LSU running back Charles Scott
It's a big weekend for college football. Oklahoma and Texas face off in Dallas (see our preview here while LSU and Florida meet for a huge SEC game (Oct. 11, 8 pm/ET, CBS). More of a Big 10 fan? The undefeated Nittany Lions of Penn State play Wisconsin (8 pm/ET, ESPN).
Over in the NFL, Sunday Night Football features a rematch of last year's AFC Championship game, with the San Diego Chargers hosting the New England Patriots (Oct. 12, 8:15 pm/ET, NBC).
Moving on to a different type of football, this is a busy weekend for World Cup soccer qualifying. The United States men's team can Lock up a spot in the CONCACAF regional finals with a win over Cuba Saturday at RFK Stadium in Washington, DC (Oct. 11, 7 pm/ET, ESPN Classic). Earlier in the day Fox Soccer Channel has two European zone qualifiers, Kazakhstan at England at noon/ET and Spain at Estonia at 2:30 pm/ET.
There's also a big selection of endurance sports on tap. Read all about them, after the jump.
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Quarterback Sam Bradford of the Oklahoma Sooners
National championship hopes are floating in Saturday's 103rd edition of the Red River Rivalry, the annual Oklahoma-Texas shoot-out at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas (airing on ABC Saturday, Oct. 11, at noon/ET). In both national polls the Sooners (5-0) are No. 1 and the Longhorns (5-0) are No. 5.
Perhaps more important than the game's BCS implications, pride is on the line. Both teams "really do feel like their season is ruined if they don't win this game," says ESPN's Ed Cunningham. The Sooners have so many offensive weapons, including quarterback Sam Bradford and running backs Chris Brown and DeMarco Murray, that "I'm not sure anybody's ever going to stop them this season," Cunningham says. "But Texas will have the best chance of figuring out a way of slowing them down some."
Adding to the tension, Oklahoma coach Bob Stoops has stocked his roster with players from below the state line. "There's the inside joke that Oklahoma is really the University of Texas at Norman because they've gotten so many kids out of Texas," Cunningham says, "so I think there's a little bit of anger." As if any more motivation were needed. —Karen Rosen
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Sheryl Swoopes by William Kendall/LOGO
Sheryl Swoopes’ WNBA season ended prematurely when her Seattle Storm lost to the L.A. Sparks in the first round of the playoffs. But the three-time league MVP is back on the radar Monday in the latest episode of Logo’s Shirts & Skins. The fascinating new reality series goes behind the sometimes disharmonious scenes with the San Francisco Rockdogs, a gay basketball team on the proverbial rebound (Mondays, 10 pm/ET).
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Coming off encouraging ratings for last spring's Stanley Cup Finals, the NHL is hoping to continue that momentum as the new season opens this weekend. For the second year in a row the league gets things started in Europe. The Tampa Bay Lightning play a pair against the New York Rangers in Prague, while the Ottawa Senators take on the Pittsburgh Penguins twice in Stockholm. Games are Saturday (airing in local markets) and Sunday (noon and 2:30 pm/ET, Versus).
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Marion Barber of the Dallas Cowboys by David Podwika/ WireImage.com
They don't call 'em America's Team for nothing. For the second time in a week the Dallas Cowboys scored a major win - and big ratings. Following a cable-record 18.61 million viewers for last week's Monday Night Football game, the 'Boys beat the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football with 22.24 million tuning in.
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Dallas Cowboys Quarterback Tony Romo by David Podwika/ WireImage.com
Sunday Night Football 's got a major match-up that should set the early-season pecking order in the NFC. With both teams 2-0, the Dallas Cowboys visit the Green Bay Packers (Sept. 21, 8:15 pm/ET, NBC). Tony Romo & Co. are coming off a high-scoring win against the Eagles on Monday, while Green Bay's new QB Aaron Rodgers is quickly making Cheeseheads forget about Brett Favre. Still, SNF's Al Michaels expects a surreal experience to be at Lambeau Field without Favre. "I think about when you go to Chicago after Michael Jordan leaves, or in hockey the analogy would be when you went to Edmonton after Gretzky got traded to the Los Angeles Kings; Pete Rose leaves Cincinnati and goes to Philadelphia, it's probably along those lines," Michaels says. "But that era's gone, and the new era is here. There's so much excitement now in Green Bay."
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Terrell Owens of the Dallas Cowboys by Scott Boehm/Getty Images Sport
The Dallas Cowboys and Philadelphia Eagles racked up big points on Monday Night Football, helping set a record for the most-watched cable telecast ever. The game - an explosive 41-37 win for the Cowboys - delivered 18.61 million viewers for ESPN. That tops the old record, held by a MNF game from last season. The New England Patriots victory over the Baltimore Ravens drew 17.52 million viewers on December 3, 2007.
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Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers by Dilip Vishwanat/Getty Images
Aaron Rodgers' super-hyped debut as a starting quarterback put both the Green Bay Packers and ESPN in the winning column. Brett Favre's successor led the pack to a 24-17 win against the Minnesota Vikings, drawing 12.50 million viewers to Monday Night Football. The game was the night's top show - broadcast or cable - and surpassed July's Home Run Derby as the most-watched cable telecast of the year.
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Jimmie Johnson and Kyle Busch by Bennett Raglin/ WireImage.com
NASCAR's "regular season" ended Sunday, and the 12-man field for the Chase for the Sprint Cup is set. The 10-race postseason begins with the Sylvania 300 at New Hampshire Motor Speedway (Sunday, Sept. 14, 2 pm/ET, ABC).
The dozen drivers in contention for the 2008 title are: Kyle Busch, Carl Edwards, Jimmie Johnson, Dale Earnhardt Jr., Clint Bowyer, Denny Hamlin, Jeff Burton, Tony Stewart, Greg Biffle, Jeff Gordon, Kevin Harvick and Matt Kenseth. The Chasers will present a special "Top 12" on Late Show With David Letterman on Tuesday (Sept. 9, 11:35 pm/ET, CBS).
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Aaron Rodgers by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images
The 39th season of Monday Night Football begins tonight with a doubleheader and a few new visual treats. In the first game, Aaron Rodgers makes his much-anticipated debut as a starter for the Packers when Green Bay hosts the Minnesota Vikings (Sept. 8, 7 pm/ET, ESPN). In the nightcap the Denver Broncos travel to the Oakland Raiders (10:15 pm/ET).
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