Week 3 Preview: Seats could be warming

Things got crazy last weekend as the Sun Belt caused chaos throughout the college football world. Those wins created some takes, but the best thing about college football season is that we get to do it all again on Saturday.

All of the premium games in Week 3 have taken a hit after some disappointing couple of weeks for a few programs, but the slate still has a chance to generate some high-quality entertainment for us at home. KSR is here to give you a nice primer before another beautiful September Saturday.

Some losses this week could generate some more hot seat buzz after Nebraska got the party started on Sunday.

The Slate

— Florida State at Louisville (7:30 ET Friday, ESPN)

— Air Force at Wyoming (8:00 Friday, CBS Sports Network)

— No. 6 Oklahoma at Nebraska (Noon, FOX)

— WKU at Indiana (Noon, Big Ten Network)

— Purdue at Syracuse (Noon, ESPN2)

— No. 1 Georgia at South Carolina (Noon, ESPN)

— California at Notre Dame (2:30, NBC)

— Colorado at Minnesota (3:30, ESPN2)

— No. 20 Ole Miss at Georgia Tech (3:30, ABC)

— Vanderbilt at Northern Illinois (3:30, CBS Sports Network)

— No. 22 Penn State at Auburn (3:30, CBS)

— No. 12 BYU at No. 25 Oregon (3:30, FOX)

— ULM at No. 2 Alabama (4:00, SEC Network)

— Kansas at Houston (4:00, ESPNU)

— Liberty at No. 19 Wake Forest (5:00, ACC Network)

— Mississippi State at LSU (6:00, ESPN)

— Texas Tech at No. 16 NC State (7:00, ESPN2)

— SMU at Maryland (7:30, FS1)

— No. 23 Pittsburgh at Western Michigan (7:30, ESPNU)

— Nevada at Iowa (7:30, Big Ten Network)

— No. 11 Michigan State at Washington (7:30, ABC)

— UTSA at No. 21 Texas (8:00, Longhorn Network)

— No. 13 Miami at No. 24 Texas A&M (9:00, ESPN)

— San Diego State at No. 14 Utah (10:00, ESPN2)

— Fresno State at No. 7 USC (10:30, FOX)

— North Dakota State at Arizona (11:00, FS1)

Gambling corner

The ATS content is not going to slow down at Kentucky Sports Radio. Last week, Luckett’s Locks pulled through in the after dark window for some covers to bring home a winning weekend. Meanwhile, the Pick 3 crew didn’t have a great week, but a huge moneyline sprinkle hit big with Rock Chalk taking care of business on the road.

We are back again with another six-pack and some more picks from our gambling trio. Some shared selections could lead to drinks in Covertown on Saturday.

Measuring stick game in Eugene

After a big overtime win over Baylor without their top receivers, BYU is now 23-4 dating back to the 2020 season. Jaren Hall is a legit NFL prospect, and the BYU defense smothered Baylor’s wide zone play-action offense last week in Provo. A win at Autzen Stadium would make the Cougars a legitimate playoff contender with remaining matchups with Arkansas and Notre Dame. Neither is a true road game.

The last time most of us saw Oregon they were getting drilled by Georgia. The Ducks returned in Week 2, and the offense had some issues against Eastern Washington. Saturday is a big moment for Auburn transfer Bo Nix after he threw for five touchdowns last week.

Either way, this is going to be a statement game opportunity for both sides. A win would give new Oregon head coach Dan Lanning some momentum after the embarrassing loss to UGA. BYU could become a real national player with an upset win as Kalani Sitake enters Saturday with a 23-4 record in his last 27 outings.

We’ve got a big game with stakes in the 3:30 window.

Max Johnson time at Texas A&M

Despite landing a starting SEC quarterback in the transfer portal, Jimbo Fisher decided to begin the year with a prospect he recruited. However, Haynes King had some struggles to start the season, and bad QB play had a lot to do with App State’s huge upset win in College Station.

Now it’s time for a change. Texas A&M has confirmed that LSU transfer Max Johnson will get the start on Saturday. What are the Aggies getting from the former top-300 recruit?

Last season, Johnson was a middle-of-the-road SEC quarterback with a solid success rate (46.9%) but had issues creating explosive plays consistently. However, that is an upgrade from what A&M has gotten in the first two quarters.

The transfer won’t fix everything for the Aggies, but the junior should raise the floor for the passing offense. A solid performance from the quarterback a 60 percent career completion rate on 7.4 yards per attempt with a 35/7 touchdown-to-interception ratio could help stabilize things in College Station.

Luckett’s notebook

— In the primetime game on ABC, Indiana QB transfer Michael Penix Jr. will take centerstage for Washington. The lefty has reunited with former offensive coordinator Kalen DeBoer in Seattle, and the early returns have been excellent (10.3 yards per attempt, 33 throws per game, 69.7% completion rate, 10 touchdowns) as the Huskies appear to be one of the most improved teams in college football. U-Dub gets Michigan State at Husky Stadium in a great spot to get a big early win for the new regime. The Dawgs could be a sneaky contender in the Pac-12 North.

— Down on the Plains, things could get interesting on Saturday evening. The first SEC on CBS game of the year will take place as Penn State visits Jordan-Hare Stadium. The seat is warming for Bryan Harsin after a lackluster Week 2 home win over San Jose State. If the Tigers do not play well, things could get sticky for the former Boise State head coach after Auburn just made a change at athletic director. Keep an eye on a pair of five-star true freshman prospects — Drew Allar at quarterback and Nick Singleton at tailback.

— Through eight quarters, Mississippi State has looked very impressive but we’ll learn a lot about Mike Leach’s third team in Starkville on Saturday night. The Bulldogs roll into Death Valley as a small favorite and face LSU in a motivated spot. The Tigers really cannot afford to start the year 1-2. Expect an intense game at Tiger Stadium as takes will be formed one way or another regarding Brian Kelly following the first big home game of his LSU tenure.

— Scott Satterfield and Louisville picked up a much-needed win last Friday in Orlando as the Cards blanked Gus Malzahn’s UCF offense in the second half. Now they need to do it again. Florida State is rolling into Cardinal Stadium off of a bye and riding high from a non-conference win over LSU. When looking at the future schedule for UofL, the Cards could face five top-20 teams in the last six weeks of the season. This team cannot afford another conference loss at the moment. We’ve got a game with stakes on Friday night in the ACC. A win should help Mike Norvell create some more job security as the Seminoles still have six remaining home games — both Clemson and Florida come to Tallahassee — with another bye week on the schedule. Getting to 3-0 could help jolt the rebuild for Norvell. Meanwhile, a loss could be the beginning of a third consecutive losing season for Louisville.

— Through eight quarters, Spencer Rattler has not been boring at South Carolina. The Oklahoma transfer has a low success rate (38.2%) on 38 throws per game and has already taken nine sacks. But he’s hit on 16 explosive throws and is averaging just under eight yards per attempt despite all of the inefficiency. Carolina’s one-dimensional offense (1.9 yards per rush on 30.5 attempts per game) will have to face a Georgia defense that hasn’t given up a touchdown this year. The early SEC East matchup between fan bases that do not love each other in front of a sold-out crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium will not be boring. Expect big plays from both sides as Rattler will continue his roller-coaster season with offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield.