It feels like this season is finally hitting its stride. Weeks 1–3 all had fun games, but there were several duds. Obviously, there were many schools playing outmatched G5 or FCS opponents, which resulted in blowouts that were just plain unentertaining. Those are, at long last, coming to a close. As such, today’s Watchlist is packed to the brim.
Each Saturday comes with its own surprises, and I’m sure this one will be no different. As usual, it’s difficult to forecast where those surprises might come from. All I can tell you is that something shocking will occur—it’s just your job to watch it.
That’s where The Saturday Watchlist comes into play. Below is every game that I deem necessary to view and where to watch it. There’s bound to be something crazy that occurs during one of these contests. To gain the full college football experience, at least in my opinion, multiple screens are necessary. But for those who don’t wish to overstimulate their brain too much, which I fully understand, this will still be helpful in identifying which games you want to put on your primary screen.
Before we get into the Watchlist, I have an important announcement! Starting today, there will be a companion piece called The Saturday Storylines that will go up at the exact same time as The Saturday Watchlist. There, I will outline the key storylines (duh) and narratives to keep an eye out for on that particular Saturday. It’s for paid SethStack members only, but for today alone I’m opening it up to everybody so that you can get a taste of what it’s like. You can read that at the link below:
One more note, and this is important: This is what I’m watching today. So, if you’re surprised to see a game higher up in priority than you’d usually expect, it’s most likely because I have a rooting interest in that matchup.
Here’s The Saturday Watchlist for September 20, 2025.
Note: All rankings are from The D Poll for Week 4, and all times are CT.
Early Window
Primary Screen: SMU at TCU – 11 a.m. – ESPN2
Secondary Screen: Arkansas at Memphis – 11 a.m. – ABC
Tertiary Screen: No. 20 Texas Tech at No. 11 Utah – 11 a.m. – FOX
Quaternary Screen: North Texas at Army – 11 a.m. – CBS Sports Network
Also worth tracking:
Syracuse at Clemson – 11 a.m. – ESPN
Maryland at Wisconsin – 11 a.m. – NBC
If you care about former members of the defunct, yet still legendary, Southwest Conference, then the Early Window is the place for you. There, SMU and TCU play in the final scheduled edition of the Battle for the Iron Skillet, Arkansas travels to Memphis in what should be a game filled with a ton of points, and Texas Tech makes the rare trip to Salt Lake City to play Utah in a bout of Big 12 heavyweights.
Afternoon Window
Primary Screen: No. 18 Auburn at No. 7 Oklahoma – 2:30 p.m. – ABC
Secondary Screen: Michigan at Nebraska – 2:30 p.m. – CBS
Tertiary Screen: No. 24 Tulane at No. 23 Ole Miss – 2:30 p.m. – ESPN
Quaternary Screen: North Carolina at UCF – 2:30 p.m. – FOX
Also worth tracking:
NC State at Duke – 3 p.m. – ESPN2
Purdue at Notre Dame – 2:30 p.m. – NBC
The Afternoon Window is where the national headlines start. Nationally ranked Auburn and Oklahoma start SEC play in Norman, Bryce Underwood and Michigan attempt to prove that they have what it takes to compete for the Big Ten title on the road in Lincoln versus Nebraska and Dylan Raiola, and Tulane pushes to pull off a major upset at Ole Miss. You even have the chance to watch Bill Belichick and North Carolina attempt to capture their first victory over a Power 4 school.
Evening Window
Primary Screen: No. 14 Illinois at No. 17 Indiana – 6:30 p.m. – NBC
Secondary Screen: Arizona State at Baylor – 6:30 p.m. – FOX
Tertiary Screen: Florida at No. 1 Miami – 6:30 p.m. – ABC
Quaternary Screen: South Carolina at No. 16 Missouri – 6 p.m. – ESPN
Also worth tracking:
West Virginia at Kansas – 5 p.m. – FS1
BYU at East Carolina – 6:30 p.m. – ESPN2
Illinois and Indiana are playing in primetime on NBC for basketball, right? Right? Wrong. The Fighting Illini and the Hoosiers are known for football now. Sorry, I don’t make the rules. In all seriousness, tonight’s matchup between the two teams carries a ton of playoff implications and should be a ton of fun, hence its rise to the top of the window. If that doesn’t satisfy you, check out Arizona State–Baylor, a game that could be a major determiner in what happens during this year’s Big 12 title race. There’s also Florida’s attempt to save its season against Miami, the No. 1 team in the country in my eyes. And if that’s still not enough, turn your eyes to Columbia, Missouri, where the South Carolina Gamecocks, potentially without LaNorris Sellers, try to avoid completely falling into obscurity versus the rising Missouri Tigers.
Late Window
Primary Screen: Michigan State at No. 12 USC – 10 p.m. – FOX
Secondary Screen: Wyoming at Colorado – 9:15 p.m. – ESPN
Tertiary Screen: California at San Diego State – 9:30 p.m. – CBS Sports Network
I trust that you all will still be awake once this window arrives. Here you’ll find USC’s first Big Ten contest against a Michigan State squad that’s an unknown each game. Deion Sanders made yet another change at quarterback this week, and we’ll see how that plays out when Wyoming comes to town. Finally, California and breakout star Jaron-Keawe Sagapolutele (successfully say that five times fast and I’ll give you $1,000) look to keep their undefeated start to the season alive in San Diego against the Aztecs.