College Football Saturday: #18 Stanford Faces #25 Washington State in a Pac-12 North Matchup

After a few weeks with relatively lackluster matchups, we have finally landed on week with some promising games.

To get the day started, we have the #7 Penn State Nittany Lions visiting the #24 Michigan State Spartans in a Big Ten game. This should be a great way to start the day. Penn State is an example of a team that has rebuilt the right way. They’ve come from a near-death penalty experience and are right back on top. Meanwhile, the Spartans are no slouch of a team either. This one has the makings of an instant classic.

At 12:30, there are two potentially great games that kickoff. The first is between the #6 Clemson Tigers and the #20 North Carolina State Wolfpack. The defending national champs are looking to claw their way back into the College Football Playoff and beating the Wolfpack gives them a way to start doing just that. On the other hand, the Wolfpack have played well all season long and are looking to earn some more respect. Toppling Clemson would give them that.

The other 12:30 game of note is a Pac-12 game between the #18 Stanford Cardinal and the #25 Washington State Cougars. The Cardinal head to the Palouse in a game which could determine who wins the Pac-12 North. Stanford is currently 5-1 in conference play while the Cougars are 4-2. But a win over Stanford would put Mike Leach’s team in charge of their own destiny while setting up an Apple Cup showdown which will determine who wins the North.

David Shaw and the Cardinal, though, have other plans. If they win today, it sets up them up to possibly clinch the Pac-12 North next Friday when they face the Washington Huskies.

There is one more early game that deserves some mention this morning and that’s today’s game between the #8 Oklahoma Sooners and the #11 Oklahoma State Cowboys. This rivalry is simply known as “Bedlam” and “Bedlam” happens today at 1 pm PT. Both of these teams will be looking to enhance their resumés with the College Football Playoff Committee and defeating their rival in this game would certainly do that.

Here’s today’s full college football schedule:

This is your College Football Saturday open thread.


Go Bruins.