For football lovers, the second week of February all the way to the last weekend of August is the time period is considered Football purgatory. We have to find any and everything to fill the void while our beloved football is gone. While I am a lover of basketball, as well as Track & Field, nothing gets the blood pumping and brings out the joy in this guy like the modern-day gladiator sport of football. This weekend, the hunger and passion of the game hits 100-yard battle zone in true full swing today with some marquee matchups. Just a quick recap from January, the Ohio State Buckeyes won the National Title last year in the first ever College Football Playoffs by toppling perennial power Alabama AND the high-power offense of the Oregon Ducks, with a third-string QB Cardale Jones. The aforementioned 3rd-stringer and the regular season starter, J.T. Barrett makes for a crowded spot behind the center, but if there’s anyone who can mange talent, skill, and expectations, it’s Urban Meyer. We’ll see how things shake out as the Buckeyes look to repeat this year.
Here are my marquee games to watch in FBS this weekend (All Times are CST):
- #1 Ohio State vs. Virginia Tech; ESPN, 7 p.m. (Monday)
- #3 Alabama vs. #20 Wisconsin; ABC, 7 p.m.
- #6 Auburn vs. Louisville; CBS, 2:30
- #16 Arizona State vs. Texas A&M; ESPN, 6 p.m.
While the Buckeyes play on the FBS (Football Bowl Subdivision) level, there are more compelling games throughout the collegiate divisions this weekend on the FCS (Football Championship Subdivision) level and in Division II where our beloved HBCUs (Historically Black Colleges & Universities) play. The first weekend is always tough on HBCUs as they are usually playing the major college programs and taking unnecessary L’s in what I call “money games”, but the talent on the FCS level is still undeniable no matter how it is perceived. This year the defending SWAC & National Black College Football Champion Alcorn State Braves open the season as the #1 team in the majority of major Black College Football Polls and are looking to repeat as champions across the board again. In the other FCS-level HBCU conference, the MEAC, one of the defending champions of last year South Carolina State will compete in the nationally televised SWAC/MEAC Challenge tomorrow at 2:30 on ESPN. From the Division II HBCU conferences, Tuskegee will open the season today in hopes of repeating as the SIAC Champions vs. Clark-Atlanta and the Virginia State Trojans are looking to repeat as CIAA Champions AND head back to the D-2 Playoffs as well.
Here are my five games to watch/keep your eyes and ears on in the HBCU landscape this weekend:
- South Carolina State vs. Arkansas-Pine Bluff (11th Annual SWAC/MEAC Challenge; Orlando, FL; being played on Sunday) ESPN, 2:30
- Bennett College vs. Livingstone College (Palmetto Capital City Classic; Columbia, SC; today, 2:30, televised on ASPiRE Network)
- Alabama State vs. Tennessee State (John Merritt Classic; Nashville, TN; being played on Sunday at 6 p.m.)
- Prairie View A&M vs. Texas Southern (Labor Day Classic; Houston, TX; today, 8 p.m.)
- Lincoln (PA) vs. Cheyney (Battle of the First Classic; today, 2 p.m.)
Ladies and gents, LET THE GAMES BEGIN!!!!!
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