Code Orange

Here are some games you might want to watch Saturday:

Georgia Tech (2-1) at Virginia (2-1) - 12:00 PM

Yes, even though Virginia looked like they were going to have another bad year after losing to Wyoming, they’ve come back to beat Duke and North Carolina - not exactly the cream of the crop in the ACC. On the other hand, Georgia Tech hasn’t really beaten anyone either - Samford and Notre Dame. This might be a good measuring stick to see how good these Coastal Division teams really are.

Appalachian State (3-0) at Wofford (2-1) - 3:00 PM

Ok, I know this is a I-AA (or FCS) game, but the Mountaineers are coming off a rather lackluster performance against Northern Arizona last week as they go on the road for the first time since the Michigan game to open their Southern Conference schedule. They open against Wofford, who isn’t necessarily a pushover, having destroyed Charleston Southern, and giving a respectable fight against N. C. State, actually out gaining the Wolfpack in that game.

Michigan State (3-0) at Notre Dame (0-3) - 3:30 PM

Can Notre Dame pull out a win? With UCLA, Boston College, and USC all on the list of upcoming teams, this is probably a must-win game for Notre Dame, not only to get back on track, but to have a hope of having a winning season. Otherwise, their best chances for wins may be their last two games of the season: against Duke and Stanford.

Penn State (3-0) at Michigan (1-2) - 3:30 PM

How good is Penn State? Has Michigan finally recovered from their beatings at the hands of the MountainDucks? We’ll see. If Michigan gets trounced again, Lloyd Carr can probably start packing his bags, and Michigan can start making hotel reservations for Detroit.

Maryland (2-1) at Wake Forest (1-2) - 3:30 PM

This game is an important hurdle for Maryland in their quest for the ACC Atlantic Division title, and a must win if they want to keep pace with Clemson. Meanwhile, for Wake Forest, they have to try to finally get a win over a quality team under their best lest they start looking like the Wake of old.

South Carolina (3-0) at LSU (3-0) - 3:30

Steve Spurrier sure knows how to coach a team, doesn’t he? I’m not sure many people expected South Carolina to do much this season, especially after a lackadaisical 28-14 win over Louisiana Lafayette in the season opener, but now the other USC looks like they may contend for the SEC East title, having already beat Georgia and with Tennessee looking less than stellar. Of course, there is that other team Spurrier used to coach they would have to get by first. For LSU, this is a surprising early season test for them on their road for the SEC and National titles.

Kentucky (3-0) at Arkansas (1-1) - 6:00 PM

The other surprise of the SEC East - Kentucky - goes after a team that was supposed to be tagging along with LSU in the SEC West - Arkansas. However, Alabama put a quick end to that last week. Arkansas really needs this win if they want to stay in the SEC West race. Two conference losses would spell almost certain doom in the divisional race.

Connecticut (3-0) at Pittsburgh (2-1) - 7:00 PM

It may say something about the Big East that Pittsburgh, at 2-1, is tied for 6th in the Big East because 5 of the teams in the conference are still undefeated. Connecticut is one of those teams. However, they haven’t really played anyone yet (Duke, Maine, and Temple). This will be a good measuring stick game to see who has a good chance of trying to assail the Big Three in the Big East.

Georgia (2-1) at Alabama (3-0) - 7:45 PM

Another big SEC game. Georgia can’t afford another SEC loss before getting into their divisional schedule, while Alabama can actually start looking like a legitimate rival for LSU in the West if they can pull off a win against the Bulldogs. This creates the curious situation where we have two teams - South Carolina and Alabama - with two coaches - Steve Spurrier and Nick Saban - fighting with the teams they used to coach in a battle for their division titles.

Iowa (2-1) at Wisconsin (3-0) - 8:00 PM

Iowa hopes that their loss to lowly Iowa State was just a rivalry game blunder and not a sign that their team isn’t exactly what everyone was expecting it was (not that that’d be new). After all, their only wins are against Northern Illinois and Syracuse - not exactly powers. This will be Wisconsin’s first Big Ten test of the season.

Washington State (2-1) at Southern California (3-0) - 8:00 PM

This is a potential trip-up game for USC as Washington State fared reasonably well against the other major opponent they faced in Wisconsin. Meanwhile, USC finally looked like a national championship caliber team last week against Nebraska. Luckily for USC, there is no one to look forward to until their game against Oregon on October 27th, so they should be ready for this game.

Washington (2-1) at UCLA (2-1) - 10:15 PM

Both of these teams are coming off tough losses - Washington not being able to finish the deal against Ohio State and UCLA getting utterly embarrassed by Utah. We should get a good idea of how good these two teams really are in this game. The winner of this game has a leg-up for 4th in the conference, and may be able to battle for 3rd or even 2nd.