Here’s a look at who’s televising and calling (where available) this week’s college football games, with some discussion of a featured game or games in each slot based on announcers, matchup, or both. All times are Eastern.
Texas State @ Troy 7:00 p.m. ESPN2 Dave Neal, Aaron Murray
Featured game: Sam Houston @ UTEP 9:00 p.m. CBSSN Alex Del Barrio, Taylor McHargue
UTEP’s Kenny Odom trying to gain yardage against Southern Utah on Sept. 9, 2024. (Omar Omeles/The El Paso Times, via Imagn Images.)
Interestingly enough, this Conference USA game has a more lopsided matchup of records (the Bearkats are 4-1, while the host Miners are 0-4) than the Sun Belt game on ESPN2 (which has the 2-2 Bobcats at the 1-4 Trojans), but a smaller spread (the Bearkats are -10.5 point favorites, while the Bobcats are -13.5 ). Part of the reason for that is that Sam Houston State has historically struggled on the road, losing 13 of their last 15 contests away from home.
This year’s Bearkats loss was a 45-14 one at UCF. And their wins so far have come against Rice, Hawaii, New Mexico State, and Texas State (a 40-39 thriller last week). So they’re not necessarily a dominant team. Meanwhile, one of UTEP’s losses came against a Power Four team in Nebraska, and their other three (against Southern Utah, Liberty, and Colorado State) aren’t too bad either, and they’re coming off a bye. If they can get some strong offense at home, maybe from receiver Kenny Odom (who had seven catches for 128 yards and a touchdown in their last game), this might be closer than the records make it look.
Friday, Oct. 4
Jacksonville State @ Kennesaw State 7:00 p.m. CBSSN Dave Ryan, Logan Ryan
Houston @ TCU 7:30 p.m. ESPN Anish Shroff, Andre Ware
Featured game: Michigan State @ No. 6 Oregon 9:00 p.m. Fox Jason Benetti, Brock Huard
Oregon QB Dillon Gabriel looks to throw on Sept. 28, 2024 against UCLA. (Robert Hanashiro/Imagn Images.)
This might be the widest-appeal Friday game on the Fox broadcast network to date. It certainly has the highest-ranked team they’ve yet shown in this new window, with that being the No. 6 Ducks. The previous games there have included No. 20 Arizona against No. 14 Kansas State, No. 24 Illinois against No. 22 Nebraska, and unranked Washington at Rutgers.
However, 4-0 Oregon is a 23.5-point favorite against Michigan State, so it’s possible this won’t be close. The 3-2 Spartans haven’t been terrible, but they have just one win against a Power Four opponent (a 27-24 road squeaker against Maryland in Week 2), and they were pummeled 38-7 by Ohio State last week. If dual-threat quarterback Aidan Chiles can get going, maybe Michigan State can make this interesting, but he won’t have an easy time of it.
It’s also interesting to see Benetti and Huard get this assignment, as the previous three Friday night games on the Fox broadcast network have all been called by the Tim Brando-Devin Gardner pairing (who will instead be calling Baylor-Iowa State Saturday night). Granted, Detroit Tigers’ TV voice Benetti now has some more availability, with the MLB Postseason shifting to national broadcasts. We’ll see how he does on this call.
Featured game 1: No. 9 Missouri @ Texas A&M 12:00 p.m. ET ABC Joe Tessitore, Jordan Rodgers
Missouri RB Nate Noel against Vanderbilt on Sept. 21, 2024. (Jay Biggerstaff/Imagn Images.)
The 4-0 Tigers have had a notable season so far. They started this campaign ranked 11th in the AP Poll following a convincing end to last season, where they beat Tennessee, Florida, and Arkansas down the stretch and then bested Ohio State in the Cotton Bowl to finish eighth in the final AP vote.
This year, Missouri has posted shutouts over Murray State and Buffalo and narrower wins over Arkansas and Vanderbilt (a 30-27 OT victory in their last game two weeks back). Coming off a bye, how will the Tigers do on the road against a Texas A&M team that’s 4-1 so far, with their only loss coming in their Week 1 opener against Notre Dame? Despite being unranked, the Aggies are favored by 2.5 points , so this could be a tough challenge for Missouri.
Navy @ Air Force 12:00 p.m. CBS Rich Waltz, Ross Tucker
Featured game 2: UCLA @ No. 7 Penn State 12:00 p.m. Fox Gus Johnson, Joel Klatt
UCLA RB T.J. Harden against Oregon on Sept. 28, 2024. (Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images.)
Fox has at least a potentially intriguing Big Noon Saturday clash here, despite the Nittany Lions being favored by 27.5 points . It will be interesting to see how the West Coast-based Bruins do in a game that starts at 9 a.m. in their own time zone, but at least this one is noon local.
The Bruins also are just 1-3 on the year under new head coach DeShaun Foster, but those losses were in the last three weeks against ranked Power Four opponents in Indiana, LSU, and Oregon. The big question for them is if they can get a ground game that hasn’t yet topped 100 yards in a game going; there’s potential there, especially perhaps with junior RB T.J. Harden , who had 827 rushing yards and averaged 5.3 yards per carry last season but has been held to 125 and 3.0 thus far this year. If he can get some bigger plays going, maybe UCLA can hang in here.
SMU @ No. 22 Louisville 12:00 p.m. ESPN Bob Wischusen, Louis Riddick
Pittsburgh @ North Carolina 12:00 p.m. ESPN2 Roy Philpott, Sam Acho
Army @ Tulsa 12:00 p.m. ESPNU Courtney Lyle, Rene Ingoglia
Wake Forest @ N.C. State 12:00 p.m. CW Thom Brennaman, Max Browne
Purdue @ Wisconsin 12:00 p.m. BTN Mark Followill, Jake Butt
Boston College @ Virginia 12:00 p.m. ACCN Jorge Sedano, Orlando Franklin
Massachusetts @ Northern Illinois 12:00 p.m. CBSSN Carter Blackburn, Luke Kuechly
Tulane @ UAB 1:00 p.m. ESPN+ Lowell Galindo, Fozzy Whittaker
Western Michigan @ Ball State 2:00 p.m. ESPN+ Jason Ross Jr, Tyoka Jackson
Featured game 1: Iowa @ No. 3 Ohio State 3:30 p.m. CBS Brad Nessler, Gary Danielson
Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson after beating Minnesota on Sept. 21, 2024. (Matt Krohn/Imagn Images.)
While CBS no longer has the “SEC Game of the Week” in this timeslot, they’re getting some pretty decent Big Ten games instead. No one has come within 35 points of the highly ranked 4-0 Buckeyes so far, but the 3-1 Hawkeyes have a tough defense of their own that has given up 0, 20, 21, and 14 points so far. (The 20 were in a one-point loss to No. 16 Iowa State in the Cy-Hawk Game.) We’ll see if they can shut down Ohio State QB Will Howard, who took a big hit last week against Michigan State but eventually returned to the game .
On the other side of the ball, the Hawkeyes’ rushing attack is in great form , averaging 250.3 rushing yards per game and 6.0 yards per carry. Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson, an Ohio native, is second in the country with 171.25 yards per game to date. But will he be able to do enough against the stalwart Buckeyes’ defense (61.8 rushing yards allowed per game, 196.5 total offensive yards allowed per game, third and second respectively nationally ) to make this more even than Ohio State’s -20.5 line suggests?
Featured game 2: No. 12 Ole Miss @ South Carolina 3:30 p.m. ESPN Dave Pasch, Dusty Dvoracek
Ole Miss coach Lane Kiffin against Kentucky on Sept. 28, 2024. (Petre Thomas/Imagn Images.)
The 4-1 Rebels are coming off a last-second 20-17 loss at home against Kentucky, and they’ll be looking to bounce back against the 3-1 Gamecocks. That may not be easy, though; South Carolina is coming off a bye, and off an emphatic 50-7 thumping of Akron before that, so they’ll certainly be well-rested.
The Gamecocks’ only loss this year was a three-point home one against LSU, so this may be closer than the Ole Miss-9 spread suggests. However, the Rebels have allowed the fewest rushing yards (46.2) per game in FBS. And led by QB Jaxson Dart, they’ve thrown for the second-highest yards per game (390.4). So they’re a formidable opponent.
East Carolina @ Charlotte 3:30 p.m. ESPNU Matt Schumacker, Dustin Fox
23 Indiana @ Northwestern 3:30 p.m. BTN Chris Vosters, Anthony Herron
Virginia Tech @ Stanford 3:30 p.m. ACCN Chris Cotter, Mark Herzlich
Temple @ Connecticut 3:30 p.m. CBSSN Jordan Kent, Adam Brenemen
Appalachian State @ Marshall 3:30 p.m. ESPN+
Bowling Green @ Akron 3:30 p.m. ESPN+ Anthony Lima, Ryan Cavanaugh
Miami (OH) @ Toledo 3:30 p.m. ESPN+ Michael Reghi, Marcus Ray
West Virginia @ Oklahoma State 4:00 p.m. ESPN2 Mike Monaco, Kirk Morrison
Rutgers @ Nebraska 4:00 p.m. FS1 Alex Faust, Robert Smith
Colorado State @ Oregon State 6:30 p.m. CW Ted Robinson, Ryan Leaf
Saturday, Oct. 5, evening/late-night window
Featured game 1: No. 15 Clemson @ Florida State 7:00 p.m. ESPN Mark Jones, Roddy Jones
Florida State QB Brock Glenn ahead of a Sept. 28, 2024 game against SMU. (Jerome Miron/Imagn Images.)
Both of these teams have had up-and-down seasons. The Tigers started the campaign with a 34-3 thumping from Georgia, but have bounced back with dominant wins over Appalachian State, North Carolina State, and Stanford, with their closest one being a 59-35 shootout against the Wolfpack two weeks back.
Meanwhile, the Seminoles also started poorly with a Week 0 loss to Georgia Tech in Ireland, a Week 1 defeat to Boston College, and a Week 3 one against Memphis, but looked somewhat back on track with a Week 4 win against Cal. However, they’re now coming off a 42-16 road thumping at SMU, and will be starting backup QB Brock Glenn this week after DJ Uiagalelei’s hand injury last week.
Can Florida State get back on track against an old foe (but an unusual ally in battles against their conference)? Or will the Tigers-14.5 spread prove correct? It will also be interesting to see how many people tune into this one, as the recent idea of ratings-based payments is thought to be a way to bring Clemson and Florida State back to the ACC fold and end the litigation. But will they still be as much of a draw with the Seminoles struggling this significantly?
Utah State @ No. 21 Boise State 7:00 p.m. FS2 Eric Collins, Spencer Tillman
James Madison @ ULM 7:00 p.m. ESPNU Jay Alter, Rocky Boiman
Louisiana @ Southern Mississippi 7:00 p.m. ESPN+
Old Dominion @ Coastal Carolina 7:00 p.m. ESPN+
South Alabama @ Arkansas State 7:00 p.m. ESPN+
Featured game 2: No. 4 Tennessee @ Arkansas 7:30 p.m. ABC Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit
Arkansas Razorbacks players with the Southwest Classic Trophy after a win over Texas A&M. (Kevin Jairaj/Imagn Images.)
The 4-0 Volunteers have been a pleasant surprise so far. They finished last season No. 17 in the AP Poll after a 9-4 campaign, but are off to a great start this time, rising from No. 15 in the preseason poll all the way to No. 4 now. They’re third in yards for per game (565.8), third in points allowed (7.0, their best start since 1966 ), and first in yards against (176.0). Of course, their only challenge against a ranked team to date was their last game two weeks back, a 25-15 road win over Oklahoma. But that was an impressive win, and involved a great defensive effort.
Meanwhile, 3-2 Arkansas could be a tough opponent, especially at home. The Razorbacks only lost by four at Texas A&M last week, and their other loss was an eight-point overtime loss at Oklahoma State in Week 2. They also have a win over Auburn to go with ones against Arkansas-Pine Bluff and UAB. They’re +13.5-point underdogs here, but there are reasons to think they could at least keep this close if they get the right breaks.
Baylor @ No. 16 Iowa State 7:30 p.m. Fox Tim Brando, Devin Gardner
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