SI Weekend Drive: Red River Rivalry rules the Weekend
October just keeps giving and giving. Although the USMNT was eliminated from the World Cup this week, we still have the NFL, college football and the MLB playoffs to look forward to this weekend.
As exciting as this weekend may be though, we know all the goals, touchdowns and home runs can get a little overwhelming. But fear not, sports fans, SI's Weekend Drive has you covered. From Los Angeles to Dallas to Kansas City, we've highlighted the three games you must watch this weekend.
Game #1: No. 12 Oklahoma at Texas
Game Time: Saturday, Oct. 14, 3:30 ET
Location: Cotton Bowl, Dallas, Texas
TV Channel: ESPN
For the 112th time, Oklahoma and Texas will face off in the Red River rivalry. Oklahoma (4-1, 1-1 Big 12) are coming off a shocking upset loss to Iowa State at home last week and will look to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive. Quarterback Baker Mayfield couldn't lead his team on a game-winning drive last week, but still leads the nation in QBR and is completing 75 percent of his passes. He will clearly be the best player on the field Saturday. Texas (3-2, 2-0 Big 12) lost two games early in the season, but still sit atop the Big 12 standings and will look to stay undefeated in conference play. Longhorns safety Deshon Elliott leads the Big 12 with five interceptions on the season and has picked off a pass in three straight games. He is also fifth on the team with 24 tackles and has three pass breakups, 3.5 tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks. Texas will need a big game from Elliott to pull off the upset. The Longhorns leads the all-time series, 61-45-5, but the two teams are 13-13-1 against each other since 1990. Don't miss one of College Football's best rivalries on Saturday.
Game #2: Chicago Cubs at Los Angeles Dodgers
Game Time: Saturday, Oct. 14, 8:08 p.m. ET
Location: Dodger Stadium, Los Angeles, California
TV Channel: TBS
In Game 1 of the 2017 National League Championship Series, the Chicago Cubs travel to Los Angeles to face the Dodgers. Chicago is fresh off a decisive Game 5 victory over the Washington Nationals in the NLDS. In a game that lasted over four hours, the defending-champion Cubs managed to use a big day from Addison Russell (2-4, 4RBIs) and a seven-out save from closer Wade Davis to advance to the next round. Los Angeles, meanwhile, had little trouble with the Arizona Diamondbacks in the last round, advancing to the NLCS with a three-game sweep. The Dodgers will look to maintain momentum behind rookie Cody Bellinger, who hit his first career postseason home run on Tuesday.
Game #3: Pittsburgh Steelers at Kansas City Chiefs
Game Time: Sunday, Oct. 15, 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City, Missouri
TV Channel: CBS
The most intriguing NFL game of the week will take place at Arrowhead Stadium on Sunday, as the league's lone unbeaten team will try to avenge two losses from last season. The Kansas City Chiefs (5-0) host the struggling Pittsburgh Steelers (3-2) as 4-point favorites on the Week 6 NFL betting lines and will need to contain running back Le'Veon Bell in order to avoid a third straight loss in the series. Bell totaled 314 rushing yards in the two wins last year. Kansas City has dominated opponents this season, though, led by Quarterback Alex Smith (1391 yards, 11 touchdowns) and running back Kareem Hunt (609 yards, four touchdowns). Pittsburgh was beaten down last week by Jacksonville behind a career-high five interceptions by quarterback Ben Roethlisberger and will need to secure the ball this week to defeat an undefeated Chiefs team at one of the most intimidating venues in football.
