College Football Week 3 - What to Watch and Open Thread

Another glorious Saturday filled with college football is upon us. Won't you enjoy it with us?

Before State get's kicked off tonight against the Troy Trojans, there is plenty of great football to watch from around the SEC and the entire country. Here's the games of note today, their times, and what channel they will be on

Here's your full schedule of games for today, brought to you by the fine folks at the mothership

SATURDAY'S TOP GAMES
11:00 AM	California at Ohio State	...	OSU -16
11:00 AM	TCU at Kansas	...	TCU -21
11:00 AM	Wake Forest at Florida St	...	FSU -27
11:00 AM	Arkansas St at Nebraska	...	NEB -23
2:30 PM	Virginia Tech at Pitt	. ..	VT -10
2:30 PM	Alabama at Arkansas	.....	AL -20
2:30 PM	Navy at Penn St		PSU -7
2:30 PM	N. Carolina at Louisville		UL -3
2:30 PM	Virginia at Georgia Tech	...	GT -10
5:00 PM	Florida at Tennessee	...	TN -3
6:00 PM	Arizona St at Missouri	...	MU -4
6:30 PM	USC at Stanford	..	USC -9
7:00 PM	Notre Dame at Michigan St	.. .	MSU -5
9:10 PM	Texas at Ole Miss	...	UT -10
9:00 PM	BYU at Utah	.. .	BYU -4
All times Central

Spencer Hall's Rootability Index: Week 3

College Football Rootability attempts to sort out the most likable teams in the weekend's given matchups for the uninvested fan. It makes little sense, but neither does college football. And we love it so.

Week 3 Point Spreads

Loving USC to roll Stanford tonight? Are you willing to lay 8.5 points with a road team? Before you put money down, compare point spreads and game totals from online and Vegas-based sports books, updating live in real time.

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Complete Week 3 Television Schedule

Get the complete listings for all 61 college football games being televised this Saturday.

What we're watching today [All times Central]:

College Gameday - ESPN - 8 a.m. to 11 a.m.

It's just not a day of college football without starting it with Chris, Kirk, Coach, and Desmond, oh and Samantha Steele, aka basically one of those fembots from the Austin Powers movies (not complaining).

The gang is set up in Knoxville, Tennessee this weekend for the Florida - Tennessee rivalry, and more importantly, the first game between the two in several seasons that has actually mattered. I have, believe it or not, been to College Gameday in Knoxville before. Surprise! Yep, back in 2004, a buddy and I traveled the 5+ hours up to watch Auburn - Tennessee play (he is an Auburn fan, I was a closet UT fan for years). We got there late, but it was still a neat experience. Until the game that is, when Auburn beat UT like a red headed step child (that was the 13-0 year).

UL-Monroe at Auburn - ESPN Network - 11:21 a.m.

Last week would I have been interested in this game? No way. Now? Absolutely. The Warhawks already have one more SEC win under their belts than Auburn, and they have the confidence to potentially make it two. I think Auburn wins in the end, but it will be too close for comfort for Auburn fans, who are still like WTH Chizik when do we get to relive 2010?

(1) Alabama at Arkansas - CBS - 2:30 p.m.

I'd say that CBS has got to be pissed now to have this game rather than the usual UT-Florida, but who are we kidding, Verne Lundquist loves Fayetteville. During commercial breaks, Verne puts on his hog hat and calls the hogs along with the swarms of Wal-Mart greeters hog fans in the stands. Not because he's an Arkansas fan, just because a hog call is the only thing that helps him deal with the Tebow withdrawal shakes he's dealt with for a few seasons now.

This game was going to be awesome coming into the season, but now? Geeze, it can't end fast enough. There could be blood on the field by halftime, at which point Nick Saban will come out, taste it, and declare the blood unfit to be given a scholarship. Pray for Arkansas, you guys.

Texas A&M at SMU - FSN - 2:30 p.m.

You can flip back and forth between games with this one and Bama-Arky, mostly to stifle the horrid images of Arkansas' on the field dismantling. I'm not 100% sure Texas A&M wins this one going away, but then I will spot Craig James in the stands and I'll just laugh, and laugh, and laugh. Then Texas A&M will win, because SMU's field is cursed #CJK5H

(18) Florida at (23) Tennessee - ESPN - 5 p.m.

I'm pretty pumped about this one. This game should parallel some of the old UT-Florida games that were close, rather than the blowouts played during the Urban Years (sounds like a suburbanish comedy on ABC). This game should be close, but I like Tennessee to win by a field goal. Florida will have a late chance to score, but Dooley's pants will magically reach out and tackle the guy. The Florida player will scream foul, but honestly, who will believe them? They're pants for goodness sakes.

MSU at Troy - ESPN3 - 6 p.m.

You already know I'll be watching this one, and so will you. Man, I really hope we don't come out flat. I think State wins easily, but we better come prepared. Troy is going to throw everything they have at us.

(2) USC at (21) Stanford - Fox - 7:30 p.m.

If Gus Johnson and Erin Andrews aren't on the call here then I will turn it approximately 2.5 seconds after flipping to it. I just don't think this game will be much to watch one year after Andrew Luck. Stanford has 2 soft-opponent wins so far, while USC is crazy talented on offense and has enough on D to still handle the Pac-12 (for the most part).

(20) Notre Dame at (10) Michigan State - ABC - 7 p.m.

Basically the only non-SEC game I'm sort of excited about watching, this will be an interesting matchup at least to the effect of seeing if Notre Dame is for real. They will play a solid but not flashy Michigan State team, lead by RB Le'Veon Bell, who is a monster. If Le'Veon and Manti Te'o collide at some point, the earth's axis my shift like a degree. If by some chance the game gets out of hand one way or the other, substitute the Brent Musburger on your tv talking about Manti Te'o's biceps with this Brent Musburger, making a cameo appearance on one of my favorite shows.

(14) Texas at Ole Miss - ESPN - 8:15

This game will be worth watching, if only for the faneyecandy Texas and Ole Miss together provide, coupled with the laughter seeing Bo Wallace thrown down by his bro-hair will bring. Ole Miss fans are pretty pumped about two wins over cupcake opponents, but after enduring the last several seasons of Nuttball, they have the right to be thrilled if the team successfully navigates the Rebel Walk without spontaneously combusting. The game will be close for a bit, but Texas will pull away in the 3rd. Fortunately for Ole Miss fans, they'll already be back in The Grove by then, too drunk to care (and taste this chicken, served on a silver platter, of course). Also, do yourself a favor a check out this game preview from Good Bull Hunting and this one link'd to us by our own Sasquatch Love

Now - get to chatting!