Cole Tollison

This is Part 5 of a series where I go week by week ranking what I expect to be the biggest games in college football. For a longer description of what this series is, start with part 1 here!

Week 5 has slim pickings for top games at first glance. But I think some gems will emerge after we’ve made it through the beginning of the season. We’re leaning into big brands and big-name players this week, so I imagine these games will be heavily talked about once we get to this point in the season.

3rd – Georgia at Auburn

The Deep South’s Oldest Rivalry. If you’ve read any other installments in this series, you may have realized I give a bump to rivalry games. The fans care more, the environments are more hostile, and any outcome is possible. This is especially true at Jordan-Hare Stadium, where some of the craziest CFB games this century have been played (the kick-six taking the crown). 

Auburn is not expected to do much in 2023, but they could easily be 3-1 or possibly 4-0 going into this one. Georgia on the other hand should be rolling full steam ahead by week 5. …

This is Part 4 of a series where I go week by week ranking what I expect to be the biggest games in college football. For a longer description of what this series is, start with part 1 here!

In week 4, I finally had to really think about who might have some losses for this list. 1st and 2nd are nearly a coin flip for me. Depending on which conference or teams you watch more, you might agree or disagree with their placement. The same can be said for 3rd place, I guess. All 4 games vying for 3rd place were conference matchups from 4 different P5 conferences. In the end, I think I make my stance pretty clear. 

3rd – Iowa at Penn State

It’s the White Out. Do I really need to say more? 

I guess I should, it’s the point of this series.

It’s a testament to the quality of 1st and 2nd on this list that the White Out can be as low 3rd. I expect Iowa to be undefeated heading into Happy Valley and ready to extend their win streak. I’ve heard/read that the White Out and an LSU home night game are the …

This is Part 3 of a series where I go week by week ranking what I expect to be the biggest games in college football. For a longer description of what this series is, start with part 1 here!

Week 3 is the first week where I don’t expect consensus on the “biggest game of the week.” Unfortunately, it’s safe to say that none of the games this week will have the hype going in that the best games of weeks one and two had. That doesn’t mean that after kickoff some of these can’t be classics in the making. A season always looks different looking back than it does looking forward.

3rd – Washington at Michigan State

Just looking at the brands, this game looks like an exciting non-con matchup. Unfortunately for Michigan State, this game is showcasing two programs headed in opposite directions. Washington’s rise last year was just as dramatic as Michigan State’s fall. Washington QB Penix Jr. is a Heisman candidate. Michigan State lost their QB1, Payton Thorne, to the portal. He only left because he saw his best WR, Keon Coleman, enter the portal (along with 20 other Spartans, including some quality starters). 

Michigan State …

As media rights money continues to drive realignment in college football, will a power five school be kicked out of their conference?

The idea that a team should be kicked out of a conference has been discussed by many CFB fans sitting around, talking smart at the bar, but it has never been taken very seriously at a national level. 

Earlier this summer Joel Klatt, a media member I highly respect, gave the idea legs, and then many others piled on the “what if?” bandwagon. The thinking is this: the bigger brands will have separated themselves so far from their conference brethren that they will no longer be interested in splitting revenue with teams that don’t carry their weight.

I will go conference by conference through the P5 and lay out possible candidates that could be told to pack their bags in the next 5 to 50 years, and how seriously we should take the possibility.

Big Ten – One obvious choice

Possibilities:

Rutgers

Northwestern

Maryland

Northwestern has been floated as a possibility, mostly from a competitive standpoint But NW is a founding member of the conference and an academic powerhouse in a conference that values academics.

The answer is …

This is Part 2 of a series where I go week by week ranking what I expect to be the biggest games in college football. Check out part 1 here!

As we get deeper in the season there will be some nuance in guessing who has a decent record and who has fallen off. The elephant in the room is very much overshadowing some quality matchups this week.

3rd – Utah at Baylor

Massive props to Utah for scheduling hard! They have 9 conference games plus 2 high-quality P5 non-conference matchups (this one and Florida week 1). 

This is good for:

• Season Ticket holders
• Comparing  conference strength
• The overall quality of College Football

Baylor is an enigma to most CFB fans outside of the Big 12; they are 5th in conference title odds. With how chaotic the Big 12 is, Baylor finishing anywhere from 1st to 11th seems reasonable. After Texas and Oklahoma leave, Baylor aims to be a flagship brand in the Big 12. If the Big 12 wants to remain respected among the P5 (or P-whatever) their power players like Baylor need to win these non-con games.

2nd – Oregon at Texas Tech

How the hell is …

Which games will be the best each week in College Football this year?

For the first few weeks of the season, this is a fairly easy question to answer. For example:

Colorado at TCU: How will Deion’s Colorado look? Will TCU continue to outperform expectations after being CFP runner-up?

Texas at Alabama: 2 playoff hopeful teams squaring off in week 2.

FSU vs LSU: A top 10 showdown in week 1. The loser starts the season in survival mode (no 2-loss team has made the playoff… yet).

But the deeper one looks into the season, the harder it becomes to predict. Will Notre Dame be undefeated when they play Clemson, or will they have 2+ losses at that point? Will Clemson have any blemishes on their record by then? Louisville isn’t on anyone’s marquee radar right now, but their schedule is so marshmallow soft that they could easily be 9-1 and must-see TV by week 12. Is the B1G West pure chaos like last year? Would that make it more or less watchable?

Week by week, I will give my predictions for what the 3 must-watch games of that week will be. For games deeper into the season there will …