What To Watch: Three Ranked Matchups Highlight Week 3

While Ohio State takes on Ohio at 7:00 p.m. on Saturday, Week 3 of the college football season will be highlighted by three ranked contests.

Here are some of the week’s top matchups:

No. 6 Georgia vs. No. 15 Tennessee (3:30 p.m., ABC): It hasn’t been a perfect start for Georgia in 2025. The Bulldogs are 2-0 but haven’t been as dominant in their first two games against Marshall and Austin Peay as some may have hoped. Instead, Georgia has averaged 36.5 points per game, a mark that is tied for 41st nationally. However, head coach Kirby Smart’s squad always seems to find its stride against Tennessee. Smart is 8-1 against the Volunteers as Georgia’s head coach, with his first loss coming in his first year (2016).

While Georgia’s offense has been inconsistent, the defense has been solid. The Bulldogs’ defense has only given up 10 points through two games and 201.5 yards per game.

The Bulldogs will face their toughest competition of the season so far when they go up against Tennessee. The Volunteers are 2-0 this season with dominant wins over Syracuse and East Tennessee State.

UCLA transfer quarterback Joey Aguilar has helped the Volunteers get off to an impressive start offensively. Aguilar has completed 66.1 percent of his passes for 535 yards and five touchdowns. The Volunteers rank second in the country in total offense, averaging 605 yards per game.

No. 18 South Florida vs. No. 5 Miami (Fla.) (4:30 p.m., The CW Network): Before the season, few would have predicted that the matchup between South Florida and Miami would be one of the best of week 3. However, Miami opened its season with a win over Notre Dame, and South Florida has defeated two teams ranked inside the Associated Press’ preseason top-25 to make the non-conference bout a top-20 matchup. The Bulls first made a splash with a dominant 34-7 win over Boise State, but apparently caught the attention of AP voters with their 18-16 upset of Florida in Week 2.

South Florida, led by star quarterback Byrum Brown will have to come up with another upset to stay undefeated. Miami followed its win over Notre Dame with a 45-3 victory over Bethune-Cookman.

Georgia transfer quarterback Carson Beck has been sharp for the Hurricanes so far this season. Beck has completed 76.4 percent of his passes for 472 yards and four touchdowns.

No. 16 Texas A&M vs. No. 8 Notre Dame (7:30 p.m., NBC): After making it all the way to the national championship last season, Notre Dame needs a win over No. 16 Texas A&M in week 2 to avoid an 0-2 start. The Fighting Irish were upset in week one by the Hurricanes and were off in week 2.

Notre Dame trailed 21-7 heading into the final quarter of its 27-24 loss to Miami. The Fighting Irish managed to tie the game at 24, but lost after the Hurricanes kicked a field goal in the closing stretch of the game. Still, first-year starting quarterback CJ Carr had an impressive performance for the Fighting Irish.

Carr completed 19 of 30 passes for 221 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. The Fighting Irish only had a mediocre performance on the ground. Notre Dame ran for 93 yards on 28 carries, as star running back Jeremiyah Love totaled just 33 yards on 10 carries.

Notre Dame will hope to get its run game going against a Texas A&M defense that has given up 311.5 yards per game so far this year.

The Aggies are off to a 2-0 start but have shown some vulnerability on defense. Despite opening their season with two non-power conference foes, the Aggies are allowing 23 points per game so far this season.

Texas A&M has a talented offense led by sophomore quarterback Marcel Reed. Reed, who made eight starts for the Aggies in 2024, is off to a promising start this season. In Texas A&M’s first two games, Reed has thrown for 509 yards and seven touchdowns while completing 66.1 percent of his passes.

Other Notable games on the schedule include:

No. 12 Clemson vs. Georgia Tech (Noon, ESPN)

Wisconsin vs. No. 19 Alabama (Noon, ABC)

No. 4 Oregon vs. Northwestern (Noon, Fox)

USC vs. Purdue (3:30 p.m., CBS)

Florida vs. No. 3 LSU (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Vanderbilt vs. No. 11 South Carolina (7:45 p.m., SEC Network)

Duke vs. Tulane (8:00 p.m., ESPN 2)