A college football watching guide for Hurricanes fans during Miami’s bye week
The Miami Hurricanes might be off this week, but there is still plenty of football to watch this weekend that could have implications on the Canes this season.
For the UM fan looking for which games to watch this weekend, here are some suggestions.
Friday
No. 8 Florida State (4-0, 0-0 ACC) at Virginia (3-1, 1-0 ACC), 7 p.m., ESPN: A potential top-10 matchup between Miami and Florida State looms in Tallahassee on Oct. 4, but only if the Seminoles take care of business Friday in their conference opener. Virginia has been a surprisingly good team to start the season, averaging 45.5 points per game with its only loss being a 35-31 defeat at NC State in Week 2 (a game that despite being between two ACC teams does not count toward the conference standings).
Early Saturday window
No. 16 Georgia Tech (4-0, 1-0 ACC) at Wake Forest (2-1, 0-1 ACC), noon, ESPN: Georgia Tech has a clear path to the ACC Championship Game after its upset over Clemson two weeks ago. Plus, Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King is a treat to watch when you’re not on the team facing him.
Louisville (3-0, 0-0 ACC) at Pitt (2-1, 0-0 ACC), noon, ESPN2: This is the only game on the slate that features two teams that are both on Miami’s schedule. UM hosts Louisville on Oct. 17 and travels to Pitt on Nov. 29 to wrap up the regular season.
Mid-afternoon Saturday window
No. 4 LSU (4-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 13 Ole Miss (4-0, 2-0 SEC), 3:30 p.m., ABC: The Tigers might be undefeated, but their performances in wins against a Clemson team that isn’t as good as it seemed at the time and a Florida team that doesn’t know how to finish leave a lot to be desired. Ole Miss, meanwhile, has been an offensive juggernaut while facing good-but-maybe-not-great teams like Kentucky, Arkansas and Tulane so far.
California (3-1, 0-0 ACC) at Boston College (1-2, 0-1 ACC), 3:30 p.m., ACC Network: This is the only ACC matchup of the mid-afternoon slate. Cal, led by freshman quarterback Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (988 passing yards, six touchdowns, three interceptions), opened with three consecutive wins before being shut out last week 34-0 by San Diego State. Can the Golden Bears rebound as they begin conference play?
Late Saturday games
No. 6 Oregon (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten) at No. 3 Penn State (3-0, 0-0 Big Ten), 7:30 p.m., NBC/Peacock: This is easily the game of the week and one that should give a better understanding of just how good these two teams are. If Miami accomplishes its goals of making it to the College Football Playoff, the Hurricanes potentially could face of these teams down the road.
No. 17 Alabama (2-1, 0-0 SEC) at No. 5 Georgia (3-0, 1-0 SEC), 7:30 p.m., ABC: This is Alabama’s first true test since its season-opening loss to Florida State, making this a litmus test for how good the Crimson Tide might actually be this season. Georgia, meanwhile, managed a comeback road win against a solid Tennessee team two weeks ago, and this could be another resume-builder for the Bulldogs.
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