It’s a homecoming weekend for Lane Kiffin.
Kiffin will lead No. 7 LSU back onto his old stomping grounds against No. 9 Mississippi in an SEC clash with deeper meaning than just revenge or bragging rights.
Down the road, Saturday’s result will impact the race for the SEC and the College Football Playoff
, potentially serving as the eliminator that sends the winner into the bracket at the loser’s expense.That makes this one the defining game of a Week 3 slate that also includes a key Big 12 clash and a must-win game for Dabo Swinney and Clemson.
USA TODAY Sports will help you set a plan for the weekend by splitting the slate into four groups, beginning with the must-see games that demand your attention. Here is how the week shakes out in our ranking tiers:
Tier 1: Must-see TV
No. 23 Houston at No. 12 Texas Tech, Sept. 18 (8 p.m., Fox)
Both teams have faced Oregon State and come out on top, though not impressively: Houston won 33-20 at home and Texas Tech won 35-24 on the road.
North Carolina at Clemson, Sept. 19 (noon., ESPN)
Just imagine the disappointment and outrage if Clemson loses at home to Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels.
Florida State at No. 10 Alabama, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., ABC)
Already on borrowed time, the Mike Norvell era enters a must-have moment in Tuscaloosa.
No. 16 SMU at Louisville, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)
Louisville barely lost to Mississippi in the opener and have showed off enough firepower with Lincoln Kienholz at the controls to upend Kevin Jennings and the Mustangs.
Mississippi State at South Carolina, Sept. 19 (4:15 p.m., SECN)
Watch this one for the quarterback duel between the Gamecocks’ LaNorris Sellers and the Bulldogs’ Kamario Taylor.
Florida at Auburn, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN)
This will help answer questions about the state of each program under new coach Jon Sumrall and Alex Golesh.
No. 7 LSU at No. 9 Mississippi, Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m., ABC)
A road win demands more careful play from LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who tossed three interceptions last weekend against Louisiana Tech. Leavitt is listed as doubtful for game.
West Virginia at No. 25 Virginia, Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m., ACCN)
Virginia has looked every bit the ACC and playoff contender while WVU has made obvious gains in the second year of the second Rich Rodriguez era.
Virginia Tech at Maryland, Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m., FS1)
The Hokies face their first test under James Franklin in taking on Malik Washington and Maryland, fresh off a nice performance against Connecticut.
North Dakota State at Sacramento State, Sept. 19 (10:30 p.m., ESPN)
The Bison should roll in this showcase between the two newest members of the Bowl Subdivision.
Tier 2: Commercial break backups
Syracuse at Pittsburgh, Sept. 17 (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Syracuse needs to get on track in the ACC after giving away a win last week against California because of turnovers.
No. 5 Miami at Wake Forest, Sept. 18 (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Miami just has to avoid turnovers to post another double-digit win, though carelessness could give the Demon Deacons a puncher's chance at a huge upset.
No. 2 Georgia at Arkansas, Sept. 19 (noon, ABC)
Here’s a good exercise routine: Every Monday, do one minute on the elliptical for every point Arkansas allows on Saturday.
Arizona State at Kansas, Sept. 19 (noon, FS1)
Turnovers cost Arizona State and Kansas any chance of scoring upsets against No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 22 Missouri, respectively.
North Carolina State at Vanderbilt, Sept. 19 (12:45 p.m., SECN)
One reason among several to keep an eye on things is the starting debut of Vanderbilt freshman Jared Curtis, the highest-rated recruit in modern program history.
Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
Cincinnati is on upset alert against the strongest team in the MAC.
No. 13 Brigham Young at Colorado State, Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m., CBS)
BYU is much more talented and clearly playing well but the way Colorado State has played so far under new coach Jim Mora means the Rams must be taken seriously.
Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame, Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m., NBC)
A pair of MAC tuneups will help the Spartans put up a fight but look for Notre Dame to eventually pull off a third blowout in a row.
New Mexico at No. 21 Oklahoma, Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m., ESPN)
Oklahoma is on minor upset alert against a program that has been terrific under second-year coach Jason Eck.
Colorado at Northwestern, Sept. 19 (7:30 p.m., Fox)
Northwestern might be a total unknown but a style of play is taking shape for Colorado that could yield seven or more wins, especially with a road win in Evanston.
Texas-San Antonio at No. 1 Texas, Sept. 19 (8 p.m., SECN+)
We’ll see if there’s any post-Ohio State letdown for Arch Manning and Texas.
James Madison at San Diego State, Sept. 19 (10 p.m., CW)
Making a long trip, the Dukes will need to be ready for a more physical matchup against the Aztecs after dropping 87 points on Wagner.
Purdue at UCLA, Sept. 19 (11 p.m., Big Ten)
The Boilermakers nearly topped Wake Forest last weekend and are improved enough to hand Bob Chesney his first loss at UCLA.
Tier 3: Track the box score
Kent State at No. 6 Ohio State, Sept. 19 (noon, Fox)
The Buckeyes will bounce back in a big way after last week's disappointment in Austin.
Buffalo at No. 15 Penn State, Sept. 19 (noon, Big Ten)
About the only question is whether Rocco Becht can have another game with multiple touchdowns and no interceptions.
Tulane at Kansas State, Sept. 19 (noon, ESPN2)
While they’ve clearly taken a step back, the Green Wave have the personnel to notch a road win if the Wildcats don’t protect the football.
North Texas at Texas State, Sept. 19 (noon, USA)
North Texas might not fall too far down the American ladder, based on what we’ve seen so far in Neal Brown’s debut season.
Temple at Toledo, Sept. 19 (3 p.m., CBSSN)
There’s some interest in this result because of the possibility that the champions of the American and the MAC are in competition for the Group of Six spot in the playoff.
Kentucky at No. 8 Texas A&M, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., ESPN)
Based on how both teams looked last week, Kentucky is in danger of being swallowed up by the Aggies’ defense.
No. 11 USC at Rutgers, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., CBS)
Rutgers has virtually no chance of stopping Jayden Maiava and the Trojans as the Greg Schiano era limps to a close.
Utah State at No. 17 Utah, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., Fox)
Utah has been terrific under new coach Morgan Scalley but should be a little wary given Utah State’s performance against Washington.
UTEP at No. 19 Michigan, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., Big Ten)
Michigan will win, but the pressure is on Bryce Underwood to show improvement despite getting the offense across the finish line against Oklahoma.
Louisiana Tech at Baylor, Sept. 19 (4 p.m., ESPNU)
Baylor is on upset alert if Tech can get more going on the ground than against LSU.
Stanford at Duke, Sept. 19 (4 p.m., CW)
In a reversal from last year’s sluggish start, Duke has already posted two very nice wins so far in Tulane and Illinois.
East Carolina at Old Dominion, Sept. 19 (6 p.m., ESPN+)
ECU has stumbled out of the gate and has not looked the part of an American contender, though a road win against ODU could kickstart things.
Florida International at Florida Atlantic, Sept. 19 (6 p.m., ESPN+)
FAU owns a 17-5 edge in the Shula Bowl rivalry but FIU took last year’s meeting 38-28.
Troy at No. 22 Missouri, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., SECN+)
Troy upset the Tigers at home in 2009 but is 0-3 in games played at Missouri.
Western Michigan at Rice, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
The Broncos are 1-1 with an asterisk and still very much a factor in the Group of Six race.
Kennesaw State at No. 14 Tennessee, Sept. 19 (7:45 p.m., SECN)
Tennessee is worth watching to track the development of freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who has five touchdowns without an interception.
Tier 4: Check your phone before bed
Coastal Carolina at Delaware, Sept. 19 (11:30 a.m., CBSSN)
This would be a big win for Delaware’s bowl chances after a competitive loss to Vanderbilt last weekend.
Bowling Green at Iowa State, Sept. 19 (noon, ESPNU)
Bowling Green is probably the worst team in the country.
Akron at Minnesota, Sept. 19 (noon, Big Ten)
Minnesota wins, but Akron’s ability to hang close and be competitive in the second half will speak to the Gophers’ chances
Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin, Sept. 19 (12:30 p.m., Peacock)
Luke Fickell’s already tenuous job security would take a fatal blow if Wisconsin doesn’t dominate EMU, let alone lose.
Wyoming at Central Michigan, Sept. 19 (1 p.m., ESPN+)
Both teams have been disappointing out of the gate and seem unlikely to play major roles in determining their respective leagues.
Western Kentucky at No. 4 Indiana, Sept. 19 (4 p.m., Peacock)
You can pick the score between a worse-than-expected WKU team and the powerful Hoosiers.
Ball State at Liberty, Sept. 19 (4 p.m., ESPN+)
Liberty’s decline has continued with a loss to James Madison and a very narrow win against Gardner Webb.
Charlotte at Appalachian State, Sept. 19 (6 p.m., ESPN+)
Appalachian State can’t afford to lose to Charlotte and still get to six or more wins.
Marshall at Missouri State, Sept. 19 (6:30 p.m., CBSSN)
There are some concerns about Marshall after barely sneaking past Middle Tennessee last weekend.
Georgia State at Central Florida, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
UCF will move forward without transfer quarterback Alonza Barnett III due to a significant hamstring injury.
Connecticut at Southern Mississippi, Sept. 19 (7 p.m. ESPN+)
The Huskies look like they could win seven games during the regular season, but that might demand a road win in Hattiesburg.
Nevada at Middle Tennessee, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
Someone has to win.
Ohio at South Alabama, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
Ohio won’t be in the MAC race until the end unless the offense averages better than the 4.3 yards per play through the first two games.
Georgia Southern at Jacksonville State, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
The Gamecocks’ offense has improved after a brutal start against North Dakota State but the ground game has to get rolling to keep them in the mix for the Conference USA crown.
Arkansas State at TCU, Sept. 19 (8 p.m., ESPNU)
TCU continues trying to dig out of the hole created by the loss to North Carolina and to develop new starting quarterback Jaden Craig.
Alabama-Birmingham at Louisiana-Lafayette, Sept. 19 (8 p.m., ESPN+)
As in other Group of Six non-conference matchups, this one could linger in the debate between the American and the Sun Belt.
Northern Illinois at Arizona, Sept. 19 (10:30 p.m., TNT)
Coming off a disappointing loss to BYU, Arizona will take out some frustration on the woeful Huskies.
Fresno State at San Jose State, Sept. 19 (11 p.m., FS1)
Fresno has the coaching and personnel to angle into position behind Boise State on the Pac-12 ladder.
Rest of college football schedule for Week 3
There are only 18 games against Championship Subdivision teams, down from 37 a week ago. This will be a get-right weekend for teams such as No. 18 Oregon, Georgia Tech and Washington State.
- Portland State at No. 18 Oregon, Sept. 18 (10:30 p.m., Big Ten)
- Mercer at Georgia Tech, Sept. 19 (noon, ACCN)
- Maine at Boston College, Sept. 19 (2 p.m., ACCN+)
- Southern Illinois at Illinois, Sept. 19 (2 p.m., Peacock)
- Wagner at California, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., ACCN)
- Duquesne at Washington State, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., USA)
- Stonehill at Massachusetts, Sept. 19 (3:30 p.m., ESPN+)
- Northern Iowa at No. 20 Iowa, Sept. 19 (4 p.m., FS1)
- Southeast Louisiana at Louisiana-Monroe, Sept. 19 (4:30 p.m., ESPN+)
- Murray State at Oklahoma State, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
- UT Martin at Memphis, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
- Delaware State at South Florida, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
- Nicholls State at Sam Houston State, Sept. 19 (7 p.m., ESPN+)
- North Dakota at Nebraska, Sept. 19 (7:15 p.m., Big Ten)
- Eastern Washington at Washington, Sept. 19 (7:15 p.m., Big Ten)
- East Texas A&M at Tulsa, Sept. 19 (8 p.m., ESPN+)
- South Dakota at Boise State, Sept. 19 (10 p.m., CBSSN)
- Montana at Oregon State, Sept. 19 (11 p.m., USA)
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: College Football schedule rankings Week 3: Watchability tiers for best games to watch
