Unexpected FSU Bye Week Viewing Guide: Irma Edition

What is worse than the Florida State bye week? An unexpected Florida State bye week.

Hurricane Irma has forced the university to cancel the football game that was slated for Saturday. It’s an unfortunate situation, but obviously the health and safety of fan and player alike is the top priority in predicaments like these. We hope that everyone reading this piece has taken the necessary precautions for the storm.

The upside? If you’re in a good enough position to not worry about it, this weekend is chock full of ranked match-ups and interesting games. Barring any power outages, college football fans will be glued to their couches to watch these contests. Below is a list of games involving past and future FSU opponents, as well as any games that are receiving national attention. There’s also a bonus thrown in there at the end:

Past Opponents

(1) Alabama vs. Fresno State: Much like Florida State, Alabama decided to have a relaxing week after its big Atlanta match-up. The difference being the Crimson Tide get to play their game. It won’t be much of one however, as Fresno State is probably about to run into a wall. It could be close for one half however. Crimson Tide by 30. This game will be broadcast on ESPN2 at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Future Opponents

N.C. State vs. Marshall: The season could not have started worse for the Wolfpack. Despite a decent amount of hype and an uber-talented defensive line, N.C. State somehow dropped the opening game against the South Carolina Gamecocks. That’s what people get for trusting in a Dave Doeren coached team. Despite this setback, N.C. State still has an overwhelming talent advantage against Marshall, who squeaked out a victory against Miami University last week. It will still probably be closer than it should be. Wolfpack by 17. This game will be broadcast on the ACC Network starting at 6 p.m. EST.

Wake Forest at Boston College: It’s hard to judge this game based on how these teams played last week. Wake Forest demolished an FCS team with Presbyterian, while Boston College barely won against a good Group of 5 team in Northern Illinois. One thing is for certain: the offenses in this game will probably be terrible. Ultimately we’ll give the advantage to Wake Forest for having a bit of a tune-up game before its first real contest. Demon Deacons by seven. This game will be broadcast on the ACC Network at 1 p.m. EST.

Duke vs. Northwestern: These two programs are a lot more alike than they are different. It’s a match made in heaven of two football teams who are outperforming their history, yet never actually achieving “great” status — at least not since the 1940s for Duke. The similarities also extend to the offenses. Both have clear stars in Northwestern running back Justin Jackson and Duke quarterback Daniel Jones. This one is really difficult to pick. Since it is in Durham though, we’ll give Duke the slight edge. Blue Devils by three. This game will be broadcast on ESPNU at 12 p.m. EST.

(17) Louisville at North Carolina: Neither of these teams had an impressive Week 1. Louisville at least won its game versus Purdue, though by a shockingly close 35-28 margin. North Carolina wasn’t so lucky — it lost to Cal, 35-30. There appears to be no signs of improvement on the North Carolina defense. The Tar Heels gave up 363 yards and four touchdowns through the air to Ross Bowers; Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson will put up some more video game numbers if that trend continues. Though it does need to be pointed out that UNC did shut down the Bears’ running game. It still won’t be enough to topple Louisville. Cardinals by 14. This game will be broadcast on ESPN at 12 p.m. EST.

Syracuse vs. Middle Tennessee State: Syracuse is apparently keen on getting to a bowl this year. How else could you explain scheduling Central Connecticut State and Middle Tennessee State as your first two games? Regardless, don’t assume that the Blue Raiders are completely helpless. They have Richie James at wide receiver, who will be a future NFL draft pick down the road. James and the MTSU offense will probably keep this close for a few quarters. But ultimately the Syracuse offense will be too much to handle. Orange by 17. This game will be broadcast on the ACC Network at 3:30 p.m. EST.

(3) Clemson vs. (13) Auburn: Most will remember last year’s contest where Auburn was unexpectedly close to knocking off Clemson before the season even got going. What ultimately doomed Auburn was the rotating mess of three quarterbacks. That’s changed now. Jarrett Stidham is the clear-cut starter, and the offense rolls into Clemson with a deep stable of running backs. Clemson has a new starter as well (Kelly Bryant), but the offense as a whole is still figuring things out. That’s going to be an issue against an Auburn team who had a deceptively good defense last year. It might not toe the ACC line, but I think Auburn has the right pieces to knock off Clemson in its own stadium. Non-crazy Tigers by seven. This game will be broadcast on ESPN at 7 p.m. EST.

Top 25 Match-ups

(5) Oklahoma at (2) Ohio State: Ahhh, the prime time game that everyone is looking forward to. Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley gets his first real test against one of the best teams in the nation. Some may have witnessed Ohio State struggling with Indiana’s passing game last Thursday, which presumably would not bode well against Oklahoma’s Baker Mayfield. While that is true, the Buckeyes made key adjustments in the second half and had a bit of learning experience. The Sooners will still be able to put up points, and they’ll probably get even closer to victory than they did last year. But ultimately it’s very difficult to pick against Ohio State in its own stadium with Urban Meyer as head coach. Buckeyes by seven. This game will be broadcast on ABC at 7:30 p.m. EST.

(15) Georgia at (24) Notre Dame: A match=up like this would’ve been so great in 2012. Unfortunately it’s 2017 and neither of these teams are at the level we thought they’d be. That being said, it’s still a very interesting game that will inform us about the progress of either program. Notre Dame has the offensive pedigree to be a top-10 squad, but has the defense stopped the atrocious backslide that propelled the Fighting Irish to a 4-8 season? They’ll figure that out against a Georgia team who lost its starting quarterback in the first quarter of the season opener. Georgia head coach Kirby Smart will probably need to rely on his defense to help grab a victory in South Bend. I’m not sure the Bulldogs have warranted that amount of trust. Fighting Irish by 14. This game will be broadcast on NBC at 7:30 p.m. EST.

(14) Stanford at (6) USC: Is this another Stanford team being criminally underrated by voters? It certainly seems that way. Despite a 10-3 season in 2016 and loads of returning experience, the Cardinals are somehow outside the top 10 of the AP Poll. The David Shaw formula remains the same: a stifling defense with an inconsistent offense. Fortunately for them, USC didn’t look too hot in its first game against Western Michigan. Actually, that might be an understatement — the Trojans were tied heading into the fourth quarter. This might be the game to figure out which one of these teams is the real deal in the Pac-12. I’ll take the Cardinal by three. This game will be broadcast on Fox at 8:30 p.m. EST.

Upset of the Week

(23) TCU at Arkansas: Typically the Razorbacks don’t hit their stride until November. But quarterback Austin Allen is the real deal, and we’re not totally convinced Kenny “Trill” Hill has improved all that much at TCU. The Arkansas defense is also playing to their strengths with a shift to the 3-4 base. Give me the Razorbacks by 10 in Fayetteville. This game will be broadcast on CBS at 3:30 p.m. EST.

Other FSU Sports

Unfortunately, all FSU sports were cancelled due to Irma. If you’re in Tallahassee, it’s time to hunker down and get all the sports in that you can. If you aren’t in Tallahassee, we hope you’re somewhere safe.