Pittsburgh Fever: Thursday's Weekend Portal

So towards the end of every week this fall I will preview some of the top contests on the gridiron in the NFL, College Football, and the WPIAL. Sadly, the NFL only offers us week 4 of the preseason, so none of those contests were good enough to make the list. Typically I will do 15 games to look at. Five in the NFL, five in the NCAA, and five in the WPIAL. This week we will have a few more high school and college games to make up for the lack of big NFL games.

15 Games to watch over the weekend:

1. #6 Bloomsburg at #17 California-Saturday September 5th, 7:00

We will see how good Bloomsburg is
We will see how Cal can rebound from a tough loss
7:00pm, televised live on FSN Pittsburgh

2. Nevada at #23 Notre Dame-Saturday September 3rd, 3:30 (NBC)

Notre Dame has high hopes for 2009
Nevada could be a BCS Buster this season
The Wolfpack return a ton of talent on both sides
We'll see what both of these teams are made of right out of the gate

3. Baylor at Wake Forest-Saturday September 5th, 3:30 (ESPN360)

Both teams are hoping to be spoilers in their respective conferences
Robert Griffin (Bay) could be the best quarterback you have never heard of
Wake Forest returns many offensive weapons
Wake could contend in a weak ACC conference

4. #20 BYU at #3 Oklahoma-Saturday September 5th, 7:00 (ESPN)

BYU looks to become a mid major power
Oklahoma returns Sam Bradford, but loses many starters
Great test for both teams in week 1

5. #13 Georgia at #9 Oklahoma State-Saturday September 5th, 3:30 (ABC)

How will Joe Cox replace Matt Stafford for UGA?
OSU looks to emerge as contender in the Big 12
How will the Bulldog defense handle the Cowboys explosive offense?

6. #5 Alabama at #7 Virginia Tech-Saturday September 5th, 8:00 (ABC)

Bama has to replace quarterback John Parker Wilson
VT looks to be early favorite in the ACC
Both teams showcase great defenses

7. Minnesota at Syracuse-Saturday September 5th, 12:00 (ESPN2)

Interesting non-conference match up
Minnesota could be a big spoiler in the Big Ten
Syracuse hasn't improved, but has a good story in Greg Paulus
Andrew Webber is a great quarterback to lead the talented Gophers squad

8. Cincinnati at Rutgers-Monday September 7th, 4:00 (ESPN)

The Bearcats have lost a ton on both sides of the ball
Rutgers is looking for a Big East Championship
This game could prove to be huge down the stretch
Big East Conference is wide open this year

9. Chartiers Valley at West Allegheny-Friday September 5, 7:00

CV looks to contend in the tough Big 7
WA should have another loaded team
We should see what both teams are made of in week one

10. Gateway at Penn Hills-Friday September 5, 7:30

Two perennial powers in AAAA
Gateway returns multiple starters on both sides
Penn Hills has a number of division 1 prospects
Both teams have great talent, it should be a great game

11. North Catholic at Serra Catholic-Friday September 5, 7:30

North and Serra both are early favorites in class A
Serra is looking to compete for a section title
NC returns great experience and talent
A great early season match up of two highly touted schools

12. Western Beaver at Avonworth-Friday September 5, 7:30

Both teams made the playoffs last year
Western Beaver looks to have success in class A once again
Avonworth should once again have a good squad
This is another intriguing class A match up

13. Monesson at Rochester-Friday September 5, 7:30

Just another of many great games this Friday in class A
Rochester is a perennial power in class A
Monesson lost a lot to graduation, but still looks to compete in the Tri-County South
We'll get a good look at both teams this week

14. New Castle at Butler-Friday September 5th, 7:30

A game between a solid team in AAA and AAAA respectively
New Castle is one of many teams in AAA looking to knock off TJ for the WPIAL Title
Butler will have its hands full with a very tough New Castle squad

15. Mt. Lebanon at North Hills-Friday September 5th, 7:30