TV guide

Week-by-week viewing tips for the 2002 season

Rose Bowl co-MVP Ken Dorsey and Miami face Florida the second week of the season. Stephen Dunn/Getty Images

By Glenn Kasses, CNNSI.com

It's nearly impossible to see more than one game in person on a given week of the college football season. But thanks to wall-to-wall TV coverage of games across the land, anyone can grab some couch and partake.

With so many contests on the tube, it might be tough to decide which ones to watch. So many conferences, so many contenders. And while there's no way to know for sure which teams will come out on top, we do know that there are certain games that college football fanatics won't want to miss.

As with any season, this one will have its fair share of rivalries, rematches and routs. Navigating through them isn't easy.

But with an advance look at the calendar, it's a lot easier to figure out which games you don't want to miss. So here, for your viewing pleasure, is a collection of games every week that will satisfy your pigskin needs. All times are Eastern.

For the season's complete TV schedule, click here.

Week-by-Week Viewing Guide

Aug. 22-24: Can lightning strike twice? Some marquee teams get going Saturday, with Ohio State, N.C. State, Nebraska and Florida State in action. But if you're looking for a game with some real intrigue, try checking out the Fresno State-Wisconsin tilt the night before (Friday, 8 p.m., ESPN) Last year, Pat Hill and friends were the darlings of college football, taking out the Badgers after beating Oregon State and Colorado to open the year. But now, the Bulldogs are missing top NFL draft pick David Carr and won't have the luxury of playing on familiar turf. It'll be awfully difficult to pull another upset in Madison, but it should be entertaining either way as the Badgers try to take out their frustrations.

Aug. 29-Sept. 2: Let the games begin The action really gets underway in Week 2, when most teams have their first game. There are a couple of decent games to keep your eye on in the early goings, including Syracuse-BYU (Thursday, 7:45 p.m., ESPN). Gary Crowton's high-flying offense will have a tough task in trying to repeat last year's success. But the big-time matchups come on Saturday, with the first game between two Top 10 teams. Washington and Michigan meet at Noon in a rematch of last year's win for the Huskies. Then, Al Groh starts his second season at Virginia in difficult fashion, at Doak Campbell Stadium against No. 4 Florida State (3:30 p.m., ABC). The two games on Sunday are worth checking out as well. LSU heads to Virginia Tech (2:30 p.m., ABC), and Louisville hosts in-state rival Kentucky (6 p.m., ESPN).

Sept. 5-7: A little pressure on the new ballcoach In case Ron Zook forgets that the heat is on after his team steamrolls UAB in its first game, this week's visitors should serve as a healthy reminder. The defending champs roll into the Swamp as Miami and Florida (Saturday, 5:15 p.m., CBS) meet in a long-awaited matchup. This game could be a bellwether for the early Heisman race, with quarterbacks Rex Grossman and Ken Dorsey, both finalists last year, facing off. The winner here has a great shot at challenging for the Fiesta Bowl.

Sept. 12-14: Rose Bowl preview? Now that the Rose Bowl has been returned to the Big Ten and Pac-10, it's easier to speculate who might be meeting in Pasadena on Jan. 1. Washington State and Ohio State were the media picks to win their conferences, so this (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., ABC) could very well be the first of two meetings between the Cougars and Buckeyes. Having home-field advantage and a dominant defense led by safety Mike Doss gives the Bucks a big edge, but Jason Gesser's potent passing attack will make life difficult. Well before that, however, is an intriguing Thursday night matchup between Marshall and Virginia Tech (7:30 p.m., ESPN). If you haven't seen Marshall quarterback Byron Leftwich play yet, make sure to get home from work in time for this one. He's enough to make many forget that he's the guy who came after Chad Pennington in Huntington. Other games to watch: Texas at North Carolina in Mack Brown's return to the Tar Heel State (Saturday, 8 p.m., ABC), Florida State looking to take back the ACC title by getting revenge at Maryland (Saturday, 7:45 p.m., ESPN) and SEC favorite Georgia paying South Carolina a visit (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., CBS).

Sept. 19-21: Orange all around Florida's road back to the top of the SEC hits another monumental hill, this time in a trip to face Tennessee in Knoxville (Saturday, 3:30 p.m., CBS). Should Florida make it through this week unblemished, Ron Zook will probably start taking votes from Jeb Bush and Janet Reno in the gubernatorial race. But it'll be tough in front of the sea of orange at Neyland Stadium. Aside from the mighty Gator-Vol matchup, it's a slow week. But it will be interesting to see if Boston College can put a scare into Miami (Saturday, 7:45 p.m., ESPN) just like it did last season. In the Orange Bowl, however, it's not likely. Also, Notre Dame travels to Michigan State. Last season, Charles Rogers caught the winning TD pass in South Bend for the Spartans. By this point in the season, we should have a good idea if the Jeff Smoker-Rogers combination is going to give the green and white a good shot at a big bowl game.

Sept. 26-28: The end, at last? Usually, we wouldn't tell you to pay attention to a game featuring two of the worst teams in the country. Here's the exception. Duke brings a 23-game losing streak into the 2002 season, and this week's game against Navy in Annapolis (Saturday, noon) is going to be the Blue Devils' best shot at a win. An 0-12 season give the Dookies the new record for consecutive games lost in Division I-A, breaking Northwestern's record by a game. Won't be good football, but it could be desperation at its best. For a better-quality matchup, tune in Thursday night at 7:45 p.m. (ESPN) to see Florida State take on Louisville in what has all the ingredients for a big upset. The Cardinals are the Conference USA favorite, and with a home crowd and a short week of preparation, they could pull off a stunner. In the Big Ten, Illinois faces its first big test in the defense of its conference title, hosting Michigan (Saturday, TBA).

Oct. 3-5: Looking South again Two of the better matchups this week are to be found in the SEC, where Georgia will have a chance to show that this is the year they finally make the move from runner-up to the top on the road at Alabama (Saturday, TBA). And Eli Manning gets a shot to do one of the few things brother Peyton never could -- beat Florida. Manning and Mississippi get the Gators at home (Saturday, TBA) in what could be a very high-scoring affair. The Big 12 won't be cranking quite yet, but the Kansas State-Colorado matchup at Folsom Field (Saturday, TBA) serves as a nice reminder of the good games to come.

Oct. 10-12: It's all here Want to find the team to beat in the Big 12? Look no further. In what could very well be the marquee game of the college football regular season, Oklahoma takes on Texas in Dallas (Saturday, TBA). Both teams enter the season in the top three, and there's little reason to believe that both won't be undefeated in the second week of October. Ever since Oklahoma walloped the Longhorns two years ago, the Sooners have been right back on the national radar, and for good reason. Whatever you do, do not miss this game. The winner could very well end up with some impressive hardware come January. Oh, and by the way, Florida State is also playing Miami (Saturday, noon, ABC) this week. Might want to pay attention here, too. The powers in the Southeast this year all have brutal schedules, but the winner of this game will likely have a chance to escape unscathed. The winner of these two games this week might end up with a date in Tempe on Jan. 3. Georgia-Tennessee, in Athens, (Saturday, TBA) is yet another great game. Might want to think about having two televisions going this week.

Oct. 16-19: The calm after the storm Following the previous week's games, this slate looks like a letdown. But Thursday night's Georgia Tech-Maryland matchup (7:45 p.m, ESPN) looks like it could be a good one. Maryland will be hard-pressed to repeat last year's 10-win season, but if they can survive through this game intact, the Terps will be in very good position to earn a bid to a big-name bowl game for the second year in a row. And considering the lack of history on the gridiron in College Park, that's not too shabby. On Saturday, the one can't-miss contest is in the SEC, where South Carolina travels to LSU (TBA. Under the lights in Louisiana is not a great place to be for an opponent. Think Lou Holtz will talk up the Tigers at all before this one?

Oct. 24-26: Poised on the Pacific Oregon surprised many last season by showing just how good the Pac-10's best really were. This year, that question has been raised once again. But we should have a good idea when USC takes the much-dreaded trip to Autzen Stadium to play the Ducks (Saturday, TBA). These two are types of teams that will need to play well if the conference is to repeat its success last year. Also on Saturday, Nebraska faces its first test of the season at Kyle Field, meeting Texas A&M (TBA). This game and the famous Aggie defense should give viewers a good idea as to just how valuable Eric Crouch really was in the Cornhusker offense.

Oct. 30-Nov. 2: The Big 12's Big 4 It's a telltale Saturday for the some of last season's top dogs, as Colorado goes to Oklahoma (TBA) and Texas heads to Nebraska (TBA). This is Texas' golden opportunity to show that all the talent Mack Brown has been bringing to UT isn't for naught. In Norman, watch closely as the Colorado inside rushing attack will face a tough test in the OU defense. The team that gains an edge in the trenches likely does the same on the scoreboard. The SEC also has two of its best offerings of the year as Georgia tries to end its hex against Florida in Jacksonville (TBA). Also, Tennessee travels to South Carolina (TBA) in what could be a breakthrough game for the Gamecocks.

Nov. 7-9: Northwest supremacy While Washington fans would beg to differ, it's quite possible that this week's Oregon-Washington State game (Saturday, 5 p.m.) could be the conference champ. However, Mike Price and his Cougars will have to prove that they can be consistent winners, something they have never been. Price has had a number of good seasons, but never been able to put two in a row. With Gesser back in the fold, however, this could be Price's year at long last. On the East Coast, two huge games could determine both the Big East and BCS standings. Miami takes on Tennessee (Saturday, TBA) in yet another brutally difficult game on the 'Canes schedule. And Virginia Tech goes north to the dome in Syracuse (Saturday, TBA). Should Miami falter in the conference, this game could be for a BCS bid.

Nov. 14-16: Missions for revenge Alabama, on probation, is playing for pride this season, and the Tide could produce quite a bit if they can knock off defending SEC West champ LSU in Death Valley (Saturday, TBA). Sweet redemption is also on the minds of Florida State, which hosts North Carolina (TBA) in a rematch of a game it lost 41-9 a year ago, and Washington, which hasn't faced hated rival Oregon since a 23-16 defeat two years ago, its only setback that entire season. The Huskies must travel to Eugene (TBA), however, where the Ducks rarely falter.

Nov. 20-23: Backyard brawls, Part I Late November means big-time college football rivalries, and this year is no different. The action will start early and end late on Saturday, as Michigan looks to avenge last year's loss against rival Ohio State (noon, ABC). John Navarre gets his chance to shine, maybe making up for last year's disastrous performance on home turf in Ann Arbor. A little further east, South Carolina and Clemson lock horns in an always-fierce competition (TBA). And the Pac-10 really hits its stride, with three intrastate contests. Oregon has to travel to Corvallis (4 p.m.) this year, as Oregon State attempts to make up for last season's near miss, Washington goes to Washington State (5 p.m.) in yet another game that could mean a Rose Bowl bid, and Stanford travels to Cal for The Big Game (3:30 p.m.).

Nov. 28-30: Backyard brawls, Part II This time, the big rivalry games come largely from the Big 12, where Texas A&M goes to Texas (Friday, noon, ABC), Colorado looks to beat up on Nebraska again (Friday, 3:30 p.m., ABC) and Oklahoma seeks revenge on the road against Oklahoma State (Saturday, 1 p.m., Fox Sports Net). And of course, the primetime showdown between Florida and Florida State (8 p.m., ABC), in Tallahassee this year, will be great theater. Bottom line, there's just no way you can go wrong this week. Just turn on the TV and you'll be watching a great game.

Dec. 5-7: The greatest game of them all The teams probably won't be very good, but it doesn't matter. Every good college football fan will be watching anyway as Army and Navy play each other (Saturday, noon, CBS) in the game's most storied rivalry. It just doesn't get any better than this one. At the same time, however, make sure to keep an eye on the Virginia Tech-Miami game, going on at the same time in the Orange Bowl (1 p.m., ABC). With all the strong teams on the East Coast and with Miami's impossibly difficult schedule, it's tough to tell exactly what this game will mean. But almost certainly, it will crown a Big East champion. And then the championship games for the Big 12 (ABC) and SEC (CBS) square off in prime time. Hope you have TiVo.