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Week 3 is here, and that means we’re a quarter of the way through the regular season. Time marches with a fury that we cannot fathom. Anyway, while this may be a week with one game circled, there are others worth watching before and after, and perhaps during halftime of, LSU’s game.

Thursday

You get one option this week, but it’s far better than last week’s offering.

6:30 p.m. on ESPN: Syracuse at Pitt

These teams are an affront to the football gods. Everything about them feels wrong. Pitt feels like they are way better, but that UCF game was questionable at best.

Friday

Somehow, there’s a ranked vs ranked game in here and also a late game which makes no sense for being on Friday.

7:00 p.m. on Fox: #22 Houston at #13 Texas Tech

Texas Tech gets an early test to prove if they’ve got what it takes to make any noise in the CFP this year. Houston gets a chance to prove they’re a Big 12 contender. It should be fun.

9:30 p.m. on BTN: Portland State at #21 Oregon

It’s definitely a football game, alright. Was there any reason to put this game on a Friday night? Either way, it’ll be on.

Saturday early

The 11 a.m. Saturday slate is one of the weirdest I’ve seen. Big Noon Saturday is Ohio State vs Kent State for some reason, but Big Noon Kickoff is at Wembley Stadium.

FS1: Union Jack Classic (Arizona State vs Kansas in Wembley Stadium)

For some reason, this game is happening in Week 3 and not as part of Week 0. I refuse to make sense of it. This is a game that both teams need to win to keep their seasons on course.

ABC: #2 Georgia at Arkansas

Turns out the Ryan Silverfield hire was bad. What a total and immediate shock.

ESPN: North Carolina at Clemson

The best part about this game is that every outcome is funny, but some are absolutely hilarious.

11:45 a.m. on SECN: NC State at Vanderbilt

I don’t get why the SEC Network has decided to throw their schedule off by 45 minutes, but that’s what they did. These are two teams that could be very bad or be just okay. This game could give an answer either way.

Saturday afternoon

This is a pretty dead afternoon slate, all things considered. All games are at 2:30 p.m. except as noted.

ABC: Florida State at #10 Alabama

If Florida State wins this game, Kalen DeBoer is going learn what happened to Bill Curry in 1988 after getting beat by Ole Miss.

CBS: #12 USC at Rutgers

Rutgers is Chris Ash-era bad. This game could get very ugly. Rubberneck at your own risk.

ESPN: Kentucky at #9 Texas A&M

Alabama whipped Kentucky in the second half last week, so Texas A&M will want to do the same.

3:15 p.m. on SECN: Mississippi State at South Carolina

This game feels extremely important for both teams, but it feels especially important for Shane Beamer. MSU has a solid QB who looked good in the Twin Cities last week, and if he runs circles around South Carolina, it’s going to look bad.

Lane Kiffin dodges golf balls slate

Of course LSU and Ole Miss is happening, but here are some other things to put on a second screen during that game. All games start at 6:30 p.m. unless noted.

6:00 p.m. on ESPN: Florida at Auburn

Before LSU gets started, there’s this game that gives Florida their first test of 2026. I’m intrigued to see how this goes in a game that sees USF’s former head coach against Tulane’s former head coach.

ACCN: West Virginia at #25 Virginia

This is an interesting game. WVU is working back to being a good team, and a solid showing here would say a lot about the rest of this season. Virginia might roll right through them, though.

NBC: Michigan State at #3 Notre Dame

It’s a classic rivalry, but Notre Dame might be too good for this game to be close. Michigan State still needs time to get their offense clicking.

Pac-12 After Dark

There are some interesting games here for better and for worse.

9:00 p.m. on The CW: James Madison at San Diego State

A classic coast-to-coast game pits Billy Napier’s James Madison against an okay San Diego State team. JMU needs to run the table for a shot at the CFP, and a big win here definitely helps.

9:30 p.m. on ESPN: North Dakota State at Sacramento State

The FBS newcomers are meeting each other, but this game will be a beatdown. NDSU is a contender for the MWC and Sacramento State is still a mediocre FCS squad. It’s just an interesting game.

10:00 p.m. on BTN: Purdue at UCLA

Yes, there is a P4 game on. No, it’s not two big names. That said, Purdue played a fun one against Wake Forest last week and will look for an upset in the Rose Bowl.

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