There’s a right way and a wrong way to tell a story.
That alone might seem like a controversial statement. I mean, who am I to comment on art? Doesn’t the value of art depend on who’s consuming it? Isn’t beauty in the eye of the beholder?
No, it isn’t. (NOW we’re getting controversial.)
My favorite book, The Abolition of Man, explains this harmful shift in perspective. Its author, C.S. Lewis, argues that education took a decidedly wrong turn sometime in the early 20th century. He gives this example. Say you’re looking at a picture of a waterfall, and you think to yourself: “Wow. That waterfall is magnificent.” Modern education taught its students that it wasn’t the waterfall itself that was magnificent, but rather, that looking at the waterfall produced feelings of magnificence about it in the student. In other words, modernity teaches that nothing has real value in and of itself, but only the value attributed to it by human feeling.
This unmoors education from its original goal: to show students what was actually in itself good and true and beautiful, to train their intellects to understand what is properly good, bad, right, wrong.
Where was I? Right, stories.
Basically, every story has a beginning, a middle, and an end. In the beginning the world is set up and we meet some people who inhabit it. In the middle, actions play out in the world, usually centering around these people. They change because of what happens to them. And in the end, all of the events that have happened to these people so far reach their climax, where the people must confront something. The outcome leaves them fundamentally altered.
The order in which this narrative is told can shift. The method, the material, the parts can all morph, but this basic rhythm is the most recognizable narrative form. It is what makes a good story.
Recently, a trend has developed in entertainment where storytellers mess with certain elements of this narrative rhythm in an effort to engage their audience. These storytellers frequently refer to this as “subverting expectations.”
Again, there’s a right way to do this and a wrong way. The right way leaves the other elements of story structure intact, but criticizes or questions one by means of a late “twist” in the narrative. Think the recent, really fun movie Knives Out by Rian Johnson, which let its audience examine the beats of the traditional detective story.
The wrong way questions story elements in a way that breaks not just the surrounding narrative, but the established rules of the world the narrative set up, in a way that requires not just reexamination but redefinition. Think the recent, really bad movie Star Wars: The Last Jedi by Rian Johnson, which suddenly decided every Star Wars movie prior to itself was fundamentally flawed.
Rather than rambling on further, I’ll get to the point. We’re reaching the end of the middle of college football’s story this season. The existential threat known as The Virus (yes, that virus) is back with a vengeance, canceling games and shaking faith. We don’t know as fans what will happen, on-field or off. We can’t control outcomes. We can only pray for a happy ending and, popcorn in hand, enjoy the ride, hoping that our expectations won’t be subverted in the wrong way.
So, let’s do that by watching some college football this Saturday! Below, I’ve broken down the games by time and channel, letting you know what the best matchups are so you won’t miss anything.
Don’t forget to follow me on Twitter at @WatchingFB, where you will not only get my analysis on big-time college football news and live tweets all Saturday long, but betting picks (#BetOnIt), rankings for every Power 5 conference (#TierRankings), and an easy list of which teams can still make the College Football Playoff (#PlayoffEliminator). That last one starts next week. Should be a blast.
Remember that if your team’s playing, they go on your Big Screen. And all times below are in God’s Time Zone (CST).
SATURDAY
MORNING
Big Screen: Miami vs. Virginia Tech (11a, ESPN2) boasts a matchup between D’Eriq King, probably the most fun mid-tier QB to watch right now, and the Hokies, coming off a loss to resurgent Liberty. For some reason, VT is favored. This makes no sense. Miami is consistently an offensive flamethrower with a suspect D, and VT is behind the eight-ball on all fronts. I’m not saying this will be one of my #BetOnIt picks, but . . . wait, yes, that’s exactly what I’m saying. I don’t trust the Hokies to win here, but a line this close intrigues me, and you should tune in to watch the fun.
Small Screen: Penn State vs. Nebraska (11a, FS1) is a battle between two teams that haven’t won a single game. Matchups like this make me smile. The high likelihood of chaos and hilarity from something completely dumb happening goes through the roof. And deep down, isn’t that what we all love about college football? The improbability? Someone’s gotta win, whether it’s the Nittany Lions and their continuously incompetent head coach James Franklin, or the Cornhuskers and their dogged sunshine pumper of a coach Scott Frost. Let’s see who brings it home, and how they get it done.
Watch the Score: Indiana vs. Michigan State (11a, ABC), Wake Forest vs. North Carolina (11a, ACCN)
AFTERNOON
Big Screen: What’s old is new again. Notre Dame vs. Boston College (2:30p, ABC) features the Irish, fresh off of an epic win over perennial powerhouse Clemson, trying to avoid a letdown against Boston College. Lest you forget, the Eagles haven’t been anything close to terrible this year. They got within 6 points of Clemson and 4 points of North Carolina. They’re still trying to break through, and believe me, they’d love nothing more than an upset victory that completely kneecaps any chance Notre Dame has at the Playoff.
Small Screen: USC vs. Arizona (2:30p, FOX) floats to the top of the remainder of this afternoon slate, weakened by cancellations and postponements. The Trojans barely survived last week’s trip to Tempe, and now they play Arizona State’s little brother (sorry not sorry), the Wildcats. We haven’t seen Arizona play this year quite yet, so there’s a ton of intangibles here.
Watch The Score: Northwestern vs. Purdue (4p, BTN)
NIGHT
Big Screen: Arkansas vs. Florida (6p, ESPN) may end up being the last remaining SEC game this week by the time you read this. There’s outbreaks across the conference. But thank goodness it’s still here. Even with Razorback coach Sam Pittman out with The Virus (yes, that virus), the Hogs remain a surprisingly serious threat, even to a Gator program that looks poised to win the SEC East. Arkansas’s QB, leading this fresh renaissance in the Ozarks, is Feleipe Franks. You may remember him from last season, when he was QB at – you guessed it – Florida. Now he’s back, bent on revenge against the Gators, who just want to avoid any speed bumps until their seemingly inevitable matchup with Alabama in about a month.
Small Screen: It’s SMU vs. Tulsa (6p, ESPN2). Why? Well, first of all, because I would like to be as disrespectful as possible to every other football team playing in this time slot (see below). Oregon should dunk all over Wazzu as usual, just thinking about Northwestern and Purdue makes me fall asleep, and no one wants to watch the Badgers slowly smother Jim Harbaugh with a pillow made entirely of run plays. Also, it features two really delightful offensive powerhouses with serious bowl aspirations. Tulsa hasn’t had great luck with The Virus (yes, that virus), with 3 of its 8 games falling victim to cancellation or postponement. SMU’s only had one bad loss to the steamroller that is this year’s Cincinnati Bearcats, so they’re just trying to keep the ship steady.
Watch the Score: Oregon vs. Washington State (6p, FOX), Wisconsin vs. Michigan (6:30p, ABC)
That’s all! Remember, you can catch me on Twitter at @WatchingFB, and happy watching!