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College football Week 3 schedule guide: What to watch

Don’t miss Florida-Alabama (duh), but there’s a nostalgic pull of Nebraska-Oklahoma.
 
Jacob Copeland and the Florida Gators couldn't get past Alabama in last year's SEC title game.
Jacob Copeland and the Florida Gators couldn't get past Alabama in last year's SEC title game. [ BRYNN ANDERSON | AP ]
Published Sept. 17, 2021

This part of our weekly college football gameday guide runs from the 50th anniversary of one Game of the Century to a noteworthy stat from USF:

Viewing guide

Oklahoma and Nebraska will renew their rivalry 50 years after a Game of the Century.
Oklahoma and Nebraska will renew their rivalry 50 years after a Game of the Century. [ AP ]

Lamest time window: Early, but don’t go too far because the noon games have upset potential.

Noon: If you want nostalgia, check out Nebraska at No. 3 Oklahoma in the 50-year anniversary of their Game of the Century. If you want the best contest, check out No. 8 Cincinnati at Indiana or Michigan State at No. 24 Miami.

2:30: No. 12 Notre Dame has looked shaky enough to be on upset watch against Purdue.

3:30: No. 1 Alabama at No. 11 Florida is the easy pick, but I also want to see how Florida State responds at Wake Forest after last week’s debacle.

Related: Mike Norvell can salvage FSU where his predecessor failed

7: USF will be in for a long season if it can’t top Florida A&M.

7:30: A white-out at No. 10 Penn State against No. 22 Auburn will be a fantastic sight.

9: Oklahoma State at Boise State just sounds like a recipe for weirdness, doesn’t it?

10:15: No. 19 Arizona State will test No. 23 BYU’s 11-game home winning streak.

GameDay breakdown

Auburn leads the nation in rushing average (9.6 per attempt). Is that because the Tigers are good or because their opponents (Akron and Alabama State) were bad? We’ll find out against a Penn State defense that held Wisconsin to 3.1 yards per rush — one of the Badgers’ worst outputs in years.

Related: Florida’s path to upsetting Alabama, according to ESPN’s Chris Fowler

By the numbers: Week 3

USF receiver Xavier Weaver leads the nation in one major statistical category.
USF receiver Xavier Weaver leads the nation in one major statistical category. [ MARTHA ASENCIO RHINE | Times ]

35.25 — Yards per catch by USF’s Xavier Weaver, who leads the nation

104 —Wins by Notre Dame coach Brian Kelly. With a win over Purdue, he’ll tie Knute Rockne for the most in program history

0-0-2 —Auburn’s regular-season record against Big Ten teams (a 7-7 tie with Wisconsin in 1931 and a scoreless tie against Ohio State in 1917)

1-4 — Ex-UF coach Will Muschamp’s record coaching against the Gators. He faces another team he used to coach (South Carolina) as a Georgia assistant.

4 —Touchdown rushes by Cincinnati running back Jerome Ford (Armwood High). Only five players in the nation have more

2015 —UCLA’s last 3-0 start. The No. 13 Bruins can match that by beating tricky Fresno State

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12-6 — USC’s record under an interim coach since 2013. We’ll see what the Trojans’ latest interim coach, Donte Williams, can do, starting at Washington State.

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