5 games you need to watch on Saturday

Following a week that saw a Top 10 team get upset by an unranked opponent, a number of Top 25 teams face near upsets to lower-tier teams, and four Top 25 teams square off against one another, it's safe to say that Week 3 is shaping up to be significantly less eventful.

With only one game against two Top 25 teams, on paper it would appear that there are many "cupcake" games slated for Saturday. But take a closer look and you'll see there are a number of key games that could dictate the rest of the season.

So without further ado, here are the five games you need to watch on Saturday:

East Carolina at No. 17 Virginia Tech
12 PM, ESPN
Dave Pasch, Brian Griese, Tom Luginbill

Virginia Tech shocked the nation last week by beating the then-No. 8 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes in convincing fashion, and the Hokies are hoping to keep the momentum going against East Carolina.

While they may be unranked, the Pirates proved they are far from a "cupcake" team. Led by quarterback Shane Carden, East Carolina kept the game against South Carolina close until the final whistle. The Hokies also almost lost to Carden and co. last season, so this game has all the makings of an upset waiting to happen.

The Hokies' confidence is at an all-time high, and if they can shut down the Pirates' passing attack and exploit a defense that gave up 441 total yards to South Carolina, they should be well on their way to climbing up the polls.

No. 6 Georgia at No. 24 South Carolina
3:30 PM, CBS
Verne Lundquist, Gary Danielson, Allie LaForce

It's been a rough start to the season for South Carolina, as the Gamecocks entered the season as the No. 9 team in the nation. But after a blowout loss to Texas A&M and a narrow 10-point victory over East Carolina, the team dropped to No. 24. A poor showing on Saturday would likely bring an end to their time on the AP Poll.

While they are not in as dire a position as South Carolina, the Bulldogs are out to prove they are one of the nation's elite teams. Blowing out the Gamecocks would not only likely move them into the AP's Top 5, but will also prove they deserve to be in the same conversation as teams like Oregon and Alabama.

The key matchup to watch in this one will be whether or not South Carolina's under-performing defense is up to the task of stopping Heisman trophy candidate Todd Gurley.

In 2012, a stout Gamecocks defense managed to hold Gurley (a freshman at the time) to 39 yards on 13 carries but Gurley had his revenge on South Carolina last year as he tore through Spurrier's defense for 132 yards and a touchdown on 30 carries.

No. 12 UCLA vs. Texas
8:00 PM, FOX
Gus Johnson, Charles Davis, Molly McGrath

They entered the season as the No. 7 ranked team in the nation, but narrow victories against Virginia and Memphis forced the Bruins to drop to No. 12 in the AP poll. While the tight games may not have been as bad as their scores may suggest, UCLA will need to prove they can handily beat weaker teams if they hope to make the playoffs.

Following an embarrassing loss to BYU, Charlie Strong's Longhorns find themselves at a crossroads: win and prove that you're able to compete with some of the best teams in the nation, or lose and embrace your rebuilding status. With Tyrone Swoopes under center, the Longhorns defense will need to step up if Texas intends to leave with a win.

Simply put: there's a lot at stake for both teams.

Tennessee at No. 4 Oklahoma
8:00 PM, ABC
Chris Fowler, Kirk Herbstreit, Heather Cox

Oklahoma is one of the nation's powerhouses, and they could climb higher than their No. 4 ranking in the next few weeks. But their schedule has been quite weak in the season's early going, so knocking off a young, up-and-coming SEC team will further help solidify them among the league's elite.

Tennessee looked good in the early stages of the season, after handily beating Utah State and Arkansas State, but they get their first true test against Bob Stoops' playoff-caliber Sooners.

Senior quarterback Justin Worley has looked great over the season's first two games and will be heavily relied upon to help his young team keep their composure against their toughest opponent to date.

Iowa State at Iowa
3:30 PM, ESPN
Sean McDonough, Chris Spielman, Todd McShay

While it may not feature teams from the Top 25, this same-state rivalry has made headlines based on the amount of trash talk it is generating - specifically between the campus police forces.

On paper, it would appear that the undefeated Iowa Hawkeyes will run away with this game, but the Iowa State Cyclones proved to be a dynamic team last week, nearly upsetting now No. 19 Kansas State.

This game has all the makings of an old-fashioned, hard-fought rivalry game. 

THE REST OF THE TOP 25 TV AND ANNOUNCING GUIDE

Kent State at No. 22 Ohio State
12:00 PM, ABC or ESPN2
Bob Wischusen, Matt Millen, Quint Kessenich

UCF at No. 20 Missouri
12:00 PM, SEC Network
Dave Neal, Andre Ware, Laura Rutledge

No. 21 Louisville at Virginia
12:30 PM, Regional Sports Networks/ESPN3
Tim Brant, Dave Archer, Rachel Baribeau

Wyoming at No. 2 Oregon
2:00 PM, Pac-12 Network
TBA, Glenn Parker, Jill Savage

Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 14 Ole Miss
4:00 PM, SEC Network
Tom Hart, Matt Stinchcomb, Heather Mitts

Army at No. 15 Stanford
5:00 PM, Pac-12 Network
Roxy Bernstein, Anthony Herron, Ashley Adamson

Southern Miss at No. 3 Alabama
6:00 PM, ESPN2
Joe Tessitore, Brock Huard, Shannon Spake

Louisiana-Monroe at No. 10 LSU
7:00 PM, ESPNU
Clay Matvick, Anthony Becht, Dawn Davensport

Purdue vs. No. 11 Notre Dame
7:30 PM, NBC
Dan Hicks, Mike Mayock, Kathryn Tappen, Doug Flutie

No. 9 USC at Boston College
8:00 PM, ESPN
Brad Nessler, Todd Blackledge, Holly Rowe

Rice at No.7 Texas A&M
9:00 PM, ESPN2
Mark Jones, Rod Gilmore, Jessica Mendoza

No. 16 Arizona State at Colorado
10:00 PM, ESPNU
Anish Shroff, Kelly Stouffer, Cara Capuano

All times Eastern; schedule via NCAA.com