Five College Football Games to Watch: Week Seven

This piece is a continuation of our weekly series, Five Games You Should Watch. The premise is simple: if you’re an Oregon State Beavers fan, it’s already a safe bet that you’ll watch Saturday’s football game vs Wake Forest (12:30 PM PST on The CW), but here are five more games for you to consider.

#24 South Florida at North Texas - Today at 4:30 PM PST on ESPN2

Beaver fans likely need little reminder that money drives college athletics. Established blue blood programs have money. Schools with rich alumni bases have money. Money is the reason these universities can hire the best coaches, build the best facilities, and recruit the best student-athletes.

South Florida and North Texas, like the other Group of Five universities, don't have enough money to compete with the big spenders. Thankfully, they have their own path to the national championship: 1 CFP bid is awarded to the highest ranked Group of Five school in the country. This game is compelling in that lens: these are two of the nation's best G5 schools, vying to earn the G5's CFP bid, and they know it.

#8 Alabama at #14 Missouri - Saturday at 9 AM PST on ABC

After a season opening loss to Florida State, the Alabama faithful tore into their beloved program. One Crimson Tide fan offered this kind-hearted take on the Kalen DeBoer era: "If [DeBoer] was on life support, I'd pull the plug and charge my phone".

Now, DeBoer's Tide just rolled past Georgia and Vanderbilt in back-to-back weeks. Would he push the plug back in?

One of college football's ultimate reality shows - the It Just Matters More insanity of SEC football - may unfold Saturday morning. If Alabama wins, the Crimson Tide will appear on their way back to the playoff for the first time since Nick Saban retired. If Missouri wins, then Kalen DeBoer's days in Tuscaloosa may be numbered.

TCU at Kansas State - Saturday at 12:30 PM PST on FOX

Let's keep things short and sweet: I only put this game on my list for one reason. I want to study Kansas State offensive coordinator Matt Wells.

If Oregon State fires Trent Bray, then I expect OSU athletic director Scott Barnes to consider Wells for the Beavers' head coaching position. The two men have a history: when Barnes was the AD at Utah State, his head coach Gary Andersen (Beaver fans might remember the name) left for Wisconsin, so Barnes tabbed Wells, Andersen's offensive coordinator at the time, to take over the Aggies. The hire worked out for both parties; after their first two seasons together, Wells won nineteen games and received the Mountain West Coach of the Year award, and Barnes earned his first Power Conference athletic director gig.

Florida at #5 Texas A&M - Saturday at 4 PM PST on ESPN

Last Saturday, I watched dumbfounded as Billy Napier's beleaguered Gators stunned then #9 Texas. If Florida can bring that same level of focus and intensity to College Station on Saturday, this game could be one to remember.

San Diego State at Nevada - Saturday at 7:30 PM PST on CBS Sports Network

There's a reason I said earlier that South Florida and North Texas are merely two of the best G5 schools. In my opinion, the absolute best G5 school is in San Diego. The Aztecs have a ferocious defense - in consecutive weeks they shut out California and held Northern Illinois to three points - and they have talented playmakers on offense. Michigan transfer Jayden Denegal is a true dual-threat quarterback. Star wideout Jordan Napier looks the part, with several clutch touchdown catches this season.

I'm rooting for the Aztecs to represent the group of five, and the future Pac-12, in this season's College Football Playoff. To get there, they'll need to keep winning. That quest continues Saturday night in Reno.