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What to Watch this Weekend: September 19-21

This weekend offers a variety of sports and entertainment options, and unlike last weekend, there is less overlap. Again, What to Watch features the pennant races that are heating up in the MLB, college football matchups with significant CFP implications, and the NFL, with a few powerhouse teams facing off.


Baltimore Ravens
Photo by Brendan Beale on Unsplash

What to Watch: Quick Lists

Sports

  1. 22 Auburn @ 11 Oklahoma Saturday 3:30 PM ET on ESPN

  2. Lions @ Ravens Monday 8:15 PM ET on ESPN

  3. 9 Illinois @ 19 Indiana Saturday 7:30 PM ET on NBC

  4. 17 Texas Tech @ 16 Utah Saturday 12:00 PM ET on FOX

  5. Rams @ Eagles Sunday 1:00 PM ET on FOX


Film and Television

  1. A Big Bold Beautiful Journey

  2. Him


Detroit Sports

  1. Braves @ Tigers Friday-Sunday on FanDuel Sports Detroit

  2. 21 Michigan @ Nebraska Saturday 3:30 PM ET on CBS

  3. Lions @ Ravens Monday 8:15 PM ET on ESPN

  4. MSU @ 25 USC Saturday 11:00 PM ET on FOX

  5. Detroit Red Wings Red and White Game Sunday 3:00 PM ET on Detroitredwings.com


What to Watch: Sports

Three of the four power conferences have ranked matchups this weekend. Auburn and Oklahoma have both been featured on Off the Field and Screen's Overreactions and Underreactions articles in a positive light. It's not an overreaction to say this matchup has CFP implications. The winner establishes themselves as a legitimate SEC contender, and the loser returns to a "not ready for primetime" status that both Hugh Freeze and Brent Venables have dealt with in recent years.


Indiana and Illinois fall under the same category. The Big Ten has not received national love, with both of these teams falling under the "also-ran" category. This game is seen as their only route to the CFP. Bret Bielema and Curt Cignetti are looking to elevate their programs into the conversation alongside Ohio State, Penn State, and Oregon.


The Big 12 is more open than any other Power Four conference. Utah and Texas Tech have a chance to seize a frontrunner spot early this season. Only one team will get a CFP spot from the Big 12, and both teams know it. Expect a playoff atmosphere in this one.


All biases aside (this site has a Detroit Sports emphasis), this game is the best NFL matchup this weekend, even if it is not till Monday Night. The Baltimore Ravens have given the Detroit Lions fits during the Dan Campbell era (0-2 with a blowout loss). Both teams arrive with elite offenses, upsetting early-season losses to rivals, and difficult schedules. The Ravens follow this game with the Chiefs, Texans, and Rams, while the Lions' next three are the Browns, Bengals, and Chiefs.


The Eagles follow up their Super Bowl rematch with a Divisional Round rematch. The Rams lost 22-28 back in January. The Sean McVay and Matthew Stafford-led Rams have played well enough to win their first two games. The Eagles look poised to return to the Super Bowl. Can the Rams find a way to win again, or will the Eagles continue their march to Santa Clara?


What to Watch: Film and Television

A Big Bold Beautiful Journey, starring Margot Robbie and Collin Farrell, looks like a romantic fantasy with heart and laughs. After a series of depressing and cynical films this year, it may surprise with some more genuine human connection. Him falls on the opposite end of the spectrum. Jordan Peele always has something creepy. The question is if he will give audiences something to think about, too.


What to Watch: Detroit Sports

The Detroit Tigers' matchup with the Braves is the single most important sporting event in the state of Michigan this weekend. Not only are they the only team playing at home, but they are also struggling to secure a division title. The Magic Number remains at 7, and the Cleveland Guardians have pulled to within 3.5 games.


The Lions blew out the Bears last week after a disappointing Week 1 in Green Bay, but their matchup with the Ravens will be more revealing than either. The Lions have a chance to show everyone who they really are.


The Michigan Wolverines and the Nebraska Cornhuskers meet in Lincoln. Matt Rhule wants to prove that his program has arrived. Michigan wants to establish that their performance in Norman was not indicative of who they are. The Bryce Underwood and Dylan Raiola matchup will draw headlines, but the biggest headline is that this is the closest these programs have been competitively since the late 90s.


The Spartans head to the West Coast to take on another middle-of-the-pack Big 10 team: USC. Does Jonathan Smith have the program back on track? Has Lincoln Riley finally adjusted to the Big Ten? This weekend will answer those questions and more as the Big Ten sorts itself out.


The Detroit Red Wings Training Camp began on September 18. They have an open scrimmage at Van Andel Arena that has sold out. Despite the team's lack of success, the anticipation for the season remains as high as for any other team in Detroit. That's why they call it Hockeytown. The Red Wings have many questions to answer as they head into the preseason, and while this scrimmage won't answer much, it gives fans something to watch instead of talk about.


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