What to watch during the Alabama Football bye week

Alabama Football is on its first of two bye weeks in the 2024 season as they prepare for next week's marquee matchup with the Georgia Bulldogs. The honey-do lists will surely be coming out, but there's still plenty of games that should be of interest to Crimson Tide fans on Saturday.

It's not a loaded slate by any means, but there are some sneaky good matchups on the schedule and it could very well turn into one of those chaotic Saturdays where we see several surprising upsets. I always love the chaotic Saturdays when Alabama is on a bye week and doesn't have to worry about getting bit by it.

So settle in on Saturday, fire up the grill, and flip the T.V. to the following games:

Morning Window:

NC State at Clemson - 11:00 AM CST, ABC

If you were going to get any projects done, the morning window is the best time for it as the slate is a little slow to get going.

This was initially built up as a pretty big early ACC contest, but a blowout loss out-of-conference to SEC heavyweights by each team took a good bit of the shine off. Clemson was throttled by Georgia to open the season in a game that showed just how far away Dabo Swinney's team is from the peak Tigers teams during his tenure.

NC State had their high expectations beaten out of them in the Duke's Mayo Classic in a 41-point loss to Tennessee. That came off the heels of an uninspiring Week 1 win over Western Carolina, and the Wolfpack looked shaky the week after the loss with a 10-point home win over Louisiana Tech.

Clemson is a heavy favorite and should win.

Florida at Mississippi State

For the masochists among us, Florida and Mississippi State might envoke memories of the classic 3-2 Auburn/Mississippi State game from 2008.

Billy Napier is on the hottest seat in the country, and a loss in Starkville would likely be the final nail in the coffin for the former Alabama WR coach.

Mississippi State fired a first-year head coach before the 2023 season was over to avoid getting left behind in an expanded SEC, but the Bulldogs look demonstrably worse under Jeff Lebby this season than they ever did under Zach Arnett.

These are two of the worst and most desperate teams in the SEC so I'd look for some fireworks and plenty of comedic moments.

Afternoon Window

USC at Michigan - 2:30 CST, CBS

The biggest game of the afternoon window is matchup of two of college football's most iconic brands and a good opportunity to check on the friends we left behind in Brad Nessler and Gary Danielson.

USC and Michigan have played against each other in 8 Rose Bowl's, but have only met on each other's campus twice, with the Trojans making the trek to the Big House one time, way back in 1958. That was Coach Bryant's first season at Alabama.

The defending national champions are on the ropes after a home loss to Texas two weeks ago, and are hoping a QB change will give them a spark in their Big Ten opener. USC can further cement itself as a legitimate contender with another big win away from home to go along with its season opening win over LSU in Las Vegas.

UCLA at LSU - 2:30 CST, ABC

I wouldn't worry about this one too much other than a casual glance when the others are on commerical breaks. UCLA is one of the worst teams in the Power-4, fresh off of a four touchdown loss at home to Indiana last week.

LSU has looked shaky in two wins after the loss to USC, but don't expect much anxiety with this one.

Arkansas at Auburn - 2:30 CST, ESPN

Both the Razorbacks and Tigers are in big need of a win to avoid dropping to 2-2 on the young season and keep their fans away from the panic button for at least one more week.

Arkansas and Auburn both suffered early season out-of-conference losses due to coaching malpractice (Arkansas) and turnovers (Auburn). Sam Pittman probably needs this win a little more than Hugh Freeze as his seat is about as hot as Billy Napier's, but a home loss to a mediocre Arkansas team would remove any remaining optimism on the Plains for 2024.

Arizona State at Texas Tech - 2:30 CST, FS1

This could be one of the most fun games on the Saturday slate. Kenny Dillingham has Arizona State off to a surprising 3-0 start and they'll look to win their first ever Big 12 game.

Texas Tech struggled in the first two weeks of the season, needing overtime to beat FCS Aibilene Christian, and then losing by three touchowns on the road at Washington State. The Red Raiders had a get-right game last week in a 66-21 win over North Texas.

Expect points galore and a back-and-forth game in Lubbock. If the other afternoon games are a dud and you need some excitement, this is the one I'd point to.

Utah at Oklahoma State - 3:00 PM CST, FOX

The staggered start should allow you to catch most of the fourth quarter of one of the few ranked vs. ranked games this weekend.

Utah QB Cam Rising is expected to play, and this is a huge game for Big 12 positioning, with the winner probably looking like the early favorite.

Evening Window

Miami at South Florida - 6:00 PM CST, ESPN

South Florida hanging with Miami would probably alleviate some anxiety from Alabama fans still dwelling on a ho-hum performance for the Crimson Tide against the Bulls two weeks ago.

Miami looks like the ACC favorite and one of the premier teams in the country. They already have a road win over Florida on their resume, but this might be a bigger challenge.

Cal at Florida State - 6:00 PM CST, ESPN2

You can check in on a host of former Bama players for Florida State as the Noles look to avoid an 0-4 start for the second time in four years under Mike Norvell.

Any hopes Florida State has of even getting to a bowl game ride on them winning this game at home. Cal has been one of the early surprises in the ACC, and won't be intimidated going on the road having already won a game at Auburn.

Tennessee at Oklahoma - 6:30 PM CST, ABC

We'll find out if Tennessee is really the toughest game left on Alabama's schedule on Saturday night in Norman. The Vols have been dominant through three games, but this is their toughest test to date in a difficult place to play.

It'll be the first true road game for young QB Nico Iamaleava. Oklahoma has looked a little rocky through three weeks, with struggle wins over Houston and Tulane the last couple of weeks, but the stadium will be rocking for their first SEC game against a team coached by a Sooners legend.

Late Night Window

Kansas State at BYU - 9:30 PM CST, ESPN

For those still needing a football fix late Saturday night, there's a matchup between a couple of 3-0 Big 12 teams.

BYU is a surprising 3-0 win road wins over SMU and Wyoming that has alleviated some of the hot-seat talk around Kalani Sitake, but Kansas State is a conference contender and will be looking to avoid a trap game before hosting Oklahoma State next week. This one could get weird, as late kickoffs often do.