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I know I've been saying it a lot on this platform this week, but now is another good time to say that the college football season always goes by way too fast. 

Iowa football fans anxiously waited all summer long to see their team return to the gridiron, but once the Hawkeyes finally began their 2026 campaign on Sept. 5, the weeks just fly by, don't they? 

It's already time for the non-conference finale against in-state foe Northern Iowa on Saturday afternoon (3 p.m., FS1). Your attention will obviously be turned towards that game, but what about the rest of the Week 3 slate? It's not an amazing schedule, but there's one game that's going to be must-see TV for the entire country that night. 

Here's your Week 3 viewing guide. 

Friday

No. 22 Houston (2-0) @ No. 13 Texas Tech (2-0) 

Time/TV: 7 p.m. on FOX 

It's a shame this isn't the Big Noon Kickoff game on Saturday, because the 11 a.m. slate is very unappealing to you all. This one is going to be the perfect Friday appetizer, though. Texas Tech has looked shaky this year, so maybe this is the time for Willie Fritz to continue Houston's rapid ascension to Big 12 contention? 

No. 5 Miami (2-0) @ Wake Forest (2-0) 

Time/TV: 6:30 p.m. on ESPN 

Miami is a 21-point road favorite here, but this is still an interesting game. Wake Forest won nine games last year and could be a pesky out on its home field. 

Saturday 

No. 16 SMU (2-0) @ No. 23 Louisville (1-1) 

Time/TV: 2:30 p.m. on ESPN2 

Jeff Brohm has turned Louisville into one of the best programs in the ACC since he left Purdue four years ago, and he's got his prized transfer portal addition running the show this year is Ohio State transfer quarterback Lincoln Kienholz. The quarterback dual between Kienholz and SMU's Kevin Jennings will be FUN. ACC supremacy is on the line in The Bluegrass State. 

If you have two TV's, you may want to put this game one while you watch the Iowa game. 

Florida (2-0) @ Auburn (2-0) 

Time/TV: 6 p.m. on ESPN 

Most of Hawkeye Nation doesn't care for the SEC, but this is a good matchup to watch before the night's biggest games kick off. Alex Golesh (Auburn) and Jon Sumrall (Florida) are both looking to make statements in their first year at their respective programs, and what better way to do it than to play one another in Week 3? 

No. 7 LSU (2-0) @ No. 8 Ole Miss (2-0) 

Time/TV: 6:30 p.m. on ABC

We've been circling this game on the calendar ever since Lane Kiffin departed for LSU, and it's finally here. I can't imagine what that atmosphere in Oxford is going to be like on Saturday night. I'll be finishing up Iowa-Northern Iowa postgame coverage in the press coverage, but I can assure me and the other reporters up there will be tuned in to this game. 

Colorado (2-0) @ Northwestern (1-0) 

Time/TV: 6:30 p.m. on FOX 

If you're not interested in watching the game of the week, then you should turn your sights to this compelling matchup. Northwestern, playing its final home game at the lakefront before moving in to the new Ryan Field, had an early bye week to prepare for what seems to be an improved Colorado team under Coach Prime. 

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HawkeyeRoundtable publisher Brad Schultz has covered the Iowa Hawkeyes since 2023. To send him story ideas, scoops, or criticize his writing, reach him at bradschultz@roundtable.io

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