Viewer's guide to Week 3: No ranked-vs.-ranked matchups could spell drama

You won't find any matchups between ranked teams on this week's college football schedule.

However, don't think that means we're in for a snoozer.

Two weeks into the season, most teams are still searching for an identity. Some of those unranked teams are better than we think. And it often feels like the Saturdays with the least buildup produce the most drama.

theScore is here to guide your viewing experience. Here's our look at the can't-miss matchups and under-the-radar games for Week 3.

(All times ET)

The early slate

Must-watch: Pittsburgh at No. 13 Penn State (noon, ABC)

Pittsburgh hasn't come particularly close to upending Penn State the last two years, losing 51-6 and 33-14 in 2018 and 2017, respectively, but we'll take the in-state rivalry in a slightly tepid first wave of games.

It's the 100th meeting between the two programs. It's also, as of now, the last game between the Panthers and Nittany Lions.

Pittsburgh is off to a slow start in 2019, losing its opener to Virginia and winning 20-10 against Ohio last week.

Penn State defeated Idaho and Buffalo by a combined score of 124-20. Quarterback Sean Clifford has completed 66.7% of his throws with six touchdown passes.

Has potential: No. 21 Maryland at Temple (noon, CBSSN)

Maryland has achieved its highest AP ranking since 2006 and hosts Penn State in two weeks in a juicy Friday night matchup.

First, the Terrapins must get past a tricky Temple team in their first road trip of the season.

First-year head coach Mike Locksley's offense ranks first in scoring and fourth in yards per game after two weeks. The Terrapins scored 63 in last week's win over previously ranked Syracuse. Four Maryland players have at least 90 yards rushing this season.

Temple also has a new head coach in Rod Carey, who won 52 games in seven years at Northern Illinois. In the Owls' season opener versus Bucknell, quarterback Anthony Russo threw for 409 yards and four touchdowns.

Upset alert: Kansas State at Mississippi State (noon, ESPN)

Speaking of first-year coaches, Kansas State made one of the better under-the-radar hires this offseason when the program brought in Chris Klieman from FCS power North Dakota State.

The prevailing thought was Klieman, who won four FCS national championships in five years, would fit Manhattan, Kansas, like a glove.

The Wildcats face the first big test of the Klieman era Saturday at Mississippi State.

Kansas State demolished Nicholls and Bowling Green to begin the season. The Wildcats currently lead the country in rushing yards (694), with senior James Gilbert, a transfer from Ball State, averaging 8.4 yards per touch.

The Bulldogs will hope to have a healthy Tommy Stevens. The quarterback is 29-for-40 passing through two weeks, but left last week's win over Southern Miss with an apparent shoulder injury. He told reporters this week, "I feel good," Tyler Horka of the Clarion Ledger reported.

Keep an eye on: No. 5 Ohio State at Indiana (noon, FOX)

Depending on your screen setup, monitor the score of this one to see if the Hoosiers can give the Buckeyes a game.

Indiana began its season with wins over Ball State and Eastern Michigan, but faces quarterback uncertainty with starter Michael Penix a game-time decision. Last year's starter, Peyton Ramsey, will lead the Hoosiers if Penix can't play.

Ohio State, meanwhile, will be out to prove it can avoid the hiccups that kept it out of the College Football Playoff in each of the last two seasons. The game is worth keeping in the TV rotation if only to see sophomore quarterback Justin Fields, who threw for 458 yards at a 76% completion clip in the first two games.

Mid-afternoon

Must-watch: No. 19 Iowa at Iowa State (4 p.m., FS1)

For the first time, ESPN's College GameDay will broadcast from Ames. It's a well-deserved perk for Iowa State, which features one of the more loyal fan bases in the country.

It also provides a nice backdrop for a rivalry game between teams looking to upend their conferences in 2019.

The Cyclones are the dark horse to win the Big 12 and actually entered the season ranked before a triple-overtime scare against FCS Northern Iowa. Quarterback Brock Purdy posted the second-worst yards-per-attempt of his 10-game career in that match, and Iowa State appeared to feel the losses of running back David Montgomery and receiver Hakeem Butler.

That makes the Cyclones a slight underdog against Iowa, which held Rutgers to 2.6 yards per play in a 30-0 win last week. Combined with effective play from quarterback Nathan Stanley, Iowa's defense has the Hawkeyes looking like a legitimate Big Ten West contender.

Iowa has won four consecutive meetings in the series, and 26 of the last 36.

Has potential: No. 24 USC at BYU (3:30 p.m., ABC)

That's Kedon Slovis, the true freshman quarterback who has the Trojans ranked entering the third week of the season.

A three-star recruit from Scottsdale, Arizona, Slovis is the unexpected national leader in completion percentage - tied with Oklahoma's Jalen Hurts - after replacing the injured JT Daniels in the Trojans' opener against Fresno State.

He completed 28 of 33 throws for 377 yards and three touchdowns in his first career start, a 45-20 rout of Stanford.

For his first road trip, he gets a BYU team that's already played Utah (and lost) and Tennessee (and won). If Slovis wins this one, he'll be the talk of the country heading into a three-game swing against Utah, Washington, and Notre Dame.

Upset alert: Stanford at No. 17 UCF (3:30 p.m., ESPN)

One team welcomes back its star quarterback; the other has a number of pivots to choose from.

In a week considered to be drab, Stanford's trip across the country to UCF is one of the most fascinating matchups. The Cardinal entered the season ranked, lost K.J. Costello to a concussion in the season opener, and lost big at USC last week. With the return of Costello, who threw for 3,540 yards last year, Stanford hopes to get back on track.

UCF has three quarterbacks capable of maintaining the Knights' standards. Notre Dame transfer Brandon Wimbush started against Florida A&M, then missed last week's win over Florida Atlantic. True freshman Dillon Gabriel started that game and looked like the Knights' future. Now, Darriel Mack, who started at the end of last season when McKenzie Milton went down with an injury, is healthy and in the mix, too.

It's a good problem to have for UCF - if it chooses the right player to start.

Keep an eye on: No. 2 Alabama at South Carolina (3:30 p.m., CBS)

The last time Alabama and South Carolina met, Steve Spurrier was still in charge of the Gamecocks. He led South Carolina to a 14-point win over Alabama in 2010.

Nine years later, no one expects a repeat. Alabama is nearly a four-touchdown favorite on the road.

The Crimson Tide outscored Duke and New Mexico State 104-13 to begin the season. But let's see how the Gamecocks' offense looks under freshman Ryan Hilinski, who completed 80 percent of his throws in a win over Charleston Southern.

Evening

Must-watch: No. 1 Clemson at Syracuse (7:30 p.m., ABC)

Syracuse's 63-20 loss to Maryland took most of the sheen off this matchup, but recent history still makes this a must-watch.

No team has given Clemson as much consistent trouble as of late like the Orange.

Syracuse upset Clemson in the Carrier Dome 27-24 two years ago. Last season, the Orange held a 23-13 lead over the Tigers early in the fourth quarter but surrendered two touchdowns.

Clemson's defense has looked dominant early this season, forcing six turnovers in two games. The Tigers could feast against Tommy DeVito, who's making just his third-career start.

Has potential: Florida State at No. 25 Virginia (7:30 p.m., ACC Network)

Florida State and Virginia have gone in opposite directions to begin the season, but their meeting in Charlottesville still has the potential to be one of Saturday's best.

The Seminoles narrowly defeated Louisiana-Monroe last Saturday, surviving on a missed extra point by the Warhawks' kicker in overtime. That came a week after Florida State blew a double-digit lead at home against Boise State. Florida State is one of 10 teams so far this season allowing 40 points per game.

The Cavaliers have an early chance to move to 2-0 in conference play. Quarterback Bryce Perkins (112 yards) leads the Cavaliers in rushing and is always worth watching. Virginia's defense has held opponents to 2.2 yards per carry.

Upset alert: TCU at Purdue (7:30 p.m., Big Ten Network)

Is TCU for real? We'll begin to find out Saturday night in West Lafayette, Indiana. Gary Patterson's Horned Frogs have a history of bouncing back from subpar seasons: In five of six previous instances where TCU lost five-plus games, the team went on to win 10 or more the following season (TCU went 7-6 last year).

The Horned Frogs cruised to a 39-7 win over Arkansas-Pine Bluff in their opener. They'll face a stiffer test against Purdue, even though Boilermakers quarterback Elijah Sindelar, the nation's leading passer, could miss the game because of an injury.

Purdue sophomore Rondale Moore might have an early lead in the Biletnikoff Award race. He caught 24 passes for 344 yards and two touchdowns in Purdue's first two games, a loss to Nevada and a win over Vanderbilt.

Keep an eye on: No. 9 Florida at Kentucky (7 p.m., ESPN)

Kentucky beat Florida for the first time since 1986 last year, one of the signature moments of a 10-win season.

But the Wildcats enter Saturday without starting quarterback Terry Wilson, who will miss the rest of the season because of a torn patellar tendon. His replacement, Sawyer Smith, threw for 1,669 yards at Troy last season, so Kentucky still has experience at the position.

Florida followed up its Week 0 win over Miami (Fla.) with a shutout against Tennessee-Martin. The matchup to watch here is Smith against the Gators' pass rush. They lead the country with 15 sacks, including three by Jabari Zuniga.

After dark

Texas Tech at Arizona (10:30 p.m., ESPN)

The late-night slate is thin this week, with only three games (Portland State at Boise State and Montana at Oregon are the others). The Red Raiders and Wildcats could still put on some offensive fireworks.

This might be the best quarterback matchup of the day: Alan Bowman vs. Khalil Tate.

Bowman looks healthy and new head coach Matt Wells is letting him loose. He's second in the country in pass attempts (99) through two weeks.

As for Tate, he's nearly halfway (109 yards) to last year's rushing total of 224.

Arizona allowed 43 points per game against Hawaii and Northern Arizona, while Texas Tech gave up 13 points total to Montana State and UTEP, so there's a chance it's one-sided. But it's the best Pac-12 After Dark has to offer in Week 3.

Mark Cooper is theScore's NCAA writer. You can find him on Twitter @mark_cooperjr.