Weekend TV Six-Pack – Great Matchups Of College Football’s Ranked Teams, MLB Playoffs, And More

(Photo Source: cbssports.com)

We are suckers for matchups of ranked teams in college football. We will, then, be quite busy this weekend taking in a few of these beauties.

The party starts on Saturday at noon ET with No. 6 Oklahoma (5-0) at No. 11 Texas (4-1) in the Red River Rivalry. This Big 12 clash, on Fox, pits a couple of outstanding quarterbacks against each other in the Sooners’ Jalen Hurts and the Longhorns’ Sam Ehlinger.

No. 10 Penn State (5-0) has been clobbering its recent opponents and now takes on No. 17 Iowa (4-1), which comes off a 10-3 loss to Michigan. This Big Ten battle belongs to ABC at 7:30 p.m.

The cherry on the sundae (or Saturdae) is No. 7 Florida (6-0) at No. 5 LSU (5-0). QB Joe Burrow is having an outstanding season for the Tigers. 8 p.m., ESPN.

The National League and American League Championship Series, which are best of seven, are also beginning. Friday night puts the NLCS between the Washington Nationals and St. Louis Cardinals in the spotlight with Game 1 at 8:08 p.m. on TBS. Game 2 is Saturday at 4:08 p.m., same network. The ALCS, featuring the New York Yankees at the Houston Astros, opens on Saturday at 8:08 p.m. on Fox. Game 2 is Sunday at 8:08 p.m. on FS1. The Astros eliminated the Tampa Bay Rays with a 6-1 win on Thursday night in Game 5 of their ALDS matchup.

Your best NFL bet: 4:05 p.m. on Sunday, Fox. The San Francisco 49ers (5-0) visit the Los Angeles Rams (3-2) in an NFC West matchup. The Rams have dropped two straight and allowed 85 points in those losses. The 49ers count running back Matt Breida as their offensive key.

NASCAR’s Monster Energy Cup Series championship playoffs continue at Talladega on Sunday with the 1000bulbs.com 500. The race begins at 2 p.m. on NBC. Joey Logano is the betting-line favorite, having won at this track in 2015, 2016 and 2018.

 
 
Post By: Larry Weisman, a longtime sportswriter for USA TODAY, blogs for Twistity.com. Follow him on Twitter @MrLarryWeisman