YOUR Viewers Guide - Sept. 16th

My mood about soccer and volleyball coaches and their scheduling habits.

Yes, once again we have another 2:30 soccer match at my school where I am S.I.D. I swear he scheduled the game on PURPOSE! But it gets better as we also get an eight-hour volleyball extravaganza that begins at 9:00 a.m. and won't stop until the last round of games at 3:00 p.m.

Bad for me is that the night games don't have the same appeal as last week. Cursed am I that the 3:30 slot will feature all the national championship shakeout action. I love my job. I just need to get to a bigger school with a spring sport, say baseball, where it never touches football season, but I digress.

So here is the guide for this Sept. 16th Super Weekend of College Football that I will only get to read about hours later. However, new for this year are predictions!

Iowa at Iowa State, ESPN, 12:00 noon
Nope fans, I will be line judging my second volleyball game of the day when this one begins, but you will get treated to a battle of unbeaten teams in the land of corn. Iowa State has spoiled Iowa's dreams before (see 2001) and the Cyclones could be in good shape to do the same with Iowa QB Drew Tate sitting on the sidelines. The Hawkeyes struggled against hapless Syracuse without Tate and Iowa State represents a serious upgrade compared to the Orange. Iowa State 23, Iowa 17

Michigan State at Pittsburgh, 12:00, ESPN 2 (regional)
ESPN 2 has gone all regional on us now? Other viewers will get BC-BYU but for those lucky to see this tilt I can only hope that Drew Stanton runs (and passes) wild on Pitt. Both programs had meaningless wins in their first two games and now they will step it up in this game. From an Irish standpoint, I hope the Spartans win because then we'll get a week to focus on revenge. Michigan State 26, Pittsburgh 21

Miami, FL at Louisville, ABC, 3:30 p.m.
The appetizers over with, we now move on to the main course where I will join everyone about an hour into the action. First we begin with the Biggest Game in Louisville's History while for Miami is simply a regrouping to get back into the national picture. Bobby Petrino's offense vs. Miami's defense. The Cardinals are without Michael Bush (UK did something right.) and they will rely on Brian Brohm more and more. However, the Miami offense hasn't shown me anything that they can hang with the Cards. In college, I'll always take the team that can score, because while they might not get their average, you always struggle to make yours. Louisville 27, Miami 23

Oklahoma at Oregon, ABC, 3:30 p.m.
Its the rematch of the Holiday Bowl, won by the Sooners, 17-14 last year. In this version we have Adrian Peterson carrying the entire offensive load for OU versus an Oregon team that is vastly underrated. If revenge is the word of the day, then the Ducks should fare better than UAB did against Oklahoma. Oregon can score and mentioned before, I'll take the better offensive team everytime. Oh, and Autzen Stadium is the loudest, small stadium you have ever heard in your life. Oregon 24, Oklahoma 17

LSU at Auburn, CBS, 3:30 p.m.
For the love of God, why couldn't this be the primetime CBS game? Sigh. Alas, the Loveliest Village on the Plains will host the second defining moment of the 2006 college football season. Its the Bayou vs. the Plains and both come in with wins over Pac-10 fodder and hapless opponents. Auburn gets credit for it being against a BCS school, but Mississippi State might not score for quite some time this season. Some games however, defy logic and the Bengal Tigers have won their last three games (Peach Bowl included) by a score of 130-9. Give me my first eyebrow raise of the year: LSU 16, Auburn 14

Michigan at Notre Dame, NBC, 3:30 p.m.
The Lou Holtz in me says to fear the Wolverines. Fear their awesome defense. Fear their explosive offense. Fear, fear, fear. Problem is, I am not buying it. How many times has Michigan sent far better teams to South Bend only to walk away losers? How can anyone expect Lloyd Carr in his right mind to get innovative after the second quarter? And how, for the love of God can Charlie Weis get outcoached by this ragtag Michigan group? Puhleeze. I don't see a spanking, as Irish fans will never have a day to counter the 38-0 loss in 2003, but I have feared far better Michigan teams in the past and have come out okay. Notre Dame 23, Michigan 10


The Night Games. On paper the night games should provide dessert to a full day, however, I can see all three games getting out of control quickly. Nebraska doomed themselves against USC thanks to a mouthy cornerback. The Bowden Bowl could be an exciting back and forth affair but I doubt it with Jeff Bowden running the show. While not a blowout, it could be a yawner. Finally we come to Tennessee and Florida. The question to be answered is which Tennessee team will the nation see? The Air Force Tennessee would provide Florida will have a huge win, 62-37 style. If the California Tennessee shows up then CBS will be justified for their primetime choice. The problem? Florida tackles on defense and Erik Ainge hasn't been hit in the mouth, yet.

USC 44, Nebraska 14
Florida State 7, Clemson 6
Florida 27, Tennessee 14

Happy viewing, punks.