Thursday Night Recap

Before we pop the tops on the weekend TV six-pack, let’s review Thursday night’s big events.

The New York Mets defeated the Los Angeles Dodgers 3-2 in Game 5 to advance to the National League Championship Series against the Chicago Cubs. Daniel Murphy’s solo home run in the sixth inning put the Mets over the top. … In the NFL, the Atlanta Falcons suffered their first defeat of the season, falling 31-21 at home to the New Orleans Saints.

There will be plenty of baseball on TV, beginning Friday night with the ALCS matching the Toronto Blue Jays and Kansas City Royals. Feel free to watch all you like.

Now, the six-pack …

COLLEGE FOOTBALL

No. 8 Florida (6-0) at No. 6 LSU (5-1): Florida lost QB Will Grier to suspension and starts Treon Harris. Running back Leonard Fournette has accounted for 45% of LSU’s offensive yardage.

No. 7 Michigan State (6-0) at No. 12 Michigan (5-1): The Wolverines have shut out three straight opponents and won five in a row while the Spartans, though 6-0, have struggled lately and are overly reliant on QB Connor Cook.

Arizona State (4-2) at No. 5 Utah (5-0): Utah keeps getting votes as the No. 1 team in the country, but no one in the East can stay awake late enough to see the Utes. Try just this once. ASU is and up and down team capable of an upset.

NFL

Arizona Cardinals (4-1) at Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2): The Steelers won on the last play on Monday night in San Diego. The Cardinals are truly sound despite the lack of a running game.

Cincinnati Bengals (5-0) at Buffalo Bills (3-2): The Bengals rallied from 17 down in the fourth quarter to beat the Seattle Seahawks in overtime; the Bills have the type of pass rush that can disrupt.

New England Patriots (4-0) at Indianapolis Colts (3-2): It’s a rematch of the AFC championship game remembered so fondly (not) for DeflateGate. If Tom Brady’s four-game suspension had held up, he’d be back for this game. Colts QB Andrew Luck (shoulder) should be in the lineup.
 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman .