College football Week 3 preview: Top five games to watch this weekend

Here are some things we learned after Week 2 of the 2024 college football season:

Texas is getting into the habit of winning big non-conference games on the road. After snapping Alabama’s 21-game home winning streak a year ago, it did the same thing to Michigan last Saturday, crushing the Wolverines, 31-12, after they had won 23 straight in the Big House.

We also learned that Notre Dame, on the other hand, is getting into a bad habit: losing winnable games in South Bend. A week after the Fighting Irish went to Kyle Field and beat Texas A&M in thrilling fashion, they were upset by Northern Illinois in their home opener, 16-14. Under Marcus Freeman, the Irish have too many inexcusable losses on their résumé.

Other items of note include the fact that Colorado’s offensive line needs some help to protect QB Shedeur Sanders, Nebraska could make some waves in the Big Ten, and Oregon is still trying to gel as a team. Oklahoma is struggling to move the ball offensively, Alabama can finish games strong, and Tennessee could be a College Football Playoff contender.

There are only two matchups between ranked teams in Week 3, but we will certainly learn more about who could be a real CFP contender and who won’t.

Here are the top five games to watch this weekend:

No. 20 Arizona at No. 14 Kansas State (Friday, 8 p.m. ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Betting line: Kansas State -7, TOTAL: 60.5

On the outside, this might look like a matchup between new Big 12 foes, but it’s actually a non-conference game because it was scheduled when Arizona was still in the Pac 12 — and neither school could find a replacement opponent in time. It’s just like what happened last week to Utah and Baylor.

Still, this meeting between two Wildcats teams will give the programs a chance to size up the conference competition should they meet again later this season. Both teams are currently undefeated and have had similar starts to the season. After big wins on opening weekend, they’re both coming off tougher Week 2 results. Arizona needed to come back in the second half to beat Northern Arizona, 22-10, and Kansas State had to come back to beat Tulane on the road, 34-27.

No. 4 Alabama at Wisconsin (Saturday, Noon ET on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Betting line: Alabama -16.5, TOTAL: 49

Alabama might be coming off a 42-16 win over South Florida, but don’t be fooled by that scoreline. The Crimson Tide only led 14-13 entering the fourth quarter before scoring 28 points in the final 10 minutes. Kalen DeBoer’s team turned the ball over and had 13 penalties for 120 yards. The offensive line, which is missing starting left tackle Kadyn Proctor due to a shoulder injury, accounted for most of them. It was impressive how the Tide were able to finish the game, but they might not always have that opportunity against better teams.

Bama will be tested by Luke Fickell’s Wisconsin team, which is looking for the program’s first 3-0 start since 2019. There might have been more cache to this matchup when it was originally planned years ago, but there’s always intrigue when Alabama visits your stadium. Alabama hasn’t been to Camp Randall since 1928 when the Badgers shut out the Tide, 15-0.

No. 24 Boston College at No. 6 Missouri (Saturday, 12:45 p.m. ET)

Betting line: Missouri -15.5, TOTAL: 54

Missouri is 2-0 and has shut out its first two opponents by a combined score of 89-0. The Tigers are piling up more than 500 yards per game and currently have the top-ranked defense, holding teams to 127 yards per game. The schedule, of course, only gets more difficult, but early returns have the Tigers squarely in the CFP conversation.

Boston College might not have been on many bingo cards to start the year, but Bill O’Brien’s team has found itself with a 2-0 record with convincing wins over then-No. 10 Florida State and Duquesne. The Eagles, who also have a top-20 defense, are ranked in the top 25 for the first time since November 2018 and a win over a top-10 team could arguably keep them there considering Missouri is the toughest opponent left on their schedule.

No. 9 Oregon at Oregon State (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. on FOX and the FOX Sports app)

Betting line: Oregon -16.5, TOTAL: 49.5

It’s no secret that Oregon hasn’t gotten off on the right foot this season. The Ducks are 2-0 but struggled to beat lesser opponents from the state of Idaho in these first two weeks. Transfer QB Dillon Gabriel hasn’t seemed totally comfortable in his new offense, and the offensive line hasn’t helped. He was sacked four times in last week’s 37-34 win over Boise State.

No better time to turn things around than in a game against a rival. These teams meet under new circumstances as non-conference foes. The Civil War — as it used to be called — has never been played in September, but that is life now with college football realignment. The Beavers are riding a two-game winning streak in this series in Corvallis, so the Ducks would love nothing more than to end doubt that they’re not a CFP contender by getting that road win.

Tulane at No. 15 Oklahoma (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET)

Betting line: Oklahoma -13.5, TOTAL: 46.5

Tulane missed an opportunity to strengthen its CFP résumé last week when it gave up its halftime lead and lost to No. 14 Kansas State at home. The Green Wave, who have a new coach and a new signal-caller this year, led most of the game and nearly forced overtime until a potential game-tying touchdown with 17 seconds left was called for pass interference. Two plays later, QB Darian Mensah was intercepted, ending the game.

The Green Wave will have a chance to make it up this week when they head to Norman. They’re currently riding a 10-game road winning streak — the longest in the country behind Georgia and Michigan. Tulane’s offense has recently been powered by running back Makhi Hughes, who ran for 128 yards and a touchdown against Kansas State. Oklahoma, on the other hand, has been struggling with young QB Jackson Arnold. The Sooners eked out a 16-12 win over Houston last week. Head coach Brent Venables has praised Arnold’s maturity for a freshman, but if he can’t quickly overcome growing pains, OU could be in store for an upset at home.

Laken Litman covers college football, college basketball and soccer for FOX Sports. She previously wrote for Sports Illustrated, USA Today and The Indianapolis Star. She is the author of “Strong Like a Woman,” published in spring 2022 to mark the 50th anniversary of Title IX. Follow her at @LakenLitman.