What To Watch And Why – A.K.A. The "Triple-Dub"
Each Friday I will post the top 10 or so games of the upcoming weekend (could be more or less, just depends on what is on) and give a few reasons why I am interested in the games – some will be obvious, others may not. Games will include everything from College Football, to the English Premier League, to the NHL.
The Triple-Dub – Fri Oct 29th – Nov. 1st
National Basketball Association:
- Friday Oct. 29th
Orlando Magic (1-0) @ Miami Heat (1-1) (American Airlines Arena – Miami, FL) 8:00 PM ET – ESPN
The Magic should be playing in a pretty interesting environment tonight for the Heat home opener since the additions of Chris Bosh, LeBron James, and others. Dwayne Wade and the Heat struggled in the season opener in Boston losing to the Celtics. Miami played better on Wednesday beating the 76ers 97-87. Dwight Howard and the Magic should be contenders in the East all year along with Miami and the Celtics so expect them to play well.
English Premier League:
- Saturday Oct. 30th
Tottenham Hotspur (4-3-2) @ Manchester United (4-5-0) (Old Trafford – Manchester, England) 12:30 PM ET – FSC
Photo via mirrorfootball.co.uk
It’s a relatively boring slate of EPL action this weekend with most of the top teams playing teams at the bottom of the table. However, this match happens to be the lone exception. The Spurs have the chance to jump Man U in the table with a win at Old Trafford on Saturday which is never an easy task. Not to mention, Chicharito has been in top form for United and will look to continue his scoring ways against Spurs. Gareth Bale and Rafael van der Vaart will need to play well for Tottenham to have a chance on Saturday.
College Football:
- Saturday Oct. 30th
#5 Michigan State (8-0) @ #18 Iowa (5-2) (Kinnick Stadium – Iowa City, IA) 3:30 PM ET – ABC/ESPN
This should be the first real road test for the Spartans after surviving against Northwestern last week. Kirk Cousins and the Spartan offense could struggle against the stout Hawkeyes defense. This will only be Michigan State’s second trip outside Michigan this season and the Spartans have struggled in Iowa City having lost the last six games in Kinnick Stadium.
#6 Missouri (7-0) @ #14 Nebraska (6-1) (Memorial Stadium – Lincoln, NE) 3:30 PM ET – ABC/ESPN
Blaine Gabbert and the Tigers head to Lincoln to take Nebraska after beating the top ranked Sooners last week. The Pelini brothers and the Blackshirts should be able to give Gabbert and the Mizzou offense some trouble. How will the Tigers respond to another big test after the emotional win over Oklahoma?
#8 Utah (7-0) @ Air Force (5-3) (Falcon Stadium – Colorado Springs, CO) 7:30 PM ET – CBS College Sports
Ok, so Air Force didn’t exactly keep it close or squeak out a win at TCU last week but the Falcons usually play better at home and should be the first real test for Utah. The Utes have been dominant on both sides of the ball ranking 14th in total offense and 5th in total defense but keep in mind it has been against competition with a combined record of 14-39. Perhaps the Falcon’s option offense will give Utah some trouble tomorrow.
#2 Oregon (8-0) @ USC (5-2) (Los Angeles Memorial Stadium – Los Angeles, CA) 8:00 PM ET – ABC
Photo via zimbio.com
The struggling Trojan defense has had two weeks to prepare for Oregon’s quick tempo, spread offense lead by Darron Thomas and LaMichael James. USC – lead by quarterback Matt Barkley – rebounded two weeks ago and dominated Cal after back-to-back losses to Washington and Stanford. The Ducks have been outstanding but haven’t faced much of a test outside of Stanford visiting Autzen at the beginning of the month. Expect a shootout between the two high powered offenses on Saturday night.
National Hockey League:
- Saturday Oct. 30th
Nashville Predators (5-1-3) @ Detroit Red Wings (5-2-1) (Joe Louis Arena – Detroit. MI) 7:00 PM ET – Fox Detroit
The Central Division opponents face-off in what has turned out to be one of the deepest divisions in the NHL so far this season. The Predators lost for the first time in regulation on Thursday night against the Blues and the Red Wings are also coming off a loss to the Coyotes. Both teams need points to keep pace in the division. Zetterberg, Datsyuk, Bertuzzi, and Lidstrom have been leading the way for the Wings facing a Predators team only allowing 2.13 goals against per game.
National Football League:
- Sunday Oct. 31st
Pittsburgh Steelers (5-1) @ New Orleans Saints (4-3) (Louisiana Superdome – New Orleans, LA) 8:20 PM ET – NBC
The big bad Steelers head down to New Orleans to take on the Saints at one of the loudest venues in the NFL. The Saints are coming off a surprising loss to the Browns and the Steelers were lucky to beat the Dolphins. Both teams are lead by Pro Bowl quarterbacks but I’m excited to see Drew Brees match-up against the Steelers defense on Sunday night.
- Monday Nov. 1st
Houston Texans (4-2) @ Indianapolis Colts (4-2) (Lucas Oil Stadium – Indianapolis, IN) 8:30 PM ET – ESPN
Photo via zimbio.com
Peyton Manning and the Colts will be looking to avenge their season opening loss to the Texans and improve on their 15-2 overall record against Houston. The Texans are shorthanded on defense as their star middle linebacker DeMeco Ryans is out for the year and is being replaced by strong side linebacker Brian Cushing. The Colts have plenty of injury issues of their own with Bob Sanders, Austin Collie, Dallas Clark, and Joseph Addai all out with injuries. Both teams need to win on Monday night to keep pace with the division leading Titans.
What games will you be watching this weekend?
