College football’s back on television Thursday night, and it’s a quality pre-weekend slate. An ESPN doubleheader features a Miami-Virginia Tech battle for ACC Coastal positioning, and BYU visits No. 14 Boise State in an enjoyable late-nighter afterward.
Miami-VT and Boise State-BYU: Start times, TV coverage, and live streaming for Thursday’s games
Week 8 kicks off with three games Thursday night.
Brian Losness-USA TODAY Sports
In Miami-Virginia Tech, the stakes are ostensibly a bit greater for the Canes, who’ve lost two in a row and would fall well behind in the ACC’s lesser division with another defeat Thursday. A Hokies loss would put them in a challenging position, too, though they’d get a chance to rebound next week at Pitt.
Boise State’s playing for a lot, too. The Broncos are a perfect 6-0, and running the table would more than likely land them as the Group of 5 representative in the College Football Playoff. They’ve already got a Power 5 win against Washington State, and beating a similar-caliber Cougars program would be another check on their resume. I’m just hoping the Broncos’ tee-fetching dog makes an appearance.
In the Sun Belt, Troy’s visiting South Alabama. The Trojans are atop the league and 5-1 overall, while USA is 3-3 after losing last week to Arkansas State.
How to watch these games
Miami at Virginia Tech: 7 p.m. ET, ESPN.
Troy at South Alabama: 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPNU
BYU at Boise State: 10:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
All three games will be streamable at WatchESPN.
Something to know about each game
- Miami-Virginia Tech might not have a lot of points. The Hurricanes and Hokies both have scoring figures, but Miami’s offense has looked weak against Power 5 competition, and the Hokies’ hasn’t been consistent. Both defenses here are really good, though, ranked in the top 12 nationally in points per game and excellent against the pass. Miami’s got a more talented offense than Tech does, and this could come down to how well Brad Kaaya does against Tech’s secondary.
- Troy is likely to beat South Alabama by quite a bit. The Trojans are more than touchdown favorites on the road, and it seems like a big ask for the Jaguars to keep them close. USA’s offense has real problems moving the ball, and Troy’s a lot better than it’s been in the recent past. The Trojans score plenty, play generally sound defense, and have an excellent chance to run through the Sun Belt with 10 or 11 total wins. Second-year coach Neal Brown’s done a good job there.
- It’s time to take Boise State seriously. The Broncos don’t play a terribly hard schedule, but they’ve beaten a solid Washington State team and have a 29 percent chance to finish the regular season unbeaten. If they go unbeaten, they’re probably in a major bowl game, and even a 12-1 mark through the Mountain West’s title game would give them a real chance at the New Year’s Six. Sophomore quarterback Brett Rypien spearheads a thoroughly enjoyable passing game, and Bryan Harsin has the Broncos looking like a contender.
See More:
