These next three days make up what may be the most captivating weekend sports fans have experienced in a long time. From high-level football games to one of the biggest events in golf, this weekend is jam-packed with pure entertainment. So cancel all your weekend plans, because you may have a date with you and your television.
College football
No. 6 Oregon at. No. 3 Penn State
The time has come for the annual Penn State whiteout game in Happy Valley. This time, the Nittany Lions are welcoming the Oregon Ducks. Penn State, coming off a bye in Week Four, faces its first test after facing Nevada, FIU and Villanova in the first three weeks of the season. Oregon poses the biggest threat to the Nittany Lions since their most recent matchup against a ranked opponent, which was against the Irish in the Orange Bowl this past January. The Ducks come in at 4-0, led by Heisman candidate Dante Moore at quarterback, who many thought would commit to Notre Dame a couple of years back. This matchup will surely have immense implications involving the Big Ten standings and the College Football Playoff, making for an unbelievable atmosphere in Beaver Stadium.
No. 17 Alabama at. No. 5 Georgia
Georgia and Alabama, two giants of not only the SEC but all college football, will face off again at Sanford Stadium on Saturday night. The Georgia Bulldogs, who are coming off a bye, most recently downed Tennessee in an overtime thriller in Knoxville, where Tennessee’s kicker Max Gilbert missed a game-winning field goal to send the game into overtime. Alabama, which is also coming off the bye, faltered early by dropping its first game at Florida State but has looked more like its old self after thumping Wisconsin and Louisiana-Monroe. If this game is anything like these two teams' matchup last year, which featured a second-half comeback and Ryan Williams' spin moves, we are in for a treat Saturday night.
No. 4 LSU at. No. 13 Ole Miss
The SEC action doesn't stop with Alabama and Georgia, as the LSU Tigers head over to Oxford to face Ole Miss. In a battle of 4-0 teams, both look to add to their already impressive SEC résumés. The Rebels of Ole Miss have already knocked off Kentucky and Arkansas, as well as beating up on Tulane this past weekend. LSU has beaten an SEC foe in Florida as well as downed Clemson on the road in Week One. A win for the Tigers would surely be one of Brian Kelly’s biggest SEC wins since he left Notre Dame for LSU in late 2021.
NFL
Ravens at Chiefs
It is hard to believe that one of these teams will be 1-3 after this game, yet it is true. Two teams that tend to float multiple games above .500 are now in danger of falling two games below that mark. The Ravens, who heartbreakingly opened the season with a collapse in Buffalo, are coming off a loss to the Detroit Lions on Monday Night Football. The Chiefs stumbled early as well, dropping their first two games to the Chargers and Eagles in a Super Bowl rematch. Both these teams are desperate for a win, and when it's Lamar vs. Mahomes, it's simply must-see TV.
Packers at Cowboys
In a game that already had enough storylines with two of the NFL’s most storied franchises facing off, the added aspect of a Micah Parsons homecoming game makes it all the more interesting. Sunday will mark the one-month anniversary of the trade sending Parsons to Green Bay, a trade that certainly rocked the NFL world. It will be interesting to see the reception Parsons receives as he returns to AT&T Stadium, and if fans have more animosity towards Parsons than the man who traded him, Jerry Jones. Nevertheless, both teams are coming off disappointing Week Three performances and will surely be hungry to get back on track.
Eagles at Buccaneers
Two of the six remaining undefeated teams will face off Sunday afternoon in Tampa Bay. The defending Super Bowl champions, the Philadelphia Eagles, have picked up right where they left off last season, opening the season 3-0 with two of those wins against playoff teams from last year. The Buccaneers have also opened the season strongly, winning all their games by a combined margin of six points. This is a game that very well could be seen again in January during the playoffs, and we’re just lucky enough to see it in September.
The Ryder Cup
What very well may be the most unique and captivating event in all of golf, the Ryder Cup, adds even more entertainment for us sports fans this weekend. The greatest rivalry in all of golf is renewed for yet another clash this year on Long Island, New York, as Team Europe crosses the pond to face Team USA. The event contains three rounds that last Friday through Sunday, starting with foursomes (alternate shot), fourballs (best ball) and singles to close it out on Sunday. Team USA is captained by Keegan Bradley, who leads the likes of Scottie Scheffler, Bryson DeChambeau and 10 other Americans into battle with Team Europe. Team Europe is captained by Luke Donald, who features big names such as Rory McIlroy, Tommy Fleetwood, Justin Rose and John Rahm. The event is held every other year, switching host locations, with Team Europe dominating Team USA in 2023 in Rome. In a sport where fans typically wear plain collared shirts and khaki pants, this weekend the fairways of Bethpage Black will be lined in red, white and blue, as Americans look to will their fellow countrymen to victory.
MLB postseason pushes
With the MLB regular season coming to a close this weekend, there are some tight playoff pushes taking place. First, the race for the AL Central between the Detroit Tigers and the Cleveland Guardians is coming down to the wire. The Tigers, who were comfortably in first place for the vast majority of the season, now find themselves on the back end of a long losing streak that placed them one game back from the Guardians for the division on Wednesday. Another close divisional race is seen in the AL East, as the Blue Jays and Yankees were tied atop the division with four games to play entering Thursday. In the National League, the battle is on for the last Wild Card spot. As of now, that sport belongs to the New York Mets, but the Cincinnati Reds and Arizona Diamondbacks are both within range for that last playoff spot. This weekend will bring the drama as playoff fates will be decided.
