Games of the Slot: Week 8
Breaking down which game to watch at each time slot this weekend
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We had two bona fide instant classics last week when Washington survived a college kicker moment against Oregon and Houston pulled off an inpropable comeback with 12 seconds remaining to stun West Virginia, and this week’s slate looks ready to repeat that magic.
If you need to know what to watch this week, look no more. SID Sports has you covered.
All times are Eastern.
Friday Night
Game of the Slot: SMU at Temple (7 p.m. EST, ESPN)
There’s only one game on Friday night, so this was an easy pick. It’s also an easy pick on who will win.
SMU is doing well in the American so far at 4-2. Their losses have come to TCU and Oklahoma, both of which can be expected. In conference, the Mustangs have run through the competition, notching easy wins over East Carolina and Charlotte so far.
Temple, on the other hand, is not a good team. They’re 2-5 and rarely competitive. They do have Kurt Warner’s son at quarterback, so that’s fun, right?
Either way, this game is shaping up to be a blowout. There’s always a chance something wild could happen, but I don’t see it in this matchup.
Saturday - 12 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 7 Penn State at 3 Ohio State (12 p.m., FOX)
Now this matchup, on the other hand, should be a ton of fun.
On paper, the two Big 10 East foes match up very well. Their scoring offense and defense, yardage per game and yardage allowed are all similar. Turnovers are not common for either side, with only one combined interception thrown between the two starting quarterbacks, while both defenses have been adept at forcing takeaways.
For me, the biggest determinant for this game is how Penn State’s offense responds to the Buckeye defense. We already saw the Nittany Lions dismantle a very strong defense when they routed Iowa 31-0 in Happy Valley, but Ohio State is another beast entirely. The Buckeyes have an offense that will score points, so Penn State will have to keep rolling against the Silver Bullets.
On the Ohio State side, I’m excited to see how the Buckeyes’ talented stable of receivers deals with a very talented Penn State secondary. Head Coach Ryan Day was “hopeful” on the injury status of wideout Emeka Egbuka, who is crucial for the Ohio State passing attack opposite Marvin Harrison Jr. If Egbuka is unable to go, Julian Fleming will have to step up. I expect Harrison to be tailed all day by star corner Kalen King, which should be a great matchup to watch.
Multi-Box Games: UCF at 6 Oklahoma (ABC); Memphis at UAB (ESPN2); Mississippi State at Arkansas (ESPN)
Past the playoff implications of the Big Noon Kickoff game, we don’t have much at noon this week. Oklahoma and UCF opens a potentially emotional game for Sooner quarterback Dillon Gabriel, who spent four years with the Knights before transferring to Oklahoma. Memphis is a good team, but they play a confusing UAB program led by Trent Dilfer of all people. Memphis is looking to rebound after a loss to Tulane with American implications, while UAB is looking to just right the ship under their first year head coach. Finally, I couldn’t leave you without a Sicko game, could I? Arkansas and Mississippi State are at the bottom of the SEC in the conference’s Toilet Bowl game. This is also time to shine for Arkansas Head Coach Sam Pittman, whose seat is warming up.
3-4 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 17 Tennessee at 11 Alabama (3:30 p.m., CBS)
This game doesn’t come with the same pomp and circumstance as last year’s meeting, but it’s still a big time game.
Tennessee pulled off a win over Texas A&M last week and will need quarterback Joe Milton to have a quality Joe Milton game, and not one where he’s overthrowing his receivers into the next state over.
Alabama, on the other hand, struggled against a bad Arkansas team last week and have shown cracks in the armor all season. They’ve showed up in the big SEC games, though, so we’ll see what Tide team takes the field at Bryant-Denny this week.
Either way, they’ll need Jalen Milroe to continue to progress as a passer. He’s put together two of his best passing games in the past two weeks against Texas A&M and Arkansas, but Tennessee’s secondary is the most talented of the bunch. We know the Tide can pound the rock, but they’ll need to have offensive balance to win this game.
Multi-Box Games: South Carolina at 20 Missouri (3:30 p.m., SEC Network); Washington State at 9 Oregon (3:30 p.m., ABC); 8 Texas at Houston (4 p.m., FOX)
Missouri is having their best season in years, and their dark horse SEC run will need to continue against South Carolina. I don’t think South Carolina can stop the lethal combo of Brady Cook and Luther Burden, but Gamecock quarterback Spencer Rattler might make this a very fun shootout. Washington State’s shine has dulled after a hot start, but they have a chance to reinsert themselves in the PAC-12 conversation with a win over Oregon. The Ducks are looking to rebound in a big way after a heartbreaking last-second loss last week in Washington. Texas and Houston is a perfect example of a booster game. The Houston boosters have always felt like the little brother to the Longhorns, and are expecting an upset, no matter how unlikely, in the two programs’ only Big 12 matchup. This game could sink Coogs coach Dana Holgorsen into the depths of the hottest seat, no matter how unlikely the win is.
6-8 p.m. EST
Game of the Slot: 16 Duke at 4 Florida State (7:30 p.m., ABC)
Two of the ACC’s three unbeatens are meeting in Tallahassee is a recipe for a great game with championship—and playoff—implications.
Duke’s one loss came against out-of-conference Notre Dame, so the Blue Devils are in the heat of the ACC race. They also might be getting back quarterback Riley Leonard, who went down in the loss to Notre Dame. Head Coach Mike Elko talked about Leonard’s injury, saying “…I don’t think there is a chance we’re able to get him back healthy on Saturday and able to be playing at the level he’s capable of playing.”
If Duke wants to keep up with Florida State’s potent offense, they’ll need Leonard healthy. But Jordan Travis and company have their work cut out for them against a Duke defense that’s only allowing 9.8 points per game this season. The Seminoles, on the other hand, have one of the nation’s most potent offenses, scoring 42.2 points per game. This ACC showdown will come down to which of these elite squads is able to win out.
More interesting to me, though, is how the Florida State defense responds to Duke’s offense. They have star power on the edge in Jared Verse, but the Seminoles have a good but not great defense. Leonard, if healthy, makes this Duke team much more dangerous with his dual-threat ability, especially combined with tailback Jordan Waters, who already has nine scores on the season.
Multi-Box Games: 14 Utah at 18 USC (8 p.m., FOX); 2 Michigan at Michigan State (7:30 p.m., NBC); Louisiana at Georgia State (8 p.m., ESPNU)
USC is coming off their worst loss of the Lincoln Riley era after Notre Dame punched them in the mouth last week. Utah is looking to repeat that formula, while Riley’s Trojans and Caleb Williams have to figure out how to rebound from their worst showing in years. Michigan-Michigan State isn’t the best matchup on paper, especially with the issues surrounding the Spartans’ program, but it’s a heated rivalry. Michigan has problems of their own in a new NCAA investigation that could lead to chaos in East Lansing. We close out the slate with showdown between two of the Sun Belt’s best in Georgia State and Louisiana. Georgia State has quietly ended their rebuild and is competing with a stud in Darren Grainger under center. The Ragin’ Cajuns have survived Billy Napier leaving for Florida. Both teams have high-octane offenses and not much on defense, so a shootout seems likely. One thing to watch: Louisiana’s turnovers. They’re dead even in turnover margin, but can’t keep going at the pace they have either way.
PAC-12 After Dark
Game of the Slot: Arizona State at 5 Washington (10:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1)
The PAC-12 isn’t serving up many interesting matchups this weekend, but any chance to see the Washington offense at work is fun.
Arizona State is very much in Year Zero under new head coach Kenny Dillingham, so don’t expect much from the Sun Devils here. They’re on their third-string quarterback in Trenton Bourguet, who hasn’t performed well this season.
Washington is marching out the Heiman-leading candidate Michael Penix Jr. I’ll let you guess how this one’s going to shape up.
Multi-Box Game: 25 UCLA at Stanford (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
Stanford caught Colorado sleeping last week, erasing a 29-0 halftime deficit to show that they’re not an afterthought, so this one could get interesting. I’m still following UCLA’s Dante Moore’s development as the season goes. He’s struggled at times, but has been pretty solid the past few weeks. Can he keep that going on the road at Stanford?