October’s awesome TV offerings become complicated tonight if you want to watch Game 4 of the World Series between the Giants and Royals and an evening college football schedule that includes three top five SEC games. Good luck trying to manage all those options.
Mississippi State at Kentucky, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Coming off a three-game stretch against top-10 teams, No. 1 Mississippi State needs to be wide awake going into Kentucky. The Bulldogs have had an extra week to prepare for the improved Wildcats, who are 5-0 at home, but haven’t faced a team as well-equipped as Mississippi State.
West Virginia at Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Quarterback Clint Trickett has gained a mastery of Dana Holgorsen’s offense, which is bad news for Oklahoma State, mainly because the Cowboys can’t defend teams that like to throw (last in pass defense in the Big 12). This could be a letdown game for the Mountaineers, coming off their upset of Baylor.
Ole Miss at LSU, 7:15 p.m., ESPN
This is dangerous ground for the Rebels. LSU’s young’uns are growing up quickly, and officials expect the largest crowd in school history at renovated Tiger Stadium, which now sits at 102,000. LSU has defeated a top-10 team in each of the past three seasons. That could mean bad news for Bo Wallace and his buddies.
Alabama at Tennessee, 7:30 p.m., ESPN2
Three SEC games seem to make their way on to this list every week, but that’s what happens when four teams are ranked in the top five. This one could be a massive blowout, but Tennessee generally is competitive at home. And besides, don’t you want to see what happens when Lane Kiffin walks out of the tunnel at Neyland Stadium?
Ohio State at Penn State, 8 p.m., ABC
Don’t look now, but Ohio State is beginning its annual blitz of the Big Ten. The Buckeyes surely are missing Braxton Miller, but you can’t tell by the flashy numbers being accumulated by backup J.T. Barrett, who has 17 touchdowns and one interception in the past four games. Penn State has lost two consecutive. Does anyone see a third?
