The biggest college football game of the week involves a plucky upstart. It involves a team from Ohio. It involves a conference’s traditional power of recent years. It is, as you have surmised, Cincinnati’s visit to UCF.
The Game that Matters
Cincinnati @ UCF (Saturday, 3:30 PM EST, ESPN)
The Bearcats are, by virtually every account, one of the ten best teams in the country. Their offense is flawed but competent, perhaps in league with that of Oregon. Their defense is good. Good, good. Perhaps better than even Ohio State’s.
With the first College Football Playoff Rankings of the season being compiled in the coming days, this is the biggest opportunity yet for the Bearcats to make noise. If they continue their dominance (they’ve yet to win a game by fewer than 14 points, and they beat respectable Memphis, SMU, and Houston by an average of 32) against a team with at least some cachet (UCF has never been beloved by the committee, but they’re publicly recognizable, and the public shapes things), they’re going to make quite a case for themselves. And in a season in which they might wind up with eleven wins, they’re making about the best case we could imagine a Group of Five team making. Should they be expected to be ranked in the top four come Tuesday? Even if they win by 50, the answer is no. But fifth isn’t outside the realm of possibility, and fourth isn’t impossible given how little we know about the committee’s attitude towards Ohio State’s limited accomplishments so far.
The Games that Might
Indiana @ Ohio State (Saturday, 12:00 PM EST, FOX)
Speaking of the Buckeyes, they’ve got a routine Big Ten East game against a team that upset Penn State at home.
No, there isn’t reason to be all that high on Indiana. Yes, they’re a lot of fun, and they don’t deserve any criticism, but in a practical sense, this is just another one of those 20-point favorite games on a title contender’s schedule. Yeah, an upset’s possible, but this isn’t some landmark showdown.
Wisconsin @ Northwestern (Saturday, 3:30 PM EST, ABC)
Continuing in the Big Ten, we’ve got a potential de facto West Division championship going down between a team lauded for its defense and a team whose defense is better than that one. Wisconsin, not Indiana, is the biggest obstacle between Ohio State and the playoff. And this is the second-biggest obstacle in front of the Badgers (the biggest is not reaching the six games the Big Ten’s saying are necessary to play in the Big Ten title game).
Clemson @ Florida State (Saturday, 12:00 PM EST, ABC)
Clemson’s still a placeholder in the CFP four. They are a massive favorite tomorrow. They could technically lose, so we mention them here.
Oklahoma State @ Oklahoma (Saturday, 7:30 PM EST, ABC)
There’s theoretically a universe in which a one-loss Oklahoma State is a CFP contender, but we’re a long way from that universe. Nevertheless, here’s a football game that’s big in its within-conference context.
UCLA @ Oregon (Saturday, 3:30 PM EST, ESPN2)
If this game happens (UCLA’s rumored to have a lot of positive cases), it’s an avoid-disaster one for the Ducks, who are a legitimate playoff hope for the Pac-12…but possibly only for now.
Florida @ Vanderbilt (Saturday, 12:00 PM EST, ESPN)
Kentucky @ Alabama (Saturday, 4:00 PM EST, SEC Network)
Over in the SEC, avoid-disaster games for the division leaders.
Appalachian State @ Coastal Carolina (Saturday, 12:00 PM EST, ESPN2)
North Alabama @ BYU (Saturday, 3:00 PM EST, ESPN3)
Liberty @ NC State (Saturday, 7:30 PM EST, ESPN3)
And finally, our Group of Five undefeated’s (MWC and MAC teams excluded for not playing enough games yet to be on full-season-undefeated watch). BYU’s the only one with a real playoff shot at this stage, and even that’s up for debate. The Coastal Carolina/Appalachian State game might be the best of the week. Liberty looks to continue building a case for itself being the third-best team in the ACC.
Viewing Schedule
Start with Coastal Carolina/App State. As with all times, keep an eye on the other scores, but that’s on the main TV barring unexpected developments. Next, Wisconsin/Northwestern’s first half, followed by an option between that game’s second half, Cincinnati/UCF’s second half, and Oregon’s second half. Finally, you can watch Bedlam if you want to, but you don’t have to. There are plenty of sports ahead. Might be a good night to have that one on in the background. If you want to seem like a #SmartCollegeFootballFan, watch Liberty/NC State and speculate about where Hugh Freeze will land this offseason.
