The Tennessee Volunteers have to take care of business against the Georgia Bulldogs at 3:30 on Saturday. Assuming they do, there are some other games that will be important to the rest of the season as well, most notably Vanderbilt traveling to Florida.
Here’s the Week 5 college football TV schedule, curated for Vols fans. It includes kickoff times, TV stations, and what’s at stake in each game from the perspective of a Vols fan. It also includes helpful suggestions on how to watch everything most efficiently and who to root for in each game.
The full schedule for the entire weekend is also included at the bottom of the post.
Go Vols!
Thursday, September 28
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 | |||||
Game | Time (ET) | TV | Why | How | Root for |
Texas at Iowa State | 8:00 PM | ESPN | It's football | Live | An entertaining game |
Cows vs. corn? I’m going with the cows.
Friday, September 29
Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 | |||||
Game | Time (ET) | TV | Why | How | Root for |
(14) Miami, FL at Duke | 7:00 PM | ESPN | It's football | Live | Miami (recruiting) |
(5) USC at (16) Washington State | 10:30 PM | ESPN | Big game | Live | Discuss |
I know we Vols fans have a storehouse of affection for David Cutcliffe and everything, but we want Miami to be strong under Mark Richt so that they and Florida State can take as much of that Sunshine State talent away from the Florida Gators as possible. Go Canes. Also, I’m rooting for Mike Leach over whoever’s at USC now. I obviously care a lot.
Gameday, September 30
And then it’s Gameday.
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 | |||||
Game | Time (ET) | TV | Why | How | Root for |
Vanderbilt at (21) Florida | Noon | ESPN | Direct impact on the SEC East | Live | Vanderbilt |
(7) Georgia at Tennessee | 3:30 PM | CBS | GO VOLS! | LIVE | GO VOLS! |
(24) Mississippi State at (13) Auburn | 6:00 PM | ESPN | Indirect impage on the SEC East | Channel hop | Auburn |
North Texas at Southern Miss | 7:00 PM | TBA | Future opponent | Channel hop | Discuss |
Troy at (25) LSU | 7:00 PM | ESPNU | Future opponent | Channel hop | Discuss |
South Carolina at Texas A&M | 7:30 PM | SECN | Future opponent | Channel hop | Discuss |
(2) Clemson at (12) Virginia Tech | 8:00 PM | ABC | Big game | Channel hop | An entertaining game |
Ole Miss at (1) Alabama | 9:00 PM | ESPN | Future opponent | Channel hop | Discuss |
The Vols are 3-1, but it’s been a pretty rough 3-1, and the team could really use a big win over Georgia Saturday. If they don’t get it, the rest of this stuff won’t matter nearly as much, but if they do, then watch and hope for the following as well:
Noon slot
Yeah, Vanderbilt got handled by Alabama. Who doesn’t? It doesn’t mean they can’t beat Florida. All they have to do is figure out how to keep Florida from getting lucky at the end of the game. Seriously, though, the Gators are running out of chances to lose, and Vandy actually does present a challenge.
Afternoon slot
At 3:30, it’s all guns blazing against the Georgia Bulldogs. If the Vols can get it done, everything is still in play.
Evening slot
Here’s where it really gets interesting.
- After the Vols game, tune in to #13 Auburn vs. #24 Mississippi State. Even if Tennessee beats Georgia, we’re almost certainly going to need Georgia to get another loss somewhere else. Auburn’s on the schedule, so we want them to present a challenge.
- After that, just channel hop through the rest of your evening as future opponents Southern Miss, LSU, and Alabama are all playing. When that gets boring, tune in to #2 Clemson at #12 Virginia Tech. I’m rooting for the Hokies in that one.
Complete college football TV schedule for Week 5
And here’s the complete schedule for the week, paginated and searchable!
Thursday, Sept. 28, 2017 | ||
Game | Time (ET) | TV |
Texas at Iowa State | 8:00 PM | ESPN |
Friday, Sept. 29, 2017 | ||
Game | Time (ET) | TV |
(14) Miami, FL at Duke | 7:00 PM | ESPN |
BYU at Utah State | 8:00 PM | CBSSN |
Nebraska at Illinois | 8:00 PM | FS1 |
(5) USC at (16) Washington State | 10:30 PM | ESPN |
Saturday, Sept. 30, 2017 | ||
Game | Time (ET) | TV |
Houston at Temple | Noon | ESPNU |
Maryland at Minnesota | Noon | FS1 |
New Mexico State at Arkansas | Noon | SECN |
North Carolina at Georgia Tech | Noon | ESPN2 |
Northwestern at (10) Wisconsin | Noon | ABC |
Rice at Pittsburgh | Noon | RSN |
(18) USF at East Carolina | Noon | CBSSN |
Vanderbilt at (21) Florida | Noon | ESPN |
Syracuse at NC State | 12:20 PM | ACCN |
Central Michigan at Boston College | 1:00 PM | ACCNExtra |
Baylor at Kansas State | 3:30 PM | ABC/ESPN2 |
Buffalo at Kent State | 3:30 PM | ESPN3 |
Florida State at Wake Forest | 3:30 PM | ABC/ESPN2 |
(7) Georgia at Tennessee | 3:30 PM | CBS |
Indiana at (4) Penn State | 3:30 PM | BTN |
Murray State at (17) Louisville | 3:30 PM | RSN |
Navy at Tulsa | 3:30 PM | ESPNU |
Ohio at UMass | 3:30 PM | 11 Sports |
UTEP at Army | 3:30 PM | CBSSN |
Arizona State at Stanford | 4:00 PM | Pac-12N |
Eastern Michigan at Kentucky | 4:00 PM | SECN |
Iowa at Michigan State | 4:00 PM | FOX |
Texas State at Wyoming | 4:00 PM | |
UConn at SMU | 4:00 PM | ESPNews |
Miami, OH at (22) Notre Dame | 5:00 PM | NBCSN |
Akron at Bowling Green | 6:00 PM | ESPN3 |
(24) Mississippi State at (13) Auburn | 6:00 PM | ESPN |
Air Force at New Mexico | 7:00 PM | CBSSN |
Ball State at Western Michigan | 7:00 PM | ESPN3 |
Charlotte at FIU | 7:00 PM | beIN SPORTS |
Coastal Carolina at ULM | 7:00 PM | ESPN3 |
Marshall at Cincinnati | 7:00 PM | ESPN3 |
Memphis at UCF | 7:00 PM | ESPN2 |
Middle Tennessee at Florida Atlantic | 7:00 PM | Stadium TV |
North Texas at Southern Miss | 7:00 PM | TBA |
South Alabama at Louisiana Tech | 7:00 PM | ESPN3 |
Troy at (25) LSU | 7:00 PM | ESPNU |
(11) Ohio State at Rutgers | 7:30 PM | BTN |
South Carolina at Texas A&M | 7:30 PM | SECN |
(2) Clemson at (12) Virginia Tech | 8:00 PM | ABC |
(15) Oklahoma State at Texas Tech | 8:00 PM | FOX |
(6) Washington at Oregon State | 8:00 PM | Pac-12N |
Ole Miss at (1) Alabama | 9:00 PM | ESPN |
Nevada at Fresno State | 10:00 PM | ATTSNRM |
California at Oregon | 10:30 PM | FS1 |
Colorado at UCLA | 10:30 PM | ESPN2 |
NIU at (19) San Diego State | 10:30 PM | CBSSN |
San Jose State at UNLV | 10:30 PM | ESPNU |
Colorado State at Hawaii | 11:59 PM | MWN/Spectrum PPV |
I’d say:
Hokies over Clemson because recruiting.
Future opponents over non-opponents because quality wins.