A great schedule this year with trips to iconic locations: Florida State, Michigan and Alabama. Sprinkled in are some choice double weekends in Arizona and Colorado. I wrap it up by trying to close out Louisiana. Laissez le bon temps rouler!
Week 1
Game 1 – 9/1/2018, Boise State at Troy: A very tasty appetizer to start the opening weekend. The Boise State Broncos are well-known lion killers and are generally happy to go on the road to do it. Troy is the returning Sun Belt champ, and knows a little about killing giants, having taken down the LSU Tigers last year. Usually the best games the first weekend of the season are the various Kick-Off Classics and other neutral site games. This game at Troy may be the one of the best of the weekend, except for…
Game 2 – 9/3/2018, Virginia Tech at Florida State: It’s a Labor Day special and an ACC classic rivalry game. It is also a night game so I think we’re going to make the big investment of driving to the game and doing an all-day tailgate. It will be a long weekend in the classic sense but I can’t think of a better way to spend it.
Week 4
Game 3 – 9/21/2018, Penn State at Illinois: After a couple of weeks off, I’ll be hopping on a big bird heading up to the Midwest to see the Fighting Illini host the Nittany Lions on cool and crisp Friday night. The Illini are in year three of the Lovie Smith era, but it probably won’t be enough to handle a senior depleted but still very strong Trace McSorley led PSU offense. A blow out wouldn’t be the worst thing, because Saturday morning we have to jump in the car and head to…
Game 4 – 9/22/2018, Nebraska at Michigan: It is off to the Big House for another Big Ten match up. The original plan was to go to Indiana but my compadres put the nix on that, claiming they had been to Bloomington before and it was “boring as hell”. The big rub on the game will be the kickoff time. It is not set yet, but a noon kickoff will make for a miserable Saturday morning. I need the Cornhuskers to come rolling into Ann Arbor and hopefully push the game to late afternoon or early evening.
Week 5
Game 5 – 9/28/2018, UCLA at Colorado: Another Friday night game on the docket and the third double weekend on the schedule. I don’t know enough about these teams to be sure if this will be a good game or not, but worst case scenario, I am in Colorado for the weekend. Hopefully the weather is good because on Saturday we head on over to…
Game 6 – 9/29/2018, Boise State at Wyoming: Second time I will see Boise State this season. I don’t typically target a team to follow during a season, but invariably each season there is a team or two that I see multiple times. However, the both Broncos games are on the road, so I won’t be sporting any blue or orange on those weekends.
Week 7
Game 7 – 10/13/2018, Missouri at Alabama: I was planning on saving Alabama for a marquee game, potentially an Iron Bowl. However, my son got us a Crimson Tide hook up so I altered the plan. The only challenge was finding a quality home game to attend. Credit to Alabama for strategic scheduling, but there’s not exactly a bevy of quality games in Tuscaloosa in 2018. I am not sure the Tigers will be up to the test, but then again, I don’t think there are many teams that are. The Tide is loaded again.
Week 8
Game 8 – 10/20/2018, Texas State at Louisiana Monroe: A semi-local game on the schedule that takes advantage of both my son’s location in Jackson, MS and the Steelers bye weekend. Who knew that seeing the Red Hawks would have benefits beyond checking the box? I don’t need a Sunbelt classic – I will be happy to settle for a good game on a warm autumn weekend.
Week 10
Game 9 – 11/2/2018, Colorado at Arizona: It will be the second time I see the Buffs play in 2018. It is also the fourth double weekend of the season. It is another Friday game and probably the second best way to see a game in Arizona. Tucson should be just right at that time of the year.
Game 10 – 11/3/2018, Utah at Arizona State: Sun Devil Stadium is nestled in the mountains and should provide for some great sights even if the game isn’t a good one. I tried to get this desert double on the books last year but it just didn’t work out. I’ve been to Phoenix a few times but always purely for work. I am looking forward to being there for something a little more fun.
Week 11
Game 11 – 11/10/2018, Rice at Louisiana Tech: Another trip to upstate Louisiana. Who could ask for more? Probably my son. This would be his seventh game with me in 2018. Not to denigrate the fine city of Shreveport, but previous research would indicate that it is not necessarily the number one seed when it comes to weekend destinations. Ultimately, this game may not happen and instead I may hit Dallas to see SMU host Memphis on the following Friday night. This will probably come down to who I can get to come with me, or which game is better.