So you want an eight-team playoff?
How about a 10-team playoff in the regular season instead? Nov. 8 might be the greatest weekend in college football history. OK, that’s hyperbole, but it’s definitely the biggest weekend in the four-team playoff era. That's not up for debate.
Do what you have to do beforehand. Run the errands. Take out the trash. You’re not going to want to leave the couch for about 12 hours.
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We'll put it to you this way: There are three head-to-head matchups between teams with one loss, and that doesn’t even include the main event in the SEC West.
Here are the five games you simply can’t miss (all times ET):
Notre Dame (7-1) at Arizona State (7-1). It’s a 3:30 p.m. kickoff on the East Coast, but it will be much earlier out west. It’s also just the Irish’s second true road game of the season, and Everett Golson is coming off a six-touchdown performance against Navy. Notre Dame is 3-0 all time against the Sun Devils, with the last and only visit to Tempe coming in 1998.
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Kansas State (7-1) at TCU (7-1). For the Horned Frogs, it’s a chance to knock off the only team in the Big 12 they haven’t beaten. For the Wildcats, it’s the first of a three-pronged “road” block that includes West Virginia (Nov. 20) and Baylor (Dec. 6). The winner here builds serious playoff capital.
Alabama (7-1) at LSU (7-2). The Crimson Tide and Tigers have a combined record of 166-38 since 2007, a winning percentage of .814. That’s the best Power 5 matchup possible by the numbers. Nick Saban owns a 5-3 advantage head to head against Les Miles, but this one’s at Death Valley at 8 p.m. There’s nothing quite like it.
Ohio State (7-1) at Michigan State (7-1). Pull out a second television for the primetime games. The Buckeyes are 20-0 in regular-season Big Ten play under Urban Meyer. The Spartans have won 13 consecutive Big Ten regular-season games under Mark Dantonio, and that doesn’t include last year’s 34-24 win against Ohio State in the Big Ten championship game. This is bigger than Ohio State-Michigan until further notice.
Oregon (8-1) at Utah (7-2). Yet another late-night game worth staying up for. The Ducks are rolling on a four-game win streak and could crack the top four in the latest College Football Playoff rankings. Rice-Eccles Stadium is no joke, however, and Oregon hasn’t been there since 2003. Utah won that game 17-13.
That’s not even counting Baylor at Oklahoma, Virginia at Florida State or Texas A&M at Auburn.
Best day ever? Let’s hope so.
