What's Up This Weekend

TigerBlog has never seen a college football game involving two BCS schools when one of the schools wasn't Rutgers except for the time he covered Georgia Tech-Penn State in the 1991 Kickoff Classic at Giants Stadium.

In other words, he's never seen a BCS-level game on a campus other than Rutgers and not since long before Rutgers redid its stadium.

As cool as it would be to go one of the very biggest-time games on somebody's campus - or even to experience the game-day traditions at some of the next level big-time conference schools - if you asked TB what one college football game he'd most want to see in person, he wouldn't even have to think about it:

Army-Navy.

The game leaps out of the television each year with how hard every player on both teams plays on every down, regardless of how their seasons are going or what the score of the game is.

In general, TB loves to watch Navy run its option offense, and he's long thought that Navy (and Army to a lesser extent) is as close in college football as Princeton was in college basketball back when Princeton was the only team to run the Princeton offense.

The 113th meeting between Army and Navy is tomorrow at 3 at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia. Among the venues that at one time hosted an Army-Navy game? Princeton's Osbourne Field, which was the site of the 1905 game.

Sadly, TB will be unable to watch much of tomorrow's game, as he'll be watching Princeton-Drexel men's basketball instead. Tip-off at Jadwin Gym is at 2.

In addition to the game, the NCAA-champion field hockey team will be honored at halftime. 

There are only four basketball games remaining to be played on Carril Court at Jadwin Gym in the calendar year of 2012.

The Princeton-Drexel game is one of three men's home games remaining on the December schedule, along with a Dec. 20 game against Rider and a Dec. 22 game against Bucknell. Princeton is also at the new Barclay's Center in Brooklyn next Saturday at 2:30 to take on Fordham.

The only women's home game still to be played this month is also against Drexel, and like last year, the Princeton-Drexel women's game will be played on New Year's Eve afternoon. The women will be busy between now and then though, beginning Sunday with a game at Delaware.

It was a year ago that unbeaten Delaware and unbeaten Princeton met on Carril Court in a game that turned out to be a  showcase of the glorious all-around ability of Elena Delle Donne.

The Delaware star was so impressive that TB immediately began to think that this must have been what it was like to see Bill Bradley come to town back when he was at Princeton.

This time, Delle Donne might not play against Princeton, as she has only played once this year due to the same illness that slowed her two years ago, when she missed the game against the Tigers.

And this raises today's ethical question of: If you're Princeton, do you want her to play or not?

Princeton's chances of defeating the Blue Hens clearly go way up if Delle Donne doesn't play. Still, TB would much rather have Delle Donne on the court, because why would Princeton want to play Delaware when she's not there? It won't be nearly as much fun, win or lose.

Princeton is at Villanova Wednesday and then plays DePaul and Illlinois State before Christmas on a trip to the Midwest.

What else is there this weekend?

The men's hockey team is home for the third time this year and final time in 2012 when it hosts Quinnipiac tomorrow at 4. The teams meet tonight in Hamden, Conn.; the women reverse that, with a game here today at 4 and then another one tomorrow in Connecticut.

Quinnipiac, by the way, is ranked 13th nationally.

Princeton will be playing its 11th and 12th men's hockey games in the 44 days since the season began. After this, Princeton is off for three weeks before playing two games in an event at Vermong Dec. 29-30 and then have five home games in January, with home weekends Jan. 4/5 and Jan. 11/12.

There's also the chance this weekend to see the No. 1-ranked (and defending national champion) Princeton men's squash team take on No. 4 Rochester. The wrestling team is home today, and there is a track and field meet here Sunday.

In other words, it's a pretty busy weekend.

Put another way, there are 12 events this weekend involving Princeton teams. After this weekend, there are 13 more for the rest of the month.

Of those 12, seven are at home. For the rest of the month, there are just four more home events (two men's basketball, one women's basketball, one wrestling).

So you may have to miss out on the Army-Navy game.

But you'll be done in plenty of time for "Homeland" Sunday night.