An extensive Week 4 College Football Viewing Guide for Wisconsin Badgers fans
We are truly blessed with an incredible slate of college football this weekend.
It lines up great for Wisconsin fans, as with the Badgers playing Friday night at Purdue, all of Saturday can be directed toward the rest of the terrific games on the schedule.
Related: Five stats that will define Wisconsin vs Purdue
There are the reeling national powers in Alabama and Clemson that need to right the ship, the Deion Sanders story at Colorado, a few terrific primetime games and more.
Before you make plans to go apple picking or start Halloween preparations on Saturday, here is how you should be spending your day:
Friday Night
Game: Wisconsin at Purdue on FS1
Secondary: None
Wisconsin at Purdue is obviously a must-watch for Badgers fans, given their team is playing. It actually lines up to be an entertaining contest for a Friday night, with both teams playing sub-par football through three weeks yet still 0-0 in Big Ten play.
There are some true sicko matchups later in the night on Friday, but I’d suggest everyone get to sleep early to catch Saturday’s full action.
Saturday Early Window
Game: No. 4 Florida State at Clemson on ABC
Secondary: No. 16 Oklahoma at Cincinnati on FOX
Florida State escaped a scare last weekend at Boston College and now must visit a struggling, yet desperate, Clemson team. This game would carry unlimited juice if it was at night in Death Valley, yet it still has plenty of intrigue with the Seminoles looking like the team to beat in the ACC.
At the same time, Oklahoma faces a sneaky in-conference road test at Cincinnati. The Sooners are quietly looking like Texas’ top competitor in the Big 12 led by QB Dillon Gabriel. Even if Cincinnati can’t put up a big fight, the Sooners are worth watching as the season moves along.
Saturday Afternoon Window
Game: No. 19 Colorado at No. 10 Oregon on ABC
Secondary: No. 15 Ole Miss at No. 10 Alabama on CBS
It usually takes a lot to top CBS’ Game of the Week. But if you’ve been living under a rock for the last month, Colorado is more than enough. Deion Sanders and his team travel to Eugene, Oregon to face a legit top-10 opponent. Yes, the Ducks are three-touchdown favorites and the Buffaloes will be without star WR/CB Travis Hunter. But anything Deion Sanders is appointment viewing at this point.
Meanwhile, the more interesting on-field matchup of the window will be on CBS. Ole Miss travels to Tuscaloosa to face a reeling Alabama team with a legitimate quarterback problem. This is a fork-in-the-road game for the Crimson Tide. A win means the train is back on the tracks and they’re still vying for a College Football Playoff appearance. A loss means the season is mostly over and people will ask how much longer Nick Saban has as head coach.
This window also has No. 22 UCLA at No. 11 Utah and an interesting Big Ten East matchup between Maryland and Michigan State. It’s impossible to have too many televisions.
Saturday Late Window
Game: No. 24 Iowa at No. 7 Penn State on CBS
Secondary: No. 6 Ohio State at No. 9 Notre Dame
Most people would say Ohio State vs Notre Dame is the game of the day. I will be focusing on a critical Big Ten matchup between Iowa and Penn State. If Iowa somehow wins this it is the clear favorite in the West, while a decisive Penn State victory continues my thought of the Nittany Lions being the favorites to win the conference. It’s a whiteout in Happy Valley against a Kirk Ferentz team, so expect some beautiful sloppiness.
On the other hand, yes there is a top-10 matchup in this window. Ohio State seems to have figured some things out since a slow start to the season on offense, while Sam Hartman and the Fighting Irish look like a legitimate College Football Playoff threat.
This game will define Notre Dame’s season–a win means it’s time to talk about them as national title contenders. For Ohio State, this is more of a measuring stick game as we look forward to the division battles with Penn State and Michigan.
