One of the consequences of the massive changes to the college football landscape over the past five years is that there are showstoppers every week. The expansion of the Power 4 conferences means that we see bluebloods battling bluebloods in front of 100,000-plus every Saturday in the fall.
Some purists believe too much of a good thing is actually a bad thing, but I’d push back on that. No sport makes a spectacle out of a big game better than college football, so the more the merrier. In fact, I’d argue that the only thing better than a massive showdown between a couple of the best teams in the country is one between two of the worst.
There is nothing quite like watching a mistake-filled, see-saw battle on a cold, windy night that brings new meaning to the old broadcasting adage, “It seems like neither one of these teams wants to win this one.”
For those of you who are picking up what I’m putting down, I present you with what could be the worst game of the season: Northern Illinois vs. UMass at Warren McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, Mass., on Wednesday night.
There is no question who the best team in the country is this season. The Ohio State Buckeyes are the defending champions, they’re undefeated, and they’re 7-1-1 against the spread.