Notre Dame is idle this weekend, so what does that mean for you and your Saturday? Do you take a break from college football and tailgating to spend time with your family? Get a few house projects done? Go on a trip?
Or do you just take the opportunity to keep a watchful eye on Notre Dame 2019 opponents?
If you fall in the latter, you're in luck because I've put together a quick guide to help get you through your Saturday.
The college football podcast the Solid Verbal coined the phrase “the window of opportunity,” which essentially designates when it’s acceptable to leave your couch/TV set up to hang out with your kids or run an errand.
Since the Irish are off this weekend, I’ve put together a tier of times/games for Notre Dame fans to pay attention to this weekend and note what your acceptable window of opportunity is.
Must Watch
• Michigan vs Penn State, 7:30 p.m. on ABC
There’s only one college football game any invested Notre Dame fans have to watch this weekend: Michigan at Penn State.
Let’s get the number one debate out of the way, which I know has already been a topic on the message board: Should you actually root for the Wolverines this weekend as an Irish fan?
As much as it might hurt, the answer is “probably.”
The worst-case scenario for Notre Dame might be Michigan gets blown out, drops out of the polls and all of a sudden the Irish might not have a chance at another top-25 win for the rest of the year.
Instead, if Michigan somehow beats Penn State, Notre Dame has a chance to move ahead of the Nittany Lions and the Irish get a potential top-12 matchup and the opportunity for a quality victory.
That’s a win-win. All you have to do is stomach rooting for your mortal enemy for three and a half hours.
Is this a tough ask?
Yes.
Is it reasonable?
Don't hate me, but also yes.
If its any consolation, a maize-and-blue victory it's unlikely. Penn State is currently favored by nine points and the last time Michigan visited Happy Valley for a whiteout, the Wolverines lost 42-13.
Use A Second Screen
Neither of the games below starts at the same time as Michigan vs. Penn State, but they will overlap. So pull up a second TV, your iPad or laptop and have these games muted.
Kentucky at Georgia, 6 p.m. on ESPN
Georgia is a 25-point favorite over Kentucky, but the Bulldogs were also the heavy favorite against South Carolina before they came out flat and lost at home to a then 2-3 team.
We should find out a lot about Georgia. If they come out, dominate Kentucky and come away with a blowout victory, maybe the Bulldogs will get on the right track and still compete for an SEC title. If not, Notre Dame's "quality" loss will begin to look worse and worse.
Arizona at USC, 9:30 p.m. on PAC-12 Network — USC -10
This might be a tough game to watch unless you actually get the PAC-12 Network. I'm very curious to see what USC does going forward. They still have a shot at the PAC-12 South, especially with a head-to-head victory over Utah. If they come out and put it to the Wildcats, then maybe the Irish's victory over the Trojans last weekend will look better and better as the season rages on.
ACC Opponents/Navy — Setup Score Alerts
While some of these games could actually be worth checking out, some of them are on the ACC Network, which means, depending on your cable package, they will be difficult to watch.
• Clemson at Louisville, Noon on ABC — -24.5
The one ACC game you can definitely watch, Clemson at Louisville, is a 24.5 spread in favor of the Tigers. Yet, the best thing for Notre Dame's strength of schedule and playoff prospects would be a Clemson upset. It will be an uphill battle, but at 4-2 the Cardinals have already exceeded expectations and the Tigers have looked more vulnerable than most anticipated.
• N.C. State at Boston College, Noon on ACCNX
At 3-3, this is a big game for Boston College. If the Eagles lose, it will be a tough road for them to get to above .500 with games at Notre Dame and Clemson still on the docket. In fact, four of the Eagles' last five games are on the road. Even though they're playing at home, Boston College is three-point underdogs.
• North Carolina at Virginia Tech, 3:30 on ACCNX
Virginia Tech has had an ugly season with a 45-10 blowout loss to Duke at home. Yet the Hokies have still found a way to be 4-2, thanks in part to a couple of easy non-conference matchups.
If Tech does win, they'll go into their idle week 5-2 and there will likely be some buzz when they head to South Bend but currently, the Tar Heels are favored by 3.5.
• Duke at Virginia, 3:30 on ACCN
It's important that Virginia bounces back after an ugly loss to Miami, where the Cavaliers could not get the ball to cross the goal line despite half a dozen trips within or near the red zone. This knocked Virginia out of the top 25 in both the AP and Coaches polls.
Currently, the Cavaliers are favored by three, but if the Duke Blue Devils do pull off the slight upset, it won't be the worst thing for the Irish.
The two teams play on Nov. 9.
• USF at Navy, 3:30 on CBSS
Navy has put together a strong start to the season. The Midshipmen are currently 4-1, which gives them one more win than they had all of last season, and they are 14.5 favorites over the Bulls. A few of their toughest games are still ahead of them including games at Notre Dame and hosting contests against No. 19 SMU and Army. Still, a Navy victory tomorrow puts them one win away from having at least a .500 record.
Check the Score the Next Day
The outcomes of either of these games have very little consequence for Notre Dame's strength of schedule, although when Bowling Green beat Toledo last week the moved up from the very bottom in SP+ to No. 127. Feel free to see who won the next day or don't worry about them at all.
Central Michigan at Bowling Green, 2 p.m. on ESPN3 — -11.5
At 2-4, Bowling Green is 11.5-point underdogs to 3-3 Central Michigan. While the Falcons are unlikely to win, the same was true last weekend when they upset Toledo. Can they do it two weeks in a row?
New Mexico at Wyoming, 3:00 p.m. on ATSN — -20
New Mexico is 2-4 on the year, with just one win over an FBS team in New Mexico State. The Lobos will struggle to win another game all year, especially against the Wyoming Cowboys, who are 20-point favorites.
Already Happened
• UCLA at Stanford, Thursday
This matchup took place last night and, unfortunately for Notre Dame's strength of schedule, Stanford was upset by then 1-5 UCLA. After losing 34-16, the Cardinal is now 3-4 and could struggle to be at .500 by the time they host the Irish on Nov. 30.
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