Saturday Viewing Guide: Sept. 27
Plenty of good non-Sooner appetizers to load up on prior to the OU evening kickoff, including an afternoon triple header. (All times EST.)
12 pm to 3:30 pm: North Carolina at Miami (ESPN2)
Among an intriguing collection of early kicks, check out this battle of programs bursting at the seams with young talent. It's tough to see UNC knocking off The U, given the Tar Heels' injury issues at QB. Still, taking in games like this one help die-hard fans get a handle on who to watch for in the coming years. (Speaking of which, Beano Cook says next season's national championship game is Alabama-Penn State.)
-Alternative: Michigan State at Indiana (ESPN)
Homerism considers the Spartans to be possibly the most underrated team in the country. Luring Mark Dantonio to East Lansing to replace notorious choke artist John L. Smith eventually may prove to be on par with Sparty's brilliant hire of Nick Saban in the mid-'90s. All that being said, MSU will need to watch out for a letdown on the road after easily handling Notre Dame last week. Homerism suggests a simple offensive gameplan: Give the ball to Javon Ringer and let him create.
3:30 pm to 4:15 pm: Arkansas at Texas (ABC/ESPN GamePlan)
Just two weeks left until the Red River Shootout--THE premier rivalry game in college football. How good is the Texas defense under Will Muschamp? It will be tough to find out here, as the Hogs are unbelievably bad. Quarterback Casey Dick threw probably the worst pick-six Homerism has remember seeing in a long time. Forty-five minutes of this romp should be enough and will entail listening to plenty "Eyes of Texas." Escape while there's still time to...
4:15 pm to 5 pm: Wisconsin at Michigan (ESPN)
This makes for an interesting kickoff to the Big Ten season for both of these traditional conference powers. Wisconsin seems set for a potential run to the BCS title game, whether the rest of the country can stomach it or not. With both Ohio State and Penn State coming to Madison in the next two weeks, the Badgers could put themselves firmly in the Big Ten driver's seat by mid-October. Bret Bielema's team needs to get through the Wolverines first, though, and Homerism has officially put UW on upset alert. There could be some ugly football going down in this game, however, so be ready to make the jump to...
5 pm to 7 pm: Colorado at Florida State (ABC/ESPN GamePlan)
Colorado's Florida vacation certainly provides for one of the most intriguing games of the day. The Buffs are laying a great young foundation under Dan Hawkins, but the "young" part is what makes this one interesting. Even more than last week's upset of West Virginia, a win here would put the Big XII North on notice that CU is ready to compete for the division title right now.
-Alternative: Toggle between all of these games, depending on which one is most interesting.
7 pm to 10:30 pm: Oklahoma at TCU (FSN)
Homerism remembers the last time these two teams met in Norman like it was yesterday. I spent most of the day holed up in a Dewey Beach bar, ignoring the bright sunshine outside and growing increasingly disheartened as the game wore on. Whenever I taste Jagermeister now, it takes me back to that dark day. It's time to exorcise some demons.
-Alternative: N/A
10:30 pm to 11:15 pm: Alabama at Georgia (ESPN)
This has all the makings of a classic game. In the SEC, though, that usually means a drawn-out, every-possession-counts-more-than-the-last slugfest. Chances of the winning margin being more than eight points are slim. That means best action tends to come late in the fourth quarter, which should be fine for Sooner fans.
-Alternative: Virginia Tech at Nebraska (ABC/ESPN GamePlan)
The Cornhuskers still remain somewhat of an unknown under first-year head coach Bo Pelini. Even with the Hokies in the midst of a down season, this one still should provide some insight into the state of NU. Keep in mind that Pelini was the architect of an LSU defense that absolutely throttled Va. Tech last year.