As always, the Watch Grid sorts your Saturday into three watchability columns. And as always, watchability is not strictly about game quality, team quality or quality of any kind. These things matter, though, I guess.

This week, the Watch Grid brings great news, because this is the season’s finest weekend so far, or at very least since Week 1. This is the part of the season when teams become more likely to play opponents within their own weight classes, thanks in part to conference scheduling.

There are multiple headliner-worthy games, plus a whole bunch of decent midcard stuff. And even the bad games are that special kind of rubbernecking-grade bad. Something for the whole family!

Thursday, Sept. 30 and Friday, Oct. 1 college football schedule

And we’re starting out hot. That’s an ok Thursday night, and Friday features what somehow might be the season’s biggest weeknight game until Thanksgiving. The No. 5 team is only favored by a field goal on the road in a battle of unbeatens, and as long as you don’t think too hard about the name of the home team, you can get yourself pretty worked up about this game.

Saturday, Oct. 2 college football schedule

Stream live college football games every week this season from conferences across the country on ESPN+.

SICKOS GAME OF THE WEEK

So many contenders on this slate. Auburn-LSU deserves special recognition, because either Bryan Harsin’s Auburn chases a loss to Penn State with a near-loss to Georgia State and a loss to a rival, or Ed Orgeron becomes LSU’s first coach this millennium to lose at home to Auburn. The losing team’s odds of making a bowl also become uncomfortable!

But there can be no choice other than UConn-Vanderbilt, in which possibly one of history’s worst major-level teams has a reasonable chance to win an SEC road game. In your mind, turn this statement like a jewel, letting different beams of light reveal its many mysteries.

The actual most important game of the week

If Arkansas or Ole Miss can actually present serious challenges to this season’s only two seemingly awesome teams, then there’s your answer.

But let’s propose Cincinnati-Notre Dame, likely the hardest game all season for both participants. Obviously, the Irish would make the playoff with a 12-0 record, but I believe the Bearcats would then have a straight path to the tourney, not that it’s easy to win every week as a favorite. And yeah, I’m aware they’re not in a power conference yet.

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