EmailPrintOpen Extended ReactionsThe Week 3 schedule in college football sneaks up on you. You know all about the Lane Kiffin Bowl, which we've been gearing up for since last December. But we get two other ranked-versus-ranked games, and the weekend should build solid momentum with a stream of 13 games between unbeaten teams.We get all sorts of narrative potential in quarterback matchups such as Trinidad Chambliss (Ole Miss) vs. Sam Leavitt (LSU) -- if Leavitt plays -- plus Lincoln Kienholz (Louisville) vs. Kevin Jennings (SMU), Kamario Taylor (Mississippi State) vs. LaNorris Sellers (South Carolina), Malik Washington (Maryland) vs. Ethan Grunkemeyer (Virginia Tech) and CJ Bailey (NC State) vs. Jared Curtis (Vanderbilt)We also get one of the most intriguing Auburn-Florida games in years, plus rivalry games we never give enough attention to: the Victory Bell (Miami-Ohio vs. Cincinnati), the Battle for the Valley (Fresno State vs. San Jose State) and the Shula Bowl (FIU vs. FAU).And yes, we get the REVENGE!!!!!! game of the season in Oxford, Mississippi. It's a lot! It always is! Here's everything you need to follow in what's sure to be a messy and dramatic Week 3.Note: All times are Eastern.REVENGE!!!!! No. 7 LSU at No. 8 Ole Miss (7:30 p.m., ABC)How are things going in the run-up to this one? Well, there will be an "enhanced law enforcement presence" at the game, LSU defensive end Princewill Umanmielen was served court papers at the LSU football complex Tuesday in relation to an Ole Miss breach-of-contract lawsuit, and on Wednesday, LSU listed quarterback Sam Leavitt as doubtful out of the blue despite no record of any injury. It later came out that he was dealing with a potential shoulder issue. No one knows whether to believe that, but the betting line didn't move, which is telling.It might not be possible to top Neyland Stadium's atmosphere in 2021 when, 12 years after he ditched Tennessee, Kiffin finally revisited Knoxville. (Golf balls! I'm still surprised by the golf balls.) But we're evidently going to give it the ol' college try Saturday night.If Leavitt really is injured, either Husan Longstreet's first career start or Elon transfer Landen Clark's first FBS start will come at an incredible time in an incredible atmosphere. But either way, the marquee matchup will come when Ole Miss has the ball.Though plenty of teams have feasted on cupcakes thus far, Ole Miss' offensive stats have been dinged a bit by the Rebels having played a real opponent in Week 1 (Louisville). But you still get an outline for the matchups at play. Ole Miss has stayed on schedule beautifully thanks to Kewan Lacy's running and Trinidad Chambliss' efficient passing to Deuce Alexander and Horatio Fields, who have caught 22 of 25 balls thrown their way. But there haven't been loads of big plays thus far, especially from Lacy (4.9 yards per carry). LSU's defense, however, has been the most efficient in the country and basically gives up yards only in chunks. It's strength versus strength here.With Leavitt, LSU's offense sleepwalked through the first half against Louisiana Tech last week. Leavitt threw three picks and took four sacks, and after gaining 113 yards against Clemson, running back Dilin Jones had 10 carries for 3 yards. It was a nightmare performance for the LSU offensive line, though the unit found a solid groove in the second half as the Tigers finally pulled away. Ole Miss got hit for several big plays in Week 1 against Louisville, but the defensive front has been pretty disruptive, especially against the run. That could mean Leavitt or any other signal-caller faces a decent number of second-and-9s or third-and-8s.Off-the-field machinations get exhausting after a while, but this game should be incredibly interesting on the field, too. Will the atmosphere get to LSU? Will it charge up Ole Miss too much? Revenge attempts can go in many different directions, and this should be the most fascinating game of 2026 thus far.Current line: LSU -2.5 | SP+ projection: LSU by 6.3 | FPI projection: LSU by 5.3The race for ACC No. 2 No. 16 SMU at No. 23 Louisville (3:30 p.m., ESPN2)Since joining the ACC in 2024, SMU is 15-2 in conference play, two games better than Miami and at least 3 better than everyone else. Louisville, meanwhile, has won at least nine games for three straight seasons under Jeff Brohm. I was about to say that these two programs are the most likely next first-time ACC champs until I remembered that somehow, in 22 seasons, Miami hasn't won one yet. Whoops. Regardless, Saturday's winner moves into the "most likely to face Miami in the title game" slot.This game features two of the nation's top five passers per Total QBR. SMU veteran Kevin Jennings (second) is averaging a ridiculous 13.7 yards per dropback, while Louisville newcomer Lincoln Kienholz (fifth) has thrown for 639 yards and rushed for 130, not including sacks. He nearly led an upset win against Ole Miss in Week 1; he looked like a new starter for two quarters and a Heisman contender for two.Kienholz is a certified big-play hunter. He's third nationally in yards per completion (18.3), fifth in yards per dropback (11.4) and 26th in yards per non-sack carry (7.6). He leaves the pocket constantly, and though he has thrown 18% of his passes 20-plus yards downfield (24th), he has yet to throw an interception. Sacks are almost the only thing keeping his Hudl IQ radar performance chart from being a perfect circle.Jennings, meanwhile, remains Jennings: He's talented, smart and effective, but you have to put up with basically two huge mistakes each game. He threw two second-half interceptions in SMU's narrow Week 1 win over Florida State, and the Mustangs won by only three points despite outgaining the Seminoles by 261 yards.Both of these teams had top-30 defenses last season, and if these quarterbacks cancel each other out from a quality perspective, the more effective defense might make the difference.Current line: Louisville -1.5 | SP+ projection: Louisville 1.3 | FPI projection: Louisville by 1.0The big one in Lubbock No. 22 Houston at No. 13 Texas Tech (Friday, 8 p.m., Fox)Texas Tech has been extremely underwhelming compared with last year's rampant Big 12 title form, but that won't matter if the Red Raiders shift into gear Friday night.At 31st in SP+, Houston ranks fifth in the Big 12, but the Cougars are the best remaining opponent on Tech's schedule. The Cougars have been brutally efficient to date, with Conner Weigman completing 69% of his passes and backs Makhi Hughes, Re'Shaun Sanford II and Zane Smith averaging 6.3 yards per carry. They've gone three-and-out only once in two games. Tech's defense is aggressive, and edge rusher Jamond Mathis looks like the real deal, but aggression has backfired quite a bit early on. They're solidly in the all-or-nothing quadrant below.Tech's offense ranks just 64th in points per possession despite having played Oregon State (74th in defensive SP+) and FCS' Abilene Christian. Will Hammond is throwing quickly and accurately, but he's averaging only 10.6 yards per completion and 7.0 yards per dropback. He's 59th in Total QBR. Houston's pass defense has been vulnerable -- the Cougars also got hit for big yards against Oregon State -- but the run defense has been spotless. Hammond might have to win this game. Is he ready to do that?Current line: Tech -7.5 | SP+ projection: Tech by 10.0 | FPI projection: Tech by 9.72-0 vs. 2-0Unbeaten records give quite a few games some added heft. Here are six I'm looking forward to far more than I expected. The Saturday night slate is really overflowing. Florida at Auburn (7 p.m., ESPN)Since Urban Meyer left Florida in 2011, the school has always made logical hires. Will Muschamp was the most respected defensive coordinator in the game. Jim McElwain had the Saban DNA everyone was seeking and had gone from 4-8 to 10-2 in two years at Colorado State. Dan Mullen was Meyer's former right-hand man and had turned Mississippi State into an annual winner. Billy Napier had worked for Saban and Dabo Swinney, and had turned Louisiana into a juggernaut.Despite all that logic, however, Florida's win percentage is .582 since Meyer's departure, basically a 7-6 season in perpetuity. This job is weird at the moment, and it's possible that even Jon Sumrall can't figure it out. But he aced his first year at Troy and Tulane, and his first two games at Florida have been a statement of intent. Sure, the Gators played Florida Atlantic and Campbell, but they won by a combined 118-24 and landed almost immediate knockout blows. Aaron Philo is averaging 11.9 yards per dropback, and Jadan Baugh is averaging 10.6 yards per carry. The defense has forced five turnovers while allowing almost no big plays.Obviously, facing Auburn will tell us far more about the Gators. Alex Golesh's Tigers are also 2-0; the offense was wobbly against Baylor in the opener, but they were appropriately ruthless against Southern Miss. Safety Kaleb Harris and linebacker Elijah Melendez are havoc machines, and corner Andre Jordan Jr. has two picks. Florida looks like it has massive upside, but it wouldn't be surprising if Auburn snuffed that out Saturday night.Current line: Florida -2.5 | SP+ projection: Florida by 5.3 | FPI projection: Auburn by 0.1 Virginia Tech at Maryland (7:30 p.m., FS1)By now, we know not to fall too hard for September Maryland. Head coach Mike Locksley is 21-5 in September and 15-39 in all other months, and though typically light nonconference schedules are a huge reason for that, the Terps also overachieve against SP+ projections early on before settling into a rut of underachievement.The Terps beat Hampton and UConn by a combined 100-14, overachieving against projections by more than 10 points each time. Of course they did. Their defense has been almost untouchable, and sophomore quarterback Malik Washington has looked great throwing to transfers Chris Durr Jr. and Na'eem Abdul-Rahim Gladding.But Virginia Tech will help us determine whether this is the same mirage or something different. The Hokies have also punished buy-game opponents, and their 44-21 win over Old Dominion was a statement of sorts, considering how well ODU has played against them recently. Quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer is operating efficiently, Jeffrey Overton Jr. is averaging 6.6 yards per carry, and Mylachi Williams has been one of the best defensive ends in the country.James Franklin's Hokies are up to 28th in SP+. If Maryland can take down Tech, there's a chance September Maryland is ready to become something more. Maybe. Or not.Current line: Va. Tech -3 | SP+ projection: Va. Tech by 1.5 | FPI projection: Va. Tech by 2.9 Mississippi State at South Carolina (4:15 p.m., SECN)Two years ago, as a redshirt freshman, South Carolina's LaNorris Sellers created serious buzz with his athletic frame (he's 6-foot-3, 238 pounds) and dual-threat capabilities. Even with sack-prone tendencies and merely solid passing numbers, he quickly started showing up in first-round NFL draft projections on potential alone.After a terribly disappointing sophomore season, Sellers is looking to burnish his stock again. South Carolina pummeled Kent State and Towson appropriately, and it appears star defensive end Dylan Stewart should be ready to make his season debut. Sellers seems to be sacrificing explosiveness for more efficiency and fewer sacks. And now, he'll welcome the new Next Big Dual-Threat to Columbia.Kamario Taylor is the co-leader of my early Heisman points race, and he just led MSU to a statement road win against Minnesota. He seems to be developing more quickly than Sellers, but each of his next six opponents ranks in the top 20 in defensive SP+. We'll find out just what he and the Bulldogs are capable of. (Of course, Minnesota also ranked in the top 20 before facing Taylor & Co. Now, the Gophers are 34th.)Current line: SC -4 | SP+ projection: SC -9.4 | FPI projection: SC by 5.1 West Virginia vs. No. 25 Virginia (7:30 p.m., ACCN)After a blowout of NC State and a buy-game laugher, Virginia is 2-0 and a projected favorite in eight of its next nine games. The Cavaliers were far too physical for NC State, but West Virginia might match them in that regard. Rich Rodriguez is trying to establish a relentless run game with Cam Cook and dual-threat QB Michael Hawkins Jr., and if the run game is working at all, receiver DJ Epps is waiting to beat preoccupied defenses deep.The Mountaineers aren't trustworthy yet; they burst out to an early lead against Coastal Carolina but took their foot off the gas and nearly gave the game away. They're just 63rd in SP+. But they're building a rhythm, and there's at least a slight chance they can throw the Cavaliers off their beat in Charlotte.Current line: UVA -10.5 | SP+ projection: UVA by 9.7 | FPI projection: UVA by 14.2 No. 11 BYU at Colorado State (7:30 p.m., CBS)BYU has given us no reason to doubt this season; the Cougars were mature and methodical in pulling away from what is probably a good Arizona team last week in Provo. The run game is as physical as ever, and the Cougars' defense has been great at preventing big plays and forcing turnovers. Injuries have thinned out the depth chart a bit, and the line has shrunk from BYU -20.5 to -17.5, but 17.5 is still a lot.I'm keeping my eye on Colorado State. Jim Mora did an incredible job at UConn, winning nine games in back-to-back seasons, and in his first two games in Fort Collins, the Rams have overachieved against SP+ projections by 17 points per game. Quarterback Hauss Hejny is a big-play threat with his arm and legs, and running back Mel Brown already has runs of 37, 73 and 80 yards. CSU's gorgeous Canvas Stadium, opened in 2017, hasn't had too many opportunities to ignite yet, but an exciting home team and a visit from a hated, longtime conference rival should be pretty good reasons.Current line: BYU -17.5 | SP+ projection: BYU by 21.1 | FPI projection: BYU by 19.6 Michigan State at No. 3 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m., NBC)In 1995, Northwestern upset a top-10 Notre Dame team as a 28-point underdog to kick off what turned out to be a miraculous Rose Bowl campaign. Linebacker Pat Fitzgerald made 11 tackles as the Wildcats forced two turnovers and stuffed a late fourth-and-short attempt. In 2014, when Northwestern beat the Irish 43-40 in the teams' first meeting in 19 years, Fitzgerald was the head coach. His history against the Irish is magnificent, and he'll lead Michigan State's upset attempt Saturday night.Going by the point spread, a Spartans win would be an even bigger upset than the famous 1995 game. The Spartans obviously aren't as historically inept as Northwestern had been, but Notre Dame is also quite a bit better than its 1995 iteration. The Irish have won 12 in a row, and they've overachieved against expectations in both games thus far. They obliterated the run games of Wisconsin and Rice, and quarterback CJ Carr has distributed the ball well to just about everyone on the roster. Michigan State looked much better in its second of two MAC wins; running back Cam Edwards is efficient, and defensive tackle Eli Coenen is a handful. But even with the Notre Dame run game struggling for traction, it would take a massive leap from the Spartans for Fitzgerald to score another Irish win.Current line: ND -29.5 | SP+ projection: ND by 27.9 | FPI projection: ND by 27.8Week 3 chaos superfectaWe're once again using this space to will chaos into existence, looking at four carefully curated games with pretty big point spreads and mashing them together into a much more upset-friendly number. After a massively successful Week 1, we whiffed last week. Time to move to 2-for-3.SP+ says there's only a 36% chance that Virginia (73% win probability vs. West Virginia), Texas Tech (73% vs. Houston), UCLA (79% vs. Purdue) and Oklahoma (85% vs. New Mexico) all win this weekend. We're taking down a ranked -- or, in UCLA's case, should-be-ranked -- team!Week 3 playlistHere are some more games you should pay attention to if you want to get the absolute most out of the weekend, from information and entertainment perspectives.Friday eveningNo. 5 Miami at Wake Forest (7:30 p.m., ESPN). A year after fielding a spicy defense and middling offense, Wake Forest has done the opposite this season. If you rank 134th in passing success rate allowed after facing Akron and Purdue, you probably won't survive Darian Mensah, Malachi Toney and Miami. But Wake's Gio Lopez-to-Carlos Hernandez combination has been fantastic, Miami corners O.J. Frederique and Xavier Lucas are out, and the Demon Deacons might score enough to make this one entertaining, at least.Current line: Miami -21 | SP+ projection: Miami by 19.7 | FPI projection: Miami by 20.4Early SaturdayArizona State vs. Kansas (noon, FS1). Kansas (to Missouri) and Arizona State (to Texas A&M) fell well short in upset attempts last week, so they've both set off to a new land in search of happiness. London's Wembley Stadium will host the inaugural Union Jack Classic, and each team has a super-exciting big-play receiver to feature -- Reed Harris for ASU, Nik McMillan for KU. The Sun Devils have a projected edge because (a) their defense is giving up fewer big plays, and (b) KU quarterback Isaiah Marshall suffered far too many dud plays (INTs, sacks, missed targets) against Mizzou.Current line: ASU -5.5 | SP+ projection: ASU by 3.1 | FPI projection: ASU by 1.2NC State at Vanderbilt (12:45 p.m., SECN). Vandy is 2-0 for the fourth straight year, but the Commodores underachieved against projections by more than a touchdown in each game. After a dreadful Week 0 loss to Virginia, NC State found form and attitude in a 73-0 win over Richmond. Quarterback CJ Bailey has been atrocious and great in two games, and Vandy's blue-chip freshman Jared Curtis threw for 210 yards and a TD last week to earn his first career start.Current line: Vandy -3 | SP+ projection: Vandy by 4.7 | FPI projection: Vandy by 6.9North Carolina at Clemson (noon, ESPN). The Morbid Curiosity Game of the Week! North Carolina looked competent and well-coached in the season-opening win over TCU, and now Bill Belichick's Tar Heels will take on a toothless Clemson offense (134th in points per possession) that will be giving freshman quarterback Tait Reynolds his first career start. Granted, UNC still has to score points. That's not guaranteed.Current line: Clemson -3 | SP+ projection: Clemson by 4.2 | FPI projection: Clemson by 1.1No. 2 Georgia at Arkansas (noon, ABC). Only Rutgers and Oregon have underachieved against projections by more than Arkansas in the first two weeks. The Razorbacks are still searching for proof of concept under Ryan Silverfield, and now they welcome a Georgia team that was very rude to two cupcake opponents. Arkansas fans didn't seem to love the Silverfield hire in the first place, and he'll probably have to wait a bit longer to give them something to cheer about.Current line: UGA -24.5 | SP+ projection: UGA by 25.4 | FPI projection: UGA by 27.2Saturday afternoonKentucky at No. 9 Texas A&M (3:30 p.m., ESPN). Kentucky tested Alabama for about 2 quarters last week before getting run over and losing by 28. A&M, meanwhile, played the same game in reverse against Arizona State, eventually winning by 28. Does that mean we're in store for something similar in College Station? A&M's defense looks even more aggressive (and potentially vulnerable to big plays) than last year's, but Kentucky hasn't shown loads of big-play potential yet.Current line: A&M -16.5 | SP+ projection: A&M by 20.4 | FPI projection: A&M by 22.8Florida State at No. 10 Alabama (3:30 p.m., ABC). Bama got a nice test from Kentucky and eventually passed it with flying colors. Quarterback Keelon Russell steadied after some early mistakes, running back Daniel Hill topped 100 yards for the first time and the Tide defense allowed just 209 yards and forced three turnovers. FSU RB Ousmane Kromah is fantastic, but we don't have much evidence that the Seminoles will test the Tide for anything close to 60 minutes.Current line: Bama -19.5 | SP+ projection: Bama by 15.9 | FPI projection: Bama by 17.7Stanford at Duke (4 p.m., The CW). Running back Nate Sheppard and a bend-don't-break defense have earned Duke a 2-0 start, and the Blue Devils are projected favorites in their next four games. Stanford has some big-play receivers, and linebacker Matt Rose is excellent, but, well, the Cardinal are 123rd in points per possession and 125th in points allowed. Playing Miami obviously hurt those numbers, but do they have enough upside to win after a cross-country trip?Current line: Duke -10 | SP+ projection: Duke by 13.3 | FPI projection: Duke by 15.3Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati (3:30 p.m., ESPN+). Cincinnati and Miami have been playing since 1888, and after a year off last year, they'll meet again at FC Cincinnati's TQL Stadium. The Bearcats have won 17 of the past 18 in the series, but five of the past 10 were decided by one score, and Miami won in its last trip to Cincy. The Redhawks got rocked by Pitt two weeks ago, and UC's run game, led by Gi'Bran Payne, has been dynamite. But we've seen surprises before.Current line: Cincy -16.5 | SP+ projection: Cincy by 16.6 | FPI projection: Cincy by 22.2Saturday eveningNew Mexico at No. 24 Oklahoma (7:30 p.m., ESPN2). "It's kind of like we've been going to fast-food restaurants to eat and now, all of a sudden, we got an invite to the nicest steakhouse in town, and you're checking your wallet to make sure you have enough to cover it because you don't want to be embarrassed." That's what New Mexico coach Jason Eck told the media Monday about getting the chance to play Oklahoma, but make no mistake: He and his Lobos are heading to Norman to win.New Mexico has been nearly flawless in wins over low-level opponents. A pair of quarterbacks -- the pass-first Luke Moga and all-or-nothing dual-threat Toa Fa'avae -- have played well in Jack Layne's absence, running back Scottre Humphrey is excellent, and Darren Agu and Brett Karhu might be one of the better pass-rushing duos in the Group of 6. Even with a reeling and frustrated offense, Oklahoma likely has too much talent for the Lobos. But if Eck has his wallet, his team could make the Sooners work much harder than they'd prefer.Current line: OU -21.5 | SP+ projection: OU by 16.7 | FPI projection: OU by 18.5Colorado at Northwestern (7:30 p.m., Fox). Deion Sanders has already seen quite a few new Colorado transfers -- receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., edge rusher Lamont Lester Jr., linebacker Gideon Lampron, corners Cree Thomas and Boo Carter -- come through during the Buffaloes' 2-0 start. Can they win their second road game of the season or will Northwestern's combination of big plays and big-play prevention move them to 2-0?Current line: Northwestern -3.5 | SP+ projection: Northwestern by 6.6 | FPI projection: Colorado by 0.1Troy at No. 20 Missouri (7 p.m., SECN+). Granted, this battle of 2-0s might not be as tantalizing as some of the ones above, but Missouri has struggled to run the ball efficiently, and Troy has defended the run pretty well (albeit against Sam Houston and Alabama State). Mizzou will win unless the spirit of 2004 overtakes Memorial Stadium, but it's still a growth opportunity for a pretty exciting Tigers team before the schedule gets much tougher.Current line: Mizzou -27.5 | SP+ projection: Mizzou by 24.7 | FPI projection: Mizzou by 25.1UTSA at No. 1 Texas (8 p.m., SECN+). As with Mizzou-Troy, we probably know how this one will end up. The question is how much Texas will have to work. UTSA has a great trio of running backs led by Will Henderson III, and quarterback Owen McCown has been mistake-free. The story of Will Muschamp's Texas defense thus far has been middling play in the first half followed by excellent adjustments. Maybe it's a game for a half, then?Current line: Texas -30.5 | SP+ projection: Texas by 25.4 | FPI projection: Texas by 37.6Florida International at Florida Atlantic (6 p.m., ESPN+). Shula Bowl! Both of these teams are coming off exciting performances -- FIU dominated Buffalo, while FAU took an excellent step in the American Conference race by handling Navy 38-30 at home. The Owls' offense moves with relentless tempo, and quarterback Caden Veltkamp should easily threaten 4,000 passing yards this season, but FIU's pass-rush duo of Elisha Baldridge and DeeJay Holmes Jr. could threaten Veltkamp frequently.Current line: FAU -7 | SP+ projection: FAU by 6.0 | FPI projection: FAU by 0.4Late SaturdayJames Madison at San Diego State (10 p.m., The CW). Two Group-of-6 playoff hopefuls square off. After a tight win over Liberty, JMU humiliated Wagner 87-3 last week. Quarterbacks Camden Coleman and Arrington Maiden looked excellent in the absence of injured Week 1 starter JC Evans, so the Dukes could do any number of things at quarterback against SDSU. The Aztecs' defense remains tough, though; SDSU gave up just one score in UCLA's first eight drives last week.Current line: SDSU -1.5 | SP+ projection: JMU by 2.0 | FPI projection: SDSU by 3.1Purdue at UCLA (11 p.m., BTN). Second-year coach Barry Odom is still looking for his first power-conference win at Purdue after the Boilermakers came up inches short against Wake Forest. Quarterback Ryan Browne and running back Fame Ijeboi have been excellent, but the defense has been a sieve and will struggle with UCLA RBs Wayne Knight and Anthony Woods. Nico Iamaleava still takes too many sacks, though, and pass rushing is the one thing Purdue's defense does well.Current line: UCLA -14 | SP+ projection: UCLA by 12.8 | FPI projection: UCLA by 11.8Montana at Oregon State (11 p.m., USA). Top FCS teams Montana State, Illinois State and Tarleton State have proven themselves with wins over FBS competition; No. 2 Montana might have a chance at continuing that trend thanks to stars such as quarterback Keali'i Ah Yat and running back Eli Gillman, but I'm doubting the Grizzlies can make enough stops. OSU quarterback Braden Atkinson leads the nation with nearly 400 passing yards per game, and freshman receiver Jesse Legree is a big-play machine.Current line: OSU by 17.5 | SP+ projection: OSU by 6.3 | FPI projection: OSU by 11.2Smaller-school showcaseLet's once again save a shoutout for the glorious lower levels of the sport. Here are three games you should track.Division III: No. 3 Wisconsin-Platteville at Springfield (noon, FloCollege). Conference play begins in only two weeks for the Best Football Conference in the Land (the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletics Conference), and early signs are that the WIAC is as good as ever; it currently has three of the top-four teams in Division III SP+. But UW-Platteville is taking an interesting trip East to face a Springfield offense that has topped 40 points in each game. Can the Pride entice the Pioneers into a track meet?SP+ projection: UWP by 6.0NAIA: No. 9 Benedictine at No. 1 Grand View (1 p.m., local streaming). Grand View is your two-time defending NAIA champ, but the Vikings eked past Benedictine in last year's season opener, and they looked mortal last week in a grind against Missouri Valley. (The team, not the conference.) Since dropping a tight one to No. 8 Morningside, Benedictine has won its past two by a combined 87-13 count. Can the Ravens score their first win in the series since 2018?SP+ projection: Grand View by 6.6FCS: No. 9 Youngstown State at No. 3 South Dakota State (7 p.m., ESPN+). We have to wait until Saturday evening for our smaller-school headliner. South Dakota State has beaten two FCS opponents by a combined 127-21, while reigning Gordie Lockbaum of the Week Beau Brungard and the YSU offense hung 70 on poor Duquesne. SDSU's defense has proven far more capable of actually making some stops, but this could be a fireworks show.SP+ projection: SDSU by 11.2
