College football Week 3 preview: The 7 biggest games and why they matter

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College football Week 3 preview: The 7 biggest games and why they matter

Eddie Timanus, USA TODAY · USA TODAY Sports

Fri, Sep 18, 2026 ·

8 min read

No. 7 LSU at No. 9 Ole Miss

Time/TV:Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ABC.

Why watch:And here we go, the day every Ole Miss fan has had circled on the calendar since Lane Kiffin's departure is upon us. But even without all the personal baggage this is an extremely important game with conference and playoff implications, notwithstanding the early date. As if another level of intrigue were needed, QB Sam Leavitt is now listed as questionable on the injury report after a doubtful designation on Wednesday . Even if that proves to be mere gamesmanship as many in Oxford suspect, it is undeniable the Tigers will need a cleaner outing from him as he looks for TE Trey'Dez Green and WR Winston Watkins . The Rebels' defense has surrendered some chunk plays, but LBs Suntarine Perkins and Luke Ferrelli are battle-tested. Ole Miss QB Trinidad Chambliss can make a lot happen on his own, but he's going to need plenty of help from RB Kewan Lacy to find tough ground yards and WR Deuce Alexander to stretch the field. The Tigers' defense has been rock solid thus far, with holdovers like LB Whit Weeks and impact transfers such as DE Princewill Umanmielen meshing well.

Why it could disappoint:Given all the sound and fury building up to it, it's almost sure to not live up to the hype in some fashion. But even if one of the participants has matters well in hand by the fourth quarter, it should still be quite a ride getting there.

No. 23 Houston at No. 12 Texas Tech

Time/TV:Friday, 8 p.m. ET, Fox.

Why watch:The Big 12 Friday prime-time selection is a good one as the Red Raiders and Cougars , both of whom have league title aspirations, square off in Lubbock. Curiously, they already have a common opponent, as both picked up closer-than-expected wins against Oregon State. QB Will Hammond takes nearly all of the snaps for Texas Tech, but veteran transfer Thomas Castellanos is inserted on occasion for some different looks. RB J'Koby Williams is a big part of the Red Raiders' passing game as well. Cougars QB Conner Weigman provides an experienced hand at the controls, making good use of WR Amare Thomas and RB Makhi Hughes . The secondaries figure to be busy, and names to know include Red Raiders DB Malik Esquerra and Cougars DB Kentrell Webb.

Why it could disappoint:It's conceivable that the Texas Tech defense could assert control from the opening snap. But that unit might not be as strong as last year's group with guys like Jacob Rodriguez now in the NFL.

Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame

Time/TV:Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, NBC.

Why watch:The Fighting Irish take on the second of three Big Ten opponents on their September slate. The Spartans could prove to be the most challenging of the trio, in something of a rebuild in Pat Fitzgerald's first season at the helm but off to a 2-0 start against Mid-American Conference opposition. Notre Dame QB CJ Carr has been sound with the ball thus far, giving RB Aneyas Williams and WR Jordan Faison plenty of chances to make plays. They'll be opposed by Spartans DB Devin Vaught and LB Brady Pretzlaff. Alessio Milivojevic has assumed the QB reins for Michigan State. He's a mouthful for broadcasters and a handful for opposing defenses, with RB Cam Edwards lending solid ground support. LBs Jaiden Ausberry and Drayk Bowen are usually in the middle of things for the Irish defense.

Why it could disappoint:It probably will if the home favorites get out of the gate quickly. Michigan State dealt with fourth-quarter drama against Toledo, but that might not be a good sign.

No. 16 SMU at Louisville

Time/TV:Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2.

Why watch:This is a huge game in the ACC that could go a long way toward determining who will make the championship game. There are other candidates, of course, but the loser of this one will be at a major disadvantage going forward with a potentially important tiebreaker against it. Mustangs QB Kevin Jennings is putting up big yardage in the passing game, but a couple of picks against Florida State show he can still revert to bad habits at times. When he's on target, WR Yannick Smith is a breakaway threat and TE Randy Pittman is reliable on possession downs. On the other side is Louisville QB Lincoln Kienholz , posting impressive numbers by air and land in his own right with a near upset of Ole Miss in his first start. WR Tre Richardson is his most frequent target, but RB Isaac Brown can also get loose at any time. Impact players to watch on the defensive side include SMU LB Alexander Kilgore and Louisville LB Stanquan Clark.

Why it could disappoint:If it does, it will probably be due to an avalanche of turnovers. The Ponies seem most prone to that given what we've seen thus far, but surprises come with the scenery in this sport.

No. 13 BYU at Colorado State

Time/TV:Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, CBS.

Why watch:The Pac-12 has come up empty thus far against ranked competition. The Rams look to change that on their home turf in Fort Collins at the expense of the Cougars, who handled their first Big 12 assignment against Arizona last week and hope to continue their positive momentum. BYU QB Bear Bachmeier has been pick-free thus far, helping all-name team candidate WR Legend Glasker make big catches alongside fellow WR Kyler Kasper. CSU QB Hauss Hejny wasted no time endearing himself to Rams' fans by soundly beating archrival Wyoming in his first start. WRs Jackson Harper and Terrence Smith Jr. are his top aerial targets, and RB Mel Brown has contributed some big runs as well.

Why it could disappoint:This is a clear upgrade in competition for the Rams, so they'll need to avoid falling into an early hole. BYU will want to take the home crowd out of the equation as quickly as possible.

No. 5 Miami (Fla.) at Wake Forest

Time/TV:Friday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN.

Why watch:The Hurricanes already have an ACC road win in hand from a Week 1 trip to Stanford . They go for a second against the Demon Deacons, who return home after prevailing in a squeaker at Purdue . Miami QB Darian Mensah has thrown more TD passes (eight) than incompletions (four) in his first two starts. WR Malachi Toney is his most dangerous weapon, and RB Mark Fletcher can also break big gainers while also picking up the tough yards. Expect to see Deacons LB Vincent Firenze around the ball often. The Wake offense will counter with QB Gio Lopez, who hasn't been quite as accurate as his counterpart but still has four scoring tosses without a pick and two more TDs on the ground. His best deep threat is WR Carlos Hernandez, but in order to find him he'll need to steer clear of Miami DE Marquise Lightfoot.

Why it could disappoint:Wake is undoubtedly well coached, but the talent gap here is unambiguous. It will take a perfect game from the Demon Deacons to keep it close.

No. 25 Virginia vs. West Virginia

Time/TV:Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET, ACCN.

Why watch:This television window is admittedly crowded, but this intriguing intersectional tilt could be worth a look. The Mountaineers do not play 'Backyard Brawl' rival Pittsburgh this season but instead take on a different ACC opponent from another neighboring state in a game in Charlotte, North Carolina. The Cavaliers seek another quality result before returning to conference play in October. QB Beau Pribula has been a good fit for the UVa offense thus far, with RB Xay Davis also finding room to operate in the run game. The WVU attack is in the hands of QB Michael Hawkins Jr. , who hasn't needed to sling it around much yet but will likely need to do so more this week. Veteran RB Cam Cook can help on the ground, and WR DJ Epps will be the most likely long-ball recipient.

Why it could disappoint:It's the Cavaliers' defense that could make this a mismatch. They've limited their first two opponents to 3.37 yards per play, and one of those was a league team with an experienced quarterback.