The Must List: Week 5

We're finally in the meat of the college football schedule. No more Big Ten teams playing MAC schools, ruining our morning/noon games. This weekend is especially big because Oklahoma plays Texas and Florida plays Alabama. And I haven't even gotten to the Gameday game this week, Stanford versus Oregon. There's three games alone that I'll be watching. There are certainly more games worth the follow on Saturday.

Week 5 Announcing Schedule (All times Eastern)

September 30th
Texas A&M at Oklahoma State (7:30, ESPN)- This will be my first chance to watch Oklahoma State, who have been impressive so far in non-conference games. Honestly, I don't understand why OK State is not ranked, while A&M is ranked after almost losing to Florida International. I expect Mike Sherman to make one dumb coaching decision during this game, ending with an A&M loss.



October 2nd
Miami at Clemson (Noon, ESPN2)- Miami is overrated this year and Clemson might actually be underrated. When Miami traveled to Ohio State, they were crushed while Clemson went to Auburn and lost on a last second missed field goal. I've been more impressed by the Tigers this year over the Hurricanes.

Navy at Air Force (2:30, Versus)- If you want to watch two teams play the beautiful triple-option to perfection, then you need to watch this game. While Navy vs. Air Force isn't as marquee as Navy vs. Army, it's still two of our armed forces playing each other. They deserve my attention on Saturday.

Texas vs. Oklahoma (3:30, ABC)- This game took a hit this season after Texas lost to UCLA and Oklahoma struggled to finish off Cincinnati. This game will be a battle of wills since Oklahoma's defense has struggled while Texas' offense has struggled. Something has to give on Saturday afternoon. By the way, I still refuse to call this game by it's politically correct name Red River Rivalry. It will always be the Red River Shootout to me.



Wisconsin at Michigan State (3:30, ABC)- The first "big" Big Ten game this year is between Wisky and Sparty. I wouldn't expect a high scoring game, just a slobberknocker defense fest. Mark Dantoni is expected to coach in this game for Sparty after suffering a mild heart attack, but will be coaching from the coaches box.

Florida at Alabama (8:00, CBS)- The night games are a murderous row of games. First we have Florida at Alabama in a rubber match from the past two SEC Championship Games. Both teams were impressive in their games last week. For Alabama, this is the second game in a rough three game stretch. I think Bama's defense will be too much for the Florida offense.

Stanford at Oregon (8:00, ABC)- Oregon will be seeking revenge after their embarrassing loss to Stanford last season. Stanford is looking to cement their place at the top of the Pac-10 and serve notice to the country that they're national title contenders. I'll definitely be switching back and forth between this game and Bama vs. Florida.

Penn State at Iowa (8:00, ESPN)- Another revenge game. Penn State has lost to Iowa twice in the past two years. In 2008, Penn State lost in Iowa will contending for the national championship. In 2009, Penn State lost to Iowa at home while contending for a BCS game. Maybe this year Penn State will ruin Iowa's bowl dreams?

Recipe of the Week, Breakfast Casserole: I haven't talked about breakfast yet in the Must List. I guess I haven't talked Breakfast because I'm not a breakfast person even though it's the most important meal of the day. This casserole is a combination of sausage, mushrooms, potato's, and cheddar cheese. Sounds delicious.

Alcoholic Beverage of the Week, Samuel Adams Harvest Pumpkin Ale: I've never been a big fan a Samuel Adams beer or of Ale beers. Ale beers are too strong for me. I've always preferred lagers. I am though a sucker for sweet tasting pumpkin beers and that is exactly what this brew is. According to the Sam Adams website, the Harvest Pumpkin Ale is brewed with 11 pounds of pumpkin per barrel to give their beer that sweet pumpkin taste. Sounds great.