College Football Week Nine Viewing Schedule

Last week gave us top 25 teams in close games (Texas Tech/TCU and LSU/A&M) and blowouts (Florida/South Carolina, Kansas State/West Virginia). What does week nine have in store for us? Here are the games you should be watching….

Thursday, October 25th

Clemson (6-1, 3-1) at Wake Forest (4-3, 2-3), 7:30 PM, ESPN

It’s Thursday night and it’s time for some ACC football. Don’t everybody slow golf clap at once. This is an important game for Clemson because after their loss to FSU all they can do is keep winning and hope that FSU slips up somewhere along the way. Watch this one for Clemson’s explosive offense (second in the league in points and third in total yardage). This game is at Wake Forest, where the Deacons are 3-1 including a win over UNC.

Friday, October 26th

Cincinnati (5-1, 1-0) at Louisville (7-0, 2-0), 8 PM, ESPN

Last week, the Bearcats went to Toledo and ended up with their first loss. If they could have come through in that one, this game would have had a lot more sizzle. As it stands now, we have two of the three undefeated Big East teams (in conference play) facing off. We also have the top two offensive teams in the Big East. The winner of this game has a very good shot at going to a BCS bowl later this season.

Saturday, October 27th

Iowa (4-3, 2-1) at Northwestern (6-2, 2-2), Noon, ESPN2

The best game in this timeslot (NC State/UNC) actually isn’t on TV this week. Boo! You can watch it on ESPN3.com and while you watch that on your computer you can take in some Big Ten football as Iowa travels to Northwestern in a game that pits two teams coming off losses. The interesting thing here is that despite playing very poorly so far this season, Iowa still controls it’s own destiny in the Big Ten Legends division. If they can get some QB play who knows what will happen in this game. Another interesting game in this timeslot is Ole Miss vs Arkansas (SEC Network). Expect lots of offense in that one.

Florida (7-0, 6-0) vs Georgia (6-1, 4-1), 3:30 PM, CBS

The name might have changed but it’s still the World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party to us. A ton is on the line in this one as the winner takes the SEC East and with it a birth in the SEC Championship Game. Florida has looked very impressive lately and Georgia has not but this is a rivalry game and in a rivalry anything can happen. Georgia safety Shawn Williams called out some of his teammates this week. Tune in to see if his words have an impact. A couple of other games of interest in this timeslot are Texas Tech/Kansas State (FOX) and Duke…yes Duke taking on FSU (ESPNU).

Ohio State (8-0, 4-0) at Penn State (5-2, 3-0), 5:30 PM, ESPN

This is a sandwich game right between the 3:30 and 8 PM games. This is your go-to game if Florida/Georgia gets out of hand. After a lackluster start, Bill O’Brien has the Nittany Lions playing some good football with back to back wins over Northwestern and Iowa. This should be the toughest game Ohio State has played so far this season.

Notre Dame (7-0) at Oklahoma (5-1), 8:00 PM, ABC

Notre Dame is 7-0 and has looked very impressive at times. At other times, they’ve been in survival mode winning ugly. Oklahoma comes into this game with back-to-back blowouts on the heels of a victory over a good Texas Tech team in Lubbock. Without a doubt, the Sooners will be the toughest opponent the Irish have played this season. It’s time to find out just how good Notre Dame is. A couple of other games to check out in this timeslot are the undefeated Mississippi State Bulldogs taking on the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide and a contenders battle in the Big Ten between Michigan and Nebraska.

Oregon State (6-0, 4-0) at Washington (3-4, 1-3), 10:15 PM, Pac-12 Network

Here’s a late snack for those of you with the Pac-12 Network. Washington has played below expectations so far this season and the Beavers have played way above expectations. All signs points to a win for the Beavers but that’s why they play the game and don’t forget that Washington played USC very tough at home two weeks ago. Washington’s record is also a bit of a function of their schedule as they have three losses to top 25 teams (and one victory against Stanford who was ranked #8 at the time of their game).