College football on TV: What to watch Saturday

Break out the chips and cold drinks, but let Chris Dufresne handle the remote. Each Friday, The Times’ national college football writer handicaps what’s worth watching, and skipping, on Saturday’s menu of games:

MORNING

No. 6 Oklahoma State (6-0) at Missouri (3-3)

9 a.m., FX

Excitement meets disappointment on the prairie in a game that will be in the peripheral vision of St. Louis Cardinals fans absorbed in the World Series.

Oklahoma State is in the thick of title contention, opening at No. 4 in the first Bowl Championship Series standings, and Missouri is trying to pick up the pieces after a 2-3 start.

Gamblers will be watching this game with upset stomachs. Missouri has won 10 home games in a row and is massaging the momentum of a 52-17 win over Iowa State.

Oklahoma State gives up 426 yards per game but has created 17 turnovers in the last four games.

No. 12 Kansas State (6-0) at Kansas (2-4)

9 a.m., FS West

Kansas State was picked to finish eighth in the 10-team Big 12, which is better than being picked 12th in a 10-team Big Eight. Coach Bill Snyder looks to go 7-0 for the first time since 1999, and Kansas looks to build on last week’s 30-point loss to Oklahoma. Seriously, Kansas wasn’t as crummy as the 47-17 scored looked, even though the Jayhawks still give up almost half-a-hundred points per game.

9 a.m.: No. 10 Arkansas at Mississippi, KDOC; North Carolina at No. 8 Clemson, ESPN; No. 23 Illinois at Purdue, ESPN2; Jacksonville State at Kentucky, ESPNU; Indiana at Iowa, BTN.

9:30 a.m.: Wake Forest at Duke, Channel 13.

MIDDAY

No. 19 Auburn (5-2) at No. 1 Louisiana State (7-0)

12:30 p.m., Channel 2

The game is on real grass, but three top LSU players are out for reportedly smoking synthetic marijuana. Announcers Verne Lundquist and Gary Danielson will somehow find a way to make this all sound like a positive test for the Southeastern Conference. Auburn might be the first defending national champion to be a 22-point underdog anywhere the next season. The line might have something to do with Auburn’s quarterback making his first start in a place called “Death Valley.”

Air Force (3-3) at No. 5 Boise State (6-0)

12:30 p.m., Versus

Boise State, which never lost a home game in the Western Athletic Conference, makes its home debut in the Mountain West. How’s this for a welcome gift? The Mountain West has banned Boise from wearing its traditional blue uniforms because league coaches complained the players were too tough to see on the school’s blue field.

Noon: Boston College at No. 16 Virginia Tech, Prime.

12:30 p.m.: No. 13 Nebraska at Minnesota, Channel 7; No. 20 Georgia Tech at Miami, ESPN; Maryland at Florida State, ESPN2; North Carolina State at Virginia, ESPNU; No. 9 Oregon at Colorado, FS West; East Carolina at Navy, CBSSN.

AFTERNOON

Penn State (6-1) at Northwestern (2-4)

4 p.m., Big Ten Network

Penn State, bland as its uniforms, takes its generic No. 78 offense to the north shore of Chicago. Penn State has won games this year 14-10, 16-10 and 13-3. No wonder Joe Paterno coaches from the press box. Joe’s defense, though, is tough as Pennsylvania railroad nails.

USC (5-1) at Notre Dame (4-2)

4:30 p.m., Channel 4

Remember that game for the ages in 2005? Well, that isn’t happening again. Nothing will top Pete Carroll versus Charlie Weis and the Bush Push, but this game has dynamite potential for schools that aren’t ranked.

This is the first night game at South Bend in the matchup, but let’s hope the sun never sets on one of college’s greatest rivalries.

4 p.m.: Army at Vanderbilt, ESPNU; Tulsa at Rice, Prime.

4:15 p.m.: Tennessee at No. 2 Alabama, ESPN2.

EVENING

No. 4 Wisconsin (6-0) at No. 15 Michigan State (5-1)

5 p.m., ESPN

Wisconsin’s schedule must have been made by Better Homes and Gardens. As good as we think the Badgers are, this is their first road game of the season.

Cautionary note: Michigan was 6-0 last week when it went to East Lansing and left with its first loss.

No. 22 Washington (5-1) at No. 7 Stanford (6-0)

5 p.m., Channel 7

You’ve come a long way, kids. Stanford was 1-11 in 2006 and Washington was 0-12 in 2008, yet here they meet as ranked opponents in prime time. Jim Harbaugh pulled Stanford out of its stupor; Steve Sarkisian seems to be doing the same in Seattle.

5 p.m.: Southern Methodist at Southern Mississippi, CBSSN.

7:30 p.m.: Oregon State at Washington State, Prime; Florida A&M at South Carolina State (delayed), ESPNU.

chris.dufresne@latimes.com