Huffman Sports Wire News Break · NCAAF · Reporting · Published · Huffman Sports Wire News Desk
Saturday, October 3, brings three matchups between teams in the AP Top 25, spread across the noon and afternoon television windows. No. 7 Alabama visits No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 5 Ohio State travels to No. 14 Iowa, and No. 8 Florida faces No. 25 Missouri.
ESPN has announced that College GameDay will be at The Pentacrest in Iowa City for Ohio State’s visit. The game itself is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS. Later, No. 4 Miami heads to Clemson for a 7:30 p.m. ET kickoff on ABC.
All kickoff times below are Eastern. Rankings are from the September 27 AP poll, not the separate Huffman Sports Wire Top 25. This is a preview of Saturday’s announced schedule; television assignments and kickoff times can change.
Noon window: Alabama’s unbeaten start meets a ranked road test
No. 7 Alabama at No. 16 Mississippi State — noon ET / 11 a.m. CT, ABC. Both teams enter the week 4–0 in the AP poll’s records. Starkville provides an early test of whether Mississippi State can sustain its rise against another ranked SEC opponent.
No. 3 Notre Dame at North Carolina — noon ET / 11 a.m. CT, ESPN. The Fighting Irish bring a 4–0 record to Chapel Hill. Notre Dame remains an independent in football, so this is a road game against an ACC opponent rather than an ACC conference contest.
Michigan at Minnesota — noon ET / 11 a.m. CT, FOX. The Big Ten matchup gives viewers another conference road test in the early window; neither team appears in the September 27 AP Top 25.
Sources: FBSchedules · NCAA.com
Afternoon: Iowa hosts Ohio State; Florida visits Missouri
No. 5 Ohio State at No. 14 Iowa — 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT, CBS. Ohio State enters the week 3–1 while Iowa is 4–0. With a ranked matchup at Kinnick Stadium and College GameDay in Iowa City, this is the News Desk’s featured viewing choice. That designation is HSW analysis, not a result prediction.
No. 8 Florida at No. 25 Missouri — 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT, ABC. Florida enters the week 4–0 after climbing into the AP top 10. Missouri, listed at 3–1, has a chance to respond at home against another ranked SEC opponent.
Auburn at No. 17 Tennessee — 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT, ESPN. Tennessee enters the week 3–1. The Volunteers’ home game at Neyland Stadium adds a third prominent option alongside the two ranked-versus-ranked afternoon contests.
Sources: FBSchedules · NCAA.com · Ohio State Athletics · ESPN
Evening: Miami–Clemson and two Big 12 road games
No. 10 BYU at TCU — 7 p.m. ET / 6 p.m. CT, ESPN. BYU enters the week 3–0 and takes its unbeaten start into a Big 12 road matchup.
No. 4 Miami at Clemson — 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT, ABC. Miami enters the week 4–0. The ACC matchup puts the Hurricanes’ top-five standing against a road assignment at Clemson.
No. 12 Texas Tech at Colorado — 7:30 p.m. ET / 6:30 p.m. CT, FOX. Texas Tech enters the week 4–0. The Big 12 matchup in Boulder overlaps Miami–Clemson, giving viewers two ranked visitors to follow in the same evening window.
Sources: FBSchedules · NCAA.com
The News Desk viewing plan
Start with Alabama–Mississippi State at noon, keep Ohio State–Iowa and Florida–Missouri in view at 3:30 p.m., then turn to the Miami–Clemson and Texas Tech–Colorado games at 7:30 p.m. BYU–TCU begins a half-hour before those two evening kickoffs.
These are selected games, not the full Saturday schedule. Check the linked schedule and broadcaster listings for any late changes.
Sources: FBSchedules
Sources
- FBSchedules — College football schedule: TV selections for October 3, 2026 · Published September 21; six-day selections finalized September 27; checked October 2
- NCAA.com — Florida flies into the top 10 in latest AP Top 25 college football rankings · Source dated
- Ohio State Athletics — Kickoff time against Iowa announced for 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS · Source dated
- ESPN — 2026 College GameDay Week 5: Ohio State vs. Iowa · Source dated