Crazy Mixed-up World

It's week 8 of the college football season, and nothing seems to be as it should. This Saturday's slate of games proves this point perfectly. It also makes me wish I had a wall full of tv's so I could watch more than one game at a time. Take a look at what's in store...

• In what kind of world is Tennessee vs. Alabama (12:30; Lincoln-Financial, ESPN GamePlan) not a marquee game? Neither team has lived up to expectations this year. For Tennessee it started with their opening loss at Cal. Alabama has not met the fans' expectations of what their perceived savior Nick Saban would do. This game isn't even broadcast on national tv.
• In what kind of world is Kentucky ranked ahead of Florida when they face each other? The Florida Gators go into Lexington, KY ranked 15th in the BCS. Kentucky is ranked 7th after seriously upsetting then #1 LSU last week in triple overtime. The Gators really need this win after losing two games in a row to Auburn and LSU. In what kind of world is Florida vs. Kentucky (3:30, CBS) such a huge game that ESPN College Gameday (my favorite show) broadcasts from Lexington. This marked Kentucky's first ever appearance on the show and Florida's record-breaking 26th appearance. The previous record holder? The Florida Gators. :)
• In what kind of world is Miami vs. Florida State (3:30, ABC) not a huge game? This game has always had huge implications about who is dominant in the state of Florida. Last year Gameday broadcast from the Orange Bowl before the game, which was held in primetime on Labor Day Monday. ESPN 360 broadcast the game on all its platforms (ESPN, ESPN2, ESPNU, and ESPN.com) all from different angles. Now I'd be surprised if Doak Campbell Stadium is even sold out.
• In what kind of the world is the media not all over USC vs. Notre Dame (3:30, NBC)? USC and Notre Dame are the two biggest media darlings of college football. Every single decision, step, blink of an eye made by Pete Carroll or Charlie Weis seems to make big news. Not this Saturday. With a 1-6 record Notre Dame is doing far worse than anyone could've imagined. Especially since everyone thought that the genius of Charlie Weis, having been offensive coordinator of the multi-time Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots, would return Notre Dame to a position of dominance in college football. USC lost last Saturday in a major upset to Stanford. Stanford!
• In what kind of world is Michigan at Illinois (8:00, ABC) a huge primetime matchup? Illinois is shocking everyone this season with their 5-2 record. After being fired after 3 seasons at Florida, Ron Zook seems like he might be coming into his own at Illinois. This season is a far departure from his 2-9 and 2-10 seasons in 2005 and 2006, respectively. Illinois's only conference loss came last week at Iowa. We'll see if they can come back with a Big Ten win against Michigan tonight.
• ESPN's primetime game, Auburn at LSU (9:00, ESPN) is pretty much the only game that still holds the same importance as always. In most years, except for last year, the winner of this game has gone on to represent the West in the SEC Championship Game. After attending Florida at LSU two weeks ago I have a better understanding of the atmosphere in Tiger Stadium and what tonight's game will be like. BUT! In what kind of world is the primary election for Governor in the state of Louisiana held on the same day as such a huge game? An election on the day of a football game might be okay in some places, but this is the South! People's lives revolve around football and everything else comes in a far, far distant second. An LSU fan told us that elections officials have been trying to remind people to go to the polls before the game. I'm not sure how much of a success that will be. Voting would interfere with tailgating! The Lousiana elections office really should have thought this through.