What I'm Watching- College Football Slate 10/22

Another great Saturday of college football is upon us, and the chill in the air indicates this season is growing old. Despite the fact that most teams have already passed the mid-point of their season, college football has yet to reach it's apex. Ironically, the current BCS rankings ( if the top 4 teams don't change) would provide two de facto semifinal games. The first of those games is slated for Nov. 5 when LSU and Alabama go to battle with the winner pretty much becoming a shoe-in for the SEC championship game. The winner will then most likely face a much weaker SEC East opponent and with a win, waltz right into the BCS title game. In order for other de facto semifinal to take place, Oklahoma and Oklahoma St. have to stay undefeated until Dec. 3 when they face off in their final game of the season. If they both do in fact run the table, this games winner will also most likely waltz into the BCS title game. However, there is of course a "kicker". Due to the fact that Colorado and Nebraska left the Big 12 this season, there will  be no Big 12 Championship game. On the other hand, all the other Major BCS conferences will play a championship game, which  will inevitably result in one of two outcomes. 1) The winner in the Oklahoma vs. Oklahoma State game could get to the BCS Title by not playing a conference championship game and create yet again another controversial bowl season. 2) Another undefeated team that wins their conference championship game could catupult into the BCS Title game and leave the winner of Oklahoma/Oklahoma St. in the dust. The moral of this story is clear, fasten your seatbealts for a turbulent ride through the rest of the College Football season! Now, without further ado here's What I'm Watching!

North Carolina @ (7) Clemson ESPN 12PM

The "high noon" slot is just flat out miserable today. I wouldn't be surprised if every game is lopsided, and if it's not lopsided it'll most likely be a sloppy one and in turn very boring game. Anyways, I can guarantee one thing. Tune into this game for kickoff and you're bound to see some serious action (especially if Clemson receives the first kick). Clemson freshman Sammy Watkins is the biggest "Freshman Phenom" I've seen since Maurice Clarret. Watkins has made many contributions to this Clemson team that's looking to match their best start since 2000, when they started the season with 8 consecutive wins. Last week Watkins recorded 345 all-purpose yards, breaking C.J. Spiller's single game school record. This kid is every word that analysts use to describe a play-maker. He's got lighting speed, explosiveness, great vision, and freakish agility. Watkins reminds me of a more physical, bigger bodied Desean Jackson. He embodies that same prototype as well. Big play receiver, blinding speed, and a great kick returner. I suggest you get aquainted with Mr. Watkins, his Quaterback Mr. Boyd, and the rest of this Clemson Tigers team, they're about as exciting as they come in college football. 

(13) UNH vs. (22) UMass @ Gillette Stadium 3:30 PM CSN-NE

It doesn't get much better than this, the 74th meeting between two of New England's premiere State Universities, on top of that it will the last meeting in this rivalry as UMass moves to the FBS and Mid-American Conference next season. I'll be lucky enough to be at this game for the 5th consecutive year, and have been fortunate enough to see the the last ten meetings. It's tough to put into words what this game means to me; growing up in New England as a football fan on top of being a UMass alumnus. I'll miss this rivalry like nothing else along with the spirit and great brand of football that comes along with it. This game dates all the way back to 1897, which means if you do the math you'll conclude- a lot of people have been involved in and impacted by this game and they will all undoubtedly miss it dearly.

USC vs. Notre Dame 7:30 PM NBC

I  almost tossed my TV out the window earlier this week when I heard someone raise the question  "Does USC vs. Notre Dame still meant anything" wait....what? You've got to be kidding me right? I wish I was in the same room as that guy so I could have asked him if he remembers what happened the last 3 times USC has been to South Bend. Then he would have done his research and  stayed stuck in awkward silence for a few moments. The last three times the Trojans have come to Notre Dame Stadium it's been pretty ugly. There was  the whole favorable clock management by the refs, followed by Matt Leinart getting illegally pushed into the endzone by an ineligible Reggie Bush for the win. Next, there was Mark Sanchez participating in what looked like an early NFL pro-day workout, and embarrassing the Irish  38-0! And the last time, in what could have possibly bought Mr. Weiss' another year or two on his tenure (very glad it didn't), the Irish lost a close one 34-27. In which the Irish failed to score on the goal line with three consecutive incomplete passes as time ran out. So to say this game doesn't still mean anything is ludacrious. Brian Kelly is looking for his second straight win against a rival, and first win against USC at home, add to that it's under the lights! This game means everything to Notre Dame fans and that's why it's the only game on my list tonight!

You can follow me on twitter @ KMHJr  for all the latest news and analysis surrounding College Football 

What I'm Watching- College Football Slate 10/15

Despite my disgust with the FBS/BCS bowl system I will admit, I anxiously await the first BCS rankings which are released this Sunday. And to be quite honest, this is about the only time something positive comes out of the BCS rankings. The reason being- we finally have some clarity in trying to figure out who the best teams in the country are. With so much disagreement between the AP and coaches polls, fans have been stuck waiting, debating, and wondering. The most recent Coaches Poll has Oklahoma, LSU, Alabama, Wisconsin, and Stanford as their top 5. On the other hand, the most recent AP poll has LSU, Alabama, Oklahoma, Wisconsin, and Boise State as their top 5.  Almost an identical mix of teams, however, the only rank they agree on is Wisconsin’s. I think LSU is the best team in the country right this second and I believe their track record is most deserving of #1. I have ‘Bama coming in at a very close #2, which is fine by me because they face off three weeks from today. If both stay undefeated a ranking will be determined like it should be, in a head-to-head match up. At #3 I have Oklahoma whose biggest win was @ (then #5) Florida State and who still has 4 ranked opponents left on their schedule. They don't have enough quality wins in my opinion despite their big numbers. At #4 I’ agree with both polls and put Wisconsin in that slot, again, the hardest chunk of their schedule has yet to come and they have a lot of work ahead of them. And #5 is the team flying under everybody’s radar who could take the #4 spot in the BCS- the Oklahoma State Cowboys. This team is high octane and hopefully runs the table to setup a Dec. 3 showdown with their in state rival the Oklahoma Sooners.

(11) Michigan v. (23) Michigan St. 12 PM ESPN

Quite possibly the most on the line in the battle for the Paul Bunyan Trophy as the winner gains an inside track to win the Big Ten Legends division. Michigan State has won the last 3 games of this series.  MSU executed well in stopping Michigan QB Denard Robinson last year, intercepting him 3 times and holding him to 86 yds rushing. They’re calling for a windy one in East Lansing today with 25-30 mph winds. How does this affect Denard Roninson’s ability to throw the football? I think the wind is very problematic for Michigan’s offense and Sparty wins a close, defensive battle.

(20) Baylor v. (21) Texas A&M 12 PM FX

Longtime in-state, conference rivals will battle for the 108th time in the “Battle of the Brazos”. I’ll admit this is the recall game for the noon slot. By that I mean whenever it’s a commercial, challenge, or PAT in the Michigan/Michigan St. game I’ll hit the last button on the remote. Just the way it is in the game, no hard feelings to the residents of Texas or fellow Big12 members. Although this stat may cause some hard feelings for Baylor fans, Baylor is winless in their last 12 trips to College Station (0-11-1). Hey at least they got a tie, because they haven’t won @ Texas A&M since 1984. Ouch! Can RG3 continue to add to his magical season? Most likely, due to the the fact Texas A&M loves a good ole’ shootout. More importantly, can Baylor get the 27 year winless streak @ Texas A&M off their backs? It’s a tough omen to shake, for that reason I like the Aggies in this one. 

UMass v. Delaware 3:30 PM CSN-NE

UMass heads down to Newark, DE to face longtime CAA foe and #8 Delaware. UMass has had a rough time on the road in the CAA the last few seasons and has always had a tough time playing @ Delaware. In fact, Delaware is 13-3 against the Minutemen in games played in Newark. UMass recorded their last win @ Delaware in 2005, and undoubtedly would like to leave the CAA on a high note beating a conference rival that’s had their number. Expect to see a lot of points in this one that’s for sure.

Ohio St. v. (16) Illinois 3:30 PM ABC/ESPN

Illinois is off to a blazing start and looking to go (7-0) for the 1st time since 1951. Talk about bringing a program back from the dead, head coach Ron Zook is on the verge of doing just that with a win against the Buckeyes. The Fighting Illini will have their hands full against an embattled Ohio State team that has yet to win a Big Ten game (0-2). History is on the Buckeyes side in this match up as they’ve won 8 straight @ Illinois. Keep an eye on Illinois QB Nathan Scheelhaase (Sheel-house) who owns the 5th highest QB rating in nation, and you’ve probably never heard his name before, let alone knew how to pronounce it.

Florida v. (24) Auburn 7:00 PM ESPN

Good ole’ SEC battle in the night slot where the Gators will give freshman QB Jacoby Brisset his first start in a must win game for them. Bottom line, Florida loses they can kiss there chances at the SEC East goodbye. This is the first meeting between these two teams since 2007 and is always a must watch, the fact the last four games in this series have been decided in the last minute makes it that much more exciting. (Auburn won 3 of those 4) I am so confused by this game I can only hope it’s a competitive game that comes down to the last minute…again

(18) Arizona St. v. (9) Oregon 10:15 PM ESPN

Biggest headline in this Pac-12 (weird writing 12) match up, is Oregon will be without their RB and leading rusher in the nation LaMichael James who is out with an elbow injury. Arizona State leads the all-time series 16-15 dating back to 1966. The Ducks have won the previous six meetings, and Arizona State's last win over the Ducks game in 2004.Arizona State is in the same boat as Baylor and Illinois. All three teams are off to great starts and face a team they haven’t been able to beat in ages. If Arizona State wins this game look for them to make some serious noise and most likely win the Pac-12 South, this is by far the toughest game they have left on their schedule. 

What I'm Watching- College Football Slate 10/8

Here we stand at week 6 of the college football season with plenty of highlights, headlines, and by my count... 13 legitimate national championship contenders. Yes you heard right, out of the one hundred and twenty-six football bowl subdivision (FBS) teams only 13 of them have legitimate national championship hopes, and that's with me being extremely generous. I know, what a bleak future! For someone like myself who eats, sleeps, and breathes college football I've reached a boiling point. The fact that not even halfway through the college football season less than 10% of the FBS has a legitimate national title shot is flat out ludicrous. However, the seasoned politician that has become the FBS has shifted the attention and in turn conversation to conference realignments. Hey, what better strategy to re-shape the controversial discussion of college football then change the main talking point and hope that it will drown out the voice of the people. Nice try but it won't be that easy. Without getting too in depth, there's only one argument I need to justify the necessity for an FBS/BCS playoff and it comes in the form of a small phrase-TAKE A LOOK AROUND, AND BECOME AWARE! The Bowl system continues to  be exposed (see- every Sunday sports page, every Sunday), the people (fans, college administrations, and politicians) will always be chomping at the bit for the last piece of the puzzle in American organized sports, and the fundamental one of course- playoffs are the essence of sport. What more does a sports fan want than a tournament of champions between the best of the best, and for the cherry on top- the inevitable David v. Goliath match up where the underdog  prevails and turns into the Cinderalla. A look at this year's MLB playoffs shines a bright light on the competitive brilliance playoffs bring along with them. Last weeks episode of HBO's Real Sports (must watch) motivated me to take a look at this perpetual sports debate but for different reasons than in the past, and I still come to the same conclusion as millions of others. I hope it's only a matter of time before the top takes action by listening to the majority of their constituents as oppose to serving their financial  best interests.With that being said, here's What I'm Watching for this week's college football slate.

(3) Oklahoma v. (11) Texas High Noon ABC

Red River Rivalry. Both teams are undefeated and it's the 6th straight meeting both teams are ranked in the top 25.Voted top Rivalry Game in College Football by FBS coaches. Are the McCoy and Shipley families cloning their children? OU (-11) these games are always close, expect Landry Jones to have a day.... OU 31 Hook em' Horns 24

(17) Florida v. (1) LSU 3:30pm CBS

Always a great SEC match up- I think it's highly unlikely that it plays out that way this year. LSU (-14) is running on all cylinders right now and the Gators got rocked last week after scoring on their first play from scrimmage and proceeding to put up a dOnut thereafter. Remember when LSU was the talk of the town with a plethora of suspended players one being their staring QB??? Well they've silenced those critics and now the only talk they garner has to do with being the best team in the country. LSU rolls in this one, I might watch it sparingly with the hopes of seeing a nice Les Miles special teams trick play (it will be here soon, trust me).

(19) Maine v. (7) James Madison 3:30 CSN

Since I think the LSU v. FLA game will be a dud, and being wholeheartedly fed up with the FBS/BCS- I'm gonna make a statement here and go back to my FCS roots were college football is pure, natural, and there is in fact a playoff. The CAA is no question the SEC of the FCS (at least until they started dealing with attrition and realignment) anyways, this will be a great game with huge CAA implications. Both teams come in undefeated in conference play and I think James Madison is a national title contender but Maine always comes hard and prepared. JMU 28 Maine 24

(15) Auburn v. (10) Arkansas 7pm ESPN

Huge SEC match up with two evenly matched teams, this game is huge for Arkansas after already suffering a conference loss. Auburn has continued to show the resiliency and ability to finish football games that led them to an undefeated national championship last year. This game to me is a huge tone setter- Arkansas looses and they pretty much remove themselves from competing for the SEC West, Auburn is a 10 point underdog and a loss for them spells big trouble as they host Florida and then head to LSU in the next two weeks! This is literally a must win for both teams but I think Auburn's ability to close games gets them the win and stirs up talks about them being back on the radar. Auburn 38 Arkansas 35

(12) Michigan v. Northwestern 7pm Big Ten Network

It's the first test for Denard & Co. since the Fighting Irish came to town. Big Blue comes in with their highest rank since the 2007 preseason poll and a win will most likely catapult them to right around 9 or 10 in the next AP poll. Talk about leaps and bounds for a program? Right around this time last year I was at "The Big House" watching the Wolverines almost hand a game over to my FCS alma mater UMass. Northwestern is for real and will come in with their field general Dan Persa who is coming off a torn achilles last season. You rarely see this Northwestern team unprepared and expect them to be geared up after losing a tough one last week to Illinois. Northwestern 45 Big Blue 42

What I'm Watching- College Football Slate 10/1

(14) Tex A&M v. (18) Arkansas 12pm ESPN

Both teams are coming off tough losses in their conference openers last week. Texas A&M's aggressive defensive front will look to slow Arkansas' high powered offense and end the Razorback’s 12 game non-conference win streak. I like the Aggies in a close one.

Auburn v. (10) S. Carolina 3:30pm CBS

South Carolina will look to fix the scoring problems they’ve had the past two weeks, and Auburn is the prefect fit for that. Auburn ranks 110 out of 120 FBS teams in total defense, yielding 477.5 yards per game. Marcus Lattimore has lead the South Carolina offense Rushing for 611 yards and 8 TD's in 4 games. Rest assured you’ll see a heavy workload placed on Lattimore, and I think he continues to carry the Gamecocks. Auburn won 35-27 at home last September, and has won six straight in the series- South Carolina and the ole ball coach get revenge, finally.

(13) Clemson v. (11) V-Tech 6pm ESPN2

Clemson has been tested the past two weeks, and has passed with flying colors beating Auburn & Fla. St. Can they continue to play at a high level against a formidable ACC opponent in V-Tech, in one of the most hostile and toughest college football stadiums in the country? V-Tech is always tough at home and Beamer ball has been quite effected in past ACC battles, Clemson is for real though but this will be their toughest test yet- Tajh Boyd and Co. come out on top by 1 play.

(17) Texas v. Iowa St. 7pm FX

Both teams come in undefeated overall and in Big 12 play. Iowa St. pulled off the upset last year in Texas and since then there program has mad leaps and bounds. Texas has squeaked out a couple victories and has a lot of question marks on a young team. Coach Paul Rhodes has built up a lot of confidence in his program and got a huge win over Iowa in overtime. I like Iowa St. to stay unbeaten and win a close one.

(3) Alabama v. (12) Fla. 8pm CBS

Another great SEC rivalry takes place in the Saturday night primetime slot. ‘Bama takes their third ranked rush defense at 45.8 yards to Gainesville, FL. They'll rely on that stout defense in order to stop the Gators high powered rushing attack of Jeff Demps and Chris Rainey. Demps rushed for 157 yards and Rainey 105 last week in their win over Kentucky. Bama has made them self right at home at the Swamp going 7-2 in the last nine games there. ‘Bama will have their hands full with Florida’s speedy offense but they are too sound in all 3 phases of the game. ‘Bama wins a close one.

(8) Neb v.(7) Wisc. 8pm ABC

First Big Ten game for Nebraska and wow is it a good one! This is a match up the college football world has been anticipating since Nebraska moved from the Big 12 to the Big Ten last year. The tail of the tape is focused on two of the best quarterbacks and Heisman hopefuls Russell Wilson of Wisconsin and Taylor Martinez of Nebraska. This has all the makings to be an instant classic and is the first big Heisman interview on national television. The Badgers are tough at home and Nebraska has only won 2 games against top 10 teams. Badgers take it and Russell Wilson gets loose.

ND v. Purdue 8pm ESPN

Notre Dame has an NCAA high 15 turnovers in their first four games, with 6 coming in the red zone. On top of that Quarterback Tommy Rees is looking to play his first game without a turnover. This is a big game for Notre Dame to show they can protect the football, get over the .500 mark, and win on the road. Notre Dame has won the last 3 against Purdue and rolls to their fourth straight against the Boilermakers.

UCLA v. (6) Stanford 10:30

A couple reasons this game is on my radar. First, you can’t dispel the intestate=Pac 12 X-Factor. It has made for some epic games between in-state rivals even when it looks to be a one sided match-up…. (just like this one does). Stanford will be playing their first game after losing star linebacker Shayne Skov who was undoubtedly the Cardinal's best defensive player and anchor of the defense. UCLA comes in @ 2-2 but is no slouch on offense ranking second in the conference in rushing at 214 yards a game. UCLA won 5 straight before Andrew Luck took over as the big man on campus; he has guided the Cardinal to the last two wins in the series. UCLA knows how to pull off the upset though, knocking off then No.7 Texas on the road last year. My buddy “The Tiny Guru” says Andrew Luck has a career day, only thing is he hasn’t made a correct prediction since Clinton was in office. I think Stanford wins but it could be a close one.