Labor Day weekend is here, and another college football season got underway Thursday night. Future Texas A&M opponent South Carolina narrowly defeated North Carolina 17-13, and a team some people consider a national championship prospect, number two TCU, escaped an upset by Minnesota (23-17). I can still remember when TCU was a Southwest Conference has-been.
There are several TV games Saturday that might be interesting:
Louisville vs Auburn: This is the SEC showcase game at 2:30 on CBS. I always scout Texas A&M's division rivals, and Auburn, rated 6th nationally, is favored by 10.5 points against Charlie Strong's former team. College Football News predicts Auburn will cover easily (35-20). UPDATE: Auburn struggled, but pulled out a 31-24 win.
Arizona State vs Texas A&M: This one will be played in Houston, but most people are calling it the equivalent of an Aggie home game. ESPN will show it at 6:00 PM. The Sun Devils are ranked in the Top Twenty (number 15), but the unranked Aggies are favored by a FG. Last year, the Aggies started the season with an impressive win against South Carolina that turned out to be not such a big deal after all. If A&M does beat ASU, I hope it isn't because the Sun Devils are grossly overrated. CFN predicts the Aggies win a 38-34 shootout. I'll take that.
Texas at Notre Dame: This is an Irish home game at 6:30 on NBC. Notre Dame is ranked 11th and is favored by 9.5 points. I don't like either team, but I hate the longhorns more so I'll pull for ND to blow 'em out. UPDATE: The Irish big (38-3)
Wisconsin vs Alabama: The Badgers (20) against the Tide (3) at Arlington, Texas. Game will be aired on ABC at 8:00 PM, and I'll switch to this one when the A&M game is over. Alabama is favored by 10 points, and CFN predicts they'll rack up a fairly solid 34-20 win. UPDATE: The Tide rolls 35-17.
Update 7:49 PM Saturday: The Aggies lead Arizona State 14-7 at halftime. One long TD drive made it 7-0 Aggies, and a long punt return made it 14-0. The defense is playing well, and it looked like things were under control. Then Kyle Allen lost a fumble, which set ASU up to score a TD (one pass, four yards, four seconds). The game has mainly been a defensive struggle, and it's been years since A&M was in one of those. Kyler Murray came in for the last possession and looked explosive with some Manziel moves. Wouldn't bother me to see him play more in the second half.
Update 9:59 PM Saturday: The final score was 38-17, and to be honest, I wasn't sure A&M could win at all, much less by three TDs. There's plenty of room for improvement, and Kyle Allen needs to eliminate his turnover problem. The defense looks crusty, and the Aggies finally look like an SEC team. This season could get interesting before it's over.
There are several TV games Saturday that might be interesting:
Louisville vs Auburn: This is the SEC showcase game at 2:30 on CBS. I always scout Texas A&M's division rivals, and Auburn, rated 6th nationally, is favored by 10.5 points against Charlie Strong's former team. College Football News predicts Auburn will cover easily (35-20). UPDATE: Auburn struggled, but pulled out a 31-24 win.
Arizona State vs Texas A&M: This one will be played in Houston, but most people are calling it the equivalent of an Aggie home game. ESPN will show it at 6:00 PM. The Sun Devils are ranked in the Top Twenty (number 15), but the unranked Aggies are favored by a FG. Last year, the Aggies started the season with an impressive win against South Carolina that turned out to be not such a big deal after all. If A&M does beat ASU, I hope it isn't because the Sun Devils are grossly overrated. CFN predicts the Aggies win a 38-34 shootout. I'll take that.
Texas at Notre Dame: This is an Irish home game at 6:30 on NBC. Notre Dame is ranked 11th and is favored by 9.5 points. I don't like either team, but I hate the longhorns more so I'll pull for ND to blow 'em out. UPDATE: The Irish big (38-3)
Wisconsin vs Alabama: The Badgers (20) against the Tide (3) at Arlington, Texas. Game will be aired on ABC at 8:00 PM, and I'll switch to this one when the A&M game is over. Alabama is favored by 10 points, and CFN predicts they'll rack up a fairly solid 34-20 win. UPDATE: The Tide rolls 35-17.
Update 7:49 PM Saturday: The Aggies lead Arizona State 14-7 at halftime. One long TD drive made it 7-0 Aggies, and a long punt return made it 14-0. The defense is playing well, and it looked like things were under control. Then Kyle Allen lost a fumble, which set ASU up to score a TD (one pass, four yards, four seconds). The game has mainly been a defensive struggle, and it's been years since A&M was in one of those. Kyler Murray came in for the last possession and looked explosive with some Manziel moves. Wouldn't bother me to see him play more in the second half.
Update 9:59 PM Saturday: The final score was 38-17, and to be honest, I wasn't sure A&M could win at all, much less by three TDs. There's plenty of room for improvement, and Kyle Allen needs to eliminate his turnover problem. The defense looks crusty, and the Aggies finally look like an SEC team. This season could get interesting before it's over.
No comments:
Post a Comment