The Saturday Watchlist: 9-6-2025
There's so much college football and so little time.
Last week was filled to the brim with marquee matchups. Texas traveled to Ohio State in a rematch of last season’s CFP Semifinal. LSU beat Clemson on the road to cement its claim as a top dog (or Tiger) in the SEC. Miami and Carson Beck defeated a tough Notre Dame squad in a classic game. Then there was Florida State’s shocking upset of Alabama. The first full week of college football really had it all.
On paper, no such game exists on today’s schedule. Sure, Michigan and Oklahoma play in a primetime matchup, but that’s kind of it. Fear not, however, because when the schedule looks the sleepiest is usually when the chaos begins. When nobody’s expecting it, that’s when the greatness of college football can really strike.
I can’t say for sure where the chaos will happen, and yet I’m still fairly positive that it will. Somebody is going to be surprised today. Who could it possibly be? The only way to find out is to watch the games.
Here’s The Saturday Watchlist for September 6, 2025.
Note: All rankings are from the D Poll for Week 2, and all times are CT.
Early Window
Primary Screen: Iowa @ No. 21 Iowa State — 11 AM — FOX
Secondary Screen: Baylor @ No. 17 SMU — 11 AM — The CW Network
Tertiary Screen: No. 7 Illinois @ Duke — 11 AM — ESPN
Also worth tracking:
No. 6 Texas @ San Jose State — 11 AM — ABC
UConn @ Syracuse — 11 AM — ESPN+
You really can’t go wrong with any of the three primary games in the early window. Cy-Hawk is always a great experience, even if the game itself isn’t all that competitive. Luckily for us, all indications point toward Saturday afternoon’s affair being a tooth-and-nail fight to the death between two schools that despise each other.
It’s “prove-it Saturday” for much of the Big 12, and Baylor is no exception. The Bears didn’t look up to snuff against Auburn last Friday night in Waco but can wash all that away if they upset SMU. While there isn’t as much on the line for the Mustangs, it would still be nice to grab a win over what most people, including myself, believe to be a quality Big 12 team.
Most people will tell you the game to watch in this window is Illinois at Duke, and I don’t necessarily disagree. For the first time in the CFP era, Illinois is a legitimate contender to make a playoff run. Then there’s Duke, a team revitalized under Mike Elko that maintained its success last season in year one of Manny Diaz’s tenure. There’s a lot on the line in Durham, and I’m sure it’ll be a joy to watch.
Afternoon Window
Primary Screen: Kansas at Missouri — 2:30 PM — ESPN2
Secondary Screen: Oklahoma State at No. 9 Oregon — 2:30 PM — CBS
Tertiary Screen: South Florida at No. 13 Florida — 3:15 PM — SEC Network
Also worth tracking:
Texas State at UTSA — 2:30 PM — ESPN+
Kansas and Missouri hate each other. It’s a hatred that spans centuries of history, and it’s a shame this game stopped being played when Mizzou bolted for the SEC after the 2011 season. But now it’s back, at least for a limited time, and we should all relish it while it’s here.
I anticipate that my secondary screen game—Oklahoma State at Oregon—won’t stay that way for long. With all the discourse and noise surrounding what would’ve been a fantastic non-conference game just several years ago, there’s a legitimate possibility that Oregon head coach Dan Lanning decides to run up the score.
Don’t sleep on the South Florida Bulls. While I don’t think they can actually beat the Gators, if they can just keep it close, then they’re by far the biggest contender out of the Group of Five to make the CFP.
Evening Window
Primary Screen: No. 22 Michigan at No. 19 Oklahoma — 6:30 PM — ABC
Secondary Screen: No. 8 Arizona State at Mississippi State — 6:30 PM — ESPN2
Tertiary Screen: Vanderbilt at Virginia Tech — 6:30 PM — ACC Network
Also worth tracking:
Army at Kansas State — 6 PM — ESPN
UCLA at UNLV — 7 PM — CBS Sports Network
Michigan’s bout against Oklahoma is the obvious main event of the day. John Mateer vs. Bryce Underwood. Brent Venables’ defense vs. Sherrone Moore’s offense. The weight of expectations vs. the hot seat. The narratives are plentiful in Norman tonight.
As I mentioned earlier, it’s a must-win week for the Big 12. Arizona State is traveling to Starkville to face the cowbells and Mississippi State, and it must leave with a victory. Anything less would put such a stain on the conference that I’m not sure it could recover.
The Fightin’ Diego Pavias have an opportunity to strike a death blow to Virginia Tech head coach Brent Pry’s tenure in Blacksburg if they can win tonight. I can’t believe I’m about to say this, but Vanderbilt is a better team than Virginia Tech. Tell that to someone 15 years ago, and they might explode.
Late Window
Primary Screen: Stanford at BYU — 9:15 PM — ESPN
Just how bad is Stanford? We know that they absolutely stink, though we’re not sure how much. Playing a pretty solid BYU squad could provide us with an answer. Watch this game if only to see a quarterback wear the number 47 and to watch former NFL star Andrew Luck absolutely tear his hair out as Stanford completely craps the bed over and over again.