On Tap

Helping you get your weekend viewing priorities straight since 2007

Thursday

7:45 (ESPN) South Florida @ Rutgers. The state university of New Jersey looks to end USF’s dream season. Former Heisman candidate Ray Rice looks to find away to gain some yards against a stout USF defense. If Rutgers can not establish a running game it is going to be a long night of QB Mike Teel running away from pass rusher extraordinaire George Selvie. Key Fact: Rutgers is a one year wonder or so says the head coach of the minus three year wonder that is Syracuse football, Greg Robinson.

8:00 (FOX) Red Sox @ Indians. More on this later.

Friday

8:00 (ESPN) Louisville @ Connecticut. Connecticut has been one of the many surprises of the 2007 college football season remaining undefeated until last weeks defeat at the hands of Virginia. Louisville has been one of the bigger disappointments of the year having expected to contend for a national title. Louisville knocked off previously undefeated Cincinnati last week and looks to bring UConn back down to earth with their second loss of the year. QB Brian Brohm looks to get back in the Heisman race as he rights the UL ship back towards the bowl season. Key Fact: Both of these schools should start looking forward to basketball season, in fact all Big East schools not named Rutgers, South Florida, or West Virginia should start looking forward to basketball season. That includes YOU Notre Dame.

Saturday

12:00 (ESPN) Penn State @ Indiana. Normally there are a plethora of semi quality games to choose from in the noon slot, not this weekend. PSU vs. “let’s play 13” is going to be the only interesting game of the early afternoon. Indiana football is the feel good story of the college football season, after the untimely passing of head coach Terry Hoeppner. Penn State will be using this game as a tune up for next Saturday nights match up with OSU, but watch out for them getting caught looking ahead. Key Fact: One more win and Indiana will be bowl eligible, but with the Big Ten only having seven bowl tie-ins and a possible 9 bowl eligible teams six wins might not be enough.

3:30 (NBC) USC @ ND. Game of the Century! Oh my bad it is not 2005 anymore. USC looks to avoid losing to ND, something cross town rival UCLA can only dream of these days. Notre Dame will be trying to take advantage of an injured U eht C team to get their second win of the year. Cheeseburger Charlie will be trying his third starting quarterback of the year. Key Fact: Starting QB Evan Sharpley was recruited by Ty Willingham, for some reason if Notre Dame wins this game I think this little factoid will get lost in the shuffle, but should he lose …. Damn you and your crappy recruits Ty!!!

3:30 (ABC) Michigan State @ OSU. Yes Erin Andrews will be in the house and by the house I mean the Shoe. The last time OSU was #1 and facing MSU in the Shoe is a day all Buckeye fans would love to forget. I think this years OSU team was humbled by the thrashing they received in the championship game this year and will treat the #1 ranking with the respect it deserves as well as treating each opponent the rest of the way as a worthy competitor. I think it will be a while before a Tressel coached OSU team is caught over looking even the most feeble of opponents. Key Fact: Erin Andrews will be in the stadium, like anything thing else about this game matters, come on people.

3:30 (CBS) Florida @ Kentucky. Kentucky has had multiple chances this year to prove that they are for real (obviously they are), but yet again they are put to a challenge of epic proportions. Maybe it is just the historical value of the Florida name that makes me feel like they should be able to go into Lexington and have their way with the Wildcats, I don’t know. For Kentucky to win Andre Woodson will need to work the same magic that he used last week to knock off LSU. Key Fact: SEC teams have apparently found the kryptonite for Tim “superman” Tebow, it is called make someone else beat you (this plan has worked quite well for Auburn and LSU).

3:30 (ABC/ESPN2) Miami @ FSU. Talk about a historical match up. That is all these teams are good for these days, talking about the past. I see a wide right type of a game going down here, only difference from the field goal kicking adventure games of the past will be the final score of 3-0. Key Fact: With the kind of talent that these programs bring in they should be better than they are. Now that the U has replaced their corpse of a head choach (Larry Cocker) with Randy Shannon they should be on the rise. FSU could experience the same if they ever find the cojones to cut Bobby Bowden loose.

5:30 (ESPN) Kansas @ Colorado. Kansas has to be the most surprising undefeated team in the country, although they have only won one game away from home. The Jayhawks must travel to Boulder to play Colorado who has already knocked off one undefeated Big Twelve team (Oklahoma). Key Fact: Earlier this season Kansas coach Mark Mangino ate a small cornerback after blowing a coverage, since then the Jayhawk corners have been some of the best in the country.

8:00 (ABC) Michigan @ Illinois. This game lost a little bit of its luster after the fighting Zookinis lost in Iowa City last weekend. UM looks to stay on course for a Big Ten title match up with OSU at the end of the season. A home night game on ABC is a big deal for the Illini, Coach Zook is already a phenomenal recruiter a win with this kind of exposure could make him down right unstoppable. Key Fact: Michigan’s magical turn around has to end somewhere, and the Illini should be good and ticked off after last weeks upset, so why not this week?

8:00 (ESPN2) Virginia @ Maryland. This game all of the sudden has ACC championship implications. After getting shocked by Wyoming in their opener Virginia has come back to win 6 straight (3-0 ACC). Maryland only has one conference loss and is very much in the ACC title picture. Key Fact: Fear the Turtle.

9:00 (ESPN) Auburn @ LSU. LSU attempts to recover after falling from the #1 spot in the polls last week against Kentucky. If the last two weeks are any indication, LSU is in for a slug fest against this stingy Auburn team. Auburn is not going to score a lot of points but they also are not going to let you gain many yards or see the end zone very often (just ask Darren McFadden) Key Fact: LSU coach Les Miles is going to have to figure out how to rotate his quarterbacks more effectively to try to find a weakness in the stubborn Auburn defense.

7:00 (Versus) No game and that makes the Pac Ten very happy. Highly ranked Pac Ten teams are off the hook for a late Saturday night upset this week.

* there is very little respect for the word fact around here.

all times eastern