What To Watch: Week 3 promises to be as good as Week 1

After a lackluster schedule in Week 2 (but a somewhat entertaining week), Week 3 promises to be just an entertaining as the opening weekend with four games between ranked teams and several other key matchups scattered throughout Saturday.

This weekend also should answer questions about whether Louisville is as good as it’s looked to start the season and whether Alabama can get over the hump against Ole Miss. This weekend also has the potential for upsets, as Houston nearly saw on Thursday. So strap in, here’s what to watch in Week 3:

Game of the week:
No. 2 Florida State at No. 10 Louisville, noon ET

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has been the most entertaining player to watch so far this season. In two games, he has thrown for 697 yards, seven touchdowns and rushed for 318 yards and six scores. There have been hurdles and jukes and downright jaw-dropping plays that have helped Jackson emerge as the Heisman frontrunner.

But can he do it against Florida State?

The Seminoles struggled in the first half against Ole Miss in the season opener, but got it together in the second half to look like one of the nation’s top teams on both offense and defense. However, the Seminoles will be without star safety Derwin James, arguably the best athlete on the defense. That will put some pressure on an FSU secondary that has allowed more 20-plus-yard pass plays than any team in a Power 5 conference.

FSU running back Dalvin Cook, who was the majority of the Seminoles’ offense in the season opener, will once again be the go-to offensive weapon.

This has the makings of one of the best games not only of the weekend, but of the entire season.

Game to watch:
No. 3 Ohio State at No. 14 Oklahoma, 7:30 p.m. ET

It’s probably fair to say that Ohio State has overachieved so far this season considering it returned just six total players, but it also hasn’t played anyone. That will change this week against the Sooners, who opened the season with a loss to Houston and essentially need to go undefeated to make a return trip to the College Football Playoff.

Ohio State’s defense forced six turnovers against Tulsa last week and have only given up 13 points in its first two games. However, containing Oklahoma quarterback Baker Mayfield and running backs Joe Mixon and Samaje Perine will be an entirely different animal.

Mayfield also has several options in the passing game. He has already thrown for 567 yards and five touchdowns while completing 71.7 percent of his passes.

Quarterback J.T. Barrett is the stalwart for Ohio State, but he had a slow start against Tulsa last week. If there is any advantage, it’s that Oklahoma struggled against the one dual-threat quarterback it faced this season.

Also check out …
No. 1 Alabama at No. 19 Ole Miss, 3:30 ET

Perhaps losing to Ole Miss isn’t such a terrible thing.

Ole Miss has won back-to-back games against Alabama, but in both seasons the Tide has gone on to play in the College Football Playoff. However, coach Nick Saban has no plans on making it three losses in a row as he’s stressed focus and execution heading into this pivotal SEC West contest.

Through two games this season, Alabama has looked like the class of the conference and perhaps the class of the nation after throttling USC in the season opener. But beating Ole Miss on the road would go a long way in solidifying the Tide’s place atop the national rankings.

This game will feature two dynamic quarterbacks. Ole Miss’ Chad Kelly is considered the best quarterback in the SEC and looked the part during the first half of the season opener against Florida State; not so much in the second half. Freshman Jalen Hurts has emerged as the leader for Alabama and has been successful with both his arm and his feet giving the Tide another rushing weapon to an already stout backfield.

But the strength of Alabama, as it is every season, is its defense. The Tide defensive front might be stronger and faster than any Saban has had in his Alabama tenure. Currently, the Tide have allowed just one touchdown and scored two.

This will be a big test for an Ole Miss team that is a little beaten up and has struggled to run the ball.

Channel surf through …

No. 12 Michigan State at No. 18 Notre Dame, 7:30 p.m. ET — It’s hard to know what to make of Michigan State since its first and only game was a lackluster performance against Furman. However, this Notre Dame defense was lit up for 517 yards by Texas to open the season. Michigan State quarterback Tyler O’Connor isn’t a high production guy, but the opportunity to put up big numbers will be there.

USC at No. 7 Stanford, 8 p.m. ET — This game is all about Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey, who singlehandedly destroyed USC in the Pac-12 title game last year. In that game, McCafffrey caught a touchdown pass, threw a touchdown pass and rushed for a score. This USC defense is better than a year ago, but McCaffrey is going to be a handful.

Pittsburgh at Oklahoma State, 3:30 p.m. ET — Oklahoma State is coming off a controversial loss to Central Michigan last week and will be looking to get back on track in its quest for the College Football Playoff. On the other side, Pitt is looking for a 3-0 start to put the ACC on notice. Neither of these teams likes to play defense, so expect a high-scoring affair.

No. 17 Texas A&M at Auburn, 7:30 p.m. ET — Both of these teams are trying to assert themselves as contenders in the SEC. Texas A&M had a big win against UCLA to start the season, but will have a much more difficult task against an Auburn defense that is allowing just 16.5 points per game. Auburn’s offense looked better against Arkansas State last week, but the test will be if the Tigers can have similar success against an SEC foe.

Related NCAAF video from Yahoo Sports:

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Graham Watson is the editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at dr.saturday@ymail.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @YahooDrSaturday