(Photo Credit: AP Photo/Aaron M. Sprecher)

Starting with the college football game of the year

What happens when you get a matchup of the No. 1- and No.2-ranked teams in college football?

Somebody screws it up (and no, that’s not a reference to President Donald Trump’s plans to attend).

LSU and Alabama are 1-2 in the Associated Press poll, but the bloom is off that magnolia. The newly-issued College Football Playoff rankings determine the four teams that can compete for the national championship and in those the Tigers are second with the Crimson Tide third (trailing Ohio State). So much for the 1-2 punch.

Whatever. It’s still worth heiner-in-the-recliner time with these two each 8-0 in the SEC West. CBS shows the game at 3:30 p.m. ET on Saturday.

You can warm up for that showdown with No. 4 Penn State (8-0) visiting Big Ten rival Minnesota (8-0, 13th) on ABC at noon.

We’ve got one more matchup of ranked teams to proffer. At 4 p.m., No. 18 Iowa (6-2) takes on No. 13 Wisconsin (6-2). Fox shows this Big Ten game.

The NFL’s best afternoon matchup on Sunday is the Carolina Panthers (5-2) at Green Bay Packers (7-2) at 4:25 p.m. on Fox. The Packers are trying to rebound from a miserable loss to the Los Angeles Chargers and Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey puts on quite a show. The nightcap is pretty good – the Minnesota Vikings (6-3) at Dallas Cowboys (5-3) at 8:20 p.m. on NBC.

The final race of NASCAR championship round of eight takes place in Phoenix. The Bluegreen Vacations 500 will finalize the cut to four drivers in competition for the crown. It’s at 2:30 p.m. Sunday on NBC.

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