3 Weeks Until Beavers Football: 10 Games To Watch On Your College Football Saturday

Alabama and Georgia may meet without Nick Saban in tow. Can the Bulldogs knock off the Crimson Tide?

By The_Coach Oct 16, 2020, 9:00pm PDT

1. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets vs. #1 Clemson Tigers (9:00 AM PT, ABC)

NCAA Football: Georgia Tech at Syracuse — When Jeff Sims consistently takes care of the football, the Yellow Jackets offense can come alive.

Really? A 2-2 Georgia Tech team takes on Clemson, who hasn’t lost a regular season game since October of 2017 and this is a game to watch? I honestly think so. Yes, the Tigers are ruthlessly efficient and talented, but Georgia Tech is coming off a 46-point effort last week with some wind in their sails. At home, I don’t expect a stunning upset, but a strong effort from the Yellow Jackets, who is a better football team than they’re given credit for. Even if slowing down Clemson’s offense is the tallest of tasks.

2. #13 Miami Hurricanes vs. Pittsburgh Panthers (9:00 AM PT, ACCN)

The ACC has become the Big East basketball of the college football world, where every week, any team can find a way to victory in a slug fest. Miami ran into the Clemson buzz-saw, while Pittsburgh is coming off back-to-back losses by a combined two points. The battle between Panthers quarterback Kenny Pickett and Hurricanes play-maker D’Eriq King is must-see TV.

3. South Carolina Gamecocks vs. #15 Auburn Tigers (9:00 AM PT, ESPN)

Muschamp and Malzahn. Two of the SEC’s most colorful personalities will meet each other halfway, with the Tigers’ offensive guru heading to Columbia to see if he can pick apart a Gamecocks program rooted in a team defense philosophy. South Carolina drew a brutal intro to SEC play with Tennessee and Florida, but walloped Vanderbilt to gain some confidence.

4. #18 Tennessee Volunteers vs. Kentucky Wildcats (9:00 AM PT, SECN)

Kentucky was poised to be this year’s sleeper in the SEC and three games into 2020, the Wildcats are clearly trying to mirror the uncertainty of the whole year so far. A heart-breaking loss to Ole Miss and a strange victory over Mississippi State gave us no more answers about this Wildcats group. As for Tennessee, they can’t get caught looking forward to next week versus Alabama.

5. Syracuse Orange vs. Liberty Flames (9:00 AM PT, ESPN3)

NCAA Football: Chick-fil-A Kickoff Game-Auburn at Washington — Can Malik Willis usher Liberty to an upset over Syracuse?

Syracuse has struggled to find any consistency in 2020, losing three contests by double-digit margins, only offset by their victory over Georgia Tech. In their fifth week of the season, they’ll host a 4-0 Liberty squad who is led by Auburn transfer Malik Willis at QB. Willis will be hands-down the best offensive play-maker between the two teams, but the Syracuse secondary will be hard to navigate against, even without safety Andre Cisco who recently opted out of the season.

6. Memphis Tigers vs. UCF Knights (12:30 PM PT, ABC)

The American Conference is going to have an intense season with so many squads being similar in overall ability and I’d be stunned to see any team turn this into a one-horse race. Memphis has a strong win over Arkansas State and a tough loss to SMU to their name, while UCF beat Georgia Tech and East Carolina on the road, but fell to Tulsa at home. Total up for grabs game.

7. Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. #11 Texas A&M Aggies (1:00 PM PT, ESPN)

Much like South Carolina-Auburn, Mississippi State and Texas A&M brings two extremely enjoyable coaches in Mike Leach and Jimbo Fisher to the forefront down in Stark Vegas. The Bulldogs opening win over LSU is losing traction by the day and they’ve scored just 16 points over their last two games. Leach better hope the Aggies are still caught up in the big-win hangover.

8. Florida State Seminoles vs. #5 North Carolina Tar Heels (4:30 PM PT, ABC)

Florida State hasn’t done much to prove they’re ready for the shocking upset of the year, but I love the idea of the Seminoles keeping alive Mack Brown’s winless streak against his alma mater. No offensive chemistry has zapped out Mike Norvell’s early changes and Florida State is an absolute sieve defensively. Tar Heels QB Sam Howell will be waiting to tear that secondary up.

9. #23 Virginia Tech Hokies vs. Boston College Eagles (5:00 PM PT, ACCN)

No, Virginia Tech and Boston College isn’t necessarily sexy football, but this one could be a really enjoyable football game for those purists of the sport. The Hokies are looking like a Justin Fuente team, having played in three shoot-outs so far, while the Eagles have battled for some razor-thin wins. The only thing this one is missing is some old leather helmets and a torn-up grass field.

10. #2 Alabama Crimson Tide vs. #3 Georgia Bulldogs (5:00 PM PT, CBS)

Vasiliy Lomachenko v Luke Campbell - WBC, WBA, WBO and Ring Magazine Lightweight World Title Fight — Switch over to Lomachenko-Lopez right after Alabama & Georgia is done. You won’t be disappointed.

The timing of this game should give everyone enough time before they switch over to the blockbuster boxing fight (maybe) of the year between lightweights Vasiliy Lomachenko vs. Teofimo Lopez. But yeah, #2 versus #3. Good old SEC rivals. Likely no Nick Saban on the sidelines for Alabama. Georgia has every reason to prove their worth in this one, but the Crimson Tide look to be hitting their stride. Can the Bulldogs tame Alabama’s red-hot offense?