After the dark unknown of the offseason (and to a different extent the previous postseason), we have finally arrived at a full slate of football this Saturday. With so many games going on in a given week, there are only so many games you can pay attention to right? Wrong! (Well also technically true but bear with me on this brief digression). 

That’s where the newly customizable Quad Box comes into play. Introduced to the college football landscape last fall on YouTube TV, the service will chose a variety of four given games on TV given their package. These games sometimes overlapped with the national games, sometimes they inexplicably included sidecasts, but now, in 2024, it is finally here. YouTube finally offers a fully customizable Quad Box.

My goal each week is to try and give you a combination of the most important, potentially most fun, and even in some cases, most Sicko games possible to put on your screen in a given window. These windows are the early window (12pm-1pm kickoffs), the afternoon slate (3:30-4pm kickoffs) and the primetime slate (7:30-9pm kickoffs). I will also add a must see game during the weekday, and on appropriate weeks (hint hint for next week), I will even offer an After Dark quad box for the college aficionados who read 18S. Without further ado, let’s dive into the inaugural Quad Box offerings.

Weekday

There should be no question about which game is the must see television. Colorado continues its run with Coach Prime hosting North Dakota State. First of all, why would you ever do that Colorado??? Second off, this should be a fun showcase to see how much, if at all, the Buffs improved. The Sicko pick is to say the Bison pull off the upset, but the Buffs have some players of skill that should outduel the FCS dynasty. No matter what happens, it should be entertaining for one reason or another.

Noon Slate

As for Saturday, there are four special games that you can easily throw on the TV and enjoy the day away. The first is what is sure to be a massacre in Georgia vs Clemson. Georgia is once again the top ranked team this season and this first test against a declining Clemson squad should assert themselves once again. On Fox you have Penn State, trying to assert themselves in this new 12 team playoff era as a contender, going to Morgantown to take on a feisty West Virginia squad. On ESPN, you can see the new Vanderbilt stadium as they host a potential ACC dark horse in Virginia Tech. Finally, on Big Ten Network, a new Iowa offensive era begins as the Hawkeyes take on Illinois State. Will Iowa be able to win without either Ferentz in their coaching staff? Time will tell.

Afternoon Slate

This window is definitely more for the true Sickos out there and I adjusted the schedule here to represent it. Sure, you have a prime matchup between Florida and Miami, but those are two teams that could easily have their season swing to drastically bad from good in a matter of plays. You also have potential Lake Michigan football as Northwestern hosts Miami (OH) on the Big Ten Network. On Fox, UTEP goes to Lincoln to take on the enigmatic Nebraska Cornhuskers. There is no way to know how that game will go. Finally on ESPNU there is a prime matchup between two G5 teams as Boise State travels to Statesboro to take on Georgia Southern.

Primetime Slate

Obviously, the Notre Dame game will get priority for most of our readers so I’ve adjusted it like so. Meanwhile, CBS’ first primetime offering post SEC leaving is a game off the mainland as UCLA travels to Hawaii to play on their high school field. Meanwhile, the post Saban regime begins with a potentially scary test as Western Kentucky and their high octane offense come to Tuscaloosa. Finally, how funny would it be, if after all of the offseason Michigan had, that they lay an egg at home on NBC to Fresno St? It might not happen, but there is certainly the possibility that it could, and that’s enough for it to make the initial schedule.