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For the most part, college football is a venerable spectacle that combines the pageantry of the university in the classic Greek ideal of human idealism and developmental supremacy with the athletic aesthetic embodied in the Olympics of ancient eras. Despite the NCAA's insanity and the violence and the Mack Brown-ity, it's still wonderful.
Then there are Saturdays like this.
At noon, ESPN2 is broadcasting San Jose St.-Minnesota. Four hours later, Fox Sports 1 will offer Baylor against Louisiana-Monroe. The big ABC/ESPN primetime games are #15 Michigan at Connecticut and Kansas St. which are neither primetime nor, in all likelihood, games. Fox offers a saving grace with a 7pm #23 Arizona St. at #5 Stanford game that could be worth watching if Stanford doesn't roll. It's the only game featuring two ranked teams today.
Contrast that to next week when we have four such contests as of this week's rankings (#6 LSU at #9 Georgia, #14 Oklahoma at #22 Notre Dame, #21 Ole Miss at #1 Alabama and #24 Wisconsin at #4 Ohio St.), and your marching orders should be clear.
If you've got family time, lawncare or closet organizing to do, this is the Saturday. After this week, there is top notch scouting everywhere.
If you're committed (or like me, need to be for an unhealthy addiction to this stuff), here are my suggestions to keep your schedule filled:
North Carolina at Georgia Tech (12:00 p.m., ESPN)
Get a look in at UNC OT James Hurst. He might get some work in against OLB/DE Jeremiah Attaochu. Both are day 2 guys for me.
Tennessee at #19 Florida (3:30 p.m., CBS)
It lacks the punch it did a decade and a half ago, but it's still good watchings. Most of Tennessee's offensive line likely heads to the NFL; LT Antonio Richardson, C James Stone, RG Zach Fulton and RT JaWuan James all look fine. Rams fans definitely want to get a look at Richardson particularly.
#23 Arizona St. at #5 Stanford (7:00 p.m., FOX)
DT Will Sutton is the headline grabber for ASU, but Rams fans might want to get a look at the Sun Devils' RB Marion Grice. Stanford's 2014 NFL Draft prospects are almost entirely on the defensive side of the ball, but get an eye in on OL David Yankey. RT Cameron Fleming is in play for the Rams too for me at this point.