Viewing Guide: Big Games in the Big Ten Highlight the Start of Conference Play Across College Football

Conference play is here for most of the college football landscape. However, this week does feel like kind of a breather before more action happens later in the season. There are only two games this week featuring two ranked teams playing against each other. One of those games involves Mississippi State, which feels like a misprint or category error.

The Big Ten should command some attention this weekend. Michigan State is hosting Notre Dame under the lights but more intrigue will be in Iowa City. Iowa hosts Big Ten champion Penn State under the lights in ABC's game of the week. Don't sleep on Purdue's big game either. No. 8 Michigan will travel to West Lafayette to play a resurgent Purdue program that just waxed Missouri on the SEC Network.

Elsewhere, USC travels to Berkeley to play a Cal team that is having a fine start to the Justin Wilcox era. Colorado and Washington will replay the Pac-12 Championship Game. TCU and Oklahoma State start the conference slate in a game of ranked Big XII teams that could be a plausible rematch in the Big XII's new conference championship game.

Here's your viewing guide for the weekend.

Thursday

Temple at South Florida (ESPN, 7:30 p.m.). It's an abbreviated week for South Florida, which demolished Illinois on Friday and returns to action on a six-day turnaround. The Bulls should be fine at home—they're 20-point favorites—even on the short turnaround. All eyes are on South Florida right now for that Group of Five invite to the New Year's Six.

Friday

Virginia at Boise State (ESPN2, 8 p.m.). Boise State lost in Week 2 to Washington State, momentarily putting the Broncos behind San Diego State and South Florida in the race for that Group of Five invite to the New Year's Six. A convincing win against Virginia, 12-point underdogs, will keep the Broncos in the picture.

It's a homecoming of sorts for Virginia coach Bronco Mendenhall, who was no stranger to Boise State when he was BYU's coach. Boise State played BYU in the last four years of Mendenhall's tenure, splitting the series, 2-2.

Utah at Arizona (FS1, 10:30 p.m.). Utah's is 3-0 and ranked in the AP for the first time this season. It'll put that record on the line against a 2-1 Arizona team that can incinerate a bad defense with the best of them. That won't apply against Utah, the country's No. 2 rush defense.

Saturday

UNLV at Ohio State (BTN, 12 p.m.). Your game of the week is up first. Stay tuned to Eleven Warriors for comprehensive coverage of this cupcake.

NC State at Florida State (ABC/ESPN2, 12 p.m.). This appears to be the first game this season to feature a split regional broadcast between ABC and ESPN2. One part of the country is getting this game while the other gets Texas Tech at Houston.

Florida State is a 13-point favorite this game even if there are a lot of unknowns right now for Florida State. The Seminoles haven't played since the season-opening loss. The fallout of Irma forced the cancellation of the UL-Monroe game and postponed the Miami game that was supposed to be last week.

Further, Deondre Francois, a Heisman hopeful in the preseason and a breakout star in the ACC last year, was injured in that loss to Alabama and is lost for the season. True freshman James Blackman will start. He's had more than enough time to prepare for his first start with an impromptu two-week bye. Beyond that, not much else is known about FSU even as a big favorite at home.

Texas Tech at Houston (ABC/ESPN2, 12 p.m.). Both the Cougars and the Red Raiders are 2-0 to start the season but the clear edge here goes to Houston (-6). The Cougars have conceded just 19 points this season, even holding Arizona's rushing attack in check.

Army at Tulane (CBS Sports, 12 p.m.). Ohio State hosted Army last week while Tulane traveled to Norman to take on the Sooners fresh off Oklahoma's win at Ohio Stadium. I guess we'll be rooting for Army this game.

UMass at Tennessee (SEC Network, 12 p.m.). UMass is still looking for its first win this season. It won't happen in Knoxville against a Tennessee team stil licking its wounds from how last week's trip to Gainesville ended.

Texas A&M vs. Arkansas [at AT&T Stadium] (ESPN, 12 p.m.). This legacy game of the old Southwest Conference has found a new home in Jerry Jones' Babylon since Texas A&M joined the SEC in 2012.

This game will have an interesting wrinkle for those only vaguely familiar with Arkansas football. The Razorbacks will be wearing a uniform purported to honor Arkansas alum Jerry Jones by resembling a red-and-gray version of the Dallas Cowboys' uniforms.

Comparison of Cowboys jersey and Arkansas version, to be worn this Saturday vs TexasA&M at AT&T Stadium as tribute to Jerry Jones. pic.twitter.com/0bvMGdyfJM

— Paul Lukas (@UniWatch) September 17, 2017

To honor the induction of Jerry Jones into the Pro Football Hall of Fame, Arkansas will wear Cowboys-themed uniforms.https://t.co/AzOFWCwF4e

— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) September 18, 2017

There's an obvious problem here. Since that look doesn't at all resemble anything Arkansas has ever done with its uniforms, it looks more like the Razorbacks are honoring the 1997 Pac-10 champion Washington State Cougars instead of looking like a red-and-gray version of Jerry Jones' Dallas Cowboys.

Which, well, that's fine. That's great even. That 1997 Washington State team was pretty good and should be honored by Arkansas football. The Cougars were one of the earlier refined statements of a single-back offense in college football that Arkansas uses right now under Bret Bielema. Good for the Hogs to honor that squad that won the program's first Pac-10 championship and the first conference championship of any kind since 1930.

West Virginia at Kansas (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). If you want a glimpse at just how dull most of the conference landscape is this week, look no further than this game in the Big XII.

Pittsburgh at Georgia Tech (ACC Network, 12:20 p.m.). Pittsburgh was a surprising team last year but has taken it on the chin to start 2017. It went to overtime against FCS Youngstown State and got smoked in the past two weeks by Penn State and Oklahoma State.

Georgia Tech is an eight-point favorite.

Old Dominion at Virginia Tech (ACC Network, 2 p.m.). The Hokies have made a quick climb up the AP Poll this season and should make quick work of the Monarchs in Blacksburg.

UCF at Maryland (FS1, 3 p.m.). Maryland is a surprising team this young season. Texas may not be the team we thought it would be in the preseason but that season-opening win in Austin will stand out all the same. However, that hasn't resulted in a favorable line for this contest (Maryland, -3.5).

Alabama at Vanderbilt (CBS, 3:30 p.m.). The SEC should expand to a nine-game schedule for a variety of reasons. Chief among them: Alabama getting a chickenshit draw from the other division with opponents like this.

Boston College at Clemson (ESPN2, 3:30 p.m.). Clemson opens league play with what might otherwise be misconstrued as a MAC snack. Boston College is 1-2 with just the one win in DeKalb (23-20 over Northern Illinois). It's a 34-point underdog in Clemson's Death Valley.

USC at California (ABC, 3:30 p.m.). The conference opener for most of the country is rather dull and uninspiring, but keep your eye on this game out west. USC is already 1-0 in conference play but the Trojans haven't quite played to preseason billing just yet. Meanwhile, California is a surprising 3-0 to start the Justin Wilcox era, which includes a season-opening win at North Carolina and last week's upset of Ole Miss.

TCU at Oklahoma State (ESPN, 3:30 p.m.). This is one of just two games this weekend featuring two ranked teams and the only one that doesn't feel like an aberration. No. 17 Mississippi State visits No. 11 Georgia later in the evening, which still reads like a misprint.

This game in Stillwater should be a barnburner. TCU is the defensive juggernaut we've known it to be from the past several years while Oklahoma State can hang points on anyone. It's exciting for the Big XII to start conference play this year with a game that could plausibly be a rematch in its conference championship game later this season.

Toledo at Miami (ACC Network, 3:30 p.m.). The best part about this game? It's the start of a home-and-home. Miami—yes, "The U"—visits the Glass Bowl next year for the return leg.

Rutgers at Nebraska (BTN, 3:30 p.m.). The team that lost to Eastern Michigan plays the team that lost Northern Illinois.

Fun fact, about that: this season's MACtastrophes for Nebraska and Rutgers now means all but one member of the Big Ten has at least one since the MAC started regularly playing the Big Ten from the 1980s forward. Almost the entier conference has at least one in the past ten years. That includes Michigan (Toledo, 2008) and Penn State (Ohio, 2012). Maryland had its first MACtastrophe in 2015 (Bowling Green), just its second year in the Big Ten.

The only Big Ten program still undefeated against the MAC? You guessed it: Ohio State. Obviously, Ohio State last lost to a team in the current MAC about 80 years ago but that was prior to the formation of the MAC in 1946. Ohio State first started scheduling MAC schools in 1992 and has averaged about one a year since.

Indiana (last MACtastrophe: 2014, Bowling Green) hosts Georgia Southern at the same time on BTN as well.

Duke at North Carolina (ESPNU, 3:30 p.m.). Basketball season comes early to the Research Triangle.

Cincinnati at Navy (CBS Sports, 3:30 p.m.). Luke Fickell did well to prepare Ohio State's defense for Navy in 2014. The bad news about the Cincinnati gig is he'll have to put that game plan to the test almost every year since the Bearcats and Midshipmen now share a conference.

Michigan at Purdue (FOX, 4 p.m.). On paper, the schedule this weekend looks dull and uninspiring. This might be a hidden gem.

Michigan is good. The Wolverines are almost who we thought they would be even if that statement includes warts and all. Michigan is fantastic on defense and at least presentable on offense. Their defensive brilliance will keep them in any game and ultimately put them in a position to overwhelm anyone. Ask Florida.

Meanwhile, Purdue could be the story of the country this year, and certainly in the Big Ten. Jeff Brohm looks to be well on pace for Big Ten Coach of the Year honors in his first season in West Lafayette. It'll get to host this game against a Michigan team that Brohm hopes will be his catapult to Purdue's first regular season ranking since a brief appearance at No. 23 in 2007, just in time for Ohio State to smother it 23-7.

Oklahoma at Baylor (FS1, 6:30 p.m.). My hunch is the Big XII finagled the schedule in such a way to create plausible conference championship game rematches in the first week of conference play.

It bet wrong on Baylor, which is 0-3 with losses to FCS Liberty, Sun Belt Texas-San Antonio, and at Duke by 14 points. What Oklahoma will do to Baylor this game should border on the obscene.

Mississippi State at Georgia (ESPN, 7 p.m.). This is the second of two games this week featuring two ranked teams. This, however, feels entirely like a misprint.

Mississippi State catapulted into the top 25 after mauling LSU in Starkville. The win was impressive but I'm still not sold on how to interpret Mississippi State this year. A good showing for the visitors will go a long way toward solidifying Mississippi State as a January bowl team.

I'm less skeptical about Georgia this year, provided it has Jacob Eason for the conference stretch. Eason was injured in the season-opener against Appalachian State. Georgia has won without him, including the thrilling win in South Bend against the Irish. However, the schedule only picks up from here. Georgia visits Tennessee next.

San Diego State at Air Force (CBS Sports, 7 p.m.). If you like rushing attacks, give this game a look. Air Force is the country's No. 7 rushing offense. San Diego State, meanwhile, has the country's No. 1 rusher. Rashaad Penny has averaged 196 yards a game in his first three games, a full 22 yards a game above the country's No. 2 rusher (Bryce Love, Stanford).

Syracuse at LSU (ESPN2, 7 p.m.). I want to dump on this game as one that would've been more compelling in 1988, but I can't. One of the quickest paths to my heart is a random football contest that would resemble an exhibition game you'd play on an old copy of EA Sports' NCAA Football.

It's also the second leg of a home-and-home that started in 2015. LSU won that game in the Carrier Dome, 34-24.

Penn State at Iowa (ABC, 7:30 p.m.). This is ABC's game of the week. Since Iowa City gets... weird under the lights, this one should be a banger as well.

Iowa will look to replay the favor from last season's loss in Happy Valley that was never a close contest from the start. Penn State raced to a 24-7 halftime lead before pouring it on the second half to finish with a 41-14 win.

Penn State so far looks every bit the team that it became at the end of last season. Everything is clicking too. Saquon Barkley is still the conference's scariest rushing threat. Mike Gesicki is still a matchup issue for everyone in the middle of the field and Trace McSorley is still throwing "tuddies" at a solid clip. It'll roll to town as 13-point favorites.

Still, Iowa City gets weird at night and Iowa has a different swagger to it this year than last year. Even then, last year's Hawkeyes took down then-No. 2 Michigan at home under the lights as well.

Auburn at Missouri (ESPNU, 7:30 p.m.). The football fortunes for both programs plunged south after a memorable matchup in the 2013 SEC Championship Game. Auburn is no better than average and Missouri's football fortunes took a nosedive.

Florida at Kentucky (SEC Network, 7:30 p.m.). The SEC's most lopsided regular series continues on Saturday night when Kentucky looks for its first win over the Gators since 1986.

Notre Dame at Michigan State (FOX, 8 p.m.). Here's a hot #take. I didn't begrudge Notre Dame's transition to ACC affiliate even as it meant Notre Dame effectively dropping Michigan, Michigan State, and Purdue as regular opponents. Accordingly, I didn't miss these series when they went away. That said, it's good to see this one return for at least this year.

It'll be the first game between the two since 2013 in which the referees for that contest effectively legislated out Michigan State's ability to play defense. The Spartans dropped that game, 17-13, to an Irish team that was that year's "chaos team." But for that, Michigan State is undefeated and would have earned its shot at Florida State that year in the last BCS Championship Game. That would've been a banger too.

Washington at Colorado (FS1, 10 p.m.). Last year's Pac-12 Championship Game is this year's Pac-12 opener for both the Buffaloes and the Huskies. The Huskies mauled the Buffaloes in Santa Clara and are favorites to do it again in Boulder.

Oregon at Arizona State (Pac-12 Network, 10 p.m.). I'm still not sure how good Oregon is this year. I am, however, sure that Arizona State is bad. Todd Graham has the quietest "hot seat" in the country in Tempe.

Hawai'i at Wyoming (ESPN2, 10:15 p.m.). Your late-night viewing options for Saturday evening promise to at least make for interesting background noise. It starts with the Rainbow Warriors leaving the beaches of Manoa for the mountains of Laramie to play the Wyoming Cowboys as touchdown underdogs.

UCLA at Stanford (ESPN, 10:30 p.m.). Your other viewing option has the Cardinal hosting the UCLA Bruins. Both are now unranked after UCLA lost a shootout in Memphis and Stanford lost to the Aztecs in San Diego. That takes some of the luster off this game, but it should still make for great television.

Sunday

East Carolina at Connecticut (ESPNU, 12 p.m.). You have bonus college football! East Carolina is playing Connecticut on Sunday for some reason. Don't pretend like you won't watch.