College Football TV Schedule Week 5
Friday, Sept 9
8:00 PM
Utah State at BYU
ESPN
Will the Cougars of BYU get redemption since they lost to Utah earlier this year.
Saturday, Sept 10
12:00 PM
Texas A&M (14) vs. Arkansas (18)
ESPN
This game will be played at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas.
Minnesota at Michigan (19)
Big-Ten Network
Michigan plays their first Big Ten game after starting the year 4-0.
Northwestern at Illinois (24)
ESPN-2
This will be the first game that Northwestern’s preseason Heisman hopeful Dan Persa will be playing.
Mississippi State at Georgia
ESPN-3.com
Georgia has won two straight games; is it a third this week?
Penn State at Indiana
ESPN-U
Indiana seems to only show up in the fourth quarter this year. It’s just too bad they’re losing by 24 when they decide to start playing
Rutgers at Syracuse
ESPN-3.com
Syracuse hung on last week to defeat Toledo. They won the game in overtime.
Toledo at Temple
ESPN-3.com
Temple went from one week, only scoring 10 points, to another week, having one running back score five times.
Air Force at Navy
CBS
CBS opens a big Saturday with two armed forces playing against each other.
12:21 PM
Kentucky at LSU (1)
ESPN-3.com
LSU is No. 1 in just one poll. Let’s see how they distance themselves from Oklahoma this week.
12:30 PM
Wake Forest at Boston College
ESPN-3.com
Tough call in this one as to who’s going to win. Both teams are pretty terrible.
Buffalo at Tennessee
ESPN-3.com
Tennessee has one of the best young quarterbacks in college football right now.
1:00 PM
Cincinnati at Miami (OH)
ESPN-3.com
It’s the battle of OHIO!
2:30 PM
Nevada at Boise State (4)
Versus
Last year, Nevada ruined Boise’s shot at a national championship and a perfect season. Look for BSU to hang 80 on Nevada.
3:30 PM
Georgia Tech (21) at North Carolina St
ABC
Georgia Tech has one of the nation’s best running attacks to go along with an OK passing game.
Bowling Green at West Virginia (22)
ESPN-3.com
WVU has a rebound game this week before starting Big East play.
Western Michigan at Connecticut
ESPN-3.com
In two UCONN losses this year, the Huskies have lost by a total of four points.
Marshall at Louisville
ESPN-3.com
Louisville is 2-1 on the season despite ranking 100th in points averaged per game.
Towson at Maryland
ESPN-3.com
Let’s see what Maryland wears this week.
Michigan St. at Ohio St.
ABC
At one time, this was a game between two top ten football teams. Now both are unranked.
Idaho at Virginia
ESPN3.com
Virginia losers to Southern Miss last week are on upset watch this week against Idaho.
Northern Illinois at Central Michigan
ESPN-3.com
Central Michigan is a very...very bad football team.
Bethune-Cookman at Miami (FL)
ESPN-U
The U takes on their rival Bethune-Cookman this week! Fun question, can anyone name where the Bethune-Cookman campus is?
4:00 PM
Arkansas State at Western Kentucky
ESPN-3.com
Ark. State, winners of last week’s battle of Arkansas against Central Ark.
6:00 PM
Clemson (13) at Virginia Tech (11)
ESPN-2
A great matchup between two of the top ACC teams gives us a reason to ignore the family dinner table.
7:00 PM
Florida Atlantic at Louisiana-Lafayette
ESPN-3.com
FAU Owls rank 116th in passing, 120th in rushing, 120th in points for and 112th in points against. They're due for a win this week.
Duke at Florida International
ESPN-U
The DOOOOOOKIES are on a two-game winning streak! DOOOOOOOOOOOOKIES!!!!!!!!!!
Hawaii at Louisiana Tech
ESPN-3.com
Hawaii’s quarterback last week threw seven touchdown passes in the first half. That’s right SEVEN!
Memphis at Middle Tennessee
ESPN-3.com
The combined records for these two teams, 1-6. I’ll let you figure out who has the victory.
8:00 PM
Alabama (3) at Florida (12)
CBS
Heavyweight match between two of the SEC’s top teams. And it’s going down in the Swamp in Gainesville. Giddy up!
Nebraska (8) at Wisconsin (7)
ABC
While you SEC backers are watching Bama vs. Florida, the rest of the country will be watching Nebraska’s first game inside of the Big Ten.
Notre Dame at Purdue
ESPN
Notre Dame leads the nation in red-zone turnovers.
9:15 PM
Ole Miss at Fresno State
ESPN-2
Closing out your television weekend is an Ole Miss team that may fire their coach at halftime of this game.
What to watch in the Big Ten: Week 5
By Adam Rittenberg
Here are 10 items to track Saturday as the league games finally kick off:
1. History for Huskers: After months of anticipation and a smooth transition into the conference, Nebraska finally plays its first league game as a Big Ten member. And it's a big one. The eighth-ranked Huskers visit No. 7 Wisconsin in the first Big Ten matchup pairing two AP Top 10 teams since 2008. Many forecast the game as a preview of the inaugural Big Ten championship. Camp Randall will be rockin'. Madison will be insane. "College GameDay" will be there. What more do you need? Get out your seat and jump around!
2. Ohio-bred Spartans invade Columbus: Other than winning bowl games, Mark Dantonio has one significant item left on his to-do list as Michigan State's coach. Ohio State is the only Big Ten team (besides new member Nebraska) that Dantonio hasn't beaten in his tenure as Spartans' boss. Beating the Buckeyes resonates for Dantonio, a former Ohio State assistant and a native of Zanesville, Ohio. It also resonates for the 25 Ohio natives on Michigan State's roster, including standouts like defensive tackle Jerel Worthy and receiver B.J. Cunningham. The large Ohio contingent likely contributed to Dantonio keeping his players off limits to the media this week. Bottom line: this game is personal.
3. Dan Persa returns: After a long rehab process, the Northwestern quarterback makes his season debut against No. 24 Illinois. While there are questions about Northwestern's Heisman Trophy campaign and the stop-and-start rhetoric surrounding Persa's health during the past six weeks, there's no doubt Persa has the ability to boost the Wildcats. How he performs and how much he plays in Champaign remains to be seen, but we should get a much better gauge on the Northwestern offense and potentially the entire team with No. 7 back on the field.
4. Russell Wilson vs. Taylor Martinez: Two of the Big Ten's most productive players take center stage Saturday night in Madison. Wilson has been brilliant so far for the Badgers, completing 75.8 percent of his passes for 1,136 yards with 11 touchdowns and one interception. If he can put up big numbers against a quality Nebraska defense, he'll truly put himself on the Heisman Trophy radar. Martinez continues to gash defenses with his feet, ranking second in the Big Ten in both rushing (105.2 ypg) and touchdowns scored (7). Wisconsin's approach to defending T-Magic? "We just hope to get in front of him and make him fall down," coach Bret Bielema said.
5. Quarterback quandaries: Five Big Ten teams aren't fully settled at quarterback entering Week 5. Penn State's seemingly never-ending competition between Rob Bolden and Matthew McGloin continues at Indiana. The Hoosiers, meanwhile, want to see more from Ed Wright-Baker in the red zone or Dusty Kiel likely will get a shot. Minnesota heads to Michigan with packages designed for two quarterbacks (MarQueis Gray and Max Shortell). Purdue will start Caleb TerBush against Notre Dame, but Robert Marve is healthy and coach Danny Hope has talked extensively about having two quarterbacks ready. Will we get any QB resolutions around the league this week?
6. Braxton Miller put to the test: After some predictably mixed results in his first career start against Colorado, Miller faces a tougher challenge in Michigan State, which boasts the nation's No. 1 defense. Miller seemed to get more comfortable with his passes as last week's game went on and tossed two touchdowns to Devin Smith. He also remains a threat to run, although the Spartans have stifled opposing teams on the ground. Miller avoided major mistakes against Colorado but will have to be careful against Michigan State, which recorded four interceptions last week.
7. Denard Robinson's passing: There's no doubt Denard Robinson is arguably the most dynamic running quarterback in Big Ten history. But many folks still refused to call him a quarterback and scoff at his Heisman Trophy hype. The reason? Robinson is completing only 48.6 percent of his passes with six touchdowns and six interceptions. Intermediate to deep passes have been particularly troubling for "Shoelace" this year. Michigan says the problem goes beyond Robinson, but it needs to be rectified before the competition level spikes. Robinson on Saturday faces a Minnesota team ranked last in the Big Ten and 108th nationally in pass defense (278.5 ypg allowed). This is a good chance for Robinson to find a rhythm.
8. Clash for Chicago: Illinois and Northwestern play for the Land of Lincoln Trophy, but the real prize is an increased presence in the Chicago market. Northwestern last year launched a marketing campaign complete with the slogan "Chicago's Big Ten team," which has been a success. The tag line irked Illinois players, who took out their aggression on the Wildcats in a dominating win last November at Chicago's Wrigley Field. New Illinois athletic director Mike Thomas, meanwhile, has talked about having Illinois become the "King of Chicago." All the Chicago talk has added some spice to a rivalry that needs some.
9. Blackshirts at full strength: Nebraska's defense hasn't been nearly as dominant as pretty much everyone -- Huskers players, fans, media members -- thought it would be. But there's a silver lining: the Blackshirts' Big 3 of defensive tackle Jared Crick, linebacker Lavonte David and cornerback Alfonzo Dennard hasn't been on the field together this season. The wait ends Saturday night as Crick returns from a head injury to solidify the defensive front. If Nebraska's defense can slow down a Wisconsin offense averaging 48.5 points and 532.3 yards per game, the questions will go away.
10. Purdue aims for statement win: Remember Purdue? The Boilers have gone largely unnoticed this season -- and, for that matter, during most of Danny Hope's two plus seasons as coach. But Saturday night, Purdue has a chance to grab the spotlight as it hosts Notre Dame at Ross-Ade Stadium. Love 'em or hate 'em, the Fighting Irish generate attention, and Purdue will garner exposure if it upsets the crew from South Bend. "If things don't work out right, it's not the end of the world," Hope said this week. "But a win on Saturday could change our world in some ways."
4. Will Michigan State or Ohio State start Big Ten play on the right foot?
The Buckeyes have concerns at quarterback, where freshman Braxton Miller will make his second start in Saturday's game against the Spartans. Michigan State's offensive line is still suspect, although it played well in last week's 45-7 rout of Central Michigan. The Spartans haven't beaten OSU since 1999 and they're 0-2 against the Buckeyes under coach Mark Dantonio, who was OSU's defensive coordinator under former coach Jim Tressel during a national championship season in 2002.
Indians pick up Manny Acta's option
CLEVELAND -- Manny Acta's second season managing the Indians was stressful. Next year, he can relax a little.
One day after Acta led Cleveland to a second-place finish in the AL Central, general manager Chris Antonetti announced the club has exercised its 2013 option.
Acta kept the Indians in contention for much of this season before injuries overwhelmed the young club, which finished 14 games behind AL Central champion Detroit. A rash of injuries torpedoed a 30-15 start, but the Indians still managed to finish 80-82 -- an 11-game improvement over Acta's first season.
"When we reflect on the successes we've had and the progress we've made, it began with Manny and his coaching staff and the tone they set in spring training," Antonetti said Thursday. "I feel much better about where we are today than where we were a year ago, and I think a lot of that has to do with Manny's leadership."
Acta is 149-175 in two seasons with Cleveland.
"I'm very happy that I know I will be here for at least two years," he said. "This is a place I want to be."
Following a tough 2½ seasons in Washington that ended with being fired, Acta was hired by the Indians before the 2010 season. He chose Cleveland over Houston despite playing, coaching and managing in the Astros' system. Acta picked the Indians because he felt they were closer to contending, and he's helped them get there.
"I made the decision based on some facts, and over the last two years they have been confirmed," he said. "That was based on our farm system, our young players who are making an impact at the big league level and our chances of being competitive and eventually winning. I've seen it in two years."
Acta's staff will look considerably different next season. On Wednesday, bench coach Tim Tolman disclosed he has Parkinson's disease and will not be back, and pitching coach Tim Belcher stepped down to spend more time with his family. Both will remain with the Indians in other roles.
Acta said replacing Tolman, who worked with him in Washington, and Belcher will be difficult.
"Those are the two guys I relied on the most during the game," said Acta, who was ejected from Cleveland's season finale in Detroit. "It's not going to be easy. We're going to work hard to bring two guys in to help me."
Antonetti said the remainder of Cleveland's coaching staff will return. Sandy Alomar Jr., who has coached first base the last two seasons, will move to the bench in 2012. Hitting coach Bruce Fields, third-base coach Steve Smith and bullpen coach Scott Radinsky also will be back.
Antonetti said Radinsky will be considered for the pitching coach vacancy.
Alomar is reportedly a candidate to replace Ozzie Guillen as manager of the Chicago White Sox. Antonetti wouldn't say whether the White Sox have asked for permission to talk to Alomar, but added the Indians will not stand in his way.
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