As usual, all times Eastern and all predictions wrong.

Noon:

• Iowa State @ Texas (ABC): Texas back? They walloped Oklahoma last week in Dallas, and I think they’ve got the offensive firepower to put away Iowa State in similar fashion. Of course, Texas fans will the first to tell you that performance in Red River is rarely indicative of how the rest of the season will go for the ‘Horns, because if so, they would’ve been “back” many time before.
• Pennsylvania State @ Michigan (FOX): It’s Michigan’s first real test of the season, and unless Penn State gets a classic weird Penn State upset win, I think the Wolverines will pass with flying colors.
• Auburn @ Mississippi (ESPN): Ole Miss figures to roll against an Auburn team that still hasn’t fired their coach yet, for whatever reason.
• Kansas @ Oklahoma (ESPN2): I was asked about this game earlier tonight. My response was thus: this KU team looked actually good, and still looked good despite losing to KU. I’m still concerned about their quarterback, but that said I’m not sure what basis I have to think the Sooners will win after their performances have been. Here’s what I’ve settled on: okay, sure, I’ll pick OU, but, y’all, it’s bad that I even have to think about this.
• Old Dominion @ Coastal Carolina (ESPNU): Coastal hasn’t been up to their usual standard this year, but ODU hasn’t been great. Taking the beach chickens.
• Minnesota @ Illinois (BTN): Speaking of games where I didn’t expect two months ago that I’d have to think about the outcome… not confident in the Gophers here but I’ll take ’em.
• Colgate @ Army (CBSS)
• Central Michigan @ Akron (ESPN+)
• Miami @ Bowling Green (ESPN+)

12:30: Miami @ Virginia Tech (ACC/RSN): Miami is a shambles, but VPI is shamble-ier? Let’s go with that.

1:00: Buffalo @ Massachusetts (espn3.com)

2:00:

• California @ Colorado (Pac12): Cal isn’t good, but Colorado is real bad. Bears all the way here.
• Connecticut @ Ball State (espn3.com)

3:30:

• Alabama @ Tennessee (“Third Saturday in October”; CBS): Here we are folks. Bama’s still roughly a touchdown favorite, but that means this is easily the most consequential game in Knoxville in a decade or two. The real variable, in my mind, is whether Bryce Young is going to be healthy enough to play in this game. If he plays, I think Bama can gut out the win. But if he doesn’t… if he doesn’t… Bama will lean on their new Jahmyr Gibbs-led rushing attack (sigh) but the Vols are plenty capable of putting up points. I honestly don’t know. Picking Bama just because that’s the default.
• Oklahoma State @ Texas Christian (ABC): TCU looks like the kings of the Big 12 at the moment, after beating (check notes) Kansas (?) but, seriously, I already thought the Pokes would be one of the best teams in the conference and I think this when they’ll start to show it.
• Arkansas @ Brigham Young (ESPN): WOMP has fallen off a bit this year, and a mid-season trip to Provo will not, I suspect, help them get their grove back.
• Maryland @ Indiana (ESPN2): It’s not September anymore, but Maryland’s offense should be enough to see them through here.
• Vanderbilt @ Georgia (SEC): Yeah, it’s not gonna be nervy at any point for UGA in this one.
• North Carolina State @ Syracuse (ACCN): A potentially sneaky-good ACC game, that is, if anyone believed Syracuse is actually good. At a minimum, I sure I don’t. I have NC State all the way.
• Ohio @ Western Michigan (CBSS): Broncos?
• Charlotte @ Alabama-Birmingham (Stadium)
• Texas State @ Troy (espn3.com)
• Kent State @ Toledo (ESPN+)
• Gardner-Webb @ Liberty (ESPN+)
• Western Kentucky @ Middle Tennessee State (“100 Miles of Hate”; ESPN+)
• Northern Illinois @ Eastern Michigan (ESPN+)

4:00:

• Wisconsin @ Michigan State (FOX): Michigan State has been… kinda bad this year? Like, Wisconsin fired their coach and I’m kinda tempted to take them? But I don’t think I should, just on a general Big Ten east vs. west axis. So, yeah, Sparty, but with a giant question mark.
• Tulane @ South Florida (ESPNU): USF is bad, Green Wave all the way here.
• Louisiana Tech @ North Texas (ESPN+)
• James Madison @ Georgia Southern (ESPN+)

5:30: Arizona @ Washington (Pac12): UDub, at a minimum, their mascot is cooler.

6:00: Rice @ Florida Atlantic (ESPN+)

7:00:

• Louisiana State @ Florida (ESPN): It’s everyone’s favorite not-a-rivalry-that’s-acutally-kind-of-a-rivalry time in the SEC again, and I hope they just get rid of divisions to end this nonsense. Anyway, something dumb will happen and LSU will win, probably.
• Louisiana-Monroe @ South Alabama (NFL): USA?
• Utah State @ Colorado State (CBSS): Do not, under any circumstance, watch this game. Just trust me on this. Also, uh, I mean… I’d pick something, but these teams are awful. Aggies? I guess? Probably?
• Arkansas State @ Southern Mississippi (ESPN+)

7:30:

• Stanford @ Notre Dame (NBC): Cue the articles about Marcus Freeman “figuring it out”.
• Clemson @ Florida State (ABC): Remember the Bowden Bowl? I do, because I’m getting old. Anyway, yeah, Clemson until I have reason to think otherwise.
• Memphis @ East Carolina (ESPNU): Memphis.
• Mississippi State @ Kentucky (SEC): I don’t think Kentucky will have Will Levis here, so probably the Bulldogs.
• Nebraska @ Purdue (BTN): Purdue.

8:00:

• Southern California @ Utah (FOX): Hey, welcome back to relevancy, Pac-12. Too bad you’re losing the teams that are helping you get there. At any rate, Utah is still good, but they’re not great, and these feel like teams that are going in different directions. I’ll take the Trojans in a close one on the road.
• North Carolina @ Duke (ACCN): We beat them, Duke can’t be that good. Carolina all the way here.
• New Mexico @ New Mexico State (“Rio Grande Rivalry”)

9:00: Washington State @ Oregon State (Pac12): I’ll take the Beavers in Corvallis here.

10:30: Air Force @ Nevada-Las Vegas (CBSS): UNLV is actually competent this year. But while the Falcons aren’t elite, they can definitely dispatch a merely competent team.

10:45: San Jose State @ Fresno State (FS2): So the Padres-Dodgers series isn’t a sweep, so the Valley Cup will be contented on FS2. Woo. I scoured the Internet and it seems that Jake Haener will not be available for Fresno, so I’m taking SJSU here.

11:59: Nevada @ Hawaii (Team1Sports)