College Football schedule rankings Week 3: Watchability tiers for best games to watch - USA Today

It’s a homecoming weekend for Lane Kiffin.

Kiffin will lead No. 7 LSU back onto his old stomping grounds against No. 9 Mississippi in an SEC clash with deeper meaning than just revenge or bragging rights.

Down the road, Saturday’s result will impact the race for the SEC and the College Football Playoff, potentially serving as the eliminator that sends the winner into the bracket at the loser’s expense.

That makes this one the defining game of a Week 3 slate that also includes a key Big 12 clash and a must-win game for Dabo Swinney and Clemson.

USA TODAY Sports will help you set a plan for the weekend by splitting the slate into four groups, beginning with the must-see games that demand your attention. Here is how the week shakes out in our ranking tiers:

Both teams have faced Oregon State and come out on top, though not impressively: Houston won 33-20 at home and Texas Tech won 35-24 on the road.

Just imagine the disappointment and outrage if Clemson loses at home to Bill Belichick and the Tar Heels.

Already on borrowed time, the Mike Norvell era enters a must-have moment in Tuscaloosa.

Louisville barely lost to Mississippi in the opener and have showed off enough firepower with Lincoln Kienholz at the controls to upend Kevin Jennings and the Mustangs.

Watch this one for the quarterback duel between the Gamecocks’ LaNorris Sellers and the Bulldogs’ Kamario Taylor.

This will help answer questions about the state of each program under new coach Jon Sumrall and Alex Golesh.

A road win demands more careful play from LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt, who tossed three interceptions last weekend against Louisiana Tech. Leavitt is listed as doubtful for game.

Virginia has looked every bit the ACC and playoff contender while WVU has made obvious gains in the second year of the second Rich Rodriguez era.

The Hokies face their first test under James Franklin in taking on Malik Washington and Maryland, fresh off a nice performance against Connecticut.

The Bison should roll in this showcase between the two newest members of the Bowl Subdivision.

Syracuse needs to get on track in the ACC after giving away a win last week against California because of turnovers.

Miami just has to avoid turnovers to post another double-digit win, though carelessness could give the Demon Deacons a puncher's chance at a huge upset.

Here’s a good exercise routine: Every Monday, do one minute on the elliptical for every point Arkansas allows on Saturday.

Turnovers cost Arizona State and Kansas any chance of scoring upsets against No. 8 Texas A&M and No. 22 Missouri, respectively.

One reason among several to keep an eye on things is the starting debut of Vanderbilt freshman Jared Curtis, the highest-rated recruit in modern program history.

Cincinnati is on upset alert against the strongest team in the MAC.

BYU is much more talented and clearly playing well but the way Colorado State has played so far under new coach Jim Mora means the Rams must be taken seriously.

A pair of MAC tuneups will help the Spartans put up a fight but look for Notre Dame to eventually pull off a third blowout in a row.

Oklahoma is on minor upset alert against a program that has been terrific under second-year coach Jason Eck.

Northwestern might be a total unknown but a style of play is taking shape for Colorado that could yield seven or more wins, especially with a road win in Evanston.

We’ll see if there’s any post-Ohio State letdown for Arch Manning and Texas.

Making a long trip, the Dukes will need to be ready for a more physical matchup against the Aztecs after dropping 87 points on Wagner.

The Boilermakers nearly topped Wake Forest last weekend and are improved enough to hand Bob Chesney his first loss at UCLA.

The Buckeyes will bounce back in a big way after last week's disappointment in Austin.

About the only question is whether Rocco Becht can have another game with multiple touchdowns and no interceptions.

While they’ve clearly taken a step back, the Green Wave have the personnel to notch a road win if the Wildcats don’t protect the football.

North Texas might not fall too far down the American ladder, based on what we’ve seen so far in Neal Brown’s debut season.

There’s some interest in this result because of the possibility that the champions of the American and the MAC are in competition for the Group of Six spot in the playoff.

Based on how both teams looked last week, Kentucky is in danger of being swallowed up by the Aggies’ defense.

Rutgers has virtually no chance of stopping Jayden Maiava and the Trojans as the Greg Schiano era limps to a close.

Utah has been terrific under new coach Morgan Scalley but should be a little wary given Utah State’s performance against Washington.

Michigan will win, but the pressure is on Bryce Underwood to show improvement despite getting the offense across the finish line against Oklahoma.

Baylor is on upset alert if Tech can get more going on the ground than against LSU.

In a reversal from last year’s sluggish start, Duke has already posted two very nice wins so far in Tulane and Illinois.

ECU has stumbled out of the gate and has not looked the part of an American contender, though a road win against ODU could kickstart things.

FAU owns a 17-5 edge in the Shula Bowl rivalry but FIU took last year’s meeting 38-28.

Troy upset the Tigers at home in 2009 but is 0-3 in games played at Missouri.

The Broncos are 1-1 with an asterisk and still very much a factor in the Group of Six race.

Tennessee is worth watching to track the development of freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, who has five touchdowns without an interception.

This would be a big win for Delaware’s bowl chances after a competitive loss to Vanderbilt last weekend.

Bowling Green is probably the worst team in the country.

Luke Fickell’s already tenuous job security would take a fatal blow if Wisconsin doesn’t dominate EMU, let alone lose.

Both teams have been disappointing out of the gate and seem unlikely to play major roles in determining their respective leagues.

You can pick the score between a worse-than-expected WKU team and the powerful Hoosiers.

Liberty’s decline has continued with a loss to James Madison and a very narrow win against Gardner Webb.

Appalachian State can’t afford to lose to Charlotte and still get to six or more wins.

There are some concerns about Marshall after barely sneaking past Middle Tennessee last weekend.

UCF will move forward without transfer quarterback Alonza Barnett III due to a significant hamstring injury.

The Huskies look like they could win seven games during the regular season, but that might demand a road win in Hattiesburg.

Ohio won’t be in the MAC race until the end unless the offense averages better than the 4.3 yards per play through the first two games.

The Gamecocks’ offense has improved after a brutal start against North Dakota State but the ground game has to get rolling to keep them in the mix for the Conference USA crown.

TCU continues trying to dig out of the hole created by the loss to North Carolina and to develop new starting quarterback Jaden Craig.

As in other Group of Six non-conference matchups, this one could linger in the debate between the American and the Sun Belt.

Coming off a disappointing loss to BYU, Arizona will take out some frustration on the woeful Huskies.

Fresno has the coaching and personnel to angle into position behind Boise State on the Pac-12 ladder.

There are only 18 games against Championship Subdivision teams, down from 37 a week ago. This will be a get-right weekend for teams such as No. 18 Oregon, Georgia Tech and Washington State.