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College Football Viewing Guide: Week 9

The college football slate is jam packed this weekend, with big games throughout the day on Saturday.

By MattBelz
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: NOV 16 Michigan State at Michigan Photo by Scott W. Grau/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

College football is back, and that means our college football viewing guide is back to help you navigate the busy schedule ahead.

Each week we will do the heavy lifting, and figure out the top games that will be playing during each television window across college football. Following a relatively tame weekend for the sport, Week 9 appears like it could be a wild one with plenty of intriguing matchups to watch come Saturday.

Thursday, October 28

Troy (4-3) at No. 25 Coastal Carolina (6-1) —> 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN2

Coastal Carolina suffered a tough loss last week versus App State, but the Chanticleers and quarterback Grayson McCall will look to bounce back with a win over Troy. Sun Belt football on Thursday night, tough to beat.

Other Thursday games of interest:

  • South Florida at Eastern Carolina on ESPN at 6:30 p.m. CST

Friday, October 29

Navy (1-6) at Tulsa (3-4) —> 6:30 p.m. CST on ESPN2

Navy gave Cincinnati a bit of a scare last week, but this is still a pretty bad schedule for a Friday night. With so many good games upcoming on Saturday, Friday can probably be skipped.

Other Friday games of interest:

  • UNLV at Nevada on CBSSN at 9 p.m. CST

Saturday, October 30

Morning games

No. 6 Michigan (7-0) at No. 8 Michigan State (7-0) —> 11 a.m. CST on FOX

Arguably the game of the day, Michigan and Michigan State square off with both Big Noon Saturday and College Gameday in East Lansing. Both teams are undefeated this season, and there is no shortage of bad blood between these two squads. This should be a really fun watch, it’s too bad it is at the same time as the Wisconsin game.

COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 23 Wisconsin at Purdue
Wisconsin will look to win their fourth game in a row this season by taking down Iowa.
Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

No. 9 Iowa (6-1) at Wisconsin (4-3) —> 11 a.m. CST on ESPN

On paper, these two teams are very even. Neither team is very explosive on offense but each has a top-flight defense. This game will likely come down to turnovers and special teams, with a whole lot of physicality in between. Iowa and Wisconsin have had very different results through seven games, but this is a rivalry game where you generally throw the records out.

Other morning games of interest:

  • No. 2 Cincinnati at Tulane on ESPN2 at 11 a.m. CST
  • Texas at No. 16 Baylor on ABC at 11 a.m. CST
  • Miami at No. 17 Pitt on ACCN at 11 a.m. CST
  • Rutgers at Illinois on BTN at 11 a.m. CST
  • Indiana at Maryland on BTN at 11 a.m. CST
Northwestern v Michigan
Jim Harbaugh has struggled to win against top-10 opponents, can he change that narrative on Saturday?
Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images

Afternoon games

No. 1 Georgia (7-0) vs Florida (4-3) —> 2 p.m. CST on CBS

This rivalry game known as the “World’s Largest Cocktail Party” lost some of it’s intrigue after Florida lost to LSU last weekend, but the Gators played Alabama tough earlier in the season, and this is a neutral site contest. Georgia has cruised through their schedule so far, can Florida take them down for a second year in a row?

Other afternoon games of interest:

  • No. 22 Iowa State at West Virginia on Big 12 Network at 1 p.m. CST
  • Texas Tech at No. 4 Oklahoma on ABC at 2:30 p.m. CST
  • Colorado at No. 7 Oregon on FOX at 2:30 p.m. CST
  • Florida State at Clemson on ESPN at 2:30 p.m. CST
  • Minnesota at Northwestern on BTN at 2:30 p.m. CST
  • Purdue at Nebraska on ESPN2 at 2:30 p.m. CST

Primetime games

No. 10 Ole Miss (6-1) at No. 18 Auburn (5-2) —> 6 p.m. CST on ESPN

The Big Ten and SEC dominate the best games of this weekend, and the Ole Miss/Auburn contest could be a ton of fun. Both teams have quarterback’s who are playing the best football of their careers, and run offenses that can score in bunches. Between this game and the PSU/OSU game, one of them is bound to be good.

Ohio State v Indiana
Quarterback C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes have been rolling of late, scoring 50+ points in their last four games.
Photo by Justin Casterline/Getty Images

No. 20 Penn State (5-2) at No. 5 Ohio State (6-1) —> 6:30 p.m. CST on ABC

These two teams are trending in opposite directions. Penn State has lost their past two games and quarterback Sean Clifford is banged up. Ohio State on the other hand has come to life and they might have the best offense in college football. It will be interesting to see if Penn State can turn things around and keep pace with OSU. \

Other primetime games of interest:

  • No. 12 Kentucky at Mississippi State on SECN at 6 p.m. CST
  • No. 19 SMU at Houston on ESPN2 at 6 p.m. CST
  • North Carolina at No. 11 Notre Dame on NBC at 6:30 p.m. CST
COLLEGE FOOTBALL: OCT 23 LSU at Ole Miss
Ole Miss quarterback Matt Corral is one of the nations best.
Photo by Kevin Langley/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images

After dark

UCLA (5-3) at Utah (4-3) —> 9 p.m. CST on ESPN

Despite three losses apiece, UCLA and Utah are both still in the thick of things in the Pac-12 South. Utah is currently tied with Arizona State in the standings and owns the tiebreaker, while UCLA is only game behind. This is a crucial game in the division.

Other late-night games of interest:

  • Virginia at No. 25 BYU on ESPN2 at 9:15 p.m. CST
  • Fresno State at No. 21 San Diego State on CBSSN at 9:30 p.m. CST
  • Washington at Stanford 9:30 p.m. CST on FS1

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