College football 2021: Best games to watch in Week 3
Each week, the Times’ national college sports reporter J. Brady McCollough will help plan your Saturday game-watch schedule by revealing the matchups he will have his eye on at each stage of the day.
Kegs and Eggs
Nebraska at No. 3 Oklahoma, 9 a.m., Fox
Seeing these old Big 8 Conference rivals take the field together will bring nostalgia.
No. 8 Cincinnati at Indiana, 9 a.m., ESPN
USC fans can learn more about Cincinnati’s Luke Fickell, a potential head-coaching candidate.
No. 15 Virginia Tech at West Virginia, 9 a.m., FS1
Are the Hokies for real? They’ll have a great chance to prove it in Morgantown.
Michigan State at No. 24 Miami, 9 a.m., ABC
Has Miami recovered from its Alabama beatdown enough to hold off a hot Michigan State team?
Raised for greatness, Crenshaw’s Donte Williams is the first Black head football coach at USC, the program his mother dreamed he’d join.
Minnesota at Colorado, 10 a.m., Pac-12 Network
The Buffaloes nearly had a top-five upset over Texas A&M but could be 1-2 real quick.
Fire up the grill
Purdue at No. 12 Notre Dame, 11:30 a.m., NBC
Luck has been on the Fighting Irish’s side, and Purdue could put an end to that streak.
No. 1 Alabama at No. 11 Florida, 12:30 p.m., CBS
The Swamp will be rocking early, but how long can the Gators keep their fans engaged?
USC at Washington State, 12:30 p.m., Fox
Weird stuff happens in Pullman, and the Trojans will be playing their first game without Clay Helton.
Night game buzz
Utah at San Diego State, 4 p.m., CBS Sports Network
The Utes took a tough loss to rival Brigham Young and won’t have an easy rebound against the Aztecs.
No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State, 4:30 p.m., ABC
This feels like an Outback Bowl, but it’s so much better as a “white out” night game in Happy Valley.
Virginia at No. 21 North Carolina, 4:30 p.m., ACC Network
North Carolina was dreadful in its opener but can restore its high ceiling by beating a tough Virginia team.
After dark
Oklahoma State at Boise State, 6 p.m., FS1
If the Broncos want to prove they belong in the expanded Big 12, now’s the time.
UCLA is preparing to host Fresno State after a bye week, with an eye on improvement and avoiding a letdown after rising to No. 13 in the top 25 polls.
No. 19 Arizona State at No. 23 Brigham Young, 7:15 p.m., ESPN
BYU can improve to 3-0 against the Pac-12 by spitting out the untested Sun Devils.
Fresno State at No. 13 UCLA, 7:45 p.m., Pac-12 Network
UCLA better hope it didn’t lose momentum during the bye because the Bulldogs can play.
Go beyond the scoreboard
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