Week 3 of the 2026 college football season has a little bit of everything: ranked-on-ranked matchups, a heavyweight SEC night game, and a Saturday slate that barely gives fans a breather.
The headliner is the primetime showdown in Oxford, where No. 7 LSU visits No.
8 Mississippi at 7:30 p.m. on Saturday. Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford gives the matchup extra juice, and ESPN College GameDay will be there as well, setting the stage for what should be a loud campus atmosphere from early in the day.
Friday night gets rolling with another ranked battle, as No. 13 Texas Tech takes on No.
22 Houston at 8 p.m. That comes after No.
5 Miami travels to Wake Forest for a 7:30 p.m. kickoff, while No. 21 Oregon closes the night against Portland St. at 10:30 p.m.
Saturday is packed from noon into the night. No.
2 Georgia goes to Arkansas at noon, the same window as No. 6 Ohio St. against Kent St. and No.
14 Penn St. hosting Buffalo. Later in the day, No.
1 Texas hosts UTSA at 8 p.m., No. 3 Notre Dame plays Michigan St. at 7:30 p.m., and No.
15 Tennessee takes on Kennesaw St. at 7:45 p.m.
There are plenty of other ranked games mixed in across the afternoon slate. No.
16 SMU visits No. 23 Louisville at 3:30 p.m., No.
10 Alabama hosts Florida St. at 3:30 p.m., and No. 12 Southern Cal is at Rutgers at 3:30 p.m.
No. 9 Texas A&M faces Kentucky at 3:30 p.m., No.
17 Utah hosts Utah St. at 3:30 p.m., and No. 19 Michigan takes on UTEP at 3:30 p.m.
The rest of the AP Top 25 schedule fills out the weekend with No. 4 Indiana against W.
Kentucky at 4 p.m., No. 18 Iowa against N.
Iowa at 4 p.m., No. 20 Missouri hosting Troy at 7 p.m., No.
24 Oklahoma against New Mexico at 7:30 p.m., and No. 25 Virginia facing West Virginia at Charlotte, N.C., also at 7:30 p.m.
Here is the full Week 3 AP Top 25 schedule, with all times ET:
Friday, Sept. 18
No. 5 Miami (2-0) at Wake Forest (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
No. 13 Texas Tech (2-0) vs.
No. 22 Houston (2-0), 8 p.m.
No. 21 Oregon (1-1) vs. Portland St. (0-3), 10:30 p.m.
Saturday, Sept. 19
No. 1 Texas (2-0) vs. UTSA (2-0), 8 p.m.
No. 2 Georgia (2-0) at Arkansas (1-1), Noon
No. 3 Notre Dame (2-0) vs. Michigan St. (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
No. 4 Indiana (2-0) vs.
W. Kentucky (0-2), 4 p.m.
No. 6 Ohio St. (1-1) vs.
Kent St. (1-1), Noon
No. 7 LSU (2-0) at No. 8 Mississippi (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
No. 9 Texas A&M (2-0) vs. Kentucky (1-1), 3:30 p.m.
No. 10 Alabama (2-0) vs. Florida St. (1-1), 3:30 p.m.
No. 11 BYU (2-0) at Colorado St. (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
No. 12 Southern Cal (3-0) at Rutgers (0-2), 3:30 p.m.
No. 14 Penn St. (2-0) vs. Buffalo (1-1), Noon
No. 15 Tennessee (2-0) vs. Kennesaw St. (1-1), 7:45 p.m.
No. 16 SMU (2-0) at No. 23 Louisville (1-1), 3:30 p.m.
No. 17 Utah (2-0) vs. Utah St. (0-2), 3:30 p.m.
No. 18 Iowa (2-0) vs.
N. Iowa (1-1), 4 p.m.
No. 19 Michigan (2-0) vs. UTEP (1-1), 3:30 p.m.
No. 20 Missouri (2-0) vs. Troy (2-0), 7 p.m.
No. 24 Oklahoma (1-1) vs. New Mexico (2-0), 7:30 p.m.
No. 25 Virginia (2-0) vs. West Virginia (2-0) at Charlotte, N.C., 7:30 p.m.
In Other News...
Lane Kiffin Just Added More Heat To LSU's Ole Miss Rivalry
Few SEC matchups carry as much history as LSU and Ole Miss, a rivalry that dates to 1894 and has grown into the Magnolia Bowl since 2008. The Tigers have controlled the series overall, leading 64-44-4, and the annual meeting has produced its share of memorable nights, from the 1959 Halloween game to the famed 1972 contest known as The Night Time Stood Still.
Recent history has leaned LSUs way, too, including a comeback win in 2024 that only added to the edge between the programs. With Lane Kiffin now adding more heat to the conversation, the next chapter in this long-running feud has plenty of built-in tension before anyone even steps on the field. [Read more 🡒]
Lane Kiffin Is Adding More Heat To LSUs Ole Miss Trip
Lane Kiffin has spent enough time in SEC theater to know how to lean into it, and this week he helped turn LSUs preparation for Ole Miss into a much louder scene. He invited LSU students to come out and heckle the Tigers during practice, using the chance to recreate the kind of hostile environment LSU will walk into on the road. The result was exactly the sort of charged backdrop this rivalry tends to attract, with signs, noise and plenty of pointed energy aimed at Kiffin and the team.
For LSU, the practical value is obvious: a little extra discomfort now could help when the real crowd gets involved. For Kiffin, the setting only added another layer to a matchup already carrying its own history, since he previously coached at Ole Miss before leaving in November. With the Tigers headed into that trip, the noise around practice was a reminder that this one is about more than just a football game. [Read more 🡒]
Ole Miss Just Got A GameDay Pick That Fans Will Love
The buildup around LSUs trip to Oxford already had the feel of one of the seasons biggest SEC showdowns, with the No. 7 Tigers set for a primetime meeting against No. 8 Ole Miss at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. Now the stage has gotten even brighter, with College GameDay heading to the matchup and ABC carrying the game as part of a broadcast lineup that includes Chris Fowler, Holly Rowe and Laura Rutledge.
For a rivalry-like game with rankings this tight, the pregame spotlight is almost as much a part of the story as the snap-to-snap action, and this one will have plenty of it. Rece Davis, Kirk Herbstreit, Desmond Howard, Pat McAfee and Nick Saban will be on hand for the show, joined by celebrity guest Morgan Freeman, giving the weekend an extra layer of buzz before LSU and Ole Miss even take the field. [Read more 🡒]