This Isn’t Just One of Those Days

They save the best for last in restaurants and at operas but not in college football, which can’t even wait until October to spill a thriller Saturday on its viewing audience.

May we offer you Sept. 16, a cacophony of catches, cow bells and colors (read: Oregon’s latest uniform offering).

On the same day, you get:

Oklahoma at Oregon: Big O vs. Big O at the Big A (Autzen Stadium). The story lines involve an Oklahoma team that lost its starting quarterback to a car-dealership scandal and an Oregon quarterback whose brother is Ryan Leaf.

Nebraska at USC: Simply the biggest game of the early Bill Callahan era, a barometer on whether Nebraska really can shuck the option era and succeed with 21st century aerial concepts.

Clemson at Florida State: Tommy Bowden plays his daddy, Bobby, for the eighth time in an ongoing family drama that leaves Ann Bowden, Tommy’s mother and Bobby’s wife, torn at midfield with her half-Clemson, half-Florida State sweatshirt.

Florida at Tennessee: A prove-it game for teams once penned in regularly as title contenders. Second-year Floridian Urban Meyer is still trying to win over converts while Tennessee’s Phil Fulmer must make amends for last year’s 5-6 fiasco.

Miami at Louisville: Billed by some as the biggest game in Louisville football history and by some at Miami as a game.

Louisiana State at Auburn: Both Tigers have national title aspirations but Auburn apparently cut a deal with the schedule-maker. Auburn has the better chance to go unbeaten because it gets this game, plus Florida and Georgia, at home.

Michigan at Notre Dame: Former Michigan coach Bo Schembechler provided the fodder this summer when he told the Detroit Free Press: “We don’t need Notre Dame. They need us more than we need them.”

Iowa State at Iowa: Oh how Iowa needs to avenge last year’s loss in which quarterback Drew Tate heard a bell ring -- his -- after which the Hawkeyes’ season was never the same.

The bottom line on Sept. 16 is that, as weekends go, it ranks right there on top.

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Best Games to Watch

* Saturday, California at Tennessee: West Coast power with eye on national title tries not to slip on 110,000 orange peels in Knoxville.

* Monday, Florida State at Miami: The concept of moving this game to a prized Labor Day weekend slot was not to have both programs laboring.

* Sept. 9, Ohio State at Texas: The day will be complete if this rematch is half as good as last year’s “Dandy on the Olentangy.”

* Sept: 16, Nebraska at USC: Bad news, Trojans: Arizona State transfer Sam Keller, who threw five interceptions against USC last year, not eligible until 2007.

* Sept. 23, Penn State at Ohio State: Switch to PBS if PSU has already lost to Notre Dame and OSU has lost to Texas.

* Sept. 30, Ohio State at Iowa: Iowa, which demolished old Kinnick Stadium in an off-season makeover, could lower the boom on Ohio State’s title bid.

* Oct. 7, Texas vs. Oklahoma at Dallas: The absolute, drop-dead deadline for Texas’ Mack Brown having his quarterback situation resolved.

* Oct. 14, Florida at Auburn: Historically, one of those SEC games that prompts a “For Sale” sign getting planted in the losing coach’s lawn.

* Oct. 21, UCLA at Notre Dame: Charlie Weis instructs groundskeepers to make rough even thicker than last year’s U.S. Open set-up at South Bend Hills.

* Oct. 28, Tennessee at South Carolina: Any game involving Phil Fulmer and Steve Spurrier is worth what Spurrier might call a “look-see.”

* Nov. 2, West Virginia at Louisville: What a shame. This could be the biggest game of the year, and it’s on a school night (Thursday).

* Nov. 4, Virginia Tech at Miami: South Beach police halt tactical response drills when informed Marcus Vick is no longer a Hokie.

* Nov. 11, South Carolina at Florida: Ball Coach returns to Gainesville for first time as a Gamecock. Think anyone will show up?

* Nov. 16, West Virginia at Pittsburgh: They don’t call this the “Backyard Brawl” because the players exchange pie recipes.

* Nov. 18, Michigan at Ohio State: Michigan’s Lloyd Carr is so organized he has already arranged a postgame charter flight to the Caymans if he loses.

* Nov. 23, Boston College at Miami: On this date in 1984, a short guy heaved a pass into the rain and his teammate caught it. Not sure if it made the papers.

* Nov. 24, Texas A&M; at Texas: This would be a good time for fourth-year Aggies Coach Dennis Franchione to justify a fifth year.

* Nov. 25, Notre Dame at USC: Two months earlier than the Super Bowl and better than most you’ll probably see unless Matt Leinart gets Arizona to one.

* Dec. 2, USC at UCLA: If UCLA gives up 66 points again, Karl Dorrell may want to consider a two-year Mormon mission.

-- Chris Dufresne