Between college football and the NFL, Saturday could be one of the best football-watching days in a long time.
The brand-new 12-team College Football Playoff debuts this weekend, involving campus stadiums for the first time in its 11-year existence.
The NFL’s first Saturday games this season include four teams in the AFC playoff picture, three division leaders, two rivals battling for the AFC North and a partridge in a pear tree.
Preceding the big day, the CFP kicks off at 8 p.m. on Friday, when No. 7 seed Notre Dame hosts an in-state brawl with No. 10 seed Indiana. Friday night’s winner will advance to face No. 2 seed Georgia in the Sugar Bowl, giving Bulldog fans a stress-free Saturday of football watching.
Saturday’s festivities begin at noon with college football, as No. 11 seed SMU visits No. 6 seed Penn State. Both teams will make their CFP debut at the infamously-raucous Beaver Stadium in a ‘whiteout.’
One hour later, the Kansas City Chiefs will host the Houston Texans, two AFC division winners previewing a potential playoff game in January.
The CFP keeps rolling at 4 p.m. with a battle between No. 12 seed Clemson and No. 5 seed Texas. The Tigers and Longhorns will fight for a spot in the Peach Bowl at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta.
The Pittsburgh Steelers and Baltimore Ravens kick off at 4:30 p.m. as they wrestle for the top spot in the AFC North. Pittsburgh (10-4) has already clinched a spot in the playoffs and holds a one-game divisional lead over Baltimore (9-5).
All that action leads to arguably the most-hyped game of the weekend: a CFP clash between No. 9 seed Tennessee and No. 8 seed Ohio State. Two of college football’s largest fan bases will watch their teams play for a shot at top-seeded Oregon in the Rose Bowl.
The Full Slate (betting odds via BetMGM)
- 8 p.m. Friday: 10 Indiana at 7 Notre Dame (-6.5)
- Noon Saturday: 11 SMU at 6 Penn State (-8.5)
- 1 p.m. Saturday: Texans at Chiefs (-3.5)
- 4 p.m. Saturday: 12 Clemson at 5 Texas (-12.5)
- 4:30 p.m. Saturday: Steelers at Ravens (-6.5)
- 8 p.m. Saturday: 9 Tennessee at 8 Ohio State (-7.5)
The environments should be incredible: Notre Dame Stadium, Beaver Stadium, DKR-Memorial Stadium (Texas) and Ohio Stadium (Ohio State) are all storied venues in college football.
Kansas City’s Arrowhead Stadium and Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium are some of the NFL’s rowdiest environments, especially when rivals are in the building.
The timing also works out well for fans wanting to watch teams in both leagues. Texas-based fans rooting for the Texans and Longhorns can watch the NFL game at 1:00 before moving to the CFP at 4:00.
Fans in Pennsylvania can watch the Nittany Lions host SMU before watching the Steelers at 4:30 p.m.
For the rest of the country, it’s much more simple: Watch high-profile football — all day long.
