Even though you have that Halloween party to go to, even though you're preparing for the Frankenstorm, that appears more and more that it's going to pound our area starting Sunday night, even though you're planning on taking your kids to that Halloween party, parade, or trick-or-treating, something's missing.
It's a fall Saturday without Lehigh football.
But cheer up, Lehigh fans. Even if you don't care to watch Penn State's inevitable loss to Ohio State this weekend, there's plenty of FCS football available on TV and the internet that has a lot more bearing on the Patriot League title race and the Mountain Hawks' standing in the playoff chase.
You don't have to wait for Sunday night.
There is literally an entire day of FCS football available either on your laptop or on your TV, and you can bet I'll be tuned into the following scores on Lehigh's bye week.
You can get links to live scores on all these games here, or if you just care to see what's happening in the Patriot League, you can check this out.
12:00 PM: Delaware at Old Dominion, TV: NBC Sports Network. It's a good thing this game wasn't at the Tub, as there would be a fair chance that it would have been moved to Virginia anyway. Delaware needs this win in the worst way to keep their playoff hopes alive, while an Old Dominion loss might put the Monarchs below Lehigh in the race for a seed.
1:00 PM: Colgate at Bucknell, CBS ULive, $$$. We saw last weekend that Bucknell seems like they might just be turning a corner, and all Lehigh fans are hoping that the Bison successfully do so at Homecoming. A win over the Raiders would seriously complicate Colgate's run at the Patriot League title.
1:00 PM: Fordham at Holy Cross, Stretch Internet ($$$). While not strictly a game that counts in the Patriot League title chase, it will serve as a good scouting report on the Crusaders for Lehigh's next game.
3:00 PM: Eastern Washington at Southern Utah, America One Network (free w/ registration). The Eagles are the No. 1 team in the nation, and a trip to Thunderbird country may not be as easy as it looks for Eastern Washington. All Lehigh fans will certainly be rooting for an upset by Southern Utah - if for nothing else, to avenge QB Chris Lum's loss to QB Bo Levi Mitchell in the Walter Payton Award vote last year.
3:30 PM: Liberty at Coastal Carolina, Flames Sports Network/ESPN3. Not only does this have Big South title implications with a former Lehigh opponent, it should be a fun one to watch with a Philly Punch in hand. The "Frankenstorm" might also play a part, too, with winds and torrential rain forecast for Conway, SC.
3:30 PM: Towson at Villanova, 980 AM, Comcast Sports Net. A critical CAA battle that will go a long way towards knowing whether the Tigers or Wildcats could be on their way back to the playoffs. Lehigh folks might want to root for the Tigers here.. setting up a potential rematch with the Mountain Hawks in the playoffs at Murray Goodman, if Lehigh gets the job done and all the cards fall just right.
4:00 PM: Southern Illinois at North Dakota State, Fox College Sports Central. Not only is it a crucial game for both the Salukis in order to make it to the postseason, it's also critical for the Bison to take this game in order to stay in contention for a seed in the playoffs. Plus, it's probably a good idea to watch the game to get the vibe of the FargoDome, the place where Lehigh's season ended last year.
6:00 PM: Georgetown at Lafayette, WBPH-60/Lafayette Sports Network. It's always a treat to see Lafayette lose, but watching them lose on a cold night in October to the Hoyas might be more treat and less trick: it stands to be the Leopard's third straight loss to the Hoyas if Georgetown can pull it off.
9:00 PM: Cal Poly at Sacramento State, America One Network (free w/ registration). Cal Poly is the only other undefeated team in FCS, and this rivalry game against nearby Sac State, who has designs on the playoffs themselves, won't be easy. It's one worth streaming to the big screen during that big Halloween party for sure.
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