"I love sleepin' in on Saturdays / and I love college football games / I love not acting my age / and good Barbeque," sings Eric Church in "Love Your Love the Most."
Call it weird, crazy, depressing, pathetic, absurd, call it whatever you want, but Eric Church pretty much sums up my life in this song, and no verse is more fitting than the very first lines listed above.
To me, fall is about one thing: college football. I absolutely love it: College GameDay, tailgates, school spirit, traditions, fight songs, mascots, underdogs, last second touchdowns; the list goes on and on.
These days, there's a lot of controversy surrounding college football, mainly centered around conference realignment, institutions violating NCAA rules, and the long-lasting debate concerning the Bowl Championship Series (BCS) system and whether or not there should be a playoff.
However, through the midst of all this chaos, one thing remains clear: there is so much passion in the college game. The players truly care about the concept of a team rather than the individual. That's why so many people love the game, not because it's a better game than the NFL, because frankly, it's not. The NFL game is much faster and it's more skilled. It is the nature of college football, including its traditions and upsets, that makes it unique.
So if you're like me and don't want to do anything this Saturday other than watch football, you're in luck because this week presents several intriguing matchups including four between unbeaten teams.
No. 14 Texas A&M at No. 18 Arkansas (ESPN), noon.
I'm interested to see how well each team will respond to its losses last weekend. In some cases, losing in the fashion that Texas A&M did—the team gave up 27 straight points and lost after being up 20-3 at halftime—can hang over your head. More so, at times, than getting beaten pretty handily, which was the case with Arkansas last weekend against Alabama. Even though they are away, I like Texas A&M, and think the Aggies have the advantage in both the running and defensive game. Prediction: Aggies 35-Razorbacks 24.
No. 13 Clemson at No. 11 Virginia Tech (ESPN 2), 6 p.m.
Two 4-0 squads come together for a statement game in the ACC. Clemson is one of the more impressive looking teams, coming off back-to-back victories against top 20 teams in Auburn and Florida State. Virginia Tech has done everything right in beating the teams that it was supposed to beat. I like Clemson going on the road to Lane Stadium and squeaking one out against Tech. Head Coach Dabo Swinney's team is more "battle tested" and is getting great production out of its sophomore quarterback Tajh Boyd. Prediction: Tigers 24-Hokies 21.
Nevada at No. 4 Boise State (Versus), 2:30 p.m.
Even though they have shown that they can beat the big name teams, every weekend Boise State has to go out and kill their opponent just to prove their legitimacy. I don't think that there is a more established winner at the helm in college football right now than Kellen Moore. His accuracy and ability to prepare for every game is unprecedented. On paper, Boise State should steamroll Nevada, which I think they ultimately will, but I am interested to see how emotional of a game this will be, especially after the heartbreaking loss against them last year, which arguably kept Boise State out of the BCS National Championship. No more missed field goals this time. Prediction: Broncos 45-Wolfpack 20.
No. 8 Nebraska at No. 7 Wisconsin (ABC), 8 p.m.
What could be a more challenging matchup for Nebraska to open its first Big Ten conference game than Wisconsin at Camp Randall Stadium during prime time? As we learned last year when No. 1 Ohio State came to town, Wisconsin is a tough team to beat at home. I think that this is going to be the game of the day, and even if you don't get to watch it all, at least stay tuned for the spectacle at the beginning of the fourth quarter when House of Pain's "Jump Around" comes on. Both teams have dynamic and explosive offenses, led by their respective quarterbacks Taylor Martinez (Nebraska) and Russell Wilson (Wisconsin), but it's all going to depend on who can limit their turnovers. Prediction: Badgers 28- Nebraska 17.
Upset Alert: No. 17 Texas at Iowa State (FX), 7 p.m. There's a Cyclone brewing in Iowa.
I now present to you the Jam of the Week. I'm in a mash-up and techno phase these days, and I gotta give my man Ollie Koo props for showing me this one. It's called "Bounce My Beach House" by Calvin Harris. Good jam for just about anything: working out, studying, dancing, or just plain ol' fist pumping. Your choice.