I’ve learned that you shouldn’t wish time away, even during the college football dry spells. It’s not a fall Saturday, but a beach Saturday with a college football preview magazine/book in one hand and a Pub Sub in the other is good living, as far as I’m concerned.
(Side note: I know we all love the chicken tender sub but we need to talk more about how delicious the Publix Jerk Turkey sub is on the underrated multigrain bread.)
If you’re going to doze off at the beach on a lazy afternoon this summer, daydream about Week 3 of the 2025 season.
It’s magnificent. From start to finish, we’re in for one of those days that will remind us that, despite all the changes that are happening off the field, on the field is unmatched.
This tweet with the TV time announcements had me fired up on a Thursday afternoon in May:
This Week 3 tripleheader ? pic.twitter.com/hPgj8OcOT0
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) May 29, 2025Mercy. That’s the good stuff.
All of those SEC-specific matchups have storylines galore. Will Kalen DeBoer avoid a letdown loss after Alabama criticized the incentive of quality nonconference scheduling? Can Tennessee fluster Gunner Stockton in his first career road start? And then DJ Lagway vs. Garrett Nussmeier in a battle of Heisman Trophy hopefuls Death Valley to close things out?!?
Come on. We’re not worthy.
Just kidding. We are worthy. It’s been a draining offseason full of “the future of college football” discussions about revenue sharing, NIL, the House settlement, Playoff expansion, blah, blah, blah.
But hey, Week 3 exists. Not only does it exist with those 3 games on ABC/ESPN, but look at all of these matchups on Saturday, Sept. 13:
Noon ET Wisconsin at Alabama, ESPN or ABC Clemson at Georgia Tech, ESPN or ABC 3:30-4 p.m. ET Georgia at Tennessee, ABC Pittsburgh at West Virginia, ESPN 6-7:30 p.m. ET Florida at LSU, ABC Texas A&M at Notre Dame, NBC/PeacockMind you, this isn’t including things like a Diego Pavia-LaNorris Sellers QB matchup that afternoon, nor are we including something like the sneaky-good Arkansas–Ole Miss rivalry that night. And for the true sickos, Texas State at Arizona State was awesome last year and totally worth your late-night viewing experience once those other games end.
My guess is that we’ll see College GameDay at Tennessee or LSU, depending on what happens in Week 1. Either way, that’s going to set the stage for an elite day of American tackle football. It’s the type of Saturday where if you don’t have multiple TVs or YouTube TV multiview, I think you need to find a way to get multiple TVs or YouTube TV multiview.
This goes without saying, but a wedding on Week 3 is a non-starter. Add an extra $50 to that wedding check if you need some peace of mind. Just don’t pretend that missing a Saturday like Week 3 will be an afterthought as you’re sweating through your wedding outfit and screaming “Shout!” until your voice gives out. There are other weekends to do such a thing.
(I attended weddings in 2018 and 2019 that both fell on the Saturday of Cupcake Week, which was the best coincidence of my adult life.)
And here’s the other thing. Week 1 is glorious, too. But Week 1 is always glorious for the simple reason that an 8-month offseason is over. While the slate is certainly elite — Texas-Ohio State and LSU-Clemson are phenomenal showdowns to kick the year off — it does often feel a bit more ceremonial than consequential. Week 3 is downright consequential.
What if a preseason national title contender like Georgia or Clemson loses a conference road game? What if Brian Kelly endures loss No. 2? What if Texas A&M gets revenge on Notre Dame and knocks off the 2024 runner-up? What if Rich Rodriguez’s return to the Backyard Brawl 18 years after his 2007 West Virginia squad blew a national title chance results in … an actual brawl? All of those things are on the table.
By the end of Week 3, we’re also going to have a ton of data about the SEC in 2025. Look at all the SEC’s nonconference matchups vs. Power Conference that will be decided by the time that head hits pillow after Week 3:
Week 1: Texas at Ohio State Alabama at Florida State LSU at Clemson Tennessee vs. Syracuse (in Atlanta) South Carolina vs. Virginia Tech (in Atlanta) Auburn at Baylor Week 2: Michigan at Oklahoma Arizona State at Mississippi State Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech Kansas at Mizzou Week 3 Wisconsin at Alabama Texas A&M at Notre DameThose are 12 nonconference data points by the end of Week 3, 3 of which are road games against 2024 Playoff teams. You’ve got 5 SEC-ACC games, 3 SEC-Big Ten games, 3 SEC-Big 12 games and the Notre Dame game.
You know how this works. Week 3 will be the day in which the SEC crowd either flexes as loud as possible, or it gets dunked on by everyone else. Love it or hate it, that’s great for the sport.
It’s great that an early-season Saturday can produce such strong reactions in a time when seemingly all that’s being discussed is increasing the Playoff and decreasing the value of the regular season. That’s worth celebrating. Nobody will come away from Week 3 going “it’s a shame that didn’t matter.” Sept. 13 will be a huge day in this sport, and it’ll be a day that’s referenced repeatedly when those Playoff discussions are had in November.
My advice? Start preparing for Week 3 now.
Polish off that Pub Sub, rinse off that sand and in the biggest, boldest marker that you’ve got, circle Sept. 13 on your calendar.
It’s not too early to daydream about how incredible Week 3 will be Saturday Down South.
Read More Details
Finally We wish PressBee provided you with enough information of ( It’s not too early to daydream about how incredible Week 3 will be )
Also on site :