College football on TV: What to watch Saturday

SATURDAY VIEWERS GUIDE

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. 16 Mississippi State (1-0) at Auburn (1-0)

9 a.m., KDOC

Your Saturday wake-up check should include Fruit Loops, cartoons, KDOC and the SEC. The juicy back story here: Mississippi State was the source of last year’s Cam Newton, pay-for-play controversy. Newton’s father allegedly sought $180,000 from Mississippi State for his son’s services. The Bulldogs said no, and Newton ended up leading Auburn to the national title. Some people still say “Hmmm….”

Oregon State (0-1) at No. 8 Wisconsin (1-0)

9 a.m. ESPN

Skip breakfast — this could be unsettling. Oregon State scheduled a tuneup game last week against Sacramento State to prepare for these monsters of Madison. Sacramento State won. Quarterback Russell Wilson, a transfer from North Carolina State, gives Wisconsin a national-title look. Oregon State doesn’t even have a Rodgers brother to throw back at the Badgers. Jacquizz has moved on; James is recovering from a knee injury.

9 a.m.: Florida Atlantic at Michigan State, ESPN2

9 a.m.: Iowa at Iowa State, FS West

9 a.m.: Central Michigan at Kentucky, ESPNU

9 a.m.: San Diego State at Army, CBSSN

9 a.m.: Toledo at Ohio State, BTN

9:30 a.m.: Rutgers at North Carolina, Channel 13

MIDDAY

No. 3 Alabama (1-0) at No. 23 Penn State (1-0)

12:30 p.m., Channel 7

We touted this game last year in Tuscaloosa, Ala., and it backfired like Joe Paterno’s 1928 DeSoto. Alabama dominated, 24-3, and this year shouldn’t be any different. This isn’t Maryland’s uniforms versus Oregon’s uniforms, thank goodness, so you won’t have visit an ophthalmologist afterward. Enjoy this traditional matchup before tradition is outlawed by expansionist commissioners.

No. 6 Stanford (1-0) at Duke (0-1)

12:30 p.m., ESPNU

Oregon bombed in its debut against Louisiana State, USC struggled against Minnesota, Oregon State lost to Sacramento State and UCLA let Houston slip away. So that pretty much leaves Stanford as the Pacific 12 Conference’s best hope to finish 9-3. This game’s worth a look just to watch Andrew Luck, the nation’s best quarterback, carve up a Duke team that lost last week to Richmond. The over/under: It’ll be over at halftime.

No. 12 South Carolina (1-0) at Georgia (0-1)

1:30 p.m. ESPN

Georgia doesn’t like Steve Spurrier. This goes way back to when Spurrier was a quarterback, and then coach, at Florida. In 1995, as the story goes, Coach Spurrier was inspired to become the first to hang 50 points on Georgia at Sanford Stadium. The final score was 52-17. Georgia’s more pressing concern is not falling to 0-2 after last week’s loss to Boise State.

12:30 p.m.: Nevada at Oregon, FX

12:30 p.m.: Cincinnati at Tennessee, ESPN2

12:30 p.m.: Virginia Tech at East Carolina, FS West

12:30 p.m.: Texas Christian at Air Force, Versus

12:30 p.m.: North Carolina State at Wake Forest, Prime

12:30 p.m.: Purdue at Rice, CBSSN

12:30 p.m.: Eastern Illinois at Northwestern, BTN

AFTERNOON

Utah (1-0) at USC (1-0)

4:30 p.m., Versus

Utah had an ordinary opener against Montana State only because first-year offensive coordinator Norm Chow was holding back spectacular plays for this week’s return to the Coliseum. Chow, USC’s former play caller, is itching to show he still knows where the end zone is. Utah fans better hope so. If not, Utah is just ordinary, which makes this an even matchup against above-average USC. It’s a classic — check that, the first — tale of a mid-major trying to find its way in a new conference against a sanctions-torn program with an incessant fight song.

4 p.m.: Brigham Young at Texas, ESPN2

4 p.m.: Texas El Paso at Southern Methodist, FS West

4 p.m.: New Mexico at Arkansas, ESPNU

4 p.m.: Virginia at Indiana, BTN

EVENING

Notre Dame (0-1) at Michigan (1-0)

5 p.m., ESPN

After 520 kickoffs in the presence of the sun, Michigan is staging its first night game in Ann Arbor. This game should really be on the Weather Channel. Lightning forced Michigan’s opening win against Western Michigan to end late in the third quarter. Notre Dame fans were forced to evacuate twice during last week’s home loss to South Florida, and officials are optimistic some of them will return for next week’s game against Michigan State.

5 p.m.: Boston College at Central Florida, CBSSN

7 p.m.: San Jose State at UCLA, FS West

7:30 p.m. (delayed): South Carolina State at Bethune Cookman, ESPNU

9:30 p.m. (delayed): Alabama Birmingham at Florida, Prime

11 p.m. (delayed) Texas El Paso at Southern Methodist, FS West