ESPN’s College GameDay makes it worth waking up on a Saturday and turning on the TV to watch some pre-game breakdown, and today they’re broadcasting from the campus of the Kansas Jayhawks for good reason. The Jayhawks have outperformed pretty much everybody’s expectations and they are an absolutely special team to watch. Almost as special as Mississippi State coach Mike Leach’s wedding advice.
GameDay has also made Pat McAfee a regular panelist, and it’s clear he’s brought that WWE experience into the show with him, because he’s absolutely mastered the Mick Foley “cheap pop.”
And while Kansas is No. 19 and probably won’t make it to the College Football Playoffs, watching them go is a real treat right now – enough of a treat that on the eve of GameDay setting up shop on their campus, they announced they are investing in a shiny new stadium. The Jayhakws boast a 5-0 record against the likes of Houston and Iowa State.
But there are a lot of solid Top 25 Match-ups today. Let’s take a look.
No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas
As good as the Jayhawks have been, though, the No. 17 squad they’re playing today has the edge in terms of the weapons they can put on the field when they’re on offense, and they might be the best total offensive package you can find right now, but Kansas utilized a powerful defense to hold off Iowa State, so there could be something that slows the Horned Frogs down. And, other than Iowa State, the Jayhawks have been putting a hurting to other teams’ defenses. TCU’s defense has some holes in it that Kansas can definitely exploit.
Texas A&M at No. 1 Alabama
Last spring was absolutely wild. Remember this?
Well, the day is finally here and… man, I bet Jimbo Fisher really wishes he had better momentum going into this one. The Aggies are one of the worst-performing offensive squads in Power 5 football, and Alabama has really only struggled once this year, and they seem to have recovered nicely. The Crimson Tide is just, once again, a tough squad to beat. And while Jimbo may or may not have paid for the best recruiting class, but those upperclassmen are not performing as well as they should be. However, this is one of those games that can become crazy at the drop of the hat.
No. 3 Ohio State at Michigan State
Michigan State could be a ranked team right now, but defensively they just aren’t cutting it. That’s going to be a problem today as Ohio State rolls on through. The Buckeyes will be without Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Miyan Williams, the team announced, but they have the ability to exploit the Spartans’ defensive struggles. Get a big lead and then shut the Spartans down the rest of the game, and let all those banged up guys rest.
No. 8 Tennessee at No. 25 LSU
The Vols come to Death Valley the week after LSU picks up a big road win against Auburn. And while I do love and adore the Tigers, I do have some concerns. On special teams, they still haven’t overcome their many deficiencies. And the Tigers defense was… not great last week. Auburn has a weak offense, but still came close to 500 yards against the Tigers. You just can’t let that happen against that team. Now, the Tigers have a Tennessee squad that looks poised to win big. The Death Valley of the South is a crazy place to play, and LSU’s offense is almost there.
Auburn at No. 2 Georgia
Georgia is at home a week after they dropped from No. 1 to No. 2 because of a less-than-outstanding performance against Missouri. The Bulldogs want to go back and prove they are the No. 1 team in the nation, and all of Auburn’s weaknesses last week against LSU are definitely weaknesses the Bulldogs can and will exploit.
No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech
Oklahoma State has had a very strong start, but I’ll be honest: They haven’t played a team as good as Texas Tech yet. Now, Oklahoma State can absolutely come away with the win, but it shouldn’t be easy for the Cowboys. Texas Tech is playing their fifth ranked opponent this year. There are few teams as testing as they are, and the Cowboys can’t take the Red Raiders lightly today.
Top 25 Schedule
No. 1 Alabama vs. Texas A&M, 8 p.m.
No. 2 Georgia vs. Auburn, 3:30 p.m.
No. 3 Ohio State at Michigan State, 4 p.m.
No. 4 Michigan at Indiana, 12 p.m.
No. 5 Clemson at Boston College, 7:30 p.m.
No. 6 USC vs. Washington State, 7:30 p.m.
No. 7 Oklahoma State vs. Texas Tech, 3:30 p.m.
No. 8 Tennessee at No. 25 LSU, 12 p.m.
No. 9 Ole Miss at Vanderbilt, 4 p.m.
No. 11 Utah at No. 18 UCLA, 3:30 p.m.
No. 12 Oregon at Arizona, 9 p.m.
No. 13 Kentucky vs. South Carolina, 7:30 p.m.
No. 14 NC State vs. Florida State, 8 p.m.
No. 15 Wake Forest vs. Army, 7:30 p.m.
No. 16 BYU vs. Notre Dame (Las Vegas), 7:30 p.m.
No. 17 TCU at No. 19 Kansas, 12 p.m.
No. 20 Kansas State at Iowa State, 7:30 p.m.
No. 21 Washington at Arizona State, 4 p.m.
No. 23 Mississippi State vs. Arkansas, 12 p.m.
No. 24 Cincinnati vs. South Florida, 2:30 p.m.