College football is the king of Saturday afternoons in the fall, ladies and gentlemen. . .and, hey, it helps us kill time before we get to watch the Minnesota Vikings on Sundays. So, let’s take a spin around the college football world and see what’s happening on college campuses today.
The Minnesota Golden Gophers, are coming off of a disappointing 29-26 loss to Penn State last week in Happy Valley, but that doesn’t matter now because it’s HATE WEEK~! Yes, the Gophers return to TCF Bank Stadium to do battle with their rivals to the south, the Iowa Hawkeyes. They’ll be battling for Floyd of Rosedale, as these two teams have done since 1935. Minnesota managed to snag the trophy in 2014, but the Hawkeyes took it back to Iowa City last season. Kickoff time is scheduled for 11 AM Central time, and will be broadcast on ESPN2. Our friends at The Daily Gopher will have all of today’s coverage. WHO HATES IOWA!?
For those fans of the five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time, five-time reigning and defending FCS champions, the North Dakota State University Bison, they’ll be on the road in Springfield, Missouri today. The Bison will be taking on the Missouri State Bears in Missouri Valley Football Conference action. Kickoff for this one is scheduled for 2:00 PM Central time, and will be shown on ESPN3, as well as on NBC stations throughout the state of North Dakota.
We have a few matchups today that pit top 25 teams against each other, with the biggest happening in the SEC. It will take place this afternoon in College Station, Texas. The Tennessee Volunteers, currently at 5-0 and the 9th-ranked team in America, will hit the road to take on the Texas A&M Aggies, currently ranked #8. This game will kick off at 2:30 PM Central time, and will be nationally broadcast on CBS.
The SEC will have a second Top 25 matchup later this evening in Fayetteville, as the 16th-ranked Arkansas Razorbacks will play host to the top-ranked team in the nation, the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide. The broadcast for this one will be on ESPN, and is set to kick off at 6:00 PM Central.
The ACC will have its own Top 25 matchup, as the suddenly reeling Florida State Seminoles, ranked #23 despite two consecutive losses, will head to South Beach to take on one of their biggest rivals, the 10th-ranked Miami Hurricanes. Man, I can remember when Miami/Florida State was a huge deal, and it’s cooled off a bit over the past few years, but this still has the potential to be a good one. Kickoff is slated for 7:00 PM Central, and it will be shown on ABC.
The fourth and final matchup between Top 25 teams this week also takes place in the ACC, and more specifically in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. The 17th-ranked North Carolina Tarheels will play host to the Virginia Tech Hokies, currently ranked at #25. Kickoff for this one is at 2:30 PM Central time, and I’m not entirely sure where it will be shown on TV outside of the local markets.
One game that doesn’t involve two Top 25 teams but bears mentioning because of its rivalry status will happen at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Texas this morning. At 11 AM Central on Fox Sports One, it will be this year’s version of the Red River Shootout, as the Texas Longhorns and the Oklahoma Sooners (currently ranked #20) will add the next chapter to this storied rivalry.
There’s going to be a lot of college football action taking place today, folks, and you can talk about all of it here with your fellow Minnesota Vikings fans. Enjoy the games, everybody!