Ranking Saturday's top 10 must-see games

Opening weekend offered the college football world an abundance of marquee matchups and memorable moments, and Week 3 should provide more of the same.

Heading into Saturday, we look at this weekend's must-see games, including four contests between ranked opponents.

10. No. 25 Miami at Appalachian State

Miami is well aware of Appalachian State's history. The Mountaineers shocked a fifth-ranked Michigan team at the Big House in 2007, and very nearly stunned Tennessee on the road in Week 1. With Appalachian State at home this time, Hurricanes pivot Brad Kaaya will be tested in a hostile environment.

Miami has scored a school-record 108 points in its first two games, but the Mountaineers will give Mark Richt his first true test of 2016. Can they pull off another stunner?

9. North Dakota State at No. 13 Iowa

You may be wondering why a matchup featuring an FCS team made the list, but North Dakota State is no ordinary FCS program. The Bison have won five straight national titles, and just sent a quarterback to the NFL as the No. 2 pick in the 2016 draft.

Not only that, but seven FCS teams have defeated FBS teams this season, so the Hawkeyes better bring their A game if they don't want to become the eighth.

8. No. 22 Oregon at Nebraska

Dakota Prukop and Royce Freeman have the Ducks flying high to start the season. The pair have combined for 11 touchdowns in only two games and will give the Cornhuskers' defense all it can handle in Lincoln.

Nebraska has only given up 27 points in its two wins, but hasn't seen an offense even close to the level of Oregon's so far. Mike Riley and company won't be able to match points with the Ducks, so the Cornhuskers will need to rely on their defense if they plan to remain undefeated.

7. Mississippi State at No. 20 LSU

Les Miles needs to win this one convincingly. The LSU head coach has been on the hot seat after an opening week loss to Wisconsin, and his failure to figure out the Tigers' quarterback situation.

Mississippi State dropped its opening contest to South Alabama at home, before rebounding with a win over South Carolina. The Bulldogs appear to be desperately missing Dak Prescott, so the Tigers, with a returning Leonard Fournette, need to make a statement at home against an inferior opponent on paper.

6. USC at No. 7 Stanford

This game will feature two of the most exciting offensive players in the country in Christian McCaffrey and JuJu Smith-Schuster. The Stanford star is the most complete running back in the nation, posting more than 2,000 yards rushing, 45 catches, and two return touchdowns a year ago.

Meanwhile, Smith-Schuster brings a unique blend of size and physicality to the wide receiver position for USC, as evidenced last week. Watching these two alone will be worth the price of admission.

5. No. 17 Texas A&M at Auburn

Kevin Sumlin and company will seek momentum as the Aggies enter a crucial part of their schedule, with Arkansas, South Carolina, Tennessee, and Alabama looming in the distance. A victory over the Tigers would give Texas A&M a shot in the arm down the stretch in September and into October, and the Aggies should be looking to come out of the gate strong on Saturday.

Auburn enters Saturday's game at an important crossroads, having already dropped a game to Clemson on opening weekend. The Tigers will battle LSU, Arkansas, and Ole Miss in the next series of games on their schedule, so Saturday's outcome could very well decide the path the Tigers take in 2016. Gus Malzahn will need leading rusher Kerryon Johnson to continue his steady output, and Sean White will look to improve on his 27-of-44 passing so far this season.

4. No. 12 Michigan State at No. 18 Notre Dame

A historic rivalry will see its next installment when Michigan State hits the road to take on Notre Dame. The Spartans are coming off a bye week after opening the season with a 28-13 victory over Furman. Quarterback Tyler O'Connor only attempted 18 passes in the contest, so the jury is still out on whether he can fill Connor Cook's shoes.

Notre Dame rebounded from its opening weekend double-overtime loss to Texas with a win over Nevada last week, but will need to come out of the gate with a sense of urgency against their second Power 5 matchup this year. With 112 rushing yards so far this season, DeShone Kizer can push the limits of Michigan State's defense if he can effectively use both elements of his game and connect with his targets when given the opportunity.

3. No. 1 Alabama at No. 19 Ole Miss

The SEC goes head to head in this battle between Alabama and Ole Miss, with the Rebels looking to earn their first win against a ranked opponent this season after falling to Florida State on opening weekend.

It remains to be seen whether Nick Saban's notable meltdown during last week's 38-10 victory over Western Kentucky will spark his team, but he has some extra personal motivation heading into Saturday's game. If Ole Miss defeats Alabama this weekend, it will mark only the third time any team has earned three consecutive victories over Saban - the other two being Michigan (1996-98) and Purdue (1997-99).

2. No. 3 Ohio State at No. 14 Oklahoma

The faceoff between Ohio State's J.T. Barrett and Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield has the potential to be one of the most outstanding quarterback duels college football will see this season. Barrett has completed 35-of-53 passes for 498 yards with six touchdowns and just one interception, while Mayfield owns a similar 38-of-53 completion record thus far for 567 yards and five touchdowns without having been intercepted.

Oklahoma did suffer a defeat at the hands of Houston on opening weekend, in which Mayfield shouldered the brunt of the blame, but rebounded nicely last week against Louisiana-Monroe. Ohio State breezed through their first two contests against Bowling Green and Tulsa, so Saturday's game will show whether Ohio State will be able to elevate its level of play against a stronger foe, and whether Oklahoma can prove that the loss to Houston was a one-off.

1. No. 2 Florida State at No. 10 Louisville

Louisville quarterback Lamar Jackson has been an unstoppable force through the first two games of the season, coming within just one rushing yard of becoming the first FBS quarterback ever to pass for 400 yards and rush for 200 yards in a single game last week against Syracuse.

Florida State has been impressive thus far as well, also with two wins against then-No. 11 Ole Miss and Charleston Southern. The only concern for the Seminoles is the loss of Derwin James, who will be sidelined for the next five-to-seven weeks at least. The hole in the secondary could pay dividends for the Cardinals in what promises to be one of the best games of the weekend.