College Football Games to Watch: Week 2

As we here at TCR post our final NFL fantasy football picks for the week (shoutout to Thursday afternoon deadlines), there is always an element of planning involved when it comes to scheduling which football games to watch this upcoming weekend. While we all bite at the bit tonight during the first Thursday night NFL game of the year, we thought we would share some of the college football games we will be keeping an eye on this weekend:

Thursday, September 7th

Idaho State Bengals (1-0) vs. Utah State Aggies (0-1) 7:00pm CT Stream on Facebook

The Aggies have not won a game since October 22, 2016. Mind you, they opened their 2017 campaign against the Wisconsin Badgers...but there’s still something to be said about a team that’s looking for their first win since the middle of last season. While you’re refreshing your fantasy football websites this evening, have this game available on the next tab (it’s available live on Facebook for free).

Friday, September 8th

Ohio Bobcats (1-0) vs. Purdue Boilermakers (0-1) 7:00pm CT FS1

Jeff Brohm has the Boilermakers playing more exciting football than last season, and this week will mark Purdue’s first TRUE measuring stick game. The Bobcats of Ohio have finished the last two seasons with 8 victories, including an appearance in the 2016 MAC Championship game. This is not a cupcake game by any standards, and it will be interesting to see just how “for real” the Boilermakers are. We’re starting here, and flipping back and forth to:

#11 Oklahoma State Cowboys (1-0) vs. South Alabama Jaguars (0-1) 7:00pm CT ESPN2

Ladd-Peebles Stadium will be rocking on Friday night, as the 11th ranked Cowboys of Oklahoma State travel to the Gulf Shores of Alabama to face the South Alabama Jaguars. It’s neat to see a Power 5 school play on the road in a 40,000 seat stadium, and this is the same South Alabama team that defeated the Mississippi State Bulldogs last season...

Saturday, September 9th

Iowa Hawkeyes (1-0) vs. Iowa State Cyclones (1-0) 11:00am CT ESPN2

Rivalry games are fun. There’s no denying that they’re always a little more competitive than your average stop during a football season, and the Cy-Hawk rivalry game that splits the state of Iowa is always a dandy. In the last 6 seasons, both teams have won 3 games a piece. Both teams posted hefty wins over relatively easy opponents, so this game should be an absolute dogfight.

Western Michigan Broncos (0-1) vs. Michigan State Spartans (1-0) 2:30pm CT BTN

Is this the same Western Michigan roster that beat Illinois last season? No. Is it the same Western Michigan that gave the USC Trojans a run for their money last week? Yes. Mark Dantonio and the Spartans are supposedly fielding a better team than last year, but this game could be a really close one when it’s all said and done. We’ll also be checking in on:

Nebraska Cornhuskers (1-0) vs. Oregon Ducks (1-0) 3:30pm CT FOX

Pending on the wildfires that continue to sweep through the pacific northwest (shoutout to the men and women battling those), this game is still scheduled to be played as normal. We think the Nebraska game could be one of the most winnable for Illinois this season, and the Huskers will meet their first true test of the season in the Oregon Ducks.

#15 Georgia Bulldogs (1-0) vs. #24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish (1-0) 6:30pm CT NBC

This game still has tickets available for a chill $512 a seat if you’re interested. Notre Dame will probably Notre Dame itself like they always seem to do, and we’re going to check in on this one to see if Brian Kelly’s face can get redder than last year.

#5 Oklahoma Sooners (1-0) vs. #2 Ohio State Buckeyes (1-0) 6:30pm CT ABC

As much fun as it will be to watch Brian Kelly explode on the sidelines in South Bend, THIS is the game we’re going to start with at dinner time. A rematch of last year, both JT Barrett and Baker Mayfield are looking to put a signature win on the map early this season.

***ILLINOIS PLAYS AT 7:00PM CT ON BTN***

#14 Stanford Cardinal (1-0) vs. #6 USC Trojans (1-0) 7:30pm CT FOX

As Illinois continues beating up on Western Kentucky (please be a thing), we’ll likely jump over to Fox to catch THE game of the year for the PAC12 Conference. USC almost choked against Western Michigan last week, and the Cardinal looked REALLY good across the pond in Australia against the Rice Owls two weeks ago. This one should be a gem.

Boise State Broncos (1-0) vs. #20 Washington State Cougars (1-0) 9:30pm CT ESPN

Did we stay up till 3am to watch Northern Illinois at Wyoming last year? You betcha. Chris Peterson is not coaching Boise State anymore, but the Broncos are poised to put together their 18th bowl season this year. Meanwhile, Mike Leach and his offense are starting the year ranked, and were only able to squeak by Boise State by a three point margin in 2016. This should be a fun night-cap for those of you that are as obsessed with college football as we are.

WHACHU WATCHIN?