The final weekend of college football’s “Show Me Month” includes Friday night lights for Virginia, while Virginia Tech and James Madison begin conference play.

The final weekend of “Show Me Month” includes Friday night lights for Virginia, while Virginia Tech and James Madison begin the conference portions of their schedules.

Meanwhile, one notable Power Four school will start league play without a recognizable face.

“I’M A MAN! I’M 40!!”

Even those who aren’t serious college football fans may know that quote. And the man who turned that into a catchphrase is no longer on the sidelines, leaving the game a lot less interesting.

Oklahoma State fired Mike Gundy earlier this week after the team got off to a 1-2 start that included a 66-point loss to No. 6 Oregon and the team’s first loss at home to in-state foe Tulsa since 1951 (after getting two weeks to prepare for the Golden Hurricane).

Gundy was a lightning rod during his 19+ seasons directing the program, from the rant that went viral defending a benched player in 2007 (who would transfer to Texas Southern the next offseason) to growing a mullet that replaced the visor (nobody will accuse Gundy of chasing trends).

From allegedly firing a contractor because the guy showed up to work wearing a University of Oklahoma T-shirt (not the coolest move by Gundy, but why poke the guy who’s paying you?) to literally rewriting history with his 2016 Alamo Bowl rings that gave the team an 11-2 record instead of their actual 10-3 mark that included a controversial loss to Central Michigan (his fault for not getting his team primed to face the Chippewas).

Despite his finish that included 11 losses in his final 12 games running the program, Gundy is Oklahoma State football. As a player, he had the good fortune as the Cowboys’ quarterback in 1987-88 to hand off to future Hall of Famers Thurman Thomas and Barry Sanders.

He also had the misfortune of competing in the Big Eight during an era dominated by Oklahoma and Nebraska (OSU went 0-4 against the Sooners and Cornhuskers those two years, 20-0 against everyone else).

Gundy as head coach at his alma mater had the good fortune to have T. Boone Pickens funding his program, notching a school-record 170 wins while posting 18 straight winning seasons from 2006-23.

He also had some pretty poor timing as his best teams were each a few years ahead of their time: The 12-1 Big 12 champs of 2011 that finished No. 2 after the bowls would have likely made a four-team field while the 11-2 Big 12 runners-up in 2021 that finished No. 7 wouldn’t have looked out of place in the 12-team bracket.

And as another Power Four school makes a September switch, the man who is now 58 looks for what’s next. Could TV be calling?

Friday night

Virginia (3-1, 1-0 ACC) vs. No. 8 Florida State (3-0), 7.p.m., ESPN

The last eight meetings have hit the under, but this battle for a share of first place in the ACC features the top two scoring teams in the conference. FSU also leads the ACC in rushing yards and passing efficiency, and while quarterback Tommy Castellanos ran for over 1,000 yards two years ago at Boston College, the team’s leading ground-gainer after three games this fall is a … wide receiver?

Micahi Danzy has ripped off runs of 32, 53 and 64 yards over the first three games to push the wideout past the regular ball carriers. The Seminoles have done a fine job bouncing back from last season’s 2-10 nightmare, starting with their two-touchdown takedown of No. 8 Alabama.

The Cavaliers may be 4-14 against FSU, but they’ve won three of their last five against the Seminoles and that includes the most recent meeting in 2019.

Kippy and Buffy are by no means superstitious, but they poured a bottle of Jefferson Vineyards Meritage at that tailgate and they see no reason not to enjoy the 2021 version (41% merlot, 30% petit verdot, 29% cabernet franc) this time. The Gold Medal winner at the 2025 Virginia Governor’s Cup Wine Competition offers “elegant floral notes and preserved cherry on the nose, with flavors of black cherry, cranberry, and spice,” according to the winery website. “Lengthy tannins on the finish with flavors of dark chocolate.”

Presto’s pick: Cavaliers’ defense deals with lengthy drives at the finish with flavors of defeat in a 30-14 loss.

Saturday’s games

James Madison (2-1) vs. Georgia Southern (2-2), 1:30 p.m., ESPN+

It’s the Sun Belt Conference opener for the Dukes and Eagles, who in the preseason were picked to finish first and second in the East Division. JMU’s defense is off to a solid start, leading the conference in scoring defense as well as stopping opponents on third down.

The Eagles after four games allow 245.5 yards per game on the ground, the most in the SBC. But they return quarterback JC French IV, who threw for 215 yards in a 14-point win over the Dukes last year and French is coming off a season-high 253 yards passing in last Saturday’s win over Maine. JMU has dropped nine of 10 in the series, but the Dukes win came in 2023 at Bridgeforth Stadium.

Presto’s pick: Dukes deliver a win, 31-19.

Navy (3-0, 2-0 American) vs. Rice (3-1, 1-0), 3:30 p.m., CBSSN

The Owls come to Annapolis for the first time since 2004 and the first question is, can they slow down the most productive rushing attack (Navy averages 375 yards per game) in FBS? Rice coughed up 204 in a loss to Houston two weeks ago but held the Mids to 140 yards on the ground in last season’s meeting on their way to a 24-10 upset. They also intercepted Blake Horvath twice, with the first pick leading to the first quarter touchdown that would put them ahead for good.

Instead of E.J. Warner (Kurt’s son transferred to Fresno State), it’s first-year starter Chase Jenkins under center for Rice, who threw for one touchdown and ran for another as the Owls beat Charlotte in their conference opener.

Navy’s defense may not grab the headlines like Blake Horvath does, but they’ve previously held UAB scoreless after halftime while limiting Tulsa six points after intermission.

Presto’s pick: Midshipmen pull away late, 34-13.

Virginia Tech (1-3) at NC State (3-1, 1-1 ACC), 7 p.m., CW

How much momentum will the Hokies carry over from their win over Wofford? Even with the win over the Terriers, they rank 16th in the ACC at stopping the run and the Wolfpack boast the conference’s leading rusher in Hollywood Smothers (503 yards while averaging 6.3 per carry). He gained 123 yards last week in a loss at Duke.

Can Kyron Drones prove that his four-touchdown (two passing and two rushing) performance wasn’t just the byproduct of an FCS foe? And even against Wofford he still fumbled to give him three for the season to go with three interceptions. The Hokies have dropped the last two meetings but are 5-3 against the Pack since joining the ACC.

Presto’s pick: Hokies come up short, 27-16.

Howard slips at Richmond, Georgetown falls at Columbia, Towson tops Bryant, William & Mary loses at Villanova, Old Dominion defeats Liberty.

Last week: 7-3
Season: 27-10

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