Pac-12 Week 3 schedule: How to watch Coach Prime's Colorado, and must-see Washington
College football teams are set for the third week of the 2023 season this weekend, including the Pac-12. No. 6 USC (3-0) has the week off with an early bye but the rest of the conference has some key matchups this Saturday.
Overall, the Pac-12 is off to a great start this season with a cumulative record of 21-4 from its 12 teams. There's been just one intra-conference game so far with USC taking down Stanford 56-10 last week.
Here's what you need to know ahead of kickoff, including TV times and streaming information. All start times are Pacific Time (PT):
Football action: Catch No. 8 Washington football and other select games on Peacock
How to watch Colorado, Washington, Pac-12 action
Sept. 16: No. 12 Utah (2-0) vs. Weber State (2-0), 11:00 a.m., Pac-12 Network/Pac-12 Mountain
Sept. 16: No. 16 Oregon State (2-0) vs. San Diego State (2-1), 12:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1
Sept. 16: Cal (1-1) vs. Idaho (2-0), 1:00 p.m., Pac-12 Bay Area
Sept. 16: No. 8 Washington (2-0) vs. Michigan State (2-0), 2:00 p.m., Peacock
Sept. 16: No. 24 UCLA (2-0) vs. North Carolina Central (2-0), 2:00 p.m., Pac-12 Los Angeles
Sept. 16: No. 23 Washington State (2-0) vs. Northern Colorado (0-2), 2:00 p.m., Pac-12 Washington
Sept. 16: No. 13 Oregon (2-0) vs. Hawai'i (1-2), 5:00 p.m., Pac-12 Network/Pac-12 Oregon
Sept. 16: Stanford (1-1) vs. Sacramento State (2-0), 5:00 p.m., Pac-12 Bay Area
Sept. 16: No. 18 Colorado (2-0) vs. Colorado State (0-1), 7:00 p.m., ESPN
Sept. 16: Arizona State (1-1) vs. Fresno State (2-0), 7:30 p.m., Fox Sports 1
Sept. 16: Arizona (1-1) vs. UTEP (1-2), 8:00 p.m., Pac-12 Network/Pac-12 Arizona
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Key storylines: What to watch for in the Pac-12 in Week 3
Once again, Colorado football is the headline this weekend. For the first time since 1996, ESPN's College Gameday is heading to Boulder. Viewers can catch Lee Corso, Pat McAfee, Kirk Herbstreit, and Desmond Howard make their picks for the day.
Colorado get ready, WE'RE COMIN'!
For the first time since 1996, we're headed to Boulder as Coach Prime and 2-0 @CUBuffsFootball host the Rocky Mountain Showdown with rival Colorado State! pic.twitter.com/rAcTFTS5zW— College GameDay (@CollegeGameDay) September 9, 2023
That program won't be alone; Fox's Big Noon Kickoff is returning to Colorado for the second week in a row for the network's pregame show. The program was originally scheduled to be in Champaign, Ill. for Penn State's matchup against Illinois. That changed after Colorado's win over Nebraska.
It'll likely be another showcase week for the Buffaloes and their stars. Shedeur Sanders, Travis Hunter, and Dylan Edwards will have an easier time against Colorado State than they did against Nebraska. The one-win program in 2022 could suddenly find themselves 3-0 for the first time since 2020.
While Coach Prime and the Buffaloes are grabbing attention for their turnaround, Washington's got arguably the top matchup of the weekend. USC's the only Pac-12 team ranked better than them and, with Trojans off this week, the Huskies could take an important win over a Big Ten foe.
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Who are the Heisman contenders
A list of the rising Pac-12 stars leading Heisman chatter:
Caleb Williams, QB, USC Only one player has ever won consecutive Heisman trophies: Ohio State running back Archie Griffin in 1974-75. Williams remains the favorite so far with a strong start with 939 total yards (878 passing, 61 rushing) and 13 total touchdowns (12 passing, one rushing) over three games. USC's taken care of business early on and should continue that next week against Arizona State.
Michael Penix Jr., QB, WashingtonPenix Jr.'s second in the conference and arguably in the country in Heisman rankings. The senior's tallied 859 yards and eight touchdowns in just two games so far in 2023. It's between him and Texas quarterback Quinn Ewers for second behind Williams in the Heisman hierarchy. Michigan State's the final tune-up game before the Huskies take on conference foes. Oct. 14 against Oregon will be big for Penix Jr.'s Heisman hopes.
Shedeur Sanders, QB, ColoradoSanders is picking up right where he left off at Jackson State last year. His completion percentage, quarterback rating, and yards passing per game are all up in 2023 against tougher competition. After the Colorado State game, Sanders has a chance to jump up the rankings with consecutive games against Oregon on Sept. 23 and USC on Sept. 30.
Bo Nix, QB, Oregon The former Auburn quarterback's improving this year as well. His completion percentage, quarterback rating, and yards per attempt are all up from last season. Another solid game against Hawai'i would set him up well for a duel with fellow Heisman hopeful Sanders next week.
Travis Hunter, CB/WR, ColoradoThe two-way star is right with Marvin Harrison Jr. as the top non-quarterback Heisman candidate. Coach Deion Sanders has made it a point that the more Hunter is involved on offense, the better his Heisman chances are. The sophomore has 14 catches through two games on offense and one interception on defense. He's an incredible talent at corner and a little more output on offense puts him closer to the Heisman favorites.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Colorado, Washington headline packed Pac-12 lineup: TV, streaming and how to watch