College football games to watch this weekend

As we clock out of work on Friday after yet another long week, we've got an excellent slate of games to watch in week three. A few games in the Carolinas/Virginia area will be cancelled/postponed due to Hurricane Florence, but precautionary action in the wake of a natural disaster is a far greater concern than getting in a football game. So let's take a look at your best options for each time slot.

The Early Games

These early games admittedly are not the most fascinating group of the day, but I won't sit here and complain. In the 2017 regular season, Baker Mayfield and the Oklahoma Sooners only suffered one loss, and that was to the Iowa State Cyclones. Iowa State pulled off that upset in Oklahoma's house, and now it's time for Kyler Murray and the No. 5 Sooners to head up to lovely Iowa to prevent that from happening in consecutive years. Iowa State only has one game under their belt this season, as their opening game was cancelled due to lightning. The one game that they have played this season was a 13-3 loss against in-state rival Iowa. I think there is little-to-no chance of Iowa State pulling this off again, but at the very least you'd get to watch a wildly explosive Oklahoma team take on an in-conference opponent.

Florida State vs. Syracuse is an unranked, lowly matchup, so I wouldn't blame you for not wasting anytime with this one. But it would be worth something to see the Seminoles lose to 'Cuse, even if you couldn't necessarily define that one as "an upset," seeing as the 'Noles are nowhere close to being their usual selves. I mean, seriously, this team has not looked good for a second yet this season. Not only did they get pounded by Virginia Tech on Labor Day, but they had to stage a fourth quarter comeback in order to beat Samford. No, not Stanford. Samford. Syracuse has started 2018 with two wins and no losses, and I think it's likely that the Florida State Seminoles will leave the Carrier Dome with another conference loss.

There are some people out there that believe an upset is brewing in Toledo, Ohio as the No. 21 Miami Hurricanes hit the road for some MACtion. Look, I know Miami was very underwhelming in the season opener against LSU, but I don't think the 'Canes will be taken down by Toledo. I understand that Miami has some problems regarding quarterback play, and they've lost four of their last five games. The U is obviously not as BACK as we thought they were at one point last season. But I think them being upset by Toledo is simply a fantasy for upset addicts. I'll be shocked if the 'Canes enter week four with two losses.

The Afternoon Games

The earliest of the noteworthy afternoon games, which will kickoff at 1:30 p.m. Central Time, features No. 8 Notre Dame hosting Vanderbilt. Vandy is not the most impressive SEC team in any sense, but watching the Irish take on an SEC opponent will always garner some attention. And although Notre Dame opened the season by knocking off Jim Harbaugh's Michigan Wolverines under the lights, the Irish beating Ball State 24-16 in week two rightfully raised some eyebrows. ND enters the game as 13.5 point favorites, and it'd take an abysmal effort to lose to the Commodores. But crazier things have happened.

The headliner of the afternoon games comes from a conference you may have heard of called the SEC, as No. 7 Auburn hosts No. 13 LSU. If I were an unoriginal moron who has a knack for dad jokes, I'd say "I think the Tigers are going to win this one!" But I'm cool. I'm original. And I am hip. No  Minimal dad jokes allowed in this arsenal of knee slappers. But seriously, this is one of those games you'd expect to see in the last three or four weeks of the regular season. Two traditional SEC powerhouses, both ranked in the top 15, going at it in week three. LSU came out hot and beat Miami in week one, followed by a 31-0 shutout victory over Southeastern Louisiana. Auburn opened up the season in a great 21-16 win over Washington, and then obliterated Alabama State 63-9 in week two. I'd say both teams have had similar seasons thus far, considering the small sample size we have to deal with. Auburn is currently favored by 10.5 points over LSU. Both teams are 1-1 against the spread. When it comes down to it, with each team having an impressive opening win, followed by an expected execution, each team's resume is comparable. But Auburn's opening win was against a much better team, which makes me like Auburn in this one. It certainly also helps that they'll be playing at home in Jordan-Hare Stadium.

Another great, and somewhat unorthodox, top 25 matchup this weekend will be between No. 17 Boise State and No. 24 Oklahoma State in Stillwater, Oklahoma. This will be the first time ever that these two teams meet. In fact, it's the first time the Broncos have faced a Big 12 team in the regular season. Boise State playing a Big 12 team from Oklahoma strongly strikes a nostalgic sense in most college football spectators, bringing back memories of the Statue of Liberty play leading to a bowl upset. But that was a long time ago, and these OK State Cowboys aren't quite those vintage Sooners. And to add to that, Boise State has built quite a reputation since then. Although they've only faced far inferior opponents with Troy and UConn, the Broncos have averaged 59 points per game through the first two. Similarly, the Cowboys have averaged 56.5 points per game so far, shooting down Missouri State and South Alabama. Oklahoma State is currently favored by three points, and ESPN's matchup predictor has the Cowboys with a 54.2% chance to win. If Boise State truly wants to be a disruptive group-of-five squad, they'll obviously need to leave Boone Pickens Stadium with a win. It's a damn shame we won't get to watch this one of Boise's Smurf turf.

The Night Games

Alabama taking on Ole Miss brings back a few great memories of recent matchups to remember, but I'm sorry to break the news: We will not be seeing the Rebels take down Saban in 2018. Ole Miss has some exciting offensive players (not named Swag Kelly), and has exceeded expectations through two weeks. But what this game really comes down to, is we get to watch the best team in the country take on an opponent that could maybe, possibly, give Alabama some competition for like...a quarter and a half....tops. This won't be close, but there are more reasons to watch the Tide this week than in previous weeks. 'Bama is currently a 21.5 favorite in this one.

The evening games are headlined by a top 25 matchup between No. 4 Ohio State and No. 15 TCU at Jerry World in Arlington, Texas. Another unnecessary neutral site game. I understand that TCU's campus is about 20 miles away from the Cowboys' Stadium, but there are just way too many college games being played there. Let the student section stumble from the dorm to the tailgate to the stadium, rather than hop on shuttles to experience the mega-commercialized version of football. I'd love to see TCU come out on top in this one, seeing as tOSU is one of the few programs I have genuine disdain for. And who doesn't love a good upset? I do think TCU will be competitive with the Buckeyes for a good portion of the game. But I'm ready to give up on waiting for this Ohio State downfall. I don't see them losing this game. They may get brought down by someone this season, but mark my words it will not be the Horned Frogs of Texas Christian University.

Saturday night will be capped off by some classic Pac 12 After Dark, with a nice 10 p.m. Eastern Time kickoff in Salt Lake City, with No. 10 Washington visiting the Utah Utes. The Utes are everyone's go-to trap game in the Pac 12, and it seems people are singing that tune a little extra this year. Utah is not ranked, but a lot of people like them to make some noise in the conference this year. And that, my friends, is a paradox in the world of trap teams. They're a trap when you don't expect it, build up a reputation as a trap opponent, and then the hype defeats the purpose of them being a trap. The Huskies are favored by five points, but I think the hype surrounding Utah will light a fire under Washington, causing them to light the Utes up. Well, at least by more than five.

Let's have ourselves a weekend. May your Saturdays be filled with buffalo chicken dip, UberEats, and a million ice-cold Miller Lites.