We’ve settled into the heart of the college football schedule, and five marquee matchups lead the way as we look ahead at the weekend to come.
- No. 1/1 Texas (3-0) at No. 14/13 Tennessee (3-0)
11 a.m. CT | Saturday, September 26 | Neyland Stadium | Knoxville, Tenn. | ABC
Texas Game Notes | Tennessee Game Notes | Live Stats
Two weeks removed from a massive win over then-top-ranked Ohio State, Steve Sarkisian leads his Texas Longhorns into Neyland Stadium for their SEC opener against Josh Heupel and Tennessee.
Saturday’s matchup will be the just the fourth all-time meeting between the schools and the first since 1969. Texas holds a 2-1 advantage in the series, with all three meetings coming in the Cotton Bowl Classic. Tennessee won the 1951 matchup, with Texas winning in 1953 and 1969.
The two teams will become more familiar with one another now that they are conference opponents, but for Heupel, there’s no lack of familiarity. While this is the first time Heupel has faced the Longhorns as a head coach, he has a combined 8-5 record as a player and assistant coach – leading the Sooners to a 63-14 win during the 2000 season.
Texas is looking for its fifth consecutive win against a ranked opponent, and that’s a trend the Longhorns would love to continue with seven games remaining against AP Top 25 opponents – the most of any AP Top 25 team. (The second-highest is Georgia with four).
Facing the top-ranked team is undoubtedly a daunting task for anyone, but the Vols bring an offensive juggernaut to the SEC opener, averaging 451.5 yards and 38.9 points per game under Heupel (510.3 yards and 47.7 points this season). The matchup of the high-powered Tennessee offense against a stingy Texas defense that has allowed just 12.0 points per game will be one to watch.
- No. 4/6 Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0 SEC) at No. 21/22 Florida (3-0, 1-0 SEC)
2:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, September 26 | Ben Hill Griffin Stadium | Gainesville, Fla. | ABC
Ole Miss Game Notes | Florida Game Notes | Live Stats
Bear Bryant National Coach of the Week Pete Golding leads the Ole Miss Rebels into the swamp for a matchup with Jon Sumrall and Florida in a game between two teams with spotless records.
It’s the 28th meeting all-time between the programs, with the series tied 13-13-1. Ole Miss is looking for its first win in Gainesville since 2008.
Golding will be coaching his seventh game as the head coach of the Rebels – six of which have come against Top 25 opponents – and the new Rebels boss is 4-1 in those games.
Meanwhile, Sumrall’s first season at Florida has gone swimmingly with lopsided wins over FAU and Campbell to open the season, and a narrow win at Auburn last week. The 126 points scored by the Gators through the first three games is the highest mark for any Florida coach through his first three games.
The Rebels’ passing offense has thrown for an average of 330.7 yards per game – the top-ranked passing unit in the SEC and eighth-ranked unit in the nation – but it is the Florida offense that has racked up 544.3 yards per game thus far this year that has been the most explosive overall.
- No. 17/17 Iowa (3-0) at No. 18/18 Michigan (3-0)
2:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, September 26 | Michigan Stadium | Ann Arbor, Mich. | CBS
Iowa Game Notes | Tennessee Game Notes | Live Stats
Kirk Ferentz, the longest-tenured active head coach in college football, will lead his undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes into Ann Arbor for a matchup with Kyle Whittingham and Michigan. Saturday’s matchup is the 65th all-time meeting between the two schools, with Michigan holding a 45-14-1 advantage in the series.
The game pits the two longest-tenured coaches in FBS – Ferentz in his 28th season as a head coach and Whittingham in his 22nd – but despite those 50 years of combined experience, the two coaches have never faced one another.
Iowa will be looking for its first win over a ranked opponent since 2021, and its first road win over a ranked opponent since 2015. The Hawkeyes defense have shut out a pair of directional schools this year, with a 40-0 win in the season opener over Northern Illinois and last week’s 55-0 win over Northern Iowa, and a narrow 16-13 win over Iowa State in week two.
After the Wolverines’ hotly-contested win over Western Michigan in the season opener, Michigan picked up a 17-10 win over Oklahoma before racing to a 52-17 win over UTEP last week. This week will be the Wolverines’ fourth consecutive home game to open the season.
Michigan has dominated the series in the Big House – holding a 24-5-3 record against the Hawkeyes at Michigan Stadium; and when it comes to conference openers against Iowa, the Wolverines’ record is even better – Michigan holds a perfect 11-0 record in Big Ten openers against the Hawkeyes.
- No. 23/20 Texas A&M (2-1, 0-1 SEC) at No. 10/11 LSU (2-1, 0-1 SEC)
6:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, September 26 | Tiger Stadium | Baton Rouge, La. | ABC
Texas A&M Game Notes | LSU Game Notes | Live Stats
After difficult losses for both teams in week three, Mike Elko leads Texas A&M into Death Valley for a twilight matchup against Lane Kiffin and LSU.
This is the 65th meeting all-time between the two schools, with LSU holding a 36-25-3 advantage in the series. That advantage increases to 29-12 in games played in Baton Rouge.
Texas A&M has won two straight and three of the last four over LSU, and will be aiming for the third straight win over the Tigers for the first time since a stretch from 1991-95. Neither Elko or Kiffin have lost to the opposing school – Elko is 2-0 all-time against LSU while Kiffin is 3-0 against A&M; however, this will be the first head-to-head matchup between the coaches.
After a pair of lopsided wins to open the season over Missouri State and Arizona State, it was Kentucky upsetting the Aggies last week in College Station, 31-21. LSU, meanwhile, posted lopsided wins over Clemson and Louisiana Tech in the first two games of the season before falling to Ole Miss in Oxford last week.
The Tigers’ rush defense has been exceptionally stingy this year – allowing a nation-best 33.0 yards per game. That will be tested by the A&M rushing attack that averages 171.7 yards per game this year, led by Reuben Owens II’s 62.0 yards per game.
For LSU, the night time is the right time – especially inside Tiger Stadium. LSU is 25-2 in its last 27 night games; and since 2019, the Tigers are 33-5 in Death Valley after Dark games.
- No. 20/16 Oregon (2-1) vs. No. 12/12 USC (4-0, 1-0 Big Ten)
6:30 p.m. CT | Saturday, September 26 | Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum | Los Angeles, Calif. | NBC
Oregon Game Notes | USC Game Notes | Live Stats
It’s the Big Ten opener for Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks, as they head south to Los Angeles for a top-25 showdown against Lincoln Riley and USC. USC holds a 38-24-2 advantage in the all-time series, including a commanding 24-9-1 advantage in games played in Los Angeles. However, the last ten games have been tilted heavily toward the Ducks, who have an 8-2 advantage in those games; and USC has not topped Oregon at home since the 2016 season. Oregon is perfect on the road in league play since joining the Big Ten – holding a perfect 9-0 mark in those games.
The Ducks bounced back last week after a 39-31 setback at Oklahoma State, downing Portland State 84-0 in their non-conference finale. However, Saturday’s opponent will provide a different matchup for the Ducks, as USC comes in with a sterling 4-0 record and an offensive attack that has scored no less than 39 points in a game this season.
This game has the makings of a contest that could make or break the year for either team. The matchup between quarterbacks Dante Moore and Jayden Maiava will be one to watch – in what promises to be a fast-paced offensive matchup, the quarterback that can get the most explosive plays out of his offense may be the last man standing.
Other Things To Watch.. And Some Things We Watched
- BRONCO BOWL – One interesting game that features two teams outside the top-25 is Boise State at Western Michigan. Both teams enter the game with 2-1 records, and the one loss doesn’t sit well with either team – Boise State’s late loss at the hands of Oregon and Western Michigan’s… well, you remember. This matchup features two teams that could easily be playoff teams.
- FBS UPSETS – For the sixth time this season, an FBS team fell to an opponent from the Football Championship Subdivision. Last week, Southeastern Louisiana picked up a 38-35 win over Louisiana-Monroe.
- MORE FROM FCS – A trio of top-25 matchups mark Saturday’s schedule, as No. 4 Montana travels to No. 9 UC Davis, No. 8 South Dakota heads to No. 11 Youngstown State, and No. 17 Northern Arizona heads north to face top-ranked Montana State.
- LIFE IN THE DEUCE – There are several big games in Division II worth watching this week, but one interesting game to watch will be a D2/FCS matchup, as No. 15 Northeastern State travels south to face Stephen F. Austin. Head coach Darin Chiaverini took over the RiverHawks in the 2019 season, and in his first four seasons posted a combined 4-40 record. NSU left its conference and began playing an independent schedule, and in two years the RiverHawks were 9-3 and qualified for the postseason. This year, NSU is 3-1 and ranked fifteenth – with its one loss coming last week in overtime at FCS member Northern Colorado. Will this be the week that the crew from Tahlequah takes down a Division I opponent?
- D3 POWERHOUSES COLLIDE – No. 17 Christopher Newport heads to No. 14 Susquehanna in a big top-25 matchup where both teams are undefeated. The teams met twice last season – CNU winning 41-27 in the regular-season matchup, with Susquehanna winning 42-28 in the playoffs.
- FROM THE NAIA – One big matchup this weekend will take place in West Palm Beach, Fla., as top-ranked Keiser plays host to Cumberlands (Ky.). Cumberlands is getting votes in the top-25 poll and enters Saturday’s matchup at 4-0, while Keiser is 1-1 with its lone loss coming to a Division II opponent.
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