Who is playing college football today? Week 3 teams, channels and more

You have games to watch! That's right. The 2024 college football season continues to roll on, as Week 3 will be upon us in earnest beginning Thursday. As we start to have an understanding of what type of teams we are dealing with, keep in mind that a handful of teams of note will be on their annual bye weeks. Those teams include Ohio State, Penn State, USC, Louisville, Iowa State, Clemson and NIU!

Now that you are prepared to not watch those seven ranked teams play this week, 18 others will be, as will other teams who are not currently ranked but will be after this weekend's slate of games. While there is no definitive must-watch game on the schedule, Alabama will be at Wisconsin, LSU will go to South Carolina, Oregon will head to Oregon State and Georgia will make the trek up to ole Kentucky.

Overall, these are the type of weeks that make college football great. Yes, we live for the marquee games to heading a Saturday slate, but these are the type of weeks where the sport typically goes bananas and spins us on our head like a top. Somebody of note is going to lose to somebody it has no earthly business losing to. I have covered this sport for so long that I know what is coming, y'all!

Here is the entire Week 3 college football slate broken down by date, time, matchup and TV channel.

Thursday, Sept. 12

7:30 p.m. ET start times

• Arizona State Sun Devils at Texas State Bobcast (ESPN)
• Northwestern State Demons at South Alabama Jaguars (ESPN+)

Friday, Sept. 13

7:00 p.m. ET start time

• UNLV Rebels at Kansas Jayhawks (ESPN)

8:00 p.m. ET start time

• No. 20 Arizona Wildcats at No. 14 Kansas State Wildcats (FOX)

Saturday, Sept. 14

12:00 p.m. ET start times

• No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide at Wisconsin Badgers (FOX)
• No. 13 Oklahoma State Cowboys at Tulsa Golden Hurricane (ESPNv2)
• No. 16 LSU Tigers at South Carolina Gamecocks (ABC/ESPN+)
• Arkansas State Red Wolves at No. 17 Michigan Wolverines (BTN)
• Central Michigan Chippewas at Illinois Fighting Illini (Peacock)
• Memphis Tigers at Florida State Seminoles (ESPN)
• Louisiana Tech Bulldogs at North Carolina State Wolfpack (ACCN)
• Cincinnati Bearcats at Miami RedHawks (ESPN U)
• North Texas Mean Green at Texas Tech Red Raiders (FS1)

12:45 p.m. ET start time

• No. 24 Boston College Eagles at No. 6 Missouri Tigers (SECN)

1:00 p.m. ET start time

• UMass Minutemen at Buffalo Bulls (CBSSN)

2:00 p.m. ET start time

• Coastal Carolina Chanticleers at Temple Owls (ESPN+)

3:30 p.m. ET start times

• No. 9 Oregon Ducks at Oregon State Beavers (FOX)
• Ball State Cardinals at No. 10 Miami Hurricanes (ACCN)
• Tulane Green Wave at No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners (ESPN)
• No. 18 Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Purdue Boilermakers (CBS/Paramount+)
• Texas A&M Aggies at Florida Gators (ABC/ESPN+)
• Prairie View A&M Panthers at Michigan State Spartans (BTN)
• Nevada Wolf Pack at Minnesota Golden Gophers (BTN)
• Washington State Cougars at Washington Huskies (Peacock)
• VMI Keydets at Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (ESPN+/ACC Extra)
• West Virginia Mountaineers at Pittsburgh Panthers (ESPN 2)
• Morgan State Bears at Ohio Bobcats (ESPN+)

4:00 p.m. ET start times

• Troy Trojans at Iowa Hawkeyes (FS1)
• Appalachian State Mountaineers at East Carolina Pirates (ESPN U)

4:15 p.m. ET start time

• UAB Blazers at Arkansas Razorbacks (SECN)

4:30 p.m. ET start time

• No. 12 Utah Utes at Utah State Aggies (CBSSN)

6:00 p.m. ET start times

• UConn Huskies at Duke Blue Devils (ESPN+/ACC Extra)
• North Carolina Central Eagles at North Carolina Tar Heels (ESPN+/ACC Extra)
• Virginia Tech Hokies at Old Dominion Monarchs (ESPN+)
• Florida International Panthers at Florida Atlantic Owls (ESPN+)
• UTEP Miners at Liberty Flames (ESPN+)
• South Carolina State Bulldogs at Georgia Southern Eagles (ESPN+)
• Colgate Red Raiders at Akron Zips (ESPN+)
• Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at Charlotte 49ers (ESPN+)

6:30 p.m. ET start times

• No. 5 Ole Miss Rebels at Wake Forest Demon Deacons (The CW Network)
• Bethune-Cookman Wildcats at Western Michigan Broncos (ESPN+)

7:00 p.m. ET start times

• UTSA Roadrunners at No. 2 Texas Longhorns (ESPN)
• Vanderbilt Commodores at Georgia State Panthers (ESPN+)
• Jacksonville State Gamecocks at Eastern Michigan Eagles (ESPN+)
• Kennesaw State Owls at San Jose State Spartans (truTV/Max)
• Western Kentucky Hilltoppers at Middle Tennessee Blue Raiders (ESPN+)
• Hawai'i Rainbow Warriors at Sam Houston Bearkats (ESPN+)
• South Florida Bulls at Southern Miss Golden Eagles (ESPN+)

7:30 p.m. ET start times

• No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs at Kentucky Wildcats (ABC)
• Northern Iowa Panthers at No. 23 Nebraska Cornhuskers (BTN)
• New Mexico Lobos at Auburn Tigers (ESPN 2)
• Toledo Rockets at Mississippi State Bulldogs (ESPN U)
• Indiana Hoosiers at UCLA Bruins (NBC/Peacock)
• Air Force Falcons at Baylor Bears (FS1)
• Colorado Buffaloes at Colorado State Rams (CBS)
• UCF Knights at TCU Horned Frogs (FOX)
• Eastern Illinois Panthers at Northwestern Wildcats (BTN)

7:45 p.m. ET start time

• Kent State Golden Flashes at No. 7 Tennessee Volunteers (SECN)

8:00 p.m. ET start times

• Maryland Terrapins at Virginia Cavaliers (ACCN)
• Rice Owls at Houston Cougars (ESPN+)

9:00 p.m. ET start time

• BYU Cougars at Wyoming Cowboys (CBSSN)

10:30 p.m. ET start times

• San Diego State Aztecs at California Golden Bears (ESPN)
• New Mexico State Aggies at Fresno State Bulldogs (truTV/Max)

I find this week's slate of games to be utterly fascinating. I say this now knowing that if Georgia were to lose at Kentucky for the first since I went to college 16 years ago that I may not show up to work for a week. There are PTO days to be burned and sick days to recooperate my continually fading mental health. But you know what? That's not going to happen. What may happen is other big upsets.

I highlighted five such games in the next post link at the bottom of the page, and no, Georgia losing at Kentucky is not one of them. Admittedly, I cannot definitively say if any of those five games I teased are going to go in favor of the underdogs. However, I do know the power of a trap game. I get older and these kids stay the same age. Trusting 18-to-23-year-olds is never a great idea for anybody.

Ultimately, outside of my game, I am interested in what happens between Boston College and Missouri. The winner of that game may be a real playoff threat. The Strife Aquatic will be ful display in Corvallis this weekend, with the Beavers having nothing left to lose and everything to gain. Man, if Oregon plays tight... I also wonder how Alabama is going to do at Camp Randall vs. feisty Wisconsin.

Just when your non-college football friends thought you could go to a pumpkin patch, think again!