Be prepared for an unexpected surprise.
Week 3 doesn’t look very appealing at first glance. There are only two matches between top teams all weekend and neither of them are on prime time on Saturday night. It’s a great weekend for channel surfing.
It’s also potentially a great weekend for an upset that no one is expecting. Every year there’s a week or two without many standout games. And more often than not, a week we all thought would be straightforward ends with a shocking result. Will that happen this weekend? We’ll soon find out.
Here are the five biggest games of the weekend.
(All times are East Coast times and all The odds are from BetMGM.)
Time: Friday 8:00 p.m. | TV: Fox | Line: Kansas State -7.5 | Total: 58.5
The game of the week is Friday. And it’s a non-conference game between two Big 12 teams. Seriously.
Arizona and Kansas State were scheduled to play a home-and-away series for the 2024 and 2025 seasons before the Tucson Wildcats joined the Big 12 along with three other Pac-12 schools. Thanks to rapid conference expansion, they were able to keep that game on the books, and each team officially begins its nine-game conference schedule after that game.
Both teams hope to reach the Big 12 title game and can build on their Week 2 victories. Kansas State escaped a controversial pass interference penalty against Tulane late in the game. The Manhattan Wildcats allowed the Green Wave nearly 12 yards per pass and converted just two third-down attempts.
Arizona trailed at halftime against FCS opponent Northern Arizona, but scored 16 points in the second half to win 22-10. The Wildcats were penalized 10 times and were even worse than K-State on the third attempt. Arizona went 0-of-10.
K-State’s ability to catch wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan will be crucial in this game. Against NAU, he had just two catches for 11 yards after excelling against New Mexico with 10 catches for 304 yards and four touchdowns.
Time: noon | TV: ABC | Line: LSU -7 | Total: 50.5
This game was selected for ESPN’s “College GameDay” after the Gamecocks embarrassed Kentucky in Week 2. Former Georgia QB Brock Vandagriff made his first SEC start for the Wildcats and was in a mixer. He completed 3 of 10 passes for 30 yards and an interception before being replaced by Gavin Wimsatt. He was no better. Wimsatt completed 3 of 7 for 14 yards and also threw an interception.
South Carolina has allowed just 183 total yards to Kentucky and is giving up just 3.6 yards per play this season. The offense hasn’t been much better, though. The Gamecocks have struggled to move the ball themselves. QB LaNorris Sellers has completed 54% of his passes for 280 yards and former Arkansas RB Raheim Sanders is averaging less than four yards per carry.
Can it get going against an LSU defense that still has some work to do? After LSU got picked apart by USC in Week 1, the team struggled early in Week 2 against Nicholls before posting a shutout for most of the second half.
LSU’s offense is still really, really good. Garrett Nussmeier leads the country with eight touchdown passes after throwing six to Nicholls, and WR Kyren Lacy has four touchdowns. If LSU can’t win in Columbia, it could be a long season in Baton Rouge.
Time: Noon | TV: Fox | Line: Alabama -16.5 | Total: 50.5
What do the Badgers have for the Crimson Tide? Wisconsin is undefeated but has been less than impressive so far this season. The Badgers beat Western Michigan 28-14 in Week 1 – Ohio State outscored the Broncos 56-0 in Week 2 – and then battled FCS opponent South Dakota for most of the game before a fourth-quarter touchdown run by Chez Mellusi gave Wisconsin a 27-13 victory.
This still appears to be a team searching for an offensive identity under Luke Fickell and offensive coordinator Phil Longo. After a 50/50 run-pass ratio last season, Wisconsin has run the ball more than it has thrown it in its two games this season. Former Miami QB Tyler Van Dyke is completing 60% of his passes but is averaging less than seven yards per throw.
Alabama’s Week 2 win was much uglier than the final score suggests. The Crimson Tide made repeated mistakes and led just 14-13 early in the fourth quarter before scoring 28 points in the final 11 minutes to win the game. Alabama got 13 penalties against the Bulls and lost the ball three times. When they don’t lose the ball, Alabama’s offense has looked very good so far in Kalen DeBoer’s tenure. Wisconsin’s defense is their toughest challenge yet.
Time: 12:45 p.m. | TV: SEC Network | Line: Missouri -17 | Total: 54
The weekend’s only other game between ranked opponents is an unexpected one. We all thought Missouri would be a contender for the 2024 College Football Playoff. But Boston College is riding high very early in the Bill O’Brien era.
The Eagles ran over, around and through Florida State in a 28-13 win in Week 1 and continued to keep the ball on the ground in an easy win over Duquesne in Week 2. Thomas Castellanos has thrown just 26 passes in two games while the Eagles as a team have had nearly 100 rushing attempts. The team’s best runner is former Florida State and Kansas State running back Treshaun Ward. He has 20 carries for 132 yards.
Missouri’s defense has played Murray State and Buffalo so far this season, but still allows just 127 yards per game. The opposing offense averages just 2.6 yards per carry, and the Tigers have allowed just 82 yards passing all season.
Offensively, the Tigers average over six yards per play and are very efficient. Star WR Luther Burden left the Buffalo game at halftime due to illness and should be ready to play in Week 3. When Burden was out, Theo Wease had 13 catches for 149 yards.
Time: 3:30 p.m. | TV: Fox | Line: 16.5 | Total: 50.5
That rivalry continues even though Oregon is now a member of the Big Ten and Oregon State and Washington State are in the Pac-2 wilderness. While the Ducks face the Beavers, Wazzu will visit Washington as the annual Apple Cup rivalry continues.
Oregon has dropped from No. 3 to start the season to No. 9 thanks to two close wins. The Ducks failed to beat Idaho in Week 1 and needed a late field goal to get past Boise State in Week 2. Broncos RB Ashton Jeanty ran over Oregon late Saturday night and the offensive line showed serious teething issues after losing two starters.
Oregon State will look to replicate Jeanty’s feat. The Beavers have run the ball on over 70% of offensive plays so far this season, and both Jam Griffin and Anthony Hankerson have rushed for over 200 yards and three touchdowns. The crowd in Corvallis will surely be soured by the re-alignment of the last 18 months, and that could give the Beavers a boost.
Other games to watch
Arizona State vs. Texas State (Thursday, 7:30 p.m., ESPN): Arizona State defeated Mississippi State at home in Week 2 to move to 2-0 as the Bobcats made a statement. Texas State defeated UTSA 49-10 in a game to secure supremacy in the Texas State Group of Five. Arizona State has improved significantly since 2023, but don’t be surprised if Texas State wins.
Memphis vs. Florida State (12:00 p.m., ESPN): Mike Norvell’s Seminoles are 0-2 and desperately need a win. It won’t be easy against his old school. The Tigers are one of the best non-power conference teams in the country and easily beat Troy in Week 2. A win for Memphis could upset Florida State and significantly improve the Tigers’ chances of making the College Football Playoffs.
Tulane at No. 15 Oklahoma (3:30 p.m., ESPN): The Sooners’ win over Houston in Week 2 was painful. OU won 16-12 and, well, OU fans are happy to move on with a 2-0 team. Tulane kept up with Kansas State and had several chances to win. If Oklahoma is sluggish again in Week 3, Tulane is good enough to capitalize.
Texas A&M vs. Florida (3:30 p.m., ABC): Both teams desperately need to open the conference with a win. The Gators will need to use both Graham Mertz and DJ Lagway at quarterback after Mertz missed Week 2 with a concussion. A&M’s Week 1 loss to Notre Dame looks much worse after the Irish’s Week 2 loss to Northern Illinois.
West Virginia at Pitt (3:30 p.m., ESPN2): This long-standing rivalry is renewed as the Panthers look to start the game 3-0. Pitt overcame a 27-6 deficit in the third quarter and beat Cincinnati 28-27 on a field goal in the final seconds.
Colorado vs. Colorado State (7:30 p.m., CBS): Colorado State will be very prepared for the Buffaloes after last year’s game in Boulder. The Rams are wary of the attention Deion Sanders’ program has received for its 5-9 record since the start of the 2023 season. A Colorado State win would intensify the rivalry and raise even more questions about the Buffaloes.
