FAYETTEVILLE, Ark. — In what is possibly one of the greatest weekend of the entire season as far as television viewing for college football, it’s little wonder why the rivalry game between Arkansas and Ole Miss is so far down the list when it comes to talk time on the SEC Network, much less on the overall college football slate.
This is good news for Razorbacks fans. With the Razorbacks not playing until 6 p.m. on ESPN, there will plenty of options to pass the day and numerous back-ups if those don’t pan out. So, Hogs fans, here are your best bets for an enjoyable and unnoticeably quick day leading up to and after Arkansas-Ole Miss.
11 a.m.
No. 12 Clemson @ Georgia Tech, ESPN
The Yellowjackets are primarily known for their eight overtime loss to Georgia to close the season last year. However, with returning quarterback Haynes King, formerly of the SEC, Georgia Tech is now a darkhorse candidate for the College Football Playoff.
Beating Clemson would give the Yellowjackets the inside track to squeeze their way in alongside Miami and Florida State as contenders. Meanwhile, Cade Klubnik faces do or die pretty much every week as he tries to keep the Tigers in playoff contention after a Week 1 loss to LSU and a close call with Troy last week.
Wisconsin @ No. 19 Alabama, ABC
A huge win on the road against the Badgers made Alabama fans believe they could trust Kalen DeBoer to carry on the mantle of Nick Saban in Tuscaloosa last year. Now, DeBoer is hoping another such large margin win can regain the faith of Tide fans once more and settle down the temperature on his hot seat.
Memphis @ Troy, ESPNU
If Arkansas can knock off Ole Miss, then a Memphis win should lock up a showdown between the SEC’s upstart Hogs and one of the Group of Five’s biggest challengers to grab its playoff spot against the Tigers on the road on ABC next week. The problem is Troy has already proven to be quite the formidable team after almost taking down Clemson last week.
2:30 p.m.
No. 6 Georgia @ No. 15 Tennessee, ABC
No one is quite sure what to make of either of these teams because of their quarterbacks. Georgia quarterback Gunnar Stockton gets a chance to show whether he can step up his game and become an elite player in a difficult environment and Tennessee quarterback Joey Aguilar can cement his status of surprisingly being as good as he has looked so far in a stroke of luck for the Vols following the Nico Iamaleava chaos this past spring.
The winner gains an edge in what is expected to be an up and down 2007-like season in the SEC.
USC @ Purdue, CBS
This one was unexpected. Purdue coach Barry Odom has the Boilermakers, literally one of the worst teams in college football last season, undefeated and looking relatively strong heading into a game against USC that no one should have noticed.
There’s a slim chance Arkansas fans might get to see former Hogs back-up quarterback Malachi Singleton who was narrowly beaten out in the final days of camp for the starting job.
3 p.m.
No. 14 Iowa State @ Arkansas State, ESPN2
The fact this game is being given such prime broadcast real estate and a strong fall time slot indicates what could have been had last week’s first-ever showdown between the Red Wolves and Razorbacks been at Razorbacks Stadium rather then at War Memorial.
The game would likely have had national exposure on what was by far the weakest schedule of the season and at least recruiting value from both a television standpoint for both teams and a quality recruiting weekend for the Hogs.
3:30 p.m.
No. 18 South Florida vs. No. 5 Miami, CW
If the Bulls somehow pull this game out, it would be hard to argue their ranking at any point in the Top 10 as no one else in the nation would have three consecutive wins over Top 25 teams. It would also take a bit of heat off Billy Napier at Florida after the Gators literally spit into the wind and handed South Florida a huge win.
While unlikely to happen, an upset would turn the balance of power in Florida upside down and set the Bulls on a clearly defined path to a high seed in the College Football Playoff. If Miami wins as expected, not a whole lot changes for them.
6 p.m.
Arkansas @ No. 17 Ole Miss, ESPN
Sam Pittman looks to get a little old-fashioned revenge on Lane Kiffin while Razorbacks quarterback Taylen Green seeks to continue climbing draft boards and also creep into the brains of Heisman voters. Despite this being two high-flying offenses, both staffs are looking to gain control through the ground game in what is expected to be a high scoring affair.
If Arkansas fans storm the field at Vaught-Hemingway, does Ole Miss have to pay Arkansas $500,000 to use toward revenue sharing?
6:30 p.m.
Florida @ No. 3 LSU, ABC
The Gators get back a key defensive lineman in Caleb Banks who could prove a huge difference in this game. Fans can watch to see whether the often reported end of the line for Billy Napier is near, or if Tigers’ coach Brian Kelly just wanted to squeeze in his team’s unexpected upset at this point of the season.
If the Gators show a bit of discipline and quarterback DJ Lagway finally shakes off the rust of having missed so much time in the offseason nursing an injury, then Florida has a puncher’s chance worth at least checking in on the score from time to time while watching the Hogs.
No. 16 Texas A&M @ No. 8 Notre Dame, NBC
It would be nice if the Irish were ranked in the Top 10 when they come to Fayetteville in a couple of weeks, but the Aggies stand as a huge barrier to that. The Irish lost their opener against Miami and then immediately took a week off to lick their wounds and get ready for this one.
The Irish won, 23-13, at Kyle Field last year after finally pulling the offense together for 10 points in the fourth quarter to slip out of Texas with the win. A&M is looking for both revenge and respect, although gaining both takes shine off the Hogs’ moment on Sept. 27.
6:45 p.m.
Vanderbilt @ No. 11 South Carolina
How the Commodores are unranked and the Gamecocks are borderline Top 10 after South Carolina struggled with Virginia Tech on a neutral site and Vandy went into Blacksburg and outscored the Hokies 34-0 in the second half is confusing.
This ought to be a wild affair. It’s billed as the unstoppable spirit of Gamecocks fans flowing through the night at Williams-Brice Stadium against the immeasurable will and confidence of Commodores quarterback Diego Pavia. However, this will come down to a better than expected Vandy defense against Heisman candidate LaNorris Sellers.
