The 2015 season got off to a great start, with Texas A&M beating Arizona State 38-17, and Notre Dame crushing the stronghorns 38-3.
Early-season college football is usually devoted to non-conference games, so there aren't many games on the Saturday TV schedule that look interesting. I found four that might keep me awake:
Oklahoma at Tennessee: The Sooners are ranked 19th, and the Volunteers are 23rd. This is the 5:00 game on ESPN, and the betting line lists it as a pick 'em. I've hated OU since the years that A&M played them annually in the Big 12 (when that conference actually had 12 teams). I'll pull for Tennessee. UPDATE: Bummer. Oklahoma won 31-24 in 2OT game.
Ball State at Texas A&M: The Aggies made it into the top 20 after defeating the Sun Devils, and the line here is 29 1/2 points. The game kicks off at 6:00 pm on ESPNU. Texas A&M needs a good showing because they've looked sloppy against weak non-conference opponents in recent seasons. Just win by 30, and don't lose anyone to injury. I'm not asking for much.
Kentucky at South Carolina: The Gamecocks are on A&M's schedule every season now, meaning that I'll usually scout them whenever their games are on TV. This one starts at 6:30 on the SEC Network, running at the same time as A&M's game, so I'll be limited to checking the score during commercials. South Carolina is a TD favorite. UPDATE: Another future opponent eats shit. Kentucky beats the Gamecocks 26-22.
LSU at Mississippi State: The biggest SEC game of the day will be on ESPN at 8:15 pm. LSU is ranked 14th in the AP poll, and MSU is in at 25th. The visitors are favored by 3 1/2 points. These are SEC West division rivals for A&M, and both beat the Aggies last year. I'll probably watch the second half of this to scout the opposition.
Updated 7:45 PM on Saturday: Texas A&M 49 Ball State 3 at halftime. Last year, the Aggies had an impressive opening win against South Carolina, then followed up with a lackluster effort against Rice. On Ball State's first possession, it looked like A&M was going to sleepwalk through this game too. But they held a promising drive to a FG, and have dominated in all phases since then. That's good, because Arkansas now looks very beatable after their 16-12 loss to Toledo (a three TD underdog). Auburn had all they could handle against 41-point underdog Jacksonville State (winning 27-20 in OT). We'll see about LSU and MSU later tonight.
Updated 9:24 PM Saturday: The second half wasn't worth watching since the A&M coaches played everybody who suited up for the game. Ball State owned the second half 20-7, but still lost 56-23. The Aggies were able to cover the spread, which is fortunate for those who wager on these events.
Early-season college football is usually devoted to non-conference games, so there aren't many games on the Saturday TV schedule that look interesting. I found four that might keep me awake:
Oklahoma at Tennessee: The Sooners are ranked 19th, and the Volunteers are 23rd. This is the 5:00 game on ESPN, and the betting line lists it as a pick 'em. I've hated OU since the years that A&M played them annually in the Big 12 (when that conference actually had 12 teams). I'll pull for Tennessee. UPDATE: Bummer. Oklahoma won 31-24 in 2OT game.
Ball State at Texas A&M: The Aggies made it into the top 20 after defeating the Sun Devils, and the line here is 29 1/2 points. The game kicks off at 6:00 pm on ESPNU. Texas A&M needs a good showing because they've looked sloppy against weak non-conference opponents in recent seasons. Just win by 30, and don't lose anyone to injury. I'm not asking for much.
Kentucky at South Carolina: The Gamecocks are on A&M's schedule every season now, meaning that I'll usually scout them whenever their games are on TV. This one starts at 6:30 on the SEC Network, running at the same time as A&M's game, so I'll be limited to checking the score during commercials. South Carolina is a TD favorite. UPDATE: Another future opponent eats shit. Kentucky beats the Gamecocks 26-22.
LSU at Mississippi State: The biggest SEC game of the day will be on ESPN at 8:15 pm. LSU is ranked 14th in the AP poll, and MSU is in at 25th. The visitors are favored by 3 1/2 points. These are SEC West division rivals for A&M, and both beat the Aggies last year. I'll probably watch the second half of this to scout the opposition.
Updated 7:45 PM on Saturday: Texas A&M 49 Ball State 3 at halftime. Last year, the Aggies had an impressive opening win against South Carolina, then followed up with a lackluster effort against Rice. On Ball State's first possession, it looked like A&M was going to sleepwalk through this game too. But they held a promising drive to a FG, and have dominated in all phases since then. That's good, because Arkansas now looks very beatable after their 16-12 loss to Toledo (a three TD underdog). Auburn had all they could handle against 41-point underdog Jacksonville State (winning 27-20 in OT). We'll see about LSU and MSU later tonight.
Updated 9:24 PM Saturday: The second half wasn't worth watching since the A&M coaches played everybody who suited up for the game. Ball State owned the second half 20-7, but still lost 56-23. The Aggies were able to cover the spread, which is fortunate for those who wager on these events.
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