, Michigan State, or Ohio State.
Mississippi State at Kentucky (CBS, 3:30 p.m.). No. 1 Mississippi State returns from a bye for a big road game at Kentucky. The preceding sentence makes me believe the apocalypse is nigh.
Sure, root for a Kentucky win if you want. I still think Mississippi State is a paper tiger (err, paper bulldog). It jumped so high in the rankings on the heels of a win against Texas A&M that looks like it means nothing now. It scored a home upset win over Auburn, which is nice. However, I think Auburn wins that game nine times of ten on a neutral field free of cowbells.
Basically, Mississippi State still has to play at Alabama and at Ole Miss. Its 15 minutes are coming to an end in a few weeks. If anything, quelling any and all recruiting momentum for Kentucky in Ohio is higher priority, at least for this writer.
Michigan State's defense would not leave Devin Gardner alone in last year's contest.
Michigan at Michigan State (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). Thanks to a scheduling quirk associated with the expansion to 14 teams and realignment, Michigan State is hosting Michigan in consecutive years.
Michigan is a 17-point underdog. A win would be a monumental upset. If you had told me this would be the state of Michigan football back when I was in college a little over ten years ago, I would have dismissed you as a delusional moron.
Texas Tech at Texas Christian (FOX, 3:30 p.m.). TCU is the no. 10 team in the country. At the end of the day, I don't think it poses that much of a problem to Ohio State's playoff aspirations. A loss would obviously be nice, but I think TCU is "leapfroggable". That is not a word and it's also a bad pun.
Speaking of bad, Texas Tech is bad at football. Expect an easy win for TCU on Saturday.
West Virginia at Oklahoma State (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.). Look who's back in the top 25. West Virginia is popular again after upsetting Baylor in Morgantown. Baylor is notoriously feeble outside Waco, but, there you go.
There was promise for Oklahoma State this season after beginning 5-1. However, a season-ending injury to J.W. Walsh coincided with some limp efforts against the likes of Iowa State and Kansas. TCU bombed Oklahoma State by 33 points last week.
Georgia Tech at Pittsburgh (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.). These two teams were responsible for one of the most historically significant college football games in the history of the Deep South. Now? They're responsible for why the ACC is so bad at football.
Oregon State at Stanford (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.). At 4-3 this season, Stanford just isn't playing "Stanford football", guys.
However, Stanford is still a team for which Ohio State fans may want to cheer. Stanford still controls its destiny at 2-2 in the Pac-12 North. It plays at Oregon next week.
Vanderbilt at Missouri (SEC Network, 4 p.m.). I'd laugh at the SEC Network for showing a terrible game at 4 p.m., but BTN is probably showing volleyball or soccer at this time instead.
Syracuse at Clemson (ESPNU, 7 p.m.). Remember Clemson? It used to be a thing this season that deserved attention.
Ole Miss at LSU (ESPN, 7:15 p.m.). Ole Miss is in the driver's seat in the SEC before a probable berth in the SEC Championship Game. If it's going to lose before then, it'll be this game, the one next week at home against Auburn, or a bit later in the season at Fayetteville.
What do we make of LSU this season, though? This was a team that should have lost in Houston to a Wisconsin team that can't throw a football. It also has a home loss to Mississippi State and was mauled in Auburn.
Ole Miss has given LSU fits even in good years for the Tigers and bad years for the Rebels. Ole Miss last won in Baton Rouge in 2008.
Lane Kiffin needed a moment to himself when resigning his position in Knoxville in 2009.
Alabama at Tennessee (ESPN2, 7:30 p.m.). I should not have to specify a rooting interest for you in this game, though I think the rooting interest devolves into rooting against hearing about Lane Kiffin during this telecast.
South Carolina at Auburn (SEC Network, 7:30 p.m.). This is another game that looked much better in the preseason (and as a possible SEC Championship Game preview) than it does now. Auburn will win this one handily.
Ohio State at Penn State (ABC, 8 p.m.). This is your personal game of the week. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this game.
USC at Utah (FOX Sports 1, 10 p.m.). If all goes according to plan in Happy Valley, maybe you'll find yourself checking on this game between two ranked teams in the Pac-12. USC is no. 20 and Utah is no. 19.
Arizona State at Washington (ESPN, 10:45 p.m.). Taylor Kelly is scheduled to return for Arizona State, which makes an already good offense that much better. Washington still hasn't put it together in Chris Petersen's first year in Seattle.
