/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/62167147/TheSmokingMusketWatchList.0.0.jpg)
Separation Saturday is upon us, as there are at least four “conference semifinal” matchups on the schedule in three major conferences. Yes, our Mountaineers have a huge matchup on their hands, but that may not even be the third-most important game in the land this weekend. Here’s the Week 10 Watch List.
Noon:
Oklahoma State @ Baylor, 12:00 PM, FS1
The Cowboys (5-3, 2-3) sputtered in the middle of the season but revived the hope they once had with a win over Texas last Saturday. The Bears (4-4, 2-3) haven’t been able to put it all together this season. Drink for every interception, as both QBs have average one miscue per game.
No. 20 Texas A&M @ Auburn, 12:00 PM, ESPN
WVU fans need the Tigers (5-3, 2-3) to beat the Aggies (5-3, 3-2) so the SEC becomes even more watered-down. But this game will have that extra emphasis by having two teams who are second-chair in their state’s college football band. Drink every time the TV pans the crowd shaking pom poms.
Afternoon:
No. 14 Penn State @ No. 5 Michigan, 3:45 PM, ESPN
If WVU—or any Big 12 team—hopes to make the College Football Playoff, Michigan needs to lose. This is one of two chances the Wolverines (7-1, 5-0) have to lose, as the Nittany Lions (6-2, 3-2) come into the Big House. Drink for any reference to the cold weather in Ann Arbor on Saturday.
Primetime:
No. 1 Alabama @ No. 3 LSU, 8:00 PM, CBS
This is the biggest game of the 2018 college football season, not “up to this point,” but of the whole season. The Tigers (7-1) hope that Death Valley voodoo is in full force as the Crimson Tide (8-0). Drink for reach reference or highlight of that 9-6 game in 2011.
No. 7 Oklahoma @ Texas Tech, 8:00 PM, ABC
I don’t think this will be the shootout everyone wants it to be, but the Sooners (7-1) and Red Raiders (5-3) will surely put up some numbers. Drink at every mention of the result of the WVU-Texas game.
After Dark:
BYU @ Boise State, 10:15 PM, ESPN2
This game intrigues me because you have two teams who had a lot of promise early in the season. Now, the Cougars (4-4) are battling for bowl eligibility and the Broncos (6-2) are hoping they could possibly sneak into a NY6 bowl.
California @ No. 8 Washington State, 10:45 PM, ESPN
The Cougars are the Pac-12’s only hope of getting into the College Football Playoff and they need a statement win against the Bears. Drink for every run play Leach calls, plus a drink if that run play gets a first down.
This Saturday of college football promises to be a dramatic one, so drink up and enjoy the action!