The Saturday Watchlist: 11-8-2025
A titanic Big 12 matchup headlines a day that could see multiple massive upsets.
The Disney–YouTube TV feud is still ongoing, which is just bananas. Usually, these types of things don’t last this long, but it’s been over a week and Disney networks are still not on YouTube TV’s platform. So, for the second week in a row, those who still have YouTube TV will be unable to watch a good chunk of the college football action today.
This is frankly unacceptable, and those of you who have stayed on the YouTube TV bandwagon deserve some type of compensation from somebody for having to put up with this nonsense. Live sports have kept live television afloat for quite some time, and the fact that the largest digital cable platform in the country doesn’t have access to the networks that broadcast those games is insulting to the consumer.
In last week’s watchlist, I outlined my stopgap measure for how I was going to watch the games. It was originally meant to be just a temporary procedure, but now that this has gone on for another week, I’ve had to branch out to alternative options.
Other platforms like Fubo and Hulu + Live TV — Disney owns both — still have access to ESPN and all the other networks that have gone dark on YouTube TV. DirecTV Stream is also another option for those who might be more familiar with the traditional cable model but still love the ease of access that streaming provides. You can always just get a cable box, too, as that seems to be the option that has the least amount of hassle at the moment (which is insane). Or you could pony up $30 a month for ESPN’s direct-to-consumer product, which little birdies have told me stinks to high heaven.
This conundrum needs to be sorted out soon. YouTube TV is far and away the best at what it does, and it’s a shame that so many have had to pivot elsewhere because of all the shenanigans.
In the meantime, there’s still a litany of football games to watch, and that’s what The Saturday Watchlist is here to tell you about. Below is every game that I plan on watching live today. While I give myself the right to change the channel to something else should the need arise, this is what I’m planning to have on my screens the entire day.
A quick note before we get started: I will be in attendance for Iowa State–TCU, so I’ll most likely have to catch up on everything that occurs in the afternoon window after the fact. That doesn’t mean anything for you or this watchlist — I just thought I’d throw that out there.
Anyway, the football should be good today, and I can’t wait to watch it all. Here’s The Saturday Watchlist for November 8, 2025.
Early Window
Primary Screen: No. 7 BYU at No. 8 Texas Tech – 11 a.m. – ABC
Secondary Screen: No. 2 Indiana at Penn State – 11 a.m. – FOX
Tertiary Screen: No. 5 Georgia at Mississippi State – 11 a.m. – ESPN
Also worth tracking: James Madison at Marshall – 11 a.m. – ESPN2
All eyes will be on Lubbock this morning as BYU gets set to take on Texas Tech in what’s the most gargantuan Big 12 matchup in years. The winner will have the inside track to the Big 12 title game, and the loser could see its hopes of making the College Football Playoff diminish significantly. It’s a battle between a set culture and one that’s relatively brand new. It’s a bout of teams that love to out-physical their opponent and bully them in the process. College GameDayis in the house, and the last time that happened, Michael Crabtree caught a touchdown that sent Lubbock — and the entire college football universe — into an unexplainable tizzy that still resonates with fans of the sport to this day.
The Indiana Hoosiers are a wagon, and their last “real” test before a potential trip to the Big Ten Championship Game will be in (Un)Happy Valley against the flailing Penn State Nittany Lions. It’s been a lost season in every sense of the word for Penn State, but a win over the No. 2 team in the country could help alleviate some of the pains that fans of the school have experienced throughout 2025. Unfortunately, it’s not very likely. The Hoosiers will probably roll as they always do, because at this point, that’s just a fact of life.
Do y’all think that Mississippi State has any chance of taking down Georgia? It’s fine if the answer to that is “probably not,” because I’d agree with you. Yet, I can’t get this feeling out of my head that the cowbells might just work some magic and lift Mississippi State to a shocking upset. After all, Georgia’s been playing with fire all year — wouldn’t this be a great time for it to catch up to them? And Mississippi State’s been close to getting over the hump in big games all season — could this be the day it gets itself a big-time SEC win? I don’t know, but I can’t wait to find out.
Afternoon Window
Primary Screen: No. 9 Oregon at No. 20 Iowa – 2:30 p.m. – CBS
Secondary Screen: No. 3 Texas A&M at No. 22 Missouri – 2:30 p.m. – ABC
Tertiary Screen: Iowa State at TCU – 2:30 p.m. – FOX
Also worth tracking:
Auburn at No. 16 Vanderbilt – 3 p.m. – SEC Network
Syracuse at No. 18 Miami – 2:30 p.m. – ESPN
Stanford at North Carolina – 3:30 p.m. – The CW Network
While I gallivant around Amon G. Carter Stadium, y’all will have the opportunity to witness Oregon and Iowa play in weather that’s straight out of a Christmas rom-com set in Siberia during a snowstorm. OK, that might be a bit of an exaggeration, but the forecast of 41 degrees and rainy does not look pleasant. That means this game could be fairly sloppy, which plays right into the hands of the Hawkeyes, who love to muddy up contests with excellent defense and potent work on special teams. If Iowa wins this game, it’ll be in the thick of the CFP hunt with just three weeks to go. Can the country survive watching Iowa play in a CFP game?
Had Missouri quarterback Beau Pribula not gotten hurt against Vanderbilt two weeks ago, this matchup between the Tigers and Aggies would have a lot more juice. Instead, it feels like Missouri is a dead team walking, and Texas A&M is coming up to Columbia to bury it for good.
If you want to watch the game I’ll be attending, tune in to FOX at 2:30 p.m. and catch some Big 12 action between Iowa State and TCU. The Cyclones are out of the conference race, and the Horned Frogs are hanging on by a thread. Should TCU win, it’ll have all its goals in front of it. If it doesn’t, however, some turbulence could set in motion in Fort Worth. If you don’t know what I mean by that, just watch the fallout should the Frogs fall short. Ominous.
Evening Window
Primary Screen: LSU at No. 4 Alabama – 6:30 p.m. – ABC
Secondary Screen: Wake Forest at No. 14 Virginia – 6 p.m. – ESPN
Tertiary Screen: Florida State at Clemson – 6 p.m. – ACC Network
Also worth tracking:
Navy at No. 10 Notre Dame – 6:30 p.m. – NBC
Florida at Kentucky – 6:30 p.m. – SEC Network
California at No. 15 Louisville – 6 p.m. – ESPN2
LSU–Alabama just doesn’t hit like it used to. That’s probably because the Tigers are limping along without a head coach following the firing of Brian Kelly, and Alabama is a literal machine. If this game is competitive, something went terribly wrong for the Crimson Tide.
Virginia saw its name pop up in the CFP bracket for the first time in school history this past Tuesday, which must’ve been an exhilarating feeling. The next step is to keep up the momentum and take care of business against Wake Forest, but teams that haven’t tasted the limelight of November have fallen in this spot many times before — and it wouldn’t shock me if Virginia fell victim to the same curse.
Florida State and Clemson sued the ACC to get more money based on the TV ratings of their games. That was kind of a jerk move, in my opinion, and karma has officially struck back as this game — once seen as a matchup between two heavyweights in the conference — is being aired on the ACC Network, which isn’t even rated by Nielsen. That means that no matter how many people watch this game, the Seminoles and Tigers won’t see a dime of extra revenue.
Late Window
Primary Screen: Nebraska at UCLA – 8 p.m. – FOX
Secondary Screen: Sam Houston at Oregon State – 9 p.m. – The CW Network
The late window is officially dead.
Nebraska just lost quarterback Dylan Raiola for the season. UCLA is playing with an interim head coach who’s exhausted every last drop of good effort from a roster that’s ill-equipped to compete in the Big Ten. It’s going to be an ugly game. If you watch this one, then you’re a real fan of college football.
The main event in the late window is between winless Sam Houston and 2–7 Oregon State. That honestly sounds like a terrible time, but I love college football, and I’ll probably have at least one eye on it before I go to bed.