Welcome back to the College Football Weekly Buffet here at SB Nation.
Every week, I break down the weekend schedule, separating the tasty morsels from the leftovers with the help of SB Nation's college bloggers. By the time you wake up Saturday morning, grab your plate and head for the food line, you'll already know exactly what you're going to chow down on.
This weekend, it's time for Jews everywhere to atone for their sins during Yom Kippur. They'll be fasting all day so by the time sun down is here, you can expect them to be quite famished. Good thing so many of the day's tastiest meals aren't served until later.
So let's find out what looks tasty and what might be worth pushing to the side of your plate in this weekend's college football buffet. (All times are Eastern.)
GIVE ME A HEAPING HELPING
No. 3 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Texas (12:00pm, ABC) - The Red River Rivalry is as American as "eating some fried butter or fried bubble gum at the State Fair." Will Good Landry Jones or Bad Landry Jones make an appearance for the Sooners? And either way, can the Longhorns keep the pressure on him without selling out the rest of their defensive gameplan?
No. 17 Florida at No. 1 LSU (3:30pm, CBS) - For the second game in a row, the Gators will face one of the top defenses in the country. It wasn't that long ago that UF was the aggressor in this series but, my, how things have changed quickly.
I'LL HAVE A SCOOP OF THAT, PLEASE
No. 15 Auburn at No. 10 Arkansas (7:00pm, ESPN/ESPN3) - Auburn has a winning record against the Razorbacks since joining the SEC (10-8-1), but the points battle between the two is nearly even at 465-460. Arkansas has a history of losing the next game following their first SEC loss of the season, so this doesn't bode well.
Ohio State at No. 14 Nebraska (8:00pm, ABC) - Two teams both coming off bad losses looking for a conference win, this game isn't as amazing as it sounds on paper. That said, it's still Ohio State vs. Nebraska, you know?
No. 22 Arizona State at Utah (3:30pm, FSN) - Utes fans are learning pretty quickly that it kinda sucks to be the new kid in town sometimes. The Sun Devils look to take a commanding lead in the Pac-12 South with a win here.
No. 24 Texas A&M at Texas Tech (7:00pm, FX) - The Raiders hope A&M continues to be a great first-half but terrible second-half team. The Aggies are looking at this as the "easiest" game of their past three.
Iowa at Penn State (3:30pm, ABC/ESPN/ESPN3) - Penn State's offense has been fairly inconsistent all season long. Perhaps Joe Paterno's patented way of picking a QB can help.
Miami at No. 21 Virginia Tech (3:30pm, ABC/ESPN/ESPN3) - Opponents have been able to run the ball consistently against the Miami defense this year so it stands to reason the Hokies will attempt to do the same. Making it even easier for them is the fact that DT Marcus Forston is out for the year.
I'LL TASTE IT FIRST...
Kentucky at No. 18 South Carolina (12:21pm, ESPN3) - Only in the SEC could there be so much commotion over whether or not the backup QB (Stephen Garcia) will be available or not. Wildcat fans are looking for the Newton's Cradle that get the team moving.
No. 19 Illinois at Indiana (2:30pm, BTN) - Illinois, welcome to your Trap Game. The Illini haven't won in Bloomington since 2007, so there's that as well.
Pitt at Rutgers (3:30pm, ESPNU) - Pitt fans have been confused by their team's up and down play all season. Last week's win over USF was impressive but struggles against Buffalo and Maine were not.
I'LL KEEP THAT IN MIND FOR THE NEXT TRIP
Maryland at No. 13 Georgia Tech (12:00pm, ESPNU) - Maryland's first road game of the season comes against one of the fiercest offenses in the nation. Maryland has faced the triple option this season and gave up 400+ yards in the process. They're hoping their ugly uniforms will throw the Jackets off kilter.
No. 23 Florida State at Wake Forest (12:30pm, ESPN3) - Last year FSU treated this game against a very young Wake team as a glorified scrimmage, winning 31-0. The numbers say Wake has a better shot this year, but not a great one.
Air Force at Notre Dame (3:30pm, NBC) - Air Force runs a lot of their plays out of the flexbone, which isn't Navy's veer option, so don't get too crazy about it, Irish fans. That said, the Falcons did win last time these two played.
Arizona at Oregon State (3:30pm, FCS) - Ka'Deem Carey just might be ready for a breakout game, and there's not a better time for the Wildcats to find a playmaker than Saturday. This isn't just a battle of football teams, it's also a battle of mascots.
Missouri at Kansas State (3:30pm, ABC/ESPN3) - MIZZOUEXPANSIONAPALOOZA has Tiger Nation freaking out about their future. They'll need to keep their focus in the here and now if they want to beat the Wildcats and their Wildcat offense.
No. 12 Michigan at Northwestern (7:00pm, BTN) - The Wolverines were reminded of what it was like to be on the good side of a butt-kicking last weekend. Coach Pat Fitzgerald has his Intense-O-Meter high with UM coming to town.
Georgia at Tennessee (7:00pm, ESPN2/ESPN3) - It's long been true that Tennessee's success as a program is heavily reliant on their ability to recruit Georgia. Bulldog fans can sit back and enjoy this game with a tall, cool glass of Hillbilly Lemonade.
I DON'T KNOW...SMELLS FUNNY...
Connecticut at No. 16 West Virginia (12:00pm, ESPN3) - Five games into the Coach P Era, some folks are already calling for his head. West Virginia is revenge-minded and isn't too concerned with helping Coach P's reputation out.
Louisville at North Carolina (12:00pm, ESPN/ESPN3) - Is Louisville soon for the Big 12? They better put their focus on the Tar Heels, who see this game as the start of something big.
Boston College at No. 8 Clemson (3:00pm, FSN/ESPN3) - The Eagles have ensured fans (for better or worse) than head coach Frank Spaziani will keep his job through the season. They might have wanted to wait until after this game to mention that considering how good the Tigers have looked.
Kansas at No. 6 Oklahoma State (3:30pm, N/A) - Kansas currently has the second best rushing attack in the conference. However, they also have a fan identity crisis as they try to figure out how important football is to them.
Iowa State at No. 25 Baylor (7:00pm, FSN) - Cyclone fans, last week’s game was not a "Program Killer".
Vanderbilt at No. 2 Alabama (7:00pm, ESPNU) - The Tide are in Upset Avoidance Mode for this one. Vandy has lost RB Warren Norman to injury and it looks like he's going to have to redshirt.
Colorado at No. 7 Stanford (7:30pm, Versus) - As you might imagine, these two teams don't match up all that well statistically. It's not a question of "if" Andrew Luck will throw touchdowns, but how many.
Washington State at UCLA (10:30pm, FSN) - Last year, UCLA rushed for 437 yards against WSU with a gaudy 7.8 YPC. The Cougs want to keep their great start going by notching win No. 4 earlier in the season than expected.
NO THANKS, PLATE'S FULL
UAB at Mississippi State (12:00pm, FSB) - The Bulldog don't have fond memories of the Blazers.
Minnesota at Purdue (12:00pm, ESPN2/ESPN3) - The way that the Gophers and Boilermakers have been playing the game of football, this might be the worst FBS match-up we've seen all season.
Central Michigan at NC State (3:30pm, ESPN3) - CMU ain't quite what she used to be, though things are not as bad as that 3-9 record last season suggests.
Syracuse at Tulane (8:00pm, SNY/Cox) - Doug Marrone returns to New Orleans, where he was the Saints' offensive coordinator before taking the SU job.
TCU at San Diego State (10:30pm, CBSN) - TCU kicks off it's Almost Big-12 Era with what they hope to be a slumpbuster.