weekly overview. Bored. Here are my predictions for each week’s college gameday locations:
Week 1- Alabama vs. Wisconsin (Already determined) in Dallas
Week 2- Oregon @ Michigan State
Game already prime time on ABC, seems to be a no brainer
Notable matchups: OU @ Tennessee, Oregon @ MSU, LSU @ Miss. St
Week 3- GT @ Notre Dame
Notable matchups: GT @ Notre Dame, Auburn @ LSU, Stanford @ USC, Ole Miss @ Alabama
May be the toughest week to pick. I’d say it would be GT @ Notre Dame given the rankings and intrigue factor but that game is on NBC, and gameday typically shows preference to the ABC/ESPN matchups if there are decent games. That would point at Ole Miss @ Alabama as it’s a prime time late night game, they LOVE going to Tuscaloosa and the revenge factor is in play. However I think they would like to go to Athens two weeks later as both teams should be undefeated and that would be their third game in five weeks with Bama, so i’ll go with GT @ ND.
Week 4- USC @ Arizona State
Notable matchups: UCLA @ Arizona, USC @ Arizona State, TAM @ Arkansas
What I would say is without a doubt the worst week for big matchups of the season. They’ll probably go for the highest ranked of the two big Pac-10 games, which is tough to tell as there’s a good shot all four of those teams are unbeaten (the only real test is USC vs. Stanford in week 3).
Week 5- Alabama @ Georgia
Notable matchups: Alabama @ Georgia, Arkansas @ Tennessee, Notre Dame @ Clemson, Arizona State @ UCLA, Texas @ TCU
I could definitely see them going to Clemson for the Notre Dame matchup as it will likely be on ESPN/ABC, so I am not all that confident on this one. I think the decisive factor will be which matchup features unbeaten teams, and I think GT will beat ND.
Week 6- Oklahoma- Texas
Notable matchups: GT @ Clemson, Arkansas @ Alabama, Georgia @ Tennessee, Oklahoma vs. Texas, Miami @ FSU
Another very unimpressive week of matchups. I think if Clemson beats Notre Dame in week 5 it will be GT @ Clemson, though this could be one of those weeks where they decide to go rogue with one of those “Academy for the Blind” @ “Alabama school for the kids who don’t read good” games.
Week 7-Penn State @ Ohio State
Notable matchups: Michigan State @ Michigan, Mizzou @ Georgia, Alabama @ TAM, USC @ Notre Dame, Penn State @ Ohio State
Feel like this is almost a slam dunk as this is really the only potential Big 10 game they could feature all season and the other matchups aren’t particularly intriguing. Gameday hasn’t been to Columbus since 2010.
Week 8- FSU @ GT
Notable matchups:Tennessee @ Alabama, FSU @ GT
Again, a very unimpressive week of matchups. FSU has a good chance of being unbeaten as their two toughest games to this point (Miami and Louisville) are both at home. Admittedly at this point in the season it all starts becoming a crap shoot.
Week 9- Random wildcard pick (Ivy league, African American, etc.)
Notable matchups: Ole Miss @ Auburn, USC @ Cal, UF-UGA, Minnesota @ Michigan
The best game of the week by far (ASU @ Oregon) is on Thursday night. I think it’s likely that this would be the week they would go to one of those “random” school small games, depending on if there are any surprise teams like Michigan/Minnesota. That game is already at 8PM on ABC so who knows what might happen this week.
Week 10- FSU @ Clemson
Notable matchups: Michigan State @ Nebraska, FSU @ Clemson, Arizona @ USC, LSU @ Alabama, Arkansas @ Ole Miss, South Carolina @ Tennessee, Auburn @ TAM, Army @ Air Force
Logic suggests it will be LSU @ Alabama but that is the day of the big CBS 3:30/8:00 PM double header so I would very much doubt ESPN/ABC would want to publicize what will already be enormous ratings that day for CBS. I think it will come down to how Clemson and FSU are doing at this point in the season. If they both have two or fewer losses I could see it being in Clemson for a night game. I’ll note that week ten has a couple pretty good Thursday night games as well (MSU @ Mizzou and Baylor @ Kansas State.
Week 11- Oklahoma @ Baylor
Notable matchups: Oregon @ Stanford, Georgia @ Auburn, Arkansas @ LSU, Alabama @ MSU, Oklahoma @ Baylor
The second of the CBS doubleheader weekends for the season (12:00 PM/3:30PM this time around). I think it’s a slam dunk that UGA-Auburn and Arky-LSU get those two games in some order. Oklahoma @ Baylor seems like a great choice this week.
Week 12- Michigan State @ Ohio State
Notable matchups: TCU @ Oklahoma, Michigan State @ Ohio State, Tennessee @ Mizzou, LSU @ Ole Miss, Arizona @ AZ State
One of the biggest matchups of the season, slam dunk ABC prime time kickoff.
Week 13- Alabama @ Auburn
Notable matchups: Oklahoma @ OSU, Alabama @ Auburn, UGA @ GT, ND @ Stanford, UCLA @ USC
This one will simply go to the highest ranked rivalry game, which is most likely Alabama-Auburn. Return to Jordan Hare, too many story lines to pass up.
Thoughts?
Week 1- Alabama vs. Wisconsin (Already determined) in Dallas
Week 2- Oregon @ Michigan State
Game already prime time on ABC, seems to be a no brainer
Notable matchups: OU @ Tennessee, Oregon @ MSU, LSU @ Miss. St
Week 3- GT @ Notre Dame
Notable matchups: GT @ Notre Dame, Auburn @ LSU, Stanford @ USC, Ole Miss @ Alabama
May be the toughest week to pick. I’d say it would be GT @ Notre Dame given the rankings and intrigue factor but that game is on NBC, and gameday typically shows preference to the ABC/ESPN matchups if there are decent games. That would point at Ole Miss @ Alabama as it’s a prime time late night game, they LOVE going to Tuscaloosa and the revenge factor is in play. However I think they would like to go to Athens two weeks later as both teams should be undefeated and that would be their third game in five weeks with Bama, so i’ll go with GT @ ND.
Week 4- USC @ Arizona State
Notable matchups: UCLA @ Arizona, USC @ Arizona State, TAM @ Arkansas
What I would say is without a doubt the worst week for big matchups of the season. They’ll probably go for the highest ranked of the two big Pac-10 games, which is tough to tell as there’s a good shot all four of those teams are unbeaten (the only real test is USC vs. Stanford in week 3).
Week 5- Alabama @ Georgia
Notable matchups: Alabama @ Georgia, Arkansas @ Tennessee, Notre Dame @ Clemson, Arizona State @ UCLA, Texas @ TCU
I could definitely see them going to Clemson for the Notre Dame matchup as it will likely be on ESPN/ABC, so I am not all that confident on this one. I think the decisive factor will be which matchup features unbeaten teams, and I think GT will beat ND.
Week 6- Oklahoma- Texas
Notable matchups: GT @ Clemson, Arkansas @ Alabama, Georgia @ Tennessee, Oklahoma vs. Texas, Miami @ FSU
Another very unimpressive week of matchups. I think if Clemson beats Notre Dame in week 5 it will be GT @ Clemson, though this could be one of those weeks where they decide to go rogue with one of those “Academy for the Blind” @ “Alabama school for the kids who don’t read good” games.
Week 7-Penn State @ Ohio State
Notable matchups: Michigan State @ Michigan, Mizzou @ Georgia, Alabama @ TAM, USC @ Notre Dame, Penn State @ Ohio State
Feel like this is almost a slam dunk as this is really the only potential Big 10 game they could feature all season and the other matchups aren’t particularly intriguing. Gameday hasn’t been to Columbus since 2010.
Week 8- FSU @ GT
Notable matchups:Tennessee @ Alabama, FSU @ GT
Again, a very unimpressive week of matchups. FSU has a good chance of being unbeaten as their two toughest games to this point (Miami and Louisville) are both at home. Admittedly at this point in the season it all starts becoming a crap shoot.
Week 9- Random wildcard pick (Ivy league, African American, etc.)
Notable matchups: Ole Miss @ Auburn, USC @ Cal, UF-UGA, Minnesota @ Michigan
The best game of the week by far (ASU @ Oregon) is on Thursday night. I think it’s likely that this would be the week they would go to one of those “random” school small games, depending on if there are any surprise teams like Michigan/Minnesota. That game is already at 8PM on ABC so who knows what might happen this week.
Week 10- FSU @ Clemson
Notable matchups: Michigan State @ Nebraska, FSU @ Clemson, Arizona @ USC, LSU @ Alabama, Arkansas @ Ole Miss, South Carolina @ Tennessee, Auburn @ TAM, Army @ Air Force
Logic suggests it will be LSU @ Alabama but that is the day of the big CBS 3:30/8:00 PM double header so I would very much doubt ESPN/ABC would want to publicize what will already be enormous ratings that day for CBS. I think it will come down to how Clemson and FSU are doing at this point in the season. If they both have two or fewer losses I could see it being in Clemson for a night game. I’ll note that week ten has a couple pretty good Thursday night games as well (MSU @ Mizzou and Baylor @ Kansas State.
Week 11- Oklahoma @ Baylor
Notable matchups: Oregon @ Stanford, Georgia @ Auburn, Arkansas @ LSU, Alabama @ MSU, Oklahoma @ Baylor
The second of the CBS doubleheader weekends for the season (12:00 PM/3:30PM this time around). I think it’s a slam dunk that UGA-Auburn and Arky-LSU get those two games in some order. Oklahoma @ Baylor seems like a great choice this week.
Week 12- Michigan State @ Ohio State
Notable matchups: TCU @ Oklahoma, Michigan State @ Ohio State, Tennessee @ Mizzou, LSU @ Ole Miss, Arizona @ AZ State
One of the biggest matchups of the season, slam dunk ABC prime time kickoff.
Week 13- Alabama @ Auburn
Notable matchups: Oklahoma @ OSU, Alabama @ Auburn, UGA @ GT, ND @ Stanford, UCLA @ USC
This one will simply go to the highest ranked rivalry game, which is most likely Alabama-Auburn. Return to Jordan Hare, too many story lines to pass up.
Thoughts?
