Our Honor Defend

Yes, we’re all big Buckeye fans, but we watch other stuff too.  For me, one of the most enjoyable parts about college football is just being lost in the action… the moment where the sheer wealth of alternatives for my viewing pleasure becomes so great that it becomes incomprehensible.  It’s the same reason why the first two rounds of the NCAA tournament are the best parts of the whole stupid thing and why January 1 used to be a second Christmas before the BCS dicked with it.

With that said, here’s what I’ll be furiously channel-clicking back and forth between and why I’m curious about these particular matchups.  Time and work schedule permitting, I hope to make this a regular feature during the college football season.  If you’re curious about what is on and when, feel free to consult ESPN.com.

Thursday

• Jacksonville State @ Georgia Tech (ESPN360.com, 7:30PM ET). Granted, I don’t get this particular service and probably won’t get to watch this game unless I luck out and one of the 6 southern sports stations I have picks it up¹.  Georgia Tech always intrigued me because of their history.  They play in perhaps the least inspiring conference in college football, but they’re a tradition-rich team and one of the Southern powers back in the day.  Fun fact about the Ramblin’ Wreck: They have more SEC championships than Auburn, though they’ve been out of the SEC for over 40 years.  Of course, that by itself doesn’t make them worth my time.  The only reason I’m interested in Georgia Tech now is because of Paul Johnson.  I was a huge fan of his at Navy and I’m really hoping he turns the Ramblin’ Wreck from Georgia Tech into an ACC power.  Flexbone double-slot spread option FTW.
• Charleston Southern @ Miami (FL) (ESPN360.com, 7:30PM ET).  The Hurricanes play on Thursdays now? How the mighty have fallen…
• NC State @ South Carolina (ESPN, 8:00PM ET).  The national kickoff for the college football season, and the most accessible game of the night.  NC State has been overly kind to the Buckeyes (2003, 2004).  South Carolina has not, and I haven’t forgiven them for it.  It’s pretty obvious who I’ll be pulling for, though I still think Tom O’Brien (head coach for NC State) is a mental midget.
• Oregon State @ Stanford (ESPN2, 9:00PM ET).  I grew up in LA, so I’ve always been somewhat interested in Pac-10 football.  I still think it’s a conference exemplar (9 game conference schedule in a 10 team conference).  That said, the only reason to watch this game is for any glimpse of the Leland Stanford Jr Marching Band, the second greatest marching band in the country behind, well, you know who.  If you hate Stanford’s marching band, you hate America and you are no friend of mine.  To this day, their halftime salute to OJ Simpson stands as the single greatest halftime show. Ever.

Friday

• Temple at Army (ESPN Classic, 7:00PM ET). I think every college football fan should pick a side in the Commander-in-Chief Trophy wars.  Slim pickings today, but I always watch a game with a service academy if I can.

Saturday

• Youngstown State @ Ohio State (BTN, 12:00PM ET). This one is obvious.  Gabby, myself, and a lady friend of ours who’s a native Ohioan and fervent Buckeye nationalist are going to hunt down every establishment in the greater Greenbow County area looking for a place with a dish.  We WILL watch this game, though Comcast doesn’t want us to.  I think the lady friend in question has a dish herself, but her place is the last option at the moment.  Oh, and someone’s face is going to get broken if BTN decides to give us a crappy game like WKU at Indiana in that timeslot instead.
• Syracuse @ Northwestern (ESPN2, 12:00PM ET). Pulling for Northwestern of course.  Notwithstanding the pedestrian team name, I can’t think of any reason why anyone should hate Northwestern².  It should be a pillowfight, though. I expect the Wildcats to win.  They’ll have my well-wishes.
• USC @ Virginia/Utah @ Michigan (ABC, 3:30PM ET). Know thy enemy.  I don’t know which game ABC will give me, but I really think I stand a chance at getting Utah and Michigan, especially once USC is up by three touchdowns in the second quarter.  I have to see Utah-Michigan, though I still can’t think that Michigan will lose that game.
• Appalachian State @ LSU (ESPN, 5:00PM ET). Oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please oh please.
• Alabama @ Clemson (Atlanta)/Michigan State @ Cal (ABC, 8:00PM ET).  I would much rather watch Sparty and Cal, since that matchup is infinitely more interesting.  My parents who still live in LA will get it, I’m sure.  As for me? I live in Alabama… so I don’t think I have an option here.  I’ll probably end up watching the Tide play just so I’ll know what the natives are talking about on Monday when they storm into my office to bitch about petty irritances.  Sigh… this is so unfair.
• Illinois @ Missouri (St. Louis) (ESPN, 8:30PM ET). Hell, why not.  Who would’ve thought four years ago that Illinois and Missouri would not only be playing on the gridiron, but that it would also be an almost-interesting matchup?

Sunday

• Kentucky @ Louisville (ESPN, 3:30PM ET). College football is played on Sunday now?  This promises to be an awful game.  I’ll probably do some reading instead.

Monday

• Fresno State @ Rutgers (ESPN, 4:00PM ET). College football is played on Monday now? And Rutgers isn’t playing on Thursday now? My only interest in this game is to see what the Bulldogs are capable of.  I’m sure the Badgers will be watching as well.
• Tennessee @ UCLA (ESPN, 8:00PM ET). Tennessee and UCLA matchup again.  They used to have a series going in the nineties.  My thoughts on the SEC are outright genocidal, so it doesn’t take a lot of imagination to guess who I’ll be quietly pulling for.

Getcha popcorn ready… it’s almost here.

1. oh please oh please oh please [↩]
2. To be honest, I’m still a little pissed about 2004… but my court-appointed psychiatrist says I’ve made strides in making peace with it. [↩]