College Football 2012 ESPN TV Schedule: Power Ranking Every Thursday Night Game

Most of the great college football games are played on Saturday, but every once in a while you end up with a fantastic game a little early that takes place on a Thursday. A lot of these teams may not be prestigious programs, but the match ups do have the potential to keep you occupied on a lonely Thursday night.

ESPN has just released their TV schedule for the 2012 College Football season and there are quite a few great match ups that you should have circled on your calendar.

With the College Football season just around the corner, here are the power rankings for every Thursday night game on ESPN. We have been blessed with some real gems this season, so get your pens out.

12. Pittsburgh at Cincinnati: September 6

Who knows what you are going to get out of these two teams?

I do know that Pittsburgh returns eight starters on the offensive side of the ball and has a sleeper Heisman candidate in running back Ray Graham. The Bearcats are a real up and down team that has several issues on both sides of the ball.

Four of the last five meetings between these two teams have been decided by single-digits, so maybe we get lucky and get a good Thursday night game early on in the year.

11. Washington State at Brigham Young: August 30

BYU can be a team that surprises many this season, after winning 10 games last year and returning majority of its players. I have no idea what to expect from Washington State, with a new head coach in Mike Leach and a defense that was absolutely horrible a season ago. This game is being played at 10:15 p.m. EST, so if doesn't satisfy your needs, you can just go to bed.

10. Rutgers at South Florida: September 13

While the Big East may not be that appealing, this is a match up that could be worth watching. South Florida returns a veteran team of 15 starters, including a decent dual-threat quarterback in B.J. Daniels. Rutgers also returns a majority of their team and was ranked eighth in the country last season in points allowed. The last two meetings against these teams have been decided by three points or less.

Put this game on and see what happens, you may be surprised.

9. Clemson at Wake Forest: October 25

You should all know by now how I feel about this Clemson team. I picked them to win the ACC as I don't see many teams stopping this offense that returns the nucleus that averaged nearly 34 points per contest a season ago. Wake Forest on the other hand has been an inconsistent team that can never get its act together, and it doesn't look good only returning three players on the offensive side of the ball.

You should still check this game out to see this Tigers team in action, but don't expect much of a game. Clemson has won the last three meetings, with two of those games being decided by at least 20 points.

8. Louisville at Rutgers: November 29

While the Big East may be the weakest BCS conference by far, that does not mean that there won't be any interesting games featuring those teams. With Rutgers and Louisville being probably the most talented teams in the conference and this game taking place at the end of the year, the outcome of this matchup may determine the winner of the Big East. 

The Cardinals return 18 starters, including a quarterback named Teddy Bridgewater that you should all get to know. While Rutgers is a solid defensive team that returns 14 starters from a year ago.

Neither one of these teams is going to knock your socks off, but a good game is a good game.

7. Stanford at Washington: September 27

This game has the potential to provide a lot of fireworks. Stanford may have lost Andrew Luck and company, but still returns 13 starters, including 1,000 yard rusher Stepfan Taylor. Washington showed little defensive presence last season, but does have eight starters on offense returning, including future star quarterback Keith Price. 

The Cardinal has won the last two meetings by 40-plus points, but something tells me that this meeting will be a lot closer this time around.

6. North Carolina at Virginia: November 15

Neither one of these teams may be high on your radar heading into the 2012 season, but they are sleepers to win the ACC this season. Virginia is a well-coached team that won eight games last season, and returns seven starters on offense. While North Carolina showed some promise last season and returns eight starters on offense.

With the ACC always being an up and down conference, the outcome of this game could be huge for both programs.

5. South Carolina at Vanderbilt: August 30

Two SEC teams battle it out on the first Thursday night game of the year. And you can say what you want about Vanderbilt, but head coach James Franklin is quickly turning around that program into a competitive football team. Sure, South Carolina will likely win, but the Commodores have lost the last three meetings against the Gamecocks by a combined score of 20 points.

Watching this game will be interesting for two reasons: to see how this Vanderbilt team matches up early and to see how healthy running back Marcus Lattimore's knee is. This South Carolina team could compete for the SEC title if he is completely healthy.

4. Brigham Young at Boise State: September 20

Two programs that many are quick to put on the back burner meet for the first time since 2004. BYU has a really good chance to be great this season, returning 16 starters, including nine on the offensive side of the ball. Boise State may have lost nearly its entire team, but still has solid pieces in place and a great head coach that loves to be doubted.

Neither one of these teams has much firepower to get you excited, but if you are looking for a solid and well played football game, this is the matchup for you.

3. Oregon at Arizona State: October 18

The Ducks have won the last seven meetings against the Arizona State Sun Devils, but lately the games have been much closer. Sure, the Sun Devils lost majority of their offensive production, but they do return seven starters on a defense that showed it can play well when it wants to.

Still need more convincing to watch this game?

How about a high-flying Oregon Ducks offense and seeing De'Anthony Thomas run all over the field? The Ducks have scored no less than 40 points in the last four meetings.

2. Virginia Tech at Miami (FL): November 1

Who knows what in the world is going to happen to the Miami Hurricanes as they only return 10 starters from last year, including only four on the offensive side of the ball. I do know that Miami is still a team that draws everyone's attention no matter what is going on, and last time I checked, Virginia Tech was a pretty good ball club.

In the last 11 meetings between these two teams, 10 of those games have been decided by single-digits. I'll take that any day of the week for my college football schedule.

1. Florida State at Virginia Tech: November 8

If you are a fan of defense, this is the game for you as the Hokies return nine starters from a defense that ranked 10th in the country, while the Seminoles have eight starters from a defense that ranked fourth. The offenses may struggle as both teams have units that lack playmakers. But overall this should be a defensive bloodbath and a game that features a lot of bone-crunching hits.

Did I forget to mention that both of these teams have ACC Championship on their minds? Yes, this will be a huge game on a Thursday with a lot on the line. This is the Thursday night game that no college football fan is going to want to miss.