WEEK 3 GAMES THAT YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO MISS!

Week 2 was hell on wheels wasn't it? That whole Michigan/Notre game was enough to take me off of this planet...but it was only the nightcap on an all day football orgy. MSU/Auburn was a barnburner (get it?) at 12:30, SC/UGA lit up the scoreboard in Athens at 3:30, and...well...Michigan/ND was as stated above. The games are more average than good this week, but don't let that stop you from tuning into the many options that you have below. I can't express how awesome this time of the year it. It's cooling off, humidity is lowering, and football is ON! Screw the NFL...College Football is what you should be living for.Here's your guide to week 3's games on TV that you can't afford to miss!

-Gamblin Boss

5 MONEY STACKS - YOU CAN'T PAY ME ENOUGH TO MISS THESE GAMES!

Oklahoma @ Florida State – 8:00pm ABC: It’s week 3 and we’re finally going to have a chance for a #1 team to legitimately get beat! Chaos theory fans are pulling for FSU. Traditionalists are pulling for OU. I can’t buy stock in any ACC team, especially this early in the season…regardless if they are coming off of a big win against a will-not-be-named SEC school in the Chick-Fil-A Bowl. If this was week 7 or 8, and I knew what FSU was about, then I’d take them. (Keep in mind this is a team that can’t beat Clemson on a regular occurrence…at home) Always test drive a car before you buy it, and OU is a little more proven past and present than FSU.  Look for this to be a hell of a game, and I hope so simply because I’ll be sharing the TV with a FSU grad/sister’s fiancée/soon to be bro in law. Easily 5 out of 5.

4 MONEY STACKS - PRICED ABOVE FACE VALUE

Auburn @ Clemson – 12:00pm ABC: This game again will define a season. Both teams are very young on both sides of the ball, and are looking for leadership. No doubt this will be a game of finesse and working with what’s given. Don’t expect this to be a pound it out on the ground, 3 yards and a cloud of dust offensive struggle. Who wins? I’ll get into that tomorrow. But, this is a must watch simply because of the implications for the losing team. This would be a 5 stacks game, but it’s tough to put anything Clemson related ranked that high.

Tennessee @ Florida – 3:30pm CBS: 7 years. Think about that. Where were you 7 years ago? That’s how long it has been since Tennessee has beat Florida. This is the first real test for both players and coaching staffs alone. Muschamp’s first big SEC game is luckily at home, which could give him the edge that’s needed to win. However, Tyler Bray looks to be the passer Tennessee fans have been waiting on…and is a legit threat as a pocket passer. I expect a close one in Gainesville…along with all the orange and jean shorts you can handle.

Ohio State @ Miami (FL) – 7:30pm ESPN: INSERT GENERIC “CHEATING/SCANDAL/ILLIEGAL/IMPROPER BENEFITS BOWL” COMMENT! WINNERS GET TO TAKE A RIDE ON JET SKI’S AND CRASH INTO BOOSTER’S boats  YACHTS! LOSER GETS FREE TATTOOS OF WINNING COACH! I can’t stand Miami. I can’t stand Ohio State. I promise you 92% of America hates Miami more. To be honest, you have to watch this game just to see where these programs are headed. OSU should roll, but I’ve seen stranger things happen.

3 MONEY STACKS - YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR / PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET

West Virginia at Maryland – 12:00pm ESPN+: First off, this game is on ESPN+. Where in the heck does this exist? WVU had a tough half of football last week against Norfolk State before turning on the afterburners…and we all know what Maryland did to Miami 2 weeks ago. (Both in jersey style and on the scoreboard)  Who knew Chevy Chase Field would become one of the toughest places to play in the ACC? Let’s just blame this rejuvenation on the Redskins…BECAUSE FOOTBALL IS BACK IN MARYLAND BABY! (Insert CRABCAKES AND FOOTBALL…THAT’S WHAT MARYLAND DOES!!) This game is just there…so watch it. Nothing like Mimosas and Bloodys to a great Big East/ACC matchup!

Michigan State @ Notre Dame – 3:30pm NBC: Notre Dame is getting desperate. To borrow a line from a co-writer on this blog, “Brian Kelley has taken more lives than wins this year”. Intense! If I can’t get excited about this game, I assure you many in South Bend are having the same problem. If Michigan State rolls in and takes a win…look for Kelly’s face to explode in a sea of purple. ND is NOT a terrible team…but when they lost they way they did last year, it’s hard to recover fully and move on. Also, is NBC regretting their 1,000 year contract with the Irish yet?

Navy @ South Carolina – 6:00pm ESPN2 : When you mention “Navy” around older South Carolina fans, you’ll get the same expression that the Titanic’s master ship builder gave when he found out it sank to the bottom of the ocean on its maiden voyage. (A little history – South Carolina could have been #1 in the country for the first time ever in 1984, but decided to shit the bed against Navy – whom they were heavily favorite against – and fall into a sea of mediocrity). This game scares me because of the option and ground game of the Midshipmen. Look for this to be a pretty close game, and unfortunately for SC fans….too interesting.

2 MONEY STACKS - I FEEL LIKE I'M GETTING RIPPED OFF

Virginia @ UNC – 3:30pm ESPNU : The only thing that is more interesting than two stuck up snob schools playing each other…is the fact that both of these teams have now made it on my “what to watch” post for 3 straight weeks. UNC and UVA squeaked out wins last week…against Rutgers and Indiana. Again, the ACC Egg Toss of the Week will commence at 3:30pm, and luckily ESPNU will be there to cover it for the entire nation to see. “CARUTHERS, BRING FORTH MY 2008 CABERNET! MORE BRIE AND GRAPES FOR THE LADIES!”

Louisville @ Kentucky – 7:00pm ESPNU : Charlie Strong….please…pretty please….promise me that you can defeat Kentucky and prove to everyone that you made the right decision to leave the SEC. (formally of SC and FL lore) These two teams are just an abomination, but I’ll let Louisville slide because they are in the Big East. Kentucky’s only excuse is the fact their QB leads the nation in falls during a 5 step drop. This will no doubt be a terrible game, but the fact it is a rivalry (allegedly) gives it a bump.

1 MONEY STACK - CAN I GET A REFUND?

Central Michigan @ Western Michigan – 12:00pm ESPN+: This is, without a doubt, the biggest game of the year in Michigan. IT’S THE DIRECTIONAL MICHIGAN BOWL! And they are so lucky that ESPN put it on their best network, ESPN+! The plus means that it’s totally badass. There is no reason at all to even watch this game. None…nada…zip. I wouldn’t even if I had money on it….but that’s another problem if you are betting on Directional Michigan vs. Directional Michigan.

SE Missouri State @ Purdue – 12:00pm Big Ten Network: You know something, it’s great that the Big 10 cares so much that they focus on the little guy(s) and can show this game at 12:00pm. I mean, who wouldn’t want to be sitting in West Lafayette, IN at 11:00AM with Mid-Westerners? I expect about 45,000 people at the game, and about the same watching from home. 

Dook @ Boston College – 12:30pm ACC Network: This just screams awful. I’m talking borderline walking in on a fresh murder scene awful. Duke is 0-2 with losses to RICHMOND and Stanford. Boston College is 0-2 with losses to Northwestern and a blowout by Central Florida. Go ahead and resign your life to following terrible football teams if this is your first choice Saturday afternoon. I still can’t figure out which is worse…a track around your college football field (Dook) or selling game tickets on Groupon (Boston College).

Week 2 Games THAT YOU CAN’T AFFORD TO MISS

Week 2 – It felt good didn’t it? Being able to dust yourself off and put on that coach’s polo that’s been in the closet all spring and summer. What a week that was! DAMN YOU UTAH STATE!  NFL is starting and the mornings are getting cooler. Everything seems to be normal too…especially with Notre Dame losing and Dook losing again to Richmond.

So, here are this week’s recommendations. Granted there are more duds than winners this early; but if you look hard enough, you’ll see there are some gems coming up. (Editor’s note: There were more than enough games that could have fit in the -1 category. You couldn’t sell advertising for these games….TERRIBLE) I’ve got to go the route of the Wu Tang here, because this week its more about “Dolla dolla bills, ya’ll” instead of being “it’s all about the Benjamin’s”.  

All times are in EST 

5 MONEY STACKS –YOU CAN'T PAY ME ENOUGH TO MISS THESE GAMES!

#2 Alabama @ #23 Penn State 3:30 ABC – The Nittany Lions welcome the Crimson Tide to Happy Valley, to what will soon become known as the “Battle of the Most Classic Badass Uniforms”.  I’d like to think that Penn State could keep it close, but when you boil it down to SEC vs. Big 10ish it could get out of hand early. Also, did you know that when Joe Pa sits down, he is just as tall as Nick Saban?

#12 South Carolina @ Georgia 4:30 ESPN – There are several reasons why this game is a must watch. Can South Carolina take down UGA for the first time in back to back seasons since the early 2000’s? Is Richt coaching for his job or his team? Unfortunately there is one glaring issue with this game that can take away the legs of Marcus Lattimore and hands of Alshon Jeffery…the voice of Matt Millen in the press box. Complete fail. 

4 MONEY STACKS – PRICED ABOVE FACE VALUE 

Notre Dame @ Michigan 8:00 ESPN – I’m going to go ahead and say that this game won’t be shown on time because of the offensive power that will be shown in the ESPN game before this one. (see above). How bad is Notre Dame? How good (if that is even relative) is Michigan? I believe this is the first time that Michigan has played a night game, so I guess those kids will be jacked up to play. I really have a tough time understanding this is the first night game. Maybe that’s why all the good players want to come to the SEC and get their talents showcased during…I don’t know…PRIME TIME? Full disclosure: I’m watching this to see how big of a trainwreck this becomes for ND. 

#16 Mississippi State @ Auburn 12:21 SEC Network – I commend Mike Slive and the SEC office on a 12:21 kickoff. This is perfect because the 20 minutes spent between GameDay and kickoff now serve as a chance to get last minute things adjusted….and not watching ACC / Big 10ish football. THANK YOU! With the egg that the defending national champs dropped last week, look for more of the same. Living here in Alabama, you hear just how bad Auburn is…and the lack of confidence their fans have. MSU has had this game circled ever since fingers from Auburn have been pointing accusations up the road to Starkville about Cam Newton and his “shopping around”. I for one think that they are still trying to redeem themselves after this blunder in 2008.

3 MONEY STACKS – YOU GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR / PAY FOR WHAT YOU GET

Cincinnati @ Tennessee 3:30 ESPN – IT’S FOOTBAWW TIME IN TENNERRSEE! Derek Dooley has a very young team and is using Jedi mind tricks via orange colored slacks to distract the opposing team. The Bearcats are not exactly the most formidable opponent, but hanging 70+ and taking care of a team you should whip is not the most easy thing to do (I’M LOOKING AT YOU AUBURN). I think this game could go either way, but regardless of who wins it will be looked at as a springboard for the season. 

NC State @ Wake Forest 3:30 Raycom – I’m not thrilled with any team in this game, but it is quite a measuring stick for the ACC. Wake dropped one in OT to the mighty Syracuse Orange last week, which is still no excuse for a team that recently won the ACC. (Let that sink in…Wake went to the Orange Bowl) Again, this is ranked so highly just from a voyeuristic perspective. I want to watch this game from the bushes and peaking in through the blinds. The Sad thing is…it won’t be as hot as the scene from Animal House with Belushi on the ladder, but will be twice as funny.

BYU @ #24 Texas 7:00 ESPN – It’s great to see Texas being ranked (sarcasm) and on ESPN/The Longhorn Network! BYU won last week courtesy of Houston Nutt trying to think, and on a botched fumble. Texas is not a team many people see as “great” but could still get to 8 wins. While that would be a great year for some, it’s not in Austin. This will be somewhat of an entertaining game, and if the Mormons didn’t see many distractions in Oxford last week, I assure you there will be plenty in Austin.

2 MONEY STACKS – I FEEL LIKE I’M GETTING RIPPED OFF

Rutgers @ UNC 12:30PM ACC Tarheels. Will you put the pedal down and be an ACC contender (see: tallest midget), or one of the several pretenders that never get the ball rolling. (insert: Any ACC Team)

Stanford @ Duke 3:30 ESPNU  - Why in the hell is the game on TV? You’ve got to love the ACC’s new contract with ESPN. THIS IS WHAT YOU GET! TWO SMART SCHOOLS PLAYING EACH OTHER! The only reason to watch this is to see just how many yards Andrew Luck puts up on the Blue Devils. Over/Under is 310. If a tree falls in Durham, does it make a sound?

1 MONEY STACK – CAN I GET A REFUND?

Central Michigan @ Kentucky ESPNU 12:00 – Kentucky gets to open the gates of Commonwealth Stadium for the first time this year to Directional Michigan. I’d like to think this would be an easy win for the Wild Kittens, but last week against Directional Kentucky was worse than staring into the sun for 3 and a half hours. Look for more of the same this week.

Virginia @ Indiana Big Ten Network 7:00 – CALL YOUR CABLE PROVIDERS AND REQUEST THE BIG TEN NETWORK NOW! This game has everything you could want….except quality football. I’m sure the contingent of 300 UVA fans who make the trip over will be in shock that they can’t find their 2006 Pinot Noir in stock, or that the only cheese around is Cheddar or American. Flash forward Sunday when angry mobs are chasing the ‘Hoos out of town screaming “WE DON’T TAKE KINDLY TO YOUR TYPE AROUND HERE”!!

-Gamblin Boss