Bye Week Bulletin: What to watch while UF’s off

By Adam Silverstein
September 26, 2014


The Florida Gators have their first of two open dates this Saturday and will not step foot on the gridiron – but that does not mean there are no college football games to watch. In this season’s first edition of the Bye Week Bulletin, OnlyGators.com points out the best and most interesting games to keep a close eye on this Saturday.

BUT FIRST…

Here’s Carol Muschamp, the wife of Gators head coach Will Muschamp, kickboxing. Carol is one of a handful of wives of Southeastern Conference coaches who will be featured in a special segment on Saturday’s edition of ESPN‘s College GameDay.

MUST WATCH

Tennessee (2-1) at No. 12 Georgia (2-1) – 12 p.m. (ESPN)
Aside from the fact that the Gators play the Vols next Saturday, UT is a young, interesting team that posted 72 points in its first two games (against Utah State and Arkansas State) before getting routed 34-10 by Oklahoma. UGA is the fourth-highest-scoring team in the country and still searching for its first SEC win after falling 38-35 to South Carolina during the second week of the season.

Vanderbilt (1-3) at Kentucky (2-1) – 12 p.m. (SEC Network)
The only thing that could make UF fans feel worse than the Alabama rout last Saturday would be UK proving to not be nearly as improved as many beleive. The Wildcats should dominate the Commodores, which rank among the worst 25 teams in the country in nearly every important statistical category. Nevertheless, VU hung around with USC last week and only dropped that contest 48-34.


Arkansas (3-1) at No. 6 Texas A&M (4-0) – 3:30 p.m. (CBS)
Led by a stellar two-headed rushing attack, the Hogs have averaged 48.8 points per game through their first four contests but only managed to post 21 against Auburn in a Week 1 beatdown. Under Bret Bielema, Arkansas is 0-7 against ranked opponents, losing those games by an average of 26.4 points. The Aggies present a huge test for a still-rebuilding Razorbacks program.

No. 1 Florida State (3-0) at NC State (4-0) – 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
The Seminoles have failed to impress this year and have arguably been gift-wrapped victories against two of the fout best opponents they will face this season (37-31 vs. Oklahoma State, 23-17 vs. Clemson). The Wolfpack, led by quarterback Jacoby Brissett, are undefeated…against Georgia Southern, Old Dominion, South Florida and Presbyterian. However, FSU has not won at NC State since 2008, making Saturday’s contest a bit more intriguing and a great game to skip to during commercial breaks and at halftime of the Arkansas-Texas A&M contest.

Missouri (3-1) at No. 13 South Carolina (3-1) – 7 p.m. (ESPN)
One of the most explosive offenses in the SEC against one of the worst secondaries in the league makes this game sound one-sided in favor of Mizzou, but the Gamecocks have been able to squeak out three-straight wins, while the Tigers lost to Indiana – yes, Indiana – last week. Two SEC East contenders go head-to-head in this one, and considering the game is at 7 p.m., it will be a nice follow-up to the SEC’s afternoon slugfest.

SHOULD WATCH

Minnesota (3-1) at Michigan (2-2) – 3:30 p.m. (ABC)
How bad are the Wolverines? Bad enough to watch and see for yourself during SEC on CBS commercial breaks.

Texas (1-2) at Kansas (2-1) – 4 p.m. (FOX Sports 1)
A showdown between a former Florida defensive coordinator and former Gators offensive coordinator. Charlie Strong has kicked nine players off his Texas team this season, yet the Longhorns should still wipe the floor with the Jayhawks.

Duke (4-0) at Miami (2-2) – 7:30 p.m. (ESPN2)
Remember how much you enjoyed watching the Canes struggle with teams like the Blue Devils on an annual basis? That may still be the case, but Duke is legit now, with the seventh-best defense in the FBS entering Saturday night’s game. Another good flipper.

Oregon State (3-0) at No. 18 USC (2-1) 10:30 p.m. (ESPN)
The only somewhat prominent night cap, the Trojans host a Beavers team that has pulled off some upsets over the last few years. However, coming off a loss to Boston College, USC should be ready to take some aggression out on Oregon State.

COULD WATCH

Louisiana Tech (2-2) at No. 5 Auburn (3-0) – 4 p.m. (SEC Network)

No. 16 Stanford (2-1) at Washington (4-0) – 4 p.m. (FOX)

Cincinnati (2-0) at No. 22 Ohio State (2-1) – 6 p.m. (Big Ten Network)

New Mexico State (2-2) at No. 17 LSU (3-1) – 7:30 p.m. (SEC Network)

Memphis (2-1) at No. 10 Ole Miss (3-0) (ESPN3.com)

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