The 2016 ACC Bowl Selection Process

Another season over, another round of grumblings or elation about postseason destinations.  Let's break down how the ACC teams got selected for their bowls.

Just for fun: Alternate NY6 Bowls

Let's play a game of "what if", and let's look at what this year's New Year's Six bowls might have looked like if we were in a different year of the playoff rotation.  I am assuming that the top ranked teams not already selected would be the "at large" teams.

Using Divisional Records

Let's take a quick look at how the conference championships might look different if divisional records were given preference over conference record.

Week 13 Reactions & Championship Look-Ahead

Are we here already?!? I thought we were just about to get the season started! No matter, let's take a look and reflect on the rivalries - and look ahead to the championships ahead.

Week 13 wrap up

That's another regular season mostly in the books, and all of the championship games are set.

And UVA still sucks.

Week 13 Black Friday update

With almost a full slate of games on Friday (plus one on Thursday), we've made some significant progress already this week.

CFP Bowl projections - Thanksgiving week

As usual, these projections are based strictly off of the rankings as provided each week.  The premise is that the committee chooses the highest ranked team available to fill any spots that are vacated by a team moving up into the semi-finals.  I'm not projecting based on remaining games.

Semi-finals (Peach and Fiesta Bowls)

#1 Alabama vs. #4 Clemson
#2 Ohio State vs. #3 Michigan

Rose Bowl (Pac-12 vs. B1G)
#5 Washington vs. #6 Wisconsin

Sugar Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12)
#8 Oklahoma vs. #13 Auburn

Orange Bowl (ACC vs. highest ranked SEC/B1G)
#11 Louisville vs. #7 Penn State

Cotton Bowl (at-large vs. Group of 5)
#9 Colorado vs. #21 Western Michigan

None of the teams have changed from last week, only the rankings for most of the teams after the top four.  We have the top 9 represented, and 11 of the top 13.  There are 4 B1G teams, 2 SEC teams, 2 ACC teams, 1 Big 12 team, 2 Pac-12 teams, and 1 Group of 5 team.

What to watch: Rivalry Week

Thursday, November 24 (Thanksgiving)

7:30 PM
Game:  LSU at Texas A&M
Network:  ESPN
What's at stake:  Boredom from the NFL game.  Other than that, some bowl game positioning.

Friday, November 25 (Black Friday)

Noon
Game:  NC State at UNC
Network:  ESPN
What's at stake:  If NC State wins, they are bowl eligible and Virginia Tech clinches the Coastal division.  If UNC wins, the UVA-VT game on Saturday will determine the Coastal.

3:30 PM
Game:  Nebraska at Iowa
Network:  ABC
What's at stake:  If Nebraska loses, Wisconsin clinches the B1G West.  If Nebraska wins, then we're looking at the Wisconsin game on Saturday.

Game:  Washington at Washington State
Network:  FOX
What's at stake:  Winner clinches the Pac-12 North.

Game:  TCU at Texas
Network:  FS1
What's at stake:  The winner is bowl eligible.  TCU does have another game after this, so they would have another chance if they lose this week.

Saturday, November 26

Noon
Game:  Michigan at Ohio State
Network:  ABC
What's at stake:  Potentially, a Playoff spot.  Michigan will clinch the B1G East with a win.  If Michigan loses, then it's up to the Penn State game to determine the B1G East champ.

Game:  UVA at Virginia Tech
Network:  ESPN2
What's at stake:  The Hokies are going for the 13th straight year of possessing the Commonwealth Cup.  If UNC doesn't lose on Friday, then VT needs to win to clinch the Coastal division.

Game:  Rutgers at Maryland
Network:  ESPNEWS
What's at stake:  Maryland needs to win to go bowling.  Rutgers is already out.

3 PM
Game:  Boston College at Wake Forest
Network:  RSN/ACC Network Extra/ESPN3
What's at stake:  BC needs a win to go bowling.  Wake Forest is already eligible.

3:30 PM
Game:  Michigan State at Penn State
Network:  ESPN
What's at stake:  If Ohio State wins the early game, then this game determines the B1G East.  Penn State clinches the division with a win, but Ohio State will clinch if Penn State loses.

Game:  Minnesota at Wisconsin
Network:  BTN
What's at stake:  If Nebraska loses on Friday, then this game doesn't matter because Wisconsin would already have clinched the division.  Otherwise, Wisconsin clinches the B1G West with a win, but gives it to Nebraska with a loss.

Game:  Mississippi State at Ole Miss
Network:  SEC Network
What's at stake:  Ole Miss needs a win to go bowling, but Mississippi State is already out.

7:30 PM
Game:  Utah at Colorado
Network:  FOX
What's at stake:  If Colorado wins, they clinch the Pac-12 South.  If they lose, USC will clinch.

Game:  Tennessee at Vanderbilt
Network:  SEC Network
What's at stake:  Vandy needs a win to go bowling.  Tennessee is already bowl eligible.

Reactions from Week 12 / Year-End Look-Ahead

A few upsets shaped this penultimate weekend of November. But by and large, the games set up some fun ahead!

Week 12 wrap up

Turkey day is coming...it's hate week, ya'll!

And guess what, we actually have scenarios!  I don't know if the games have fallen just right this year, or I just haven't had the fortitude to plot out too many scenarios (like the epic 17 scenarios for the ACC a couple years ago).

CFP Bowl Projections - week 12

Well, this got interesting the the massive shake up in the college ranks.

These projections are based strictly off of the rankings as provided each week.  The premise is that the committee chooses the highest ranked team available to fill any spots that are vacated by a team moving up into the semi-finals.

Semi-finals (Peach and Fiesta Bowls)

#1 Alabama vs. #4 Clemson
#2 Ohio State vs. #3 Michigan

Rose Bowl (Pac-12 vs. B1G)
#6 Washington vs. #7 Wisconsin

Sugar Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12)
#9 Oklahoma vs. #15 Auburn

Orange Bowl (ACC vs. highest ranked SEC/B1G)
#5 Louisville vs. #8 Penn State

Cotton Bowl (at-large vs. Group of 5)
#10 Colorado vs. #21 Western Michigan

We have the top 10 represented, along with #15 and #21  There are 4 B1G teams, 2 SEC teams, 2 ACC teams, 1 Big 12 team, 2 Pac-12 teams, and 1 Group of 5 team.

Reactions from Week 11

Well, after a few upsets here and there over the first 10 weeks, we finally have our chaos. Sweet chaos!

Week 11 wrap up

No one wants to win their division this weekend.  Except Alabama.  Chaos reigns.

CFP Bowl Projections - week 11

These projections are based strictly off of the rankings as provided each week.  The premise is that the committee chooses the highest ranked team available to fill any spots that are vacated by a team moving up into the semi-finals.

Semi-finals (Peach and Fiesta Bowls)

#1 Alabama vs. #4 Washington
#2 Clemson vs. #3 Michigan

Rose Bowl (Pac-12 vs. B1G)
#5 Ohio State vs. #12 Colorado

Sugar Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12)
#8 Texas A&M vs. #11 Oklahoma

Orange Bowl (ACC vs. highest ranked SEC/B1G)
#6 Louisville vs. #7 Wisconsin

Cotton Bowl (at-large vs. Group of 5)
#9 Auburn vs. #21 Western Michigan

We have the top 12 represented, except for #10, with #21 replacing them.  There are 3 B1G teams, 3 SEC teams, 2 ACC teams, 1 Big 12 team, 2 Pac-12 teams, and 1 Group of 5 team.

Reactions from Week 10

The first weekend of November in the books. Big matchups, championships being chased - the good stuff!

Week 10 wrap up

For once, the ACC is making things fairly easy.  Meanwhile, the SEC East and B1G West are a mess.  Sometimes you just need one team to win the right game just to knock everyone out of contention.  Or do what the ACC does and eliminate 5 of 7 teams in one division over the course of seven hours.

CFP Bowl projections - week 10

These projections are based strictly off of the rankings as provided each week.  The premise is that the committee chooses the highest ranked team available to fill any spots that are vacated by a team moving up into the semi-finals.

Semi-finals (Peach and Fiesta Bowls)

#1 Alabama vs. #4 Texas A&M
#2 Clemson vs. #3 Michigan

Rose Bowl (Pac-12 vs. B1G)
#5 Washington vs. #6 Ohio State

Sugar Bowl (SEC vs. Big 12)
#9 Auburn vs. #14 Oklahoma

Orange Bowl (ACC vs. highest ranked SEC/B1G)
#7 Louisville vs. #8 Wisconsin

Cotton Bowl (at-large vs. Group of 5)
#10 Nebraska vs. #23 Western Michigan

So, we have the top ten represented, plus #14 and #23.  There are 4 B1G teams, 3 SEC teams, 2 ACC teams, 1 Big 12 team, 1 Pac-12 team, and 1 Group of 5 team.

Week 9 Reactions

I intentionally waited until the CFP Rankings release this week to look back on the week gone by. I'll resume doing this on Sunday, but I did want to share some of my initial thoughts on the initial rankings.

Chaos Theory: Week 10

So I get distracted for a couple of weeks and forget to go over the chaos theory, and what happens?  Everybody loses, almost.

Last time I did a Chaos Theory post, we had 11 undefeated teams.    Three weeks later, we're down to 5.  Now, though, none of the undefeated teams are scheduled to play each other, so we could be done.  Or, we could be in for mass chaos, as none of the undefeated teams from the last few weeks have fallen to other undefeated teams.

Chaos is rooting for these teams in week 10:

LSU over Alabama
Maryland over Michigan
Syracuse over Clemson
Cal over Washington
Ball State over Western Michigan

Week 9 wrap up

Chaos reigns, sort of.  A lot of shakeups going on, and a lot of teams officially getting eliminated from contention.  And yes, we know that some of the scenarios are ridiculous, but until teams are officially eliminated, we're keeping track of what keeps them in contention.

ACC Wheel of Destiny update

So I don't junk up the main wrap up post, here's an explanation for why Florida State and NC State are both out of contention for the ACC Atlantic division, even though they could force a tie at 5-3.

Week 8 wrap up

Sorry, Miami, you are still not back.

And Ohio State lost.  Well, that's what I get for deciding to switch to the game on ESPN after baseball because I figured it would be on longer.

Apparently, a lot of teams got gifted with a bye, or nonconference game this week.

Oh, and the magic number is coming back.  As I explain every year, that's determined by taking the team with the most wins in the division and adding the remaining number of games to their loss column, then adding one.  Any team that has the magic number or higher in the loss column is automatically out.  We have a few teams dangerously close to that number.  There's probably a few teams that are pretty much eliminated from contention, but I would have to work through a lot of tiebreakers to be 100% sure.  Since that's usually a waste of time, I'll hold off until announcing them being out until I am sure.

Now, on to the conference races...

Reactions, Post-Week 8

With the second half of the season underway, it's back to jotting down some weekly reactions. See below.

Midterm review

With rough calculations, I have determined that Monday, October 17 is the midpoint of the college football season, beginning on September 1 and ending with the conference championship games of December 3.  (Even if we add the Australia game and Army-Navy, this is still the midpoint.)

Let's assess where we are this season.

Week 7 wrap up

The nice thing about the long rotation of ACC cross divisional opponents is that the Hokies don't have to go to the accursed Carrier Dome for 12 years.  Now if only they hadn't been required to return there after leaving the Big East . . .

Anyway, on to the conference races . . .

Reactions from Week 6

Just as the polls were a little late this week due to the hurricane, as am I due to an extended weekend of travel.

Chaos Theory: Week 7

The easiest way to throw the CFP into chaos is to not have any undefeated teams.  Currently, we have 9 undefeated Power 5 teams, and 2 Group of 5 teams.  That breaks down to 1 ACC team, 2 Big 12 teams, 3 Big Ten teams, 2 SEC teams, 1 Pac-12 team, 1 MAC team, and 1 Mountain West team.  Obviously, at least 1 Big 12, 2 Big Ten, and 1 SEC team are guaranteed to lose at some point before the postseason.  That means, at most, we'll have 7 undefeated teams at the end of the year, only 5 of them from the Power 5.

We know that three teams will survive this week due to bye:  Michigan, Washington, and Texas A&M.

Otherwise, here is the list of teams to root for in the name of chaos.

NC State over Clemson
Kansas over Baylor
Texas Tech over West Virginia
Wisconsin over Ohio State
Indiana over Nebraska
Tennessee over Alabama
Akron over Western Michigan
Colorado State over Boise State

Week 6 wrap up

A little late, so we can grab the delayed games due to the hurricane.

We had a crazy weekend, starting with the weather.  Notre Dame at NC State turned into a water polo match in the fourth quarter.  The field at UNC had a much better drainage system, but only one team that was ready to play, and that was Virginia Tech, who was eager to earn the #25 ranking bestowed upon them by the AP.  They earned that, and took away the #17 from the Tarheels.  Then, the FSU/Miami rivalry rolled on with a crazy finish that was slightly delayed when Miami fans felt the need to throw their drinks on the field after a targeting penalty was called on their player.  Down 7 late in the 4th quarter on 4th and 5, Miami throws a TD, but has the extra point blocked.  Poor Brad Kaaya -- he lost the game, and a tooth.

Since this is week 6, the undefeated teams that have yet to have a bye are now bowl eligible.  I'm sure those ranks will swell in the next two to three weeks.

And finally, the conference races have been divided into three parts -- "Controls destiny" (those who are in if they win out), "Needs help" (those who can jump into the first category with a well placed loss), and "Just start winning" (those who have yet to win a conference game, or are so far back that it's not worth listing what they need to possibly win).

Division Records for Championships: SEC Edition

Chip postulated what would have happened in years past had the ACC used Division Records (instead of overall conference records) to determine the representative in the Conference Championship Game. I figured I’d follow up with another conference…the SEC.

What if . . . ACC divisions

It's always a hot topic in a conference that has 14 teams, but only 8 games per year.  So, what are the different ways to restructure the ACC, that could help out on some of the scheduling issues?

SEC and Hurricane throws a monkey wrench into conference standings

With Hurricane Matthew attacking the state of Florida, the SEC knew that they could not play the LSU at Florida game as scheduled this weekend.

They had a few options, some better than others.

What if the ACC used divisional records for champs?

Thanks to some internet discussion, I came up with a thought exercise.  Most conferences use conference records to determine their representatives for the conference championship game.  But, what if divisional records were given preference?  In theory, this could level the playing field a bit, depending on the luck of the draw of cross divisional games.

As usual, let's take a look at the ACC.

Reactions from Week 5

What an awesome weekend of games!  Awesome finishes, some high-profile matchups...what a way to begin October!

Week 5 wrap up

Even without the Hokies playing, college football still managed to deliver one heck of a weekend.  Bravo, teams, bravo.

Although, what was with all of the missed kicks today?

And Duke, I'm calling you out.  You lost to UVA.  Shame!

So, the conference races have already gotten interesting.  Some divisions are already damn near sewn up with only two games played.  Meanwhile, the Big Ten and Pac-12 like to front load their schedules with non-conference games, followed by cross divisional games.

Bowl eligibility starts creeping in next week!

What to Watch: Week 5

So, what do I watch while the Hokies are on a bye?

Thursday, September 29
8 PM
UConn at Houston, ESPN.  Revenge of the Cougars.  UConn is the only team to beat Houston last year.

Friday, September 30
9 PM
Stanford at Washington, ESPN.  I think this is a sneaky little Pac-12 matchup that could come into play later on this season.

Saturday, October 1
Noon
Miami at Georgia Tech, ESPN2.  Always down for an ACC Coastal match.  I don't think GT is a contender this year, but they could play spoiler here.

3:30 PM
Tennessee at Georgia, CBS.  This could be the turning point of the season for the SEC East.  Or it could be the next nail in Georgia's coffin.

UNC at FSU, ESPN.  While cross-divisional, a very pivotal ACC matchup.  If for no other reason, the outcome of this game will determine the game times of three ACC games next week.

Wisconsin at Michigan, ABC.  A true test for Wisconsin, or if they pull off the upset, the beginning of a wacky ride for the Big Ten.

8 PM
Louisville at Clemson, ABC.  The first top 5 matchup of the season, and it's courtesy of the ACC, including one of the teams in the first top 10 matchup.  This is likely the game that decides the ACC Atlantic.

September wrap up

We finally have the first month in the books, and a few questions have been answered, and not always in the manner in which we expected.

Who did the FSU kicker outscore in week 4?

FSU rebounded this week, scoring 7 TDs and 2 FGs, giving Ricky Aguayo 13 points.

Who did he outscore this week?

Reactions from Week 4

Some streaks broken, some live on.  My Week 4 reactions are below.

Week 4 wrap up

We haven't gotten every team into conference play, and we already have a few teams in a deep hole.

What to Watch: Week 4

Conference games are coming at us hot and heavy this week.  It's still going to take a little bit of time for storylines to develop.

Thursday, September 22
7:30 PM
Clemson at Georgia Tech, ESPN.  This is possibly a battle of contenders on either side of the ACC, although I'm still not sure which GT we're getting this year.  Clemson hasn't looked too hot against FBS foes, though.  Even though it's a cross divisional match, the loser will definitely be taking a significant step back.

Friday, September 23
9 PM
USC at Utah, FS1.  USC's last stand, I think.

Saturday, September 24
Noon
Georgia at Ole Miss, ESPN.  Cross divisional, but a must win for Ole Miss if they want any chance of taking advantage of a possible Alabama stumble later on in the season.

Wisconsin at Michigan State, BTN.  Could this be a preview of the B1G championship game?

12:30 PM

East Carolina at Virginia Tech, ACC Network.  Probably the biggest thorn in the Hokies' sides, the Pirates come to town, having a two year winning streak in this rivalry that shouldn't exist.  But the Hokies have something they haven't had much of in recent years:  an offense.

3:30 PM
Florida at Tennessee, CBS.  Could this be the week that Tennessee realizes the gift they were given in week two by virtue of five fumbles?

Pitt at UNC, ESPNU.  We start separating some of the contenders in the Coastal early.  Although, when six of the seven teams in the division could be legitimate contenders, this could just be the first spin on the ACC Wheel of Destiny.

8 PM
Stanford at UCLA, ABC.  Okay, ABC, we get it.  Stanford is good.  Or Christian McCaffery is.  You don't seem to care about the rest of the team based on the promos.  But good grief, this is the third Saturday Night game out of four with the Pac-12.

Reactions from Week 3

Some good games this week! As is the new weekly tradition, some of my reactions are below.

Who did the FSU kicker outscore in week 3?

FSU got spanked by Louisville, but still had some garbage time points, allowing Ricky Aguayo to score 8.

Who did he outscore this week?

Week 3 wrap up

What a week.  Quite a few big games, in and out of conference.  We're already getting some separation in all of the races for the season.  FSU allows so many points that I thought I was playing Xbox.  And, the FCS picked up another win over the FBS.  And when will players learn to keep hold of the football until after they get into the end zone?

What to Watch -- Week 3

This week, we start wrapping up some non-conference schedules as others begin their conference matchups.

Thursday, September 15
7:30 PM
Houston at Cincinnati, ESPN.  Quite possible the last speed bump on Houston's schedule until November.

Friday, September 16
We'll just pass on the three games scheduled tonight.  I don't even know if they're worth watching while you're in a hotel waiting for your game on Saturday.

Saturday, September 17
Noon
Florida State at Louisville, ABC.  The first top 10 matchup of the year, and it's the site of GameDay.  Louisville is having their first real test, and could finally show if they really are a force, or just benefiting from a weak opening schedule.

3:30 PM
Oregon at Nebraska, ABC.  These teams haven't met in 30 years.

Alabama at Ole Miss, CBS.  This is a game that has tripped up both teams in the past few years.  Early separation in the SEC West.

Boston College at Virginia Tech, ESPNU.  The old offensive coordinator comes back to Blacksburg.  Could be an interesting rematch of the last few VT spring games.

7 PM

Mississippi State at LSU, ESPN2.  A nasty outcome here could turn the dial on Les Miles' hot seat up to 11.

7:30 PM

Michigan State at Notre Dame, NBC.  Definitely a key game in determining the playoff field this year.  ND can't afford any more losses to stay comfortably in the conversation.  Michigan State still needs to prove themselves this year.

8 PM
USC at Stanford, ABC.  Pac-12 dominance starts here.

Week 2 wrap up

After the "Greatest Opening Weekend Ever", we were left with the flip side with only a few major matchups.  We also only have two of the power 5 conferences that actually have conference games.  Interestingly enough, the two conferences with the fewest conference games are the ones that start their conference schedules sooner.

Reactions from Week 2

A week without any ranked matchups, but certainly not devoid of action and excitement!

Who did the FSU kicker outscore? Week 2

With 52 points, FSU scored 7 touchdowns and a field goal.  So Ricky Aguayo accounted for 10 points.

Who did he outscore this week?

Who did the FSU kicker outscore? Week 1

Courtesy of the Key Play and ESPN, it was brought to my attention that freshman kicker Ricky Aguayo scored a fair number of points.  He set a school record for 6 field goals in a game, plus he tacked on 3 extra points.  That is 21 total points (out of 45).  Seeing as how Ricky is the second brother from that family to be a high profile kicker at FSU (his brother only missed one kick during his entire college career, set several records, and was taken in the second round of the NFL Draft, after Tampa Bay traded up for him), it looks like it is possible for him to outscore many teams.

So, I decided to start a weekly feature, tracking how many teams the FSU kicker can outscore by himself.

What to Watch -- Week 2

The flip side to the "Greatest Opening Weekend Ever" is the barren wasteland of week 2, but ESPN won't ever admit that.  All of those teams playing in the marquee week 1 games come home to their cupcakes.  At least we have a marquee week 2 game to look foward to.

Thursday, September 8
C'mon, it's the NFL kickoff...go over to NBC and watch a rematch of the Super Bowl.  No college ball here.

Friday, September 9
8 PM
Louisville at Syracuse, ESPN2.  This should give us a better indication of how Louisville will do this year.

Saturday, September 10
Noon
Penn State at Pitt, ESPN.  Renewing a dormant rivalry, this is an interesting non-conference Power 5 matchup.

3:30 PM
Kentucky at Florida, CBS.  An early season rivalry, although it might be a bit lopsided.

8 PM
Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee, ABC.  The long awaited Battle at Bristol.  The game played at a racetrack.  Tennessee struggled against App State in week 1, while VT showed promise against Liberty.

10:30 PM
UVA at Oregon, ESPN.  The nightcap looks to be very one sided, and UVA will probably prove to be a decent alternative to SNL.

Reactions from Week 1

I thought I'd do a new weekly feature, this time in response to the weekend of games gone by.  And my, how Week 1 left some reactions!

Week 1 wrap-up

We have finally come to the end of what ESPN billed as the "Greatest Opening Weekend Ever".  Honestly, while that could be true, compared to other opening weekends, I felt like much of Saturday was a bit of a let down.  During the primetime window, when Clemson/Auburn and USC/Alabama were both on, Tony and I were actually feeling a bit bored.  Now, Sunday was a different story with the Notre Dame/Texas game being the best game of the weekend.

And we actually got some conference games.

ACC-SEC Challenge 2016

Every year, fans of the ACC like to keep track of how they do against the "mighty" SEC.  Usually, there are four rivalry games at the end of the season, but often, kickoff games and other home-and-home deals pop up to add a few games early in the season.

This year, we have 9 total matchups, with three of them being neutral sites.

September 3
Georgia vs. North Carolina (Chick-fil-a Kickoff)
Clemson at Auburn

September 5
Ole Miss vs. Florida State (in Orlando)

September 10
Virginia Tech vs. Tennessee (Battle of Bristol)

September 17
Vanderbilt at Georgia Tech

November 28
Kentucky at Louisville
South Carolina at Clemson
Georgia at Georgia Tech
Florida at Florida State

The Independence, Belk, Music City, Orange, Citrus, and TaxSlayer Bowls could feature ACC vs. SEC matchups, so we'll keep our eyes on that at the end of the season.  And of course, it's possible that we'll see SEC vs. ACC in the CFP at some point.

2016 Season Look-Ahead

The time is almost here, ladies and gentlemen!  The 2016 college football season is upon us, with "Week 0" kicking things off this weekend.

What to watch: Week 1

So, we're not quite back to football, but with an extra game a week before the official start of the season, I wanted to make sure everyone had time to remember that football season is back.  With week 1, there aren't so many storylines to keep track of, so most of the matchups get listed just because they have two decent teams, or because of where they're being played.

Friday, August 26
10 PM
Hawaii vs. California, ESPN.  Technically, this is week zero.  But why is it a week before all of the other games?  Because they're playing in Australia, where this is actually a noon kickoff on Saturday.  However, it's a 4 PM matchup for those watching home in Hawaii, while Cal's campus will be seeing it at 7 PM.

Thursday, September 1
7 PM
Normally, one of the games on ESPN3 would be getting the honor of the first game of the season, if not for the Australia game a week prior.  Interestingly, 5 games will be underway before any of the major channels start broadcasting games later in the evening.  None of the games feature compelling matchups, though.

7:30 PM
Appalachian State at Tennessee, SEC Network.  I'm mainly including this one for VT fans to scope out the competition for week 2's Battle at Bristol.  Of course, there are UT fans complaining about having to play on Thursday night, feeling like such a timeslot is beneath them.  Whatever, your conference and broadcast partner just gifted you yet another advantage going into next week.

8 PM
South Carolina at Vanderbilt, ESPN.  The first major conference game of the year gets a rare SEC Thursday night slot on ESPN.  Still, it's likely to be a matchup of teams in the bottom half of their division.

Friday, September 2
8 PM
Colorado State at Colorado, ESPN.  Not the biggest matchup, but a decent one for a Friday night game.

9 PM
Kansas State at Stanford, FS1.  Not the biggest Power 5 non-conference game of the weekend, but certainly a worthy game for a Friday night.

Saturday, September 3
7:30 AM
Georgia Tech vs. Boston College, ESPN2.  Yes, that is 7:30 AM.  The international tour of college football continues in Ireland as two ACC members face off.

Noon
Oklahoma vs. Houston, ABC.  This could be a preview of a Big 12 matchup in future years.  Either way, it's going to be pivotal for the playoff race this year.  It's being played at the Texans' stadium.

12:30 PM
Liberty at Virginia Tech, ACC Network.  VT has a new coach, and this is the long awaited first game.

3:30 PM
UCLA at Texas A&M, CBS.  Pac-12 vs. SEC.

LSU vs. Wisconsin, ABC.  Live from Lambeau Field.

Richmond at UVA, ESPN3.  As usual, I always keep tabs on FCS Richmond, who is picked to finish at the top of their conference.  UVA is just picking their nose.

5:30 PM
Georgia vs. North Carolina, ESPN.  The Chick-fil-a Kickoff game is back to almost prime time, and the first half of a SEC-ACC doubleheader.

6 PM
Western Carolina at East Carolina, ESPN3.  This game is probably not very good, but does anyone else get a chuckle of seeing two geographically opposite teams playing against each other, especially when they come from states that use the other set of directions?

8 PM
USC vs. Alabama, ABC.  The Cowboy Classic at Jerryworld has now become the premiere kick off game apparently.  And I guess Alabama is subleasing that stadium, since this is their third game in a year there?

9 PM
Clemson at Auburn, ESPN.  The SEC-ACC doubleheader continues.

Sunday, September 4
7:30 PM
Notre Dame at Texas, ABC.  Flipping the script from last year.

Monday, September 5
8 PM
Ole Miss vs. Florida State, ESPN.  There's no way this game can be as big as last year's Labor Day game, even if they did move it to Orlando.  Still, it's another ACC-SEC matchup.

Looking at a 9 game ACC schedule

The rumors and discussions are starting to swirl again about the ACC possible adding a ninth conference game to its schedule.  One of the major points would be an increase in inventory for ESPN.  It's easy to see how a ninth conference game will increase the quality of the ACC package, but would it necessarily increase the quantity?