While Clemson Football squares off against Florida State at noon, there will be several more games that could impact the Tigers this season.
The ACC schedule kicks off tonight with NC State visiting Virginia. The Cavs started well against Maryland last week but eventually fell behind the Terps. The Wolfpack weren’t ready to take on the Irish two weekends ago, but I expect they will be able to get the victory against UVA.
If you have a second television during the Tigers and Seminoles, here are some options in the noon window:
- Oklahoma at Cincinnati: The Bearcats had looked good until last week’s overtime loss to Miami (OH). The Sooners have looked good too, but they have yet to play a Power Five team on the road.
- Rutgers at Michigan: Rutgers is undefeated, but I’m more interested to see if they can just cover here.
- SMU at TCU: TCU has won both games since they lost to Colorado. This rivalry game is usually fun.
In the ACC, Syracuse hosts Army and Virginia Tech visits Marshall.
The 3:30 p.m. window has a handful of interesting games:
- Colorado at Oregon: The Ducks are a big favorite over the Buffaloes. Does Vegas doubt Colorado because Travis Hunter isn’t playing? Or do they simply think they aren’t ready to stroll into Autzen Stadium and be competitive?
- UCLA at Utah: Speculation is that Cam Rising will make his season debut against the Bruins.
- Ole Miss at Alabama: It wasn’t all that long ago that the Rebels were a thorn in Nick Saban’s side. Lane Kiffin beating his old boss would be a heck of a story.
The afternoon games in the ACC include Duke visiting UConn, Miami visiting Temple, and Boston College at Pitt. Georgia Tech at Wake Forest starts at 6:30 p.m. on the CW Network.
Clemson Football vs Florida State is at noon, Ohio State at Notre Dame is in primetime
The showpiece of the day will be at 7:30 p.m. when Ohio State visits Notre Dame in the return game from the Buckeyes victory in Columbus last fall. Ohio State is the favorite by a field goal in South Bend. We’ll see if the Irish are for real with Sam Hartman at quarterback.
Other options include:
- Iowa at Penn State is the other Top 25 matchup of the evening. The Hawkeyes have been more respectable offensively with Cade McNamara at the helm. This will be a good test for the Nittany Lions.
- The 2Pac Championship: Oregon State at Washington State: DJ Uiagalelei plays his first P5 opponent with the Beavers.
- The best evening game in the ACC will be North Carolina on the road against Pittsburgh. The Panthers have struggled on offense, but are usually a tough team at home. This will be the first true road test of the season for the Tar Heels.