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Week three of the college football season had figured to be a great opportunity for West Virginia football. Unfortunately, Hurricane Florence had to come in and drop 8 million pounds of water on the east coast, effectively canceling our game against N.C. State in Raleigh, North Carolina.
Now, we have a whole weekend to rest and watch football with no stress. Luckily, there are some superb matchups for week three of the regular season this Saturday.
Noon:
No. 5 Oklahoma (2-0) @ Iowa State (0-1), ABC
The Sooners travel to Ames for an early-season conference duel. This is a revenge game for OU, as their Baker Mayfield-led team shockingly lost to the Cyclones in Norman last season. It was truly the only embarrassing moment during their 2017 season. Will Lincoln Riley make up for it? Even last year, the Sooners managed 31 points, so this could be another shootout.
Georgia Tech (1-1) @ Pitt (1-1), 12:30, ACC Network/WatchESPN
Really, this is just a reason to root against that team from the north, but there are some storylines in here. The Ramblin Wreck need to bounce back after a perplexing loss at USF last week while the Panthers need to rebound after being handily dispatched by Penn State at home. These two teams really need this win to help reach bowl eligibility this year.
Afternoon:
No. 7 Auburn (2-0) vs. No. 12 LSU (2-0), 3:30, CBS
Tiger blood will be shed in this annual battle to see who will challenge Alabama’s tile of “Best in the SEC West,” but both teams have marquee wins under their belts in the early season. This could turn into a QB challenge, as both Jarrett Stidham and Joe Burrow have shown promise leading their teams, but will face challenging defenses on the Plains.
No. 24 Oklahoma State (2-0) vs. No. 17 Boise State (2-0), 3:30, ESPN
The Cowboys could secure a quality non-conference against the Broncos. Yes, you read that correctly. Boise State appears to be the non-P5 darling this season and has proven to be able to score at will, so if the Cowboys can out-gun them, it would be a huge win for the unproven team.
Bonus: Texas Tech (1-1) vs. Houston (2-0), 4:15, FOX
I actually have no idea how this game will play out other than both teams will probably put up a lot of points. This is the game to turn to if one of the 3:30 games are settled before halftime.
Primetime:
Ole Miss (2-0) vs. No. 1 Alabama (2-0), 7:00, ESPN
This may not have the same promise as recent games between the Tide and Rebels, but this should be a decent game to watch as the night begins to end. Interestingly, two quarterbacks from Hawaii will face off in Mississippi, of all places.
No. 4 Ohio State (2-0) vs. No. 15 TCU (2-0), 8:00, ABC
Ah yes, the main course of the day: a clash of teams looking to play on championship Saturday on a “neutral” field. The Horned Frogs are the underdog in this matchup in Jerryworld, but the Buckeyes could struggle to perform after a long trip to North Texas. For WVU fans, though, it’s a chance to root for a conference team against a much-hated team.
After Dark:
No. 10 Washington vs. Utah, 10:00, ESPN
You can watch a football game in a stadium that hosted the Olympic Games… Winter Olympics, that is. But really, the Huskies needs to start making their playoff pitch against conference teams after losing to Auburn in the opener, while the Utes wants to prove that they’re still the solid program they’ve been the past 20 years.
San Diego State (1-1) vs. No. 23 Arizona State (2-0), 10:30, CBSSN
A college football team led by Herm Edwards is undefeated and ranked after two weeks of the season. This is must-watch TV no matter the opponent, but the impressive run game of the Aztecs will be an interesting test for the Sun Devils (Juwan Washington has four TDs in two games). #HermAfterDark.
Before we endanger our health watching Mountaineer games in the throes of the season, take some time to watch and appreciate this college football Saturday. And, please, if you are in the path of Hurricane Florence, please take all necessary precautions to stay safe.