American Football

NCAA Division I FBS Football 2026: Week 3 Performances

The image shows NCAA Division I FBS football 2026 featuring head-to-head clashes between two elite teams.

The NCAA Division I FBS Football 2026 featured several notable clashes in the past week’s fixtures. Miami FL defeated Florida A&M and continued to show consistent performances in the early stages of the season. Virginia beat Norfolk State 59-3. In another matchup, Louisville defeated Villanova in the previous match. Kansas lost to Missouri in the 2026 NCAA Division I FBS football game. Texas A&M claimed a victory against Arizona State, while Michigan defeated Oklahoma.

Indiana recorded a dominant 55-0 victory over Howard, and Penn State defeated Temple in Week 2. Oklahoma St. claimed a win over Oregon and continued its standout early-season form. Georgia defeated WKU in its previous game of the season. Notre Dame defeated Rice and delivered another solid performance to maintain its top-tier ranking. BYU claimed a victory against Arizona in the NCAA Division I FBS Football season. Tennessee defeated Georgia Tech, while Houston beat Southern U.

Game Schedules: Dates and Venues

FixturesDatesTime Zone ETTime Zone PTTime Zone ISTLocations
Wake Forest Demon Deacons vs Miami HurricanesSeptember 18, 202607:30 PM04:30 PM05:00 AM (Next Day)Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium, Winston-Salem
Texas Tech Red Raiders vs Houston CougarsSeptember 18, 202608:00 PM05:00 PM05:30 AM (Next Day)Jones AT&T Stadium, Lubbock
Oregon Ducks vs. Portland State VikingsSeptember 18, 202610:30 PM07:30 PM08:00 AM (Next Day)Autzen Stadium, Eugene
  Penn State Nittany Lions vs Buffalo BullsSeptember 19, 202612:00 PM09:00 AM09:30 PMBeaver Stadium, Pennsylvania  
Arkansas Razorbacks vs Georgia BulldogsSeptember 19, 202612:00 PM09:00 AM09:30 PMRazorback Stadium, Fayetteville
Ohio State Buckeyes vs. Kent StateSeptember 19, 202612:00 PM09:00 AM09:30 PMOhio Stadium, Columbus
Texas A&M Aggies vs Kentucky WildcatsSeptember 19, 202603:30 PM12:30 PM01:00 AM (Next Day)Kyle Field, College Station
Rutgers Scarlet Knights vs USC TrojansSeptember 19, 202603:30 PM12:30 PM01:00 AM (Next Day)SHI Stadium, Piscataway
Indiana Hoosiers vs. Western Kentucky HilltoppersSeptember 19, 202604:00 PM01:00 PM01:30 AM (Next Day)Memorial Stadium, Bloomington
Ole Miss Rebels vs LSU TigersSeptember 19, 202607:30 PM04:30 PM05:00 AM (Next Day)Vaught–Hemingway Stadium, University
Texas Longhorns vs UTSA RoadrunnersSeptember 19, 202608:00 PM05:00 PM05:30 AM (Next Day)Darrell K Royal–Texas Memorial Stadium, Austin

Week 3 Matchups and All Participating Teams

DatesMatches
September 18, 2026Wake Forest vs Miami FL, Texas Tech vs Houston, and Oregon vs Portland St
September 19, 2026Penn State vs Buffalo, Arkansas vs Georgia, Ohio State vs Kent State, Texas A&M vs Kentucky, Utah vs Utah State, Louisville vs SMU, Rutgers vs USC, Alabama vs Florida State, Indiana vs WKU, Iowa vs Northern Iowa, Missouri vs Troy, Washington vs Eastern WA, CO State vs BYU, Notre Dame vs MI State, Virginia vs West Virginia, Ole Miss vs LSU, Oklahoma vs New Mexico, Tennessee vs Kennesaw St, and Texas vs UTSA

Key Teams and Possible Lineups

Ohio State Buckeyes vs Kent State

Date: September 19, 2026 (Saturday)

Time: 12:00 PM ET| 09:00 AM PT| 09:30 PM IST

Venue: Ohio Stadium, Columbus

Possible Lineups for Ohio State Buckeyes

Offense
PositionPlayers
Quarter BacksLuke Fahey and Brady Geibel
Running BacksFavor Akih and Legend Bey
Wide ReceiversDavid Adolph and Jerquaden Guilford
Tight EndsBennett Christian and Maxence LeBlanc
Offensive LinemanDeontae Armstrong, Landry Brede, and JulianGoines-Jackson
Defense
PositionPlayers
Defensive LinemanBeau Atkinson
Defensive EndsZion Grady and Kenyatta Jackson Jr.
LinebackersTarvos Alford, Christian Alliegro, and Alec DelSignore
Defensive TacklesEmanuel Ruffin, Damari Simeon, and James Smith
SafetyKhmari Bing and Blaine Bradford

Possible Lineups for Kent State

Offense
PositionPlayers
Quarter BacksDru DeShields and Nolan Good
Running BacksDylan Armentrout and Jakorion Caffey
Wide ReceiversArdell Banks and William Bierfeldt
Tight EndsTommy Arnold and Zy’aire Fletcher
Offensive LinemanMofe Adewole, Hudson Chasko, and Boston Crowell
Defense
PositionPlayers
Defensive LinemanAnthony Adams III and Thomas Aden
LinebackersSayed Abuhamdeh, Brodyn Bishop, and Semaj Bridgeman
Defensive BacksTejuan Barbour, DJ Barnes, Tyler Bivens, Martell Buchanan, EzekielCastex, and Lionel Burns III
Key Team Performances

The Ohio State Buckeyes faced the Ball State Cardinals in their most recent game. Ohio State took the lead as Julian Sayin made key plays in the first half. After halftime, Keldric Luster, Elijah Jackson, and Elisha Durham scored crucial points for Ball State. In passing, Julian Sayin threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns for Ohio State. In rushing, Bo Jackson recorded 83 yards and one touchdown for Ohio State. Jeremiah Smith earned 151 yards and two touchdowns for Ohio State. Ultimately, Ohio State defeated Ball State. Furthermore, Ohio State will have home-field advantage to earn a victory in the upcoming game.

By contrast, Kent State faced South Carolina in the NCAA Division I FBS Football game. LaNorris Sellers, Jabree Coleman, and Donovan Murph were key players for South Carolina and scored points. Kent State failed to score throughout the match. Nevertheless, Dru DeShields made attempts for Kent State during the game. La Norris Sellers recorded 270 passing yards and three touchdowns for South Carolina. Another player, Jabree Coleman, earned 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina on the ground. Donovan Murph recorded 92 receiving yards and two touchdowns for South Carolina. In the end, Kent State suffered a defeat to South Carolina.

The Pick: Ohio State Buckeyes

Arkansas Razorbacks vs Georgia Bulldogs

Date: September 19, 2026 (Saturday)

Time: 12:00 PM ET|09:00 AM PT|09:30 PM IST

Venue: Razorback Stadium, Fayetteville

Possible Lineups for Arkansas Razorbacks

Offense
PositionPlayers
Quarter BacksBraeden Fuller and Hank Hendrix
Running BacksMarkeylin Batton, TJ Hodges, and Jasper Parker
Wide ReceiverCJ Brown
Tight EndBreylen Gilbert
Offensive LinemanKaden Bramlage, Kobe Branham, Malachi Breland, and Kavion Broussard
Defense
PositionPlayers
Defensive LinemanJ’Lynn Allen, Brian Alston, DannyBeale III, and Caleb Bell
LinebackersBen Bogle, Preston Davis, and Jeremy Evans
Defensive BacksBlake Brisker, BrandonFord, NsongbehGinyui, and Jalon Copeland

Possible Lineups for Georgia Bulldogs

Offense
PositionPlayers
Quarter BacksBryson Beaver and Jake Bobo
Running BacksMicah Bell, Chauncey Bowens, and Dante Dowdell
Wide ReceiversJeremy Bell and Thomas Blackshear
Tight EndsEthan Barbour and Brayden Fogle
Offensive LinemanDrew Bobo and Daniel Calhoun
Defense
PositionPlayers
Defensive LinemanClinton Barlow and Preston Carey
Defensive EndsIsaiah Gibson and Justin Greene
LinebackersNick Abrams II, Eli Barrow, and Khamari Brooks
Defensive BacksKJ Bolden and Braylon Conley
SafetyKhalil Barnes and Zion Branch
Key Team Performances

The Arkansas Razorbacks faced the Utah Utes in their latest game. Utah recorded more passing and rushing yards, combining for more total yards. Devon Dampier, Wayshawn Parker, and Noah Bennee, key players, scored for Utah. Arkansas recorded fewer passing and rushing yards, resulting in fewer total yards than Utah. Key contributors included KJ Jackson and Chris Marshall for Arkansas. In the end, Arkansas suffered a defeat against Utah. Furthermore, Arkansas will face the Georgia Bulldogs in its forthcoming game.

In contrast, the Georgia Bulldogs faced the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in their most recent game. Georgia ultimately defeated WKU. Furthermore, the Georgia Bulldogs have strong recent form and will look to continue their winning streak in the upcoming game.

The Pick: Georgia Bulldogs

Game Analysis

In Week 3, several notable teams will face their opponents in pivotal matchups. Texas will face the UTSA Roadrunners at its home stadium on September 19. In another key match, the Notre Dame Fighting Irish will host the Michigan State Spartans on September 19.

Notre Dame currently sits in third place in the top 25. Will Notre Dame earn another victory, or can MI State claim the win? The remaining teams could also have an impact on the rankings and teams’ standings. Week 3 will determine which emerging teams reach the next round of the tournament.

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