TV Weekend 9.23 - 9.24

By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

Last Man Standing, PREMIERE (FRI, ABC, 8pm)
Hell's Kitchen, PREMIERE (FRI, FOX, 8pm)
MacGyver, PREMIERE (FRI, CBS, 8pm)
New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXS TV, 8pm)
Masters Of Illusion (FRI, The CW, 8pm & 8:30pm)
Dr. Ken, PREMIERE (FRI, ABC, 8:30pm)

Dateline NBC (FRI, NBC, 9pm)
Shark Tank, PREMIERE (FRI, ABC, 9pm)
The Exorcist, PREMIERE (FRI, FOX, 9pm)
Hawaii Five-0, PREMIERE (FRI, CBS, 9pm)
Z Nation (FRI, Syfy, 9pm)

Blue Bloods, PREMIERE (FRI, CBS, 10pm)
Burgers, Brew & Que (FRI, Food Network, 10pm)
Van Helsing, PREMIERE (FRI, Syfy, 10pm)
Quarry (FRI, Cinemax, 10pm)
High Maintenance (FRI, HBO, 11pm)

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
TCU @ SMU (FRI, ESPN, 8pm)
USC @ Utah (FRI, FOX Sports 1, 9pm)

Florida State @ South Florida (SAT, ABC, 12pm)
Georgia @ Mississippi (SAT, ESPN, 12pm)
Iowa @ Rutgers (SAT, ESPN 2, 12pm)
Nevada @ Purdue (SAT, ESPNews, 12pm)
Colorado State @ Minnesota (SAT, ESPNU, 12pm)
Wisconsin @ Michigan State (SAT, Big Ten, 12pm)
Kent State @ Alabama (SAT, SEC, 12pm)
Syracuse @ Connecticut (SAT, CBS SportsNet, 1pm)

Duke @ Notre Dame (SAT, NBC, 3:30pm)
Penn State @ Michigan (SAT, ABC, 3:30pm)
Florida @ Tennessee (SAT, CBS, 3:30pm)
BYU @ West Virginia (SAT, ESPN 2, 3:30pm)
Miami (OH) @ Cincinnati (SAT, ESPNews, 3:30pm)
Pittsburgh @ North Carolina (SAT, ESPNU, 3:30pm)
Boise State @ Oregon State (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 3:30pm)

LSU @ Auburn (SAT, ESPN, 6pm)
Houston @ Texas State (SAT, ESPNU, 7pm)
Nebraska @ Northwestern (SAT, Big Ten, 7:30pm)
Oklahoma State @ Baylor (SAT, FOX, 7:30pm)
Stanford @ UCLA (SAT, ABC, 8pm)
Louisville @ Marshall (SAT, CBS SportsNet, 8pm)

Arkansas @ Texas A&M (SAT, ESPN, 9pm)
California @ Arizona State (SAT, ESPN 2, 10pm)

NFL
A Football Life: Rodney Harrison (FRI, NFL Network, 9pm)

MLB
White Sox @ Indians (FRI, STO, 7pm)
Yankees @ Blue Jays (FRI, ESPN 2, 7pm)
Giants @ Padres OR Rockies @ Dodgers (FRI, MLB, 11pm)

Royals @ Tigers (SAT, FOX, 1pm)
Yankees @ Blue Jays OR Rangers @ Athletics (SAT, MLB, 4pm)
White Sox @ Indians (SAT, STO, 7pm)
Phillies @ Mets OR Diamondbacks @ Orioles (SAT, MLB, 7pm)
Rockies @ Dodgers OR Giants @ Padres (SAT, MLB, 10pm)

NASCAR & RACING
XFINITIY Series: Visitmyrtlebeach.com 300 (SAT, NBC Sports, 8pm)

MMA & BOXING
Bellator Kickboxing (FRI, Spike, 9pm)

UFC Fight Night: Cyborg vs. Lansberg - Prelims (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 8pm)
UFC Fight Night: Cris Cyborg vs. Lina Lansberg (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 10pm)

SOCCER
English Premier League: Arsenal FC vs. Chelsea FC (SAT, NBC Sports, 12:25pm)

GOLF
2016 TOUR Championship, Third Round (SAT, NBC, 12pm)

Spread Offense, Week 4: For You Fall Wedding Enthusiasts...

By Pat Luhta, @PLuhta

At TripleThreatCLE.com, I understand that the majority of the audience here are Ohio State Buckeyes fans. Some of which, many months ago, looked at OSU's 2016 schedule and said to themselves "Oh look, a bye week on September 24th, what a perfect time to have our wedding!"

This article here is the counterpoint to that thought process though. Without going into detail of the short-sightedness of thought that everyone at your wedding is also OSU fans, the point is that just because your favorite team is on a break, doesn't mean the college football world stops turning. There are a bunch of great games this weekend and many of your guests will be huddled together by a TV or a smartphone at your reception, oblivious to the wedding reception festivities while racking up the bar tab as they silently wonder why someone would pick a wedding time during the SEC on CBS game of the week.

Here are the highlighted games of week 4, as conference games start becoming regular and the stakes become higher.

SATURDAY SEPT 24TH

Two Noon games to start the college football day off on the right foot.

#24 Ole Miss has become the new "Clemsoning", 2 losses this season due to completely melting down. First, a 28-6 lead in the 2nd quarter in week 1 against Florida State which resulted in a 45-34 loss, then this past weekend again Alabama which saw them blow a 24-3 2nd quarter lead on their way to a 48-43 loss. They face a Georgia team this weekend that has been doing the opposite of them, the #12 Bulldogs are 3-0(somehow) with 2 wins coming on 4th quarter comebacks(UNC, Mizzou) and the other win being a 2 point win against Nicholls State. They haven't been impressive, but they've won while Ole Miss has looked unbeatable at times, yet has lost twice. Here's Chad Kelly and Ole Miss' last shot at any season salvaging, if they can lock up Nick Chubb and get themselves a big home win then their reputation may start to change. But right now, it's tough to put much stock into the 2016 version of"Clemsoning".

Also at noon is a inter-division B1G game as #8 Michigan State hosts #11 Wisconsin. The Spartans came out and laid a beatdown on Notre Dame for 3 quarters last weekend, they went conservative which led to Notre Dame making the score look closer than the game was. They will have to turn right around and play the same kind of game if they want to remain unbeaten though, as Wisconsin's defense seems up to the task. The big issue with the Badgers though is they may be without star RB Corey Clement again this week, huge advantage to Michigan State if he cannot play. The Badgers rely heavily on Clement, as witnessed in their week 1 win against LSU, while they looked rather unflattering against Georgia State without him. If MSU can continue to play offense like they did against the Fighting Irish then Wisconsin will have to get creative in order to score points and pull this game out.

We then head to the 3:30 games, where once upon a time this was a nationally meaningful rivalry game. Back in the 90's, Phillip Fulmer's Tennessee Volunteers and Steve Spurrier's Florida Gators had 2 of the top programs and they would meet every year in a big time grudge match. Players like Peyton Manning, Danny Wuerffel, Tee Martin, and Jesse Palmer were all involved in these games as was Jamal Lewis, Fred Taylor, Peerless Price and Ike Hilliard. The past decade though hasn't shown much of a rivalry. Tennessee had fallen off once Fulmer was let go and after a few national championships under Urban Meyer, Florida has also been struggling for national recognition. Add in that Florida has won 11 straight games and this once proud rivalry has turned into just another game. This year could be the rekindling that this rivalry needs though, both teams being 3-0 and ranked in the top 20. The #19 Florida Gators will turn to new starting QB Austin Apply now that Luke Del Rio is out as they look to continue their winning streak in Knoxville against the #14 Tennessee Volunteers. With Del Rio out, Tennessee's defense will do whatever they can to pressure the new starting QB and suffocate the Gators' offense.

They'll also need their own QB, Josh Dobbs, to play a real good game against a stout Florida defense. They'll also need to get it going early, in all 3 games so far they have come out sluggish and that could hurt them big time in this game. While this has been a 1-sided rivalry with Florida winning 11 straight, 4 of those wins have come by 1 point so expect a close game that comes down to the final play here.

The 8pm prime time game gives us a look at the Stanford Cardinal again, as last week they had no issues with putting away the USC Trojans.The #7 team in the country will be on the road this time and going up against USC's cross town rivals, the UCLA Bruins. The focus as usual will be on RB Christian McCaffrey who looks to continue his Heisman campaign on a national stage. UCLA will need their standout QB Josh Rosen to have an electric game for them, which he is more than capable of. Last year's game between these two teams produced a 56-35 final score, with players like McCaffrey and Rosen on the field do not be surprised to see another high scoring game.

And at 9pm, we have another SEC game to highlight. The #17 Arkansas Razorbacks and the#10 Texas A&M Aggies will be heading to AT&T field in Dallas (Arlington) in a battle of 2 ranked teams that people are still trying to figure out if they are a contender or not. Arkansas notched a huge win in week 2 over TCU in overtime, while A&M had a big win in week 1 over UCLA, but both teams are still on the fence when it comes to national respect. Both teams can prove themselves here with a win, Texas A&M has a QB in Trevor Knight that just seems to play better as the situation gets tighter. Arkansas is more balanced, as all Bret Bielema teams seem to be, but also has a QB in Austin Allen that puts his team on his shoulders whenever they need a big drive and score. Both teams are averaging over 34 points a game and will be on a neutral field indoors, this game is a catapult for the winner going forward and will bring them that respect and attention that they deserve.

TV Weekend 9.16 - 9.17

By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

Z Nation, PREMIERE (FRI, Syfy, 8pm)
New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXS TV, 8pm)
Masters Of Illusion (FRI, The CW, 8pm & 8:30pm)

New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXS TV, 9pm)

Burgers, Brew & Que (FRI, Food Network, 10pm)
ELeague (FRI, TBS, 10pm)
Dark Matter, SEASON FINALE (FRI, Syfy, 10pm)
Quarry (FRI, Cinemax, 10pm)
High Maintenance, PREMIERE (FRI, HBO, 11pm)

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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Baylor @ Rice (FRI, ESPN, 8pm)
Arkansas State @ Utah State (FRI, CBS SportsNet, 9pm)
Arizona State @ Texas-San Antonio (FRI, ESPN 2, 9:30pm)

Florida State @ Louisville (SAT, ABC, 12pm)
Miami @ Appalachian State (SAT, ESPN, 12pm)
North Dakota State @ Iowa (SAT, ESPN 2, 12pm)
Iowa State @ TCU (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 12pm)
Ohio @ Tennessee (SAT, SEC, 12pm)
Akron @ Marshall (SAT, CBS SportsNet, 12pm)
Georgia State @ Wisconsin (SAT, Big Ten, 12pm)

Oregon @ Nebraska (SAT, ABC, 3:30pm)
Alabama @ Mississippi (SAT, CBS, 3:30pm)
Pittsburgh @ Oklahoma State (SAT, ESPN, 3:30pm)
Boston College @ Virginia Tech (SAT, ESPNU, 3:30pm)
Colorado @ Michigan (SAT, Big Ten, 3:30pm)
Western Michigan @ Illinois (SAT, ESPNews, 4pm)
East Carolina @ South Carolina (SAT, SEC, 4pm)

Texas A&M @ Auburn (SAT, ESPN, 7pm)
Mississippi State @ LSU (SAT, ESPN 2, 7pm)
Ohio State @ Oklahoma (SAT, FOX, 7:30pm)
Michigan State @ Notre Dame (SAT, NBC, 7:30pm)
USC @ Stanford (SAT, ABC, 8pm)

UCLA @ BYU (SAT, ESPN 2, 10:15pm)
Texas @ California (SAT, ESPN, 10:30pm)

NFL
Top 10: Free Agents (FRI, NFL, 8pm)
A Football Life: Curtis Martin (FRI, NFL, 9pm)

MLB
Tigers @ Indians (FRI, STO, 7pm)
Yankees @ Red Sox (FRI, MLB, 7pm)

Yankees @ Red Sox (SAT, FOX, 1pm)
(SAT, MLB, 1pm)
Tigers @ Indians (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 4pm)
(SAT, MLB, 10pm)

NASCAR & RACING
Camping World Truck: Chicagoland (FRI, FOX Sports 1, 8:30pm)
XFINITY Series: Chicagoland (SAT, NBC, 3:30pm)

MMA & BOXING
Bellator MMA Live (FRI, Spike, 9pm)

UFC Fight Night: Poirier vs. Johnson - Prelims (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 8pm)
UFC Fight Night: Dustin Poirier vs. Michael Johnson (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 10pm)

HOCKEY
World Cup of Hockey Preview (FRI, ESPN 2, 7pm)
2016 World Cup of Hockey: Team USA vs. Team Europe (SAT, ESPN 2, 3:30pm)

SOCCER
English Premier League: Everton FC vs. Middlesbrough FC (SAT, NBC, 12:30pm)

WNBA
Minnesota Lynx @ Indiana Fever (FRI, NBA TV, 7pm)
San Antonio Stars @ Los Angeles Sparks (FRI, NBA TV, 10:30pm)

OTHER SPORTS
Volleyball: FIVB World Tour Finals, Women's Gold Medal Game (SAT, NBC Sports, 4pm)

Spread Offense: College Football Week 3: A Storm On The Horizon

By Pat Luhta, @PLuhta


While week 2 provided us with some stunning games and dramatic finishes, it lacked the overall "star power" as there were no games featuring teams in which both were ranked. Week 3 makes up for that though, as we are treated to not 1, not 2, not 3, but 4 games that involve both teams being ranked, one of them being an early season conference game.

This week will start to shape the playoff contenders to the playoff pretenders as we head into a full schedule of conference games in the weeks to come. The storm is definitely coming and it will provide some great games.

SATURDAY SEPT. 17TH

We kick off Saturday's noon slate of games with the game that ESPN's College Gameday will be tailgating for. #2 Florida State at #10 Louisville, in a game where both offenses will be on full display.

Florida State overcame early game woes against Ole Miss to make a big comeback and pull out a win against the Rebels. Redshirt freshman QB Deandre Francois seems to be getting very comfortable in the pocket and Heisman hopeful RB Dalvin Cook is helping by taking a ton of pressure off of him. When they are running on all cylinders, they've shown how unstoppable they can be, and may in fact be the best team in the ACC (Clemson was the preseason landslide favorite in the conference.)

Speaking of what a team is capable of when running on all cylinders, the Louisville Cardinals have turned plenty of heads this season already with their high powered offense. Led by QB Lamar Jackson, who accounts for 13 TD's, the Cardinals have put up 132 points in 2 games. The detractors will say that it was against Charlotte and Syracuse, but Louisville will have home field and a big time chance to prove that they are for real in this game against the Seminoles.

In the 3:30 games, we will see the #22 ranked Oregon Ducks travel to Lincoln to face the unranked(for now) Nebraska Cornhuskers. Oregon always seems to have a lightning quick, score at will offense, and this year seems no different as they have put up 53 and 44 points in their 2 games. Their defense seems to be the question though as they gave up 28 points to UC Davis and 26 points to Virginia. On the other hand, Nebraska has not only been scoring a lot of points but their defense is not giving up many. The Cornhuskers look to make a big statement here by welcoming in the Ducks, if they can slow down that Oregon offense  then this game is very winnable for them.

But the big game at 3:30 that most will be watching intently, will be the #1 team in the country playing their Achilles heel. The Alabama Crimson Tide have only lost 3 games in the past 2 seasons, 2 of those losses have been to the Ole Miss Rebels. The #19 team in the country needs this game big time, as they have already lost 1 game this season and any chance of playoffs will fade away with another loss. In order for Ole Miss to win this one, it will be in the hands of QB Chad Kelly and his offensive line. If Kelly has time then we can see him make some plays happen out there and have Ole Miss in position for an upset bid. The Crimson Tide, looking to exercise their Ole Miss demons, will be keeping pressure on Kelly while getting their offense rolling the way it did against USC. All signs point to the Tide here, but Ole Miss has had their number in the past.

Then we head to 7:30, where we will see non-conference rivals face off as #12 Michigan State heads to South Bend to take on the #17 Notre Dame Fighting Irish. The Spartans had a less than stellar performance in their season opener against Furman, where their defense looked every bit as good as we've come to know from them but their offense looked rather lackluster. Thanks to an oddly timed bye in week 2, MSU has had an extra week to prepare for Notre Dame and work out the kinks with their offense. The Fighting Irish are fighting for their playoff lives in this game, as they have already lost once this season. The 2 QB controversy seems to be past them now as Deshone Kizer has taken the ranks and the offense has flourished under him. Notre Dame will need him to perform at his peak against this defense in order for them to win, a big win in front of their home crowd would put them right on track as a potential playoff team.

In the other 7:30 game, a big clash in Norman will happen with the #14 Oklahoma Sooners welcoming the #3 Ohio State Buckeyes to town. Oklahoma is 1-1 with a loss to the Houston Cougars while Ohio State is 2-0 with wins over Bowling Green and Tulsa. The biggest test for Ohio State is how their young team of first time starters handles the hostile environment that they'll be walking into. Also, early season struggles on the offensive line could be the place that Oklahoma exploits in order to slow down J.T. Barrett and the OSU offense. The Sooners will need to establish the running game, which they are capable of doing, and also get QB Baker Mayfield back into Heisman form in order to put up the necessary points to win this game. Oklahoma is in a "do or die" situation when  it comes to the playoffs as one more loss seals their fate, while Ohio State looks to remain unblemished and staying on course to the playoffs.

While the 1st quarter is finishing up in those 7:30 games, our 8pm game will be set for kickoff. The ABC prime time game features a conference game which has budded into a nice little rivalry as of late. The USC Trojans will be taking on the#7 Stanford Cardinal, an early season Pac-12 game that has the writing on the wall of being a very good showdown. The Trojans are looking to jump back into the rankings after being demolished 52-6 by the Alabama Crimson Tide in week 1. They have the playmakers, but it looks to be another year of preseason hype followed by in-season let down. They could reclaim some of that hype though and play spoiler here, as the Stanford Cardinal are the favorites to win the Pac-12 again and make a strong case for the playoffs. Stanford seems to center around one guy, Christian McCaffrey, as he is that 5 tool player that just does it all for Stanford. They may have also found a solid QB in Ryan Burns to help the offense out even more, making Stanford an even tougher task to defeat. If USC is going to pull off the upset, they'll need to fully utilize their playmakers and get some turnovers on defense, otherwise this Cardinal team looks to be too much for the Trojans to handle.

And finally, if you are a night owl or have some insomnia, there's a pretty good game that kicks off at 10:30 this week. The #11 Texas Longhorns head out on the road to play the Cal Golden Bears. While this Texas team made a big statement by defeating Notre Dame in week 1, many still think the jury is still out on them. They've played well before and have won big games in the past, but have also had many lapses and lost games that they should have won(including last season's game against Cal.) The Golden Bears are still looking for that big leader now that Jared Goff is in the NFL, and new QB Davis Webb could be that guy. So far, Davis has looked the part and has filled the shoes of Goff rather nicely, but Cal's defense has been a big problem for them, giving up 45 points in a loss to San Diego State last week. Cal will need the defense to step up big time, especially against the run, and will look to Davis to lead the offense down for numerous scores. Texas will continue to use their 2 QB system, Shane Buechele as the starter with Tyrone Swoopes coming in for designed run plays. That back and forth system has shown a bunch of positive results so they will keep going with that until it gets stopped (if it does.) Texas will also have to keep an eye on Cal WR Chad Hansen, who has developed into a go-to playmaker and could be the big factor in this game. If Texas continues to do what they've been doing on offense then it looks as though Cal will have no answer for them. A big night crowd in Berkeley combined with Texas' road woes(1-4 last season) could play a role in this late night affair.

TV Tonight 9.5

By Raven Williams, @nevaRWilliams

MLB
Astros @ Indians (STO, 7pm)
Diamondbacks @ Dodgers (MLB, 8pm)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Mississippi @ Florida State (ESPN, 8pm)

TENNIS
U.S. Open, Round of 16 (ESPN 2, 7pm)

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WWE Raw (USA, 8pm)
American Ninja Warrior (NBC, 8pm)
Bachelor In Paradise (ABC, 8pm)
So You Think You Can Dance (FOX, 8pm)

Rizzoli @ Isles (TNT, 9pm)

The Comedy Central Roast of Rob Lowe (Comedy Central, 10pm)
Running Wild with Bear Grylls (NBC, 10pm)
Mistresses (ABC, 10pm)
Major Crimes (TNT, 10pm)
Mary and Jane (MTV, 10pm)
Loosely, Exactly Nicole (MTV, 10:30pm)

Spread Offense 8.31.16: It's College Kickoff Time!

By Pat Luhta, @PLuhta

After a long, long offseason, college football is officially back! Fans around the country will be treated to games from Thursday through Monday as the NCAA rolls out the red carpet to spotlight their product in a big way. College football takes full advantage of a 3-day weekend combined with no NFL games to start the season out with a huge bang. Here's what to look forward to on the first full slate of games of the season.

Thursday Sept. 1st

Thursday games are more of the appetizer, something to watch but nothing that would fill a college football fans' hunger.

The SEC will be on display as the big game of the night is a conference match-up between South Carolina and Vanderbilt. While neither team is ranked, the intrigue here is Will Muschamp in his 1st season as Gamecocks Head Coach, taking over for Steve Spurrier who retired after 11 seasons at South Carolina. Muschamp was once the heir apparent at Texas, but after a disasterous tenure as Head Coach of the Florida Gators, he is now looking to bounce back and regain that coaching reputation that he once had.
Again, it may not be much but it's football. 

Other games of note: Appalachian State at #9 Tennessee, Oregon State at Minnesota.

Friday Sept. 2nd

While Thursday was something to just get us started, Friday offers us a big spotlight game.

Kansas State at Stanford gives us a big time Heisman candidate in Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey looks to lead the Cardinal this season to another Pac-12 title and hopefully a playoff berth this season. The Heisman runner-up goes up against a Kansas State defense that allowed over 450 yards of offense. Uncertainty at QB could be the achilles heel for Stanford, Kevin Hogan is now gone and Head Coach Davis Shaw has said that both Ryan Burns and Keller Chryst will play as they are not yet ready to name either as a lock for the job.

In order for Kansas State to pull off the upset, they will have to rely on their offense to keep pace with Stanford. QB Jesse Ertz is back as starter after a season-ending injury on the first snap of the season last year,  he along with their run game attack could cause problems for Stanford.

Other games of note: Colorado State vs. Colorado at Sports Authority field in Denver, Northwestern St at #23 Baylor and Furman at #12 Michigan State.

Saturday Sept. 3rd

And away we go! The first Saturday of College Football delivers in a big way with marquee matchups at every turn.

The noon games give us a big time matchup as the #3 Oklahoma Sooners are at the #15 Houston Cougars. Oklahoma looks to return to the playoffs this season, but a big test to start the season(both this week and in week 3 against Ohio State) could derail their chances. QB Baker Mayfield is a Heisman candidate and could start an early campaign with a statement win here. Houston bursted onto the scene last season under 1st year Head Coach Tom Herman. Led by QB Greg Ward Jr., Houston rolled to a 13-1 record last season capping it off with a Peach Bowl win over Florida State. They are experienced and have performed well on the big stage before, this game could be very dynamic.

Heading into 3:30, we have not one but two big match-ups.

#13 UCLA and their sophomore phenom QB Josh Rosen look to be the team to knock Stanford off in the Pac-12. The Bruins will head to Texas A&M to take on an Aggies team that had quite a tumultuous offseason. On paper, UCLA is the better team and should win this game. The Bruins are a potential playoff team while the Aggies have seen both their 5 star QB recruits transfer, numerous current commits back off their commitment after a coach's tweet and 2 assistant coaches suspended after degrading comments towards women(at a symposium for female fans to help educate them about the game). But never count out the Aggies at home, Kyle Field provides one of the biggest home field advantages in the country and will be a big struggle for UCLA to get over that key component there.

And in the other 3:30 big game, #5 LSU heads way north to take on Wisconsin with the game being played at Lambeau Field. The focus for LSU centers around RB Leonard Fournette, with some saying that he's not only a Heisman candidate, but the Heisman frontrunner. Wisconsin though is always known for the rough, tough defense and although they lost their defensive coordinator(to LSU, ironically), their defense that ranked #2 in total yards last season looks to continue their dominance and do what they can to contain Fournette. LSU's speed may prove to be the biggest factor as they may make it tough for Wisconsin to move the ball much on offense, even with Corey Clement returning after a hernia cut his 2015 season short.

Sandwiched in between the 3:30 and the 8pm games, is a big 5:30 matchup between two ranked teams. #22 North Carolina takes on #18 Georgia on a "neutral" field(game is played at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta), in a game that could be decided by UNC's run defense. North Carolina's run defense seemed to be non-existent toward the end of last season and with RB standout Nick Chubb being medically cleared to play for the Bulldogs, it could be a matter of how improved the Tar Heels are, if at all. UGA still has not named a QB even, so North Carolina's ability to stop Chubb and make their QB throw looks to be the big factor.

And then, the main event kicks off at 8pm! With the game being played at Jerry World in Dallas, the #20 USC Trojans face off against the defending national champs and preseason ranked #1, the Alabama Crimson Tide. This game will feature playmakers everywhere on the field, from Alabama's Cam Ridley and O.J. Howard to USC's JuJu Smith-Schuster, Adoree Jackson and Ronald Jones II. The Alabama defense though, will be the big thing to watch as they have 1st round talent at all 3 levels, including 2 at linebacker. USC will need newly named starting QB Max Browne to be smart and precise with his decisions in order for the Trojans to win this game, utilizing his playmakers while not turning the ball over. Alabama yet again is replacing their starting QB and RB, with the way they recruit though there's little doubt that they have the players to step up and not miss a beat on offense. This top match-up is the type of fireworks on week 1 that gets the college football fans' heart racing!

But there's still 1 more to go on this Saturday night, kicking off at 9pm. Under the lights at Jordan-Hare Stadium, the Auburn Tigers host the #2 Clemson Tigers. Clemson QB Deshaun Watson will be the center of attention here, as he seems to be garnering the most Heisman hype but the Tigers have their eyes set on getting back to the college football championship game and avenging their loss to Alabama. Auburn is a team with a lot of unknowns, especially on offense. There isn't a lot of experience and numerous true freshmen may be getting some playing time, not exactly a good formula for going up against the #2 team in the country. They will need that home crowd to give them the big, much needed advantage but looks like Clemson will be too much for them.

Other games of note: Bowling Green at #6 Ohio State, Hawaii at #7 Michigan, Rutgers at #14 Washington.

Sunday Sept. 4th

On Sunday, we get one primetime game that kicks off at 7:30 pm between 2 blue blood programs, with #10 Notre Dame heads to Austin to take on the Texas Longhorns. Both teams have big questions marks at QB, Notre Dame saying they will play 2 QB's while Texas is not announcing who their starting QB is. While some are considering Notre Dame as a possible playoff team this season, the Irish are among the teams that are returning the least amount of starters, and also have a few players suspended for this game. The Longhorns are looking for a statement win to start the season and build on that. Although they only won 5 games last season, two of those wins came against Oklahoma and Baylor. If the Longhorns can start the season with a big win and use it to propel them this season, then they could end up as a "surprise" team in the Big 12.

Monday Sept. 5th

One last game to cap off week 1, Monday Night Football college edition starts up at 8 pm. #11 Ole Miss and #4 Florida State link up in the Citrus Bowl, quite the grand finale for an epic Holiday weekend of games. Florida State boasts Heisman hopeful Dalvin Cook at RB,who will be relied on heavily as Florida State will be starting redshirt freshman Deandre Fracois at QB(although last time they started a redshirt freshman, it turned out ok for them.) Ole Miss, on the other hand, has no questions about their starting QB as Senior Chad Kelly may be a dark horse Heisman candidate this season. This game should be electric with both offenses being able to move the ball and create big plays, as this game could just be a perfect ending to an exhilarating opening weekend.

TV Weekend 9.18 - 9.19

By @nevaRWilliams

Doctor Who (FRI, BBC America, 8pm)
New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXSTV, 8pm)
Cold Justice (FRI, TNT, 8pm)

A Football Life: Christian Okoye (FRI, NFL Network, 9pm)
Cold Justice: Sex Crimes (FRI, TNT, 9pm)
New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXSTV, 9pm)
Strike Back (FRI, Cinemax, 10pm)
Z Nation (FRI, SyFy, 10pm)

Black Jesus SEASON PREMIERE (FRI, Cartoon Network, 11pm)
Continuum (FRI, SyFy, 11pm)
Uncommon Sense With Charlemagne Tha God (FRI, MTV 2, 11pm)
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Doctor Who SEASON PREMIERE (SAT, BBC America, 9pm)
Blunt Talk (SAT, STARZ, 9pm)
Survivor's Remorse (SAT, STARZ, 9:30pm)
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COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Hampton @ Howard (FRI, ESPNU, 7:30pm)
Florida State @ Boston College (FRI, ESPN, 8pm)
Idaho State @ Boise State (FRI, CBS SportsNet, 9pm)

Air Force @ Michigan State (SAT, ABC, 12pm)
Connecticut @ Missouri (SAT, ESPN, 12pm)
Illinois @ North Carolina (SAT, ESPN 2, 12pm)
Tulsa @ Oklahoma (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 12pm)
UNLV @ Michigan (SAT, Big Ten, 12pm)

Georgia Tech @ Notre Dame (SAT, ABC, 3:30pm)
Northern Illinois @ Ohio State (SAT, ABC, 3:30pm)
Auburn @ LSU (SAT, CBS, 3:30pm)
Nebraska @ Miami (SAT, ESPN 2, 3:30pm)
Virginia Tech @ Purdue (SAT, ESPNU, 3:30pm)
UTSA @ Oklahoma State (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 3:30pm)

South Carolina @ Georgia (SAT, ESPN, 6pm)
Texas Tech @ Arkansas (SAT, ESPN 2, 7pm)
California @ Texas (SAT, FOX, 7:30pm)
Florida @ Kentucky (SAT, SEC, 7:30pm)
Rutgers @ Penn State (SAT, Big Ten, 8pm)
Stanford @ USC (SAT, ABC, 8pm)
Mississippi @ Alabama (SAT, ESPN, 9:15)
BYU @ UCLA (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 10:30pm)

MLB
White Sox @ Indians (FRI, STO, 7pm)
Yankees @ Mets OR Marlins @ Nationals (FRI, MLB Network, 7pm)

Yankees @ Mets (SAT, FOX, 1pm)
Red Sox @ Blue Jays OR Marlins @ Nationals (SAT, MLB Network, 4pm)
White Sox @ Indians (SAT, STO, 7pm)
Royals @ Tigers (SAT, FOX Sports 1, 7pm)
Pirates @ Dodgers OR Mariners @ Rangers (SAT, MLB Network, 10pm)

MMA & BOXING
World Series Of Fighting 23: Justing Gaethje vs. Luis Palomino (FRI, NBC Sports, 10pm)
Bellator MMA Live Dynamite (SAT, SPIKE, 9pm)

NASCAR & RACING
Camping World Truck Series: Chicagoland (FRI, FOX Sports 1, 8:30pm)
XFINITY Series: Furious 7 300 (SAT, NBC Sports, 6pm)

GOLF
BMW Championship, Third Round (SAT, NBC, 12pm)

SOCCER
Manchester City FC vs. West Ham United FC (SAT, NBC Sports, 12:30pm)

WNBA
Washington Mystics @ New York Liberty (FRI, NBA TV, 7pm)
Los Angeles Sparks @ Minnesota Lynx (FRI, NBA TV, 9pm)

Chicago Sky @ Indians Fever (SAT, NBA TV, 7pm)
Phoenix Mercury @ Tulsa Shock (SAT, NBA TV 9pm)

TV Weekend 9.11 - 9.12

By @nevaRWilliams

New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXSTV, 8pm)
Cold Justice (FRI, TNT, 8pm)

Cold Justice: Sex Crimes (FRI, TNT, 9pm)
New Japan Pro Wrestling (FRI, AXSTV, 9pm)
Strike Back (FRI, Cinemax, 10pm)
Z Nation SEASON PREMIERE (FRI, SyFy, 10pm)

Continuum SEASON PREMIERE (FRI, SyFy, 11pm)
Uncommon Sense With Charlemagne Tha God (FRI, MTV 2, 11pm)
Kingin' With Tyga (FRI, MTV 2, 11:30pm)
------

Hell On Wheels (SAT, AMC, 9pm)
Blunt Talk (SAT, STARZ, 9pm)
Survivor's Remorse (SAT, STARZ, 9:30pm)
Ferrell Takes The Field; Will Ferrell (SAT, HBO, 10pm)
======

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Miami @ Florida Atlantic (FRI, Fox Sports 1, 8pm)
Utah State @ Utah (FRI, ESPN 2, 9pm)

South Florida @ Florida State (SAT, ESPN, 11:30am)
Oregon State @ Michigan (SAT, ABC, 12pm)
Miami, OH @ Wisconsin (SAT, ESPNU, 12pm)
Buffalo @ Penn State (SAT, ESPN 2, 12pm)
Kansas State @ UTSA (SAT, Fox Sports 1, 12pm)
Houston @ Louisville (SAT, STO/Fox Sports, 12pm)

Hawaii @ Ohio State (SAT, Big Ten, 3:30pm)
Notre Dame @ Virginia (SAT, ABC, 3:30pm)
Georgia @ Vanderbilt (SAT, CBS, 3:30pm)
Stephen F. Austin State @ TCU (SAT, Fox Sports 1, 3:30pm)
Fresno State @ Mississippi (SAT, ESPN 2, 3:30pm)
Tulane @ Georgia Tech (SAT, STO/Fox Sports, 3:30pm)
Minnesota @ Colorado State (SAT, CBS SportsNet, 3:30pm)
Middle Tennessee State @ Alabama (SAT, SEC, 4pm)
Iowa @ Iowa State (SAT, FOX, 4:30pm)

Oklahoma @ Tennessee (SAT, ESPN, 6pm)
Ball State @ Texas A&M (SAT, ESPNU, 7pm)
East Carolina @ Florida (SAT, ESPN 2, 7pm)
Arizona @ Nevada (SAT, CBS SportsNet, 7pm)
Kentucky @ South Carolina (SAT, SEC, 7:30pm)
Lamar @ Baylor (SAT, STO/Fox Sports, 7:30pm)
Oregon @ Michigan State (SAT, ABC, 8pm)
South Alabama @ Nebraska (SAT, Big Ten, 8pm)

LSU @ Mississippi State (SAT, ESPN, 9:15pm)
Boise State @ BYU (SAT, ESPN 2, 10:15pm)
UCLA @ UNLV (SAT, CBS SportsNet, 10:30pm)
Central Florida @ Stanford (SAT, Fox Sports 1, 10:30pm)

MLB
Tigers @ Indians (FRI, STO, 7pm)
Blue Jays @ Yankees OR Royals @ Orioles (FRI, MLB Network, 7pm)

Blue Jays @ Yankees (SAT, FOX, 1pm)
Tigers @ Indians (SAT, Fox Sports 1, 7pm)
Astros @ Angels OR Padres @ Giants (SAT, MLB Network, 9pm)

MMA & BOXING
Premier Boxing Champions (FRI, SPIKE, 9pm)
TRUTV Friday Night Knockout (FRI, TruTV, 10pm)

Premier Boxing Champions (SAT, NBC, 4pm)

NASCAR & RACING
XFINITY Series: Virginia529 College Savings 250 (FRI, NBC Sports, 7:30pm)
Sprint Cup Series: Federated Auto Parts 400 (SAT, NBC Sports, 7:30pm)

TENNIS
2015 US Open, Men’s Semifinals (FRI, ESPN, 3pm-11pm)
2015 US Open, Women’s Final (SAT, ESPN, 3pm)

SOCCER
English Premier League: Manchester United FC vs. Liverpool FC (SAT, NBC, 12:30pm)

OTHER SPORTS
Dew Tour: Los Angeles Skateboard Vert (SAT, NBC, 3pm)

TV Weekend 11.28-11.29

By @nevaRWilliams

Haven (Friday, SyFy, 7 PM)
WWE Friday Night Smackdown (Friday, SyFy, 8 PM)
Girl Meets World (Friday, Disney Channel, 8 PM)
The Amazing Race (Friday, CBS, 8 PM)

Grimm (Friday, NBC, 9 PM)
Shark Tank (Friday, ABC, 9 PM)
Frosty The Snowman (Friday, CBS, 9 PM)
Yes, Virginia (Friday, CBS, 9:30 PM)
Constantine (Friday, NBC, 10 PM)
Z Nation (Friday, SyFy, 10 PM)
------
The Flight Before Christmas (Saturday, CBS, 8 PM)
The Story Of Santa Claus (Saturday, CBS, 9 PM)
48 Hours (Saturday, CBS, 10 PM)
Atlantis (Saturday, BBC America, 9 PM)
Black Dynamite (Cartoon Network, 10:30 PM)
Saturday Night Live Classic, Ben Affleck, N.E.R.D. (Saturday, NBC, 10 PM)
REPEAT: Saturday Night Live, Chris Rock, Prince (Saturday, NBC, 11:30 PM)

======

NBA
Clippers @ Rockets (Friday, NBA TV, 8 PM)

Pelicans @ Wizards (Saturday, NBA TV, 7 PM)
Pacers @ Cavaliers (Saturday, FOX Sports Ohio, 7:30 PM)

COLLEGE BASKETBALL
NIT Season Tip-Off, Final (Friday, ESPN 2, 7 PM)
Orlando Classic, Second Semifinal (Friday, ESPN 2, 9 PM)
Rutgets @ Vanderbilt (Friday, NBC Sports, 7 PM)
Bradley vs TCU (Friday, CBS SportsNet, 7 PM)
Las Vegas Invitational, Consolation (Friday, FOX Sports 1, 8 PM)
La Salle vs. Virginia (Friday, NBC Sports, 9:30 PM)
Las Vegas Invitational, Final (Friday, FOX Sports 1, 10:30 PM)

COLLEGE FOOTBALL
Virginia @ Virginia Tech (Friday, ESPN, 8 PM)

Michigan @ Ohio State (Saturday, ABC, 12 PM)
South Carolina @ Clemson (Saturday, ESPN, 12 PM)
Cincinnati @ Temple (Saturday, ESPNews, 12 PM)
Illinois @ Northwestern (Saturday, ESPNU, 12 PM)
Kentucky @ Louisville (Saturday, ESPN 2, 12 PM)
West Virginia @ Iowa State (Saturday, FOX Sports 1, 12 PM)
Purdue @ Indiana (Saturday, Big Ten, 12 PM)
Georgia Tech @ Georgia (Saturday, SEC Network, 12 PM)

Grambling State vs. Southern (Saturday, NBC, 2:30 PM)
Michigan State @ Penn State (Saturday, ABC, 3:30 PM)
Notre Dame @ USC (Saturday, FOX, 3:30 PM)
Mississippi State @ Mississippi (Saturday, CBS, 3:30 PM)
Florida @ Florida State (Saturday, ESPN, 3:30 PM)
Rutgers @ Maryland (Saturday, ESPNU, 3:30 PM)
Baylor @ Texas Tech (Saturday, ESPN 2, 3:30 PM)
Minnesota @ Wisconsin (Saturday, Big Ten, 3:30 PM)
San Jose State @ San Diego State (Saturday, CBS SportsNet, 3:30 PM)
Connecticut @ Memphis (Saturday, ESPNews, 4 PM)
Kansas @ Kansas State (Saturday, FOX Sports 1, 4 PM)

Wake Forest @ Duke (Saturday, ESPNU, 7 PM)
Pittsburgh @ Miami (Saturday, ESPN 2, 7 PM)
Auburn @ Alabama (Saturday, ESPN, 7:30 PM)
Oregon @ Oregon State (Saturday, ABC, 8 PM)
Utah State @ Boise State (Saturday, ESPN 2, 10:15 PM)

NHL
Canucks @ Blue Jackets (Friday, FOX Sports Ohio, 7 PM)
Jets @ Bruins (Friday, NHL Network, 7 PM)

Capitals @ Maple Leafs (Saturday, NHL Network, 7 PM)
Blue Jackets @ Predators (Saturday, FOX Sports Cincinnati, 8 PM)
Blackhawks @ Kings (Saturday, NHL Network, 10 PM)

SOCCER
English Premier League: Sunderland AFC vs. Chelsea FC (Saturday, NBC, 12:30 PM)