RedState Sports Report: Yippie! It’s College Football Weekend Number Three!

Greetings from the sports desk located somewhere below the main deck of the Good Pirate Ship RedState. Sammy the Shark and Karl the Kraken are, as always, diving deep (SWIDT?) into their analysis of this weekend’s college football action …

At least they know how to tell time, which puts them one up on the officials in last weekend’s Michigan-Western Michigan game.

Anyway, college football rumbles on this weekend (September 11-12, 2026). Let’s start by looking at the current AP Top 25, which for some unfathomable reason still doesn’t include my California Golden Bears (sigh). I suspect there’s some silly reason for this, such as their getting blown out at home by UCLA last Saturday. Anyway, here goes:

For those of you keeping tabs, Virginia is new to the Top 25, replacing Michigan. For obvious reasons.

The schedule this weekend is a tad more interesting than last week’s, with the highlight easily being Ohio State visiting Texas. As you recall from last year, Texas rolled into Columbus ranked #1 in the nation. They left with the yellow rose smelling like garlic breath, as the Buckeyes won 14-7 in a game that featured offensive play that was very offensive. Since then, Arch Manning has found his stride, and Ohio State’s defense looks to be even better this year than last year. This should be a good one. Meanwhile, Michigan will be attempting to restore some pride to its program as it travels to Oklahoma, which doubtless has other plans. Remember when Michigan and Nebraska were perennial powerhouses? Try explaining that to a new college football fan. On second thought, don’t bother.

There are three games tonight (Friday, September 11, 2026) involving Top 25 teams. None of whom is playing each other, of course. Louisville, which despite being 0-1 remains ranked due to giving Ole Miss all they could handle last weekend — for the record, Ole Miss quarterback Trinidad Chambliss is a stud — will be hosting Villanova in what would be a top-tier matchup were this basketball. Virginia hosts Norfolk State, which will be a game of interest to approximately no one including the alumni of said schools, and Missouri is traveling to Kansas. This is a good time for me to revisit my weekly grouse that Friday should be reserved for high school football only. Not that ESPN, or anyone else, is listening. Ah well.

Elsewhere in college football land, the aging brat act that is Lane Kiffin seems to have subsided for at least this season, with LSU deciding against bringing in ringers from NFL training camps to bolster its roster. As the 51-10 thrashing the LSU Tigers administered to the Clemson Tigers on September 5, 2026, amply illustrated, they are not needed for the Baton Rouge boys to be competitive in the SEC, otherwise known as the NFL’s unofficial minor league.

Oh — Cal will be at Syracuse. Um, can’t wait or something.

Enjoy the weekend, everyone, and remember those who paid the ultimate price on this sorrowful anniversary.

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