Welcome to your weekly football schedule and viewing guide on DISH. From the biggest primetime games to the most important matchups of the weekend, we’ll call out the best college football and NFL games of the week to watch with DISH.
Remember, as a DISH subscriber, you can use Game Finder to set your DVR to record all of your favorite teams, use Multi-View to watch multiple games at the same time, or download the DISH Anywhere app to watch football on-the-go! Check your DISH Guide for this week’s full football schedule in your local market.
This Week’s Football Schedule: Oct. 3-7
Thursday Night Football – Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons
Oct. 3, 8:15pm ET on Amazon Prime Video
A quarter of the way through the regular season, it feels like the NFC South race is going to be one of the tightest of the season. The New Orleans Saints took early pole position, hanging 40+ points on the Carolina Panthers and Dallas Cowboys in the first two weeks, before back-to-back close losses to the Philadelphia Eagles and Atlanta Falcons. Although they’re 2-2, Kirk Cousins and the Falcons have shown they know how to finish, as they rallied for last-minute wins against the Eagles and Saints. At 3-1, Tampa Bay looks like the most complete team in the division, as their defense shut down the explosive offenses in Washington and Detroit. But their lopsided loss to the Denver Broncos opens up questions about their focus, and Baker Mayfield has been sacked 15 times this season, third-most in the NFL. Thursday’s game is big for both teams, as it gives the winner a cushion in their divisional record, the first tiebreaker for playoff seeding.
FOX College Football Friday – Michigan State at #6 Oregon
Friday, Oct. 4, 9:00pm ET on FOX
In Oregon’s inaugural season in the Big Ten, the Ducks got off to a relatively slow start (by their standards), defeating Idaho 24-14 in a low-scoring, grind-it-out win, then barely edging past No. 21 Boise State, 37-34. In the past two weeks, however, Oregon has looked like a playoff contender, first smashing Oregon State 49-14 in the “Civil War” rivalry game, then making easy work of UCLA last weekend. With Ohio State in two weeks and Michigan in early November, we’ll soon know the Ducks’ place in the pecking order of the new-look Big Ten.
But Friday night on FOX, they’ll face a classic trap game scenario when they take on the Michigan State Spartans. Coming off consecutive losses, including a 38-7 beatdown from Ohio State, the Spartans are firmly in rebuilding mode under first year head coach Jonathan Smith. But that gives MSU a distinct advantage in this game, as Smith spent the past six seasons coaching the Ducks archrival Oregon State Beavers (he was also their starting QB from 1998-2001). His coaching tenure included two upset wins over Oregon, and as a former Beavers player and coach, the Ducks have to be the top team on his hit list. If you’re looking to bet on an underdog this weekend, remember the Spartans.
#9 Missouri at #25 Texas A&M
Saturday, Oct. 5 at 12:00pm ET on ABC/ ESPN3
Once upon a time (2012 to be exact), Missouri and Texas A&M were the new kids on the SEC block. But with Texas and Oklahoma joining the conference this year, these schools are now in their SEC adolescence as they face-off in the most consequential game of the weekend. The 4-0 Tigers opened the first two weeks of the season outscoring their opponents 89-0, but they’ve won their last two games against Boston College and Vanderbilt by a combined 9-points. Missouri has been as high as No. 6 this season and if they can beat the Aggies on the road, they could be a darkhorse for one of the spots in the expanded playoffs.
Texas A&M has been the virtual inverse; they lost their opener to Notre Dame but have been rounding into form over the past several weeks and with two conference wins, sit atop the SEC. In his first full season as head coach, former A&M defensive coordinator Mike Elko faces a tough schedule, but if they can get past the two Tigers (Mizzou and LSU, who they play in two weeks) their game against No. 2 Texas on Nov. 30 could be the biggest of his coaching career.
#12 Ole Miss at South Carolina
Saturday, Oct. 5 at 3:30pm ET on ESPN
After allowing just one touchdown and scoring 40+ points in their first four games, Ole Miss appeared to be one of the top teams in the country. But as is often the case with the Rebels, an inexplicable loss arrived last week when they were upset at home by Kentucky (you can’t spell Ole Miss without “miss”). As frustrating as that loss was, Ole Miss is still in decent position to make the playoff, especially with Jaxson Dart under center.
The bad news for Mississippi is that South Carolina has a defense that’s arguably as good or better than the one that just beat them…and they’re rested coming off of a bye week. Aside from a 3-point loss to LSU, the Gamecocks have looked great this year under head coach Shane Beamer. Beginning with this week, South Carolina heads into a brutal four-game stretch in which they’ll face #12 Ole Miss, #1 Alabama, #19 Oklahoma, and #25 Texas A&M, with Mizzou and Clemson further down the road. If the 3-1 Gamecocks want to play in a bowl game, they’ll need to win at least one of those games, and coming off an emotional loss, Ole Miss just might be the most vulnerable of the bunch.
#8 Miami at Cal
Saturday, Oct. 5 at 10:30pm ET on ESPN
The big night game in Week 6 is worth staying up late for, at least based on last week’s Miami game. In a wild finish, refs waved off what would have been a game-winning, last-second touchdown for Virginia Tech, as Miami escaped with a 38-34 win. That may have cost them one spot in the rankings, but Miami is still on the inside track for a playoff berth due to a lackluster season for the ACC as a whole.
That ACC competition now includes new addition Cal, who dropped their conference debut to Florida State last weekend. Nevertheless, the 3-1 Bears are off to a solid start this season, earning them a visit from the crew of ESPN’s College GameDay on Saturday morning. Because that show starts at 6am local time, at least some of the students in attendance will be ending their Friday in the College GameDay scrum, but for viewers on the East Coast, this game could provide fireworks before bedtime.
NFL International Series – New York Jets at Minnesota Vikings (Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, London)
Sunday, Oct. 5, 9:30am ET on NFL Network
Even in a league that prides itself on parity and surprises, this has been a wildly unpredictable season. And even in the context of unexpected results, the Minnesota Vikings’ 4-0 start might top the list. Not only are they one of just two unbeaten teams, but in three consecutive weeks they’ve soundly defeated three teams that won a playoff game last year: the San Francisco 49ers, Houston Texans, and Green Bay Packers. Most surprising of all, they’ve done all this with ostensible backup quarterback Sam Darnold. It’s early but with a league-leading 11 touchdown passes, Darnold has to be considered the frontrunner for Comeback Player of the Year.
In the first international game of the 2024 season, the Vikings will face a desperate New York Jets team that is coming off a very ugly loss to the Broncos. On paper, the Jets have one of the most talented and balanced rosters in the NFL, but even with a healthy Aaron Rodgers, their season is off to a bumpy start. At 2-2 and playing in a soft AFC East, their season is far from over even with a loss. But a month into the campaign, it still feels like we don’t really know if the Jets are good or not; a win over what’s been the NFL’s best team would go a long way towards proving their worth.
Sunday Night Football – Dallas Cowboys at Pittsburgh Steelers
Sunday, Oct. 5, 8:20pm ET on NBC
A primetime throwback to the classic ‘70s rivalry, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Dallas Cowboys meet at a crucial juncture for both teams. Led by their stout defense, the Steelers jumped out to a 3-0 start before their offensive issues caught up with them in last week’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts. Despite the rest of the AFC North starting slowly for a combined 4-8 record, the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinnati Bengals are beginning to find their footing, so it’s important that the Steelers don’t squander their divisional lead before those rivalry games begin.
As for the 2-2 Dallas Cowboys, what more can be said that a thousand sports shouters haven’t already yelled into the cameras? Dallas has looked awfully mediocre through the first four games, and their schedule is beefing up, with five of their next six games coming against 2023 playoff teams. Although the Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb connection appears strong, the Cowboys need to find a running game (they rank dead last in rushing yards) and fix their bottom-five scoring defense if they hope to make any noise in January.
Monday Night Football – New Orleans Saints at Kansas City Chiefs
Monday, Oct. 6, 8:15pm ET on ESPN
At a time when running backs feel increasingly interchangeable and disposable, we need to show some love to longtime Saints star Alvin Kamara. The eighth year vet is off to his best start since the 2020 season and he’s already scored as many rushing TDs this year (5) as he did in all of last season. Kamara is easily the most important piece in New Orleans’ offense, as the Saints rely on a steady ground attack to open up the playbook for deep passes.
On the other side of the ball, the Chiefs may be the only unbeaten team in the AFC, but they are banged up on offense and only Anthony Richardson and Will Levis have thrown more interceptions than Patrick Mahomes. We all know the script by now: Kansas City struggles early in the season before catching fire in December in January. Still, this is a dangerous pattern to fall into and injury concerns along with a steep drop in production from perennial Pro Bowler Travis Kelce has fans concerned that, even at 4-0, their quest for an unprecedented Super Bowl three-peat could fall short.
