What to Watch this Weekend
It’s too early for scoreboard watching in college football, at least when it comes to Playoff contention. Notre Dame fans don’t have to worry too much about certain teams winning or losing...yet.
That will come later. For now, the other games to watch involve future Notre Dame opponents. A couple of the matchups could tell us a lot about how tough their remaining schedule will be.
Iowa at Michigan (Noon on FOX)
This is a huge game for Jim Harbaugh. Win and things will look back on track. They still have a shot at winning their division and can at least claim they are still Playoff contenders.
Lose and there will be more heat on him than ever. Any chance at winning the Big Ten would be gone and they’d have to run the table to win 10 games. The chances of that would seem unlikely with Penn State and Notre Dame in the next couple of weeks and Ohio State looming to close out the season.
All eyes will be on Michigan’s offense, which exploded against Rutgers, but it was, you know, Rutgers. Iowa comes in with the 22nd ranked defense according to S&P+
Michigan is favored by 3.5.
Boston College at Louisville (12:30pm on ACCNX)
Other than getting a glimpse of Boston College, this one will be interesting to watch because Louisville looks like they are much better than people projected them to be. They looked bad against the run vs the Irish to start the season, but since then they have given up 2.66 yards per carry.
Boston College has been okay running the ball and it’s not surprising considering they had to replace a lot of talent on the offensive line. AJ Dillon has been good, but Louisville has been better against the run than any of BC’s September opponents.
A reminder for those who haven’t been paying attention, BC lost to Kansas at home and only beat Rutgers by a couple of scores.
Louisville is favored by 5.5.
Virginia Tech at Miami (3:30 on ESPN)
It’s been a nightmare season for Virginia Tech so far. They are 0-2 vs ACC opponents and their only two wins have come against Furman and Old Dominion. They are currently ranked 72nd in S&P+.
They are big underdogs to Miami and have made a switch at quarterback. Former Notre Dame target Hendon Hooker has replaced Ryan Willis. We’ll see if he can breathe new life into the Hokies’ season.
Miami is favored for 14.
Air Force at Navy (3:30 CBSSN)
If you love option football, this is a slice of heaven. If you don’t, then this is your purgatory.
But it will be worth checking out for Notre Dame fans who want to get a closer look at Navy with Malcolm Perry at quarterback. They’re back to leading the country in rushing yards per game and are up almost 70 yards per game from last season
. Air Force is favored by 3.5.
Pitt at Duke (8:00 on ACCN)
It was surprising to see Duke blowout Virginia Tech in Blacksburg and it made me rethink how bad the Hokies might be and at the same time thinking Duke might be better than expected.
Quarterback Quentin Harris has been solid as a passer and dangerous as a runner (two straight games with over 100 yards rushing). It was thought there would be a big drop off with Daniel Jones gone, but that hasn’t been the case so far.
Duke is favored by 5.
Washington at Stanford (10:30 ESPN)
It’s funny how this week is so huge for both David Shaw and Jim Harbaugh. Two of the most respected coaches, at least in terms of accomplishments at Stanford, in college football both need a win in the worst way on Saturday.
Stanford beat Oregon State last weekend, but everyone beats Oregon State. They have looked bad against every competent opponent in 2019. They currently rank 73rd in S&P+.
Washington is favored by 15 playing at Stanford. When is the last time Stanford was this big of an underdog at home? I’d guess we would have to go all the way back to Harbaugh’s second season in Palo Alto.