After what amounted to an in-between week produced a couple of upsets and a few more near-upsets, this week is the one we’ve been waiting for.

There’s the big one, which really needs no introduction (but I’ll be doing a preview of it anyway), but you’ve got plenty of action before (and during and after) - kicks off in primetime on Saturday to keep your remote busy, your couch wishing you’d move, and the pizza delivery folks racking up a lot of tips (that is, if you’re a generous tipper, which you should be if it gets there in plenty of time).

It all gets started tonight, so sit back and let me tell you which games you should tune in to this weekend.

Thursday

vs. , 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN: Being shut out at home by until the fourth quarter wasn’t good for Rutgers, and neither was allowing the Bulldogs to have their way on offense. Now, they have to deal with UNC’s , who accounted for 397 all-purpose yards and two scores and helping save the Tar Heels in a 35-27 squeaker against I-AA McNeese State. If Rutgers can get it going through the air, this one could be a shootout.

Friday

vs. , 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2: This one has the makings of a good one. Two top-20 teams, two quarterbacks trying to make a name in the Heisman race, two defenses that can make a lot of plays.

Saturday

State vs. Florida Atlantic, 12 p.m. ET, ESPN2: Even if you’re not a fan of Pam Ward, this is a good one to start off your weekend. FAU’s is a top-notch QB and leads an offense that can score in a heartbeat, and Michigan State has the budding touchdown machine that is , who’s coming off of a five-touchdown performance against Eastern Michigan, and could have a field day with a defense that allowed 232 rushing yards to and 156 more to UAB.

vs. , 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS: CBS kicks off their slate of games for the season with an upset alert game. South Carolina didn’t look good in a loss to Vandy, and their QB situation is back to square one, but they should be ready for this one. The Gamecocks won last year’s game in Athens, but Georgia has won the last three meetings in Columbia.

Don’t count on a lot of points being scored, but if that is the case, history works in Georgia’s favor – only four times in their annual meetings since the ‘Cocks joined the SEC in 1992 has the winner scored more than 24 points, and all four times, the Bulldogs have come out on top.

vs. Michigan, 3:30 p.m. ET, NBC: thought he was being cute by saying ‘to hell with Michigan.’ Hopefully that comment, whatever its intention, doesn’t backfire on him on Saturday. Michigan has taken the last two in woodshed beatings, and now is not the time for a third straight one.

USC vs. Ohio State, 8 p.m. ET, ABC: Clash of the titans, the epic of all epics, the game of the century! Well let’s bloody hope so. Not the 1-2 matchup that many might have hoped for, and there’s a chance OSU’s offensive star may not even suit up, but still, it’s USC-Ohio State, two of the best teams in the country locking horns.

Regional Game That Should Be National: vs. , 3:30 p.m. ET, ABC Regional – I would venture a guess that this could be the game that gets shifted to the ESPN2 mid-afternoon slot, so it could end up being national, which is a good thing. Last week, Oregon scored 66 points and racked up 688 yards against Purdue’s defense is better than ’s, but I don’t expect many stops to be made by both sides. It could be one of those ‘last one with the ball wins’ games.

National Game That Should Be Regional: There isn’t one that sticks out to me, which is a testament to how packed this week’s slate is. Maybe - (3:30 p.m. ET, Versus) or - (7:45 p.m. ET, ESPN) could turn out to be duds, or could have a nasty hangover from their loss to when they host and (12 p.m. ET, ESPN) on Saturday, but that might be a lot of reaching.

Game That I’d Steal the Neighbors’ Cable For: There’s really not much to choose from, since all of my must-see games are on network TV. So, by default, I’ll go with - (7 p.m. ET, ESPN2). MSU beat on the road last year, and if the Bulldogs can do the deed at home over the #9 Tigers, it could do a lot to make their season-opening loss at Louisiana Tech a distant memory. That and I’ll be a lot more tolerable on Sunday.

Time Slot Worth Getting Picture-in-Picture For: Saturday afternoon – With all due respect to Saturday evening and USC-Ohio State, the afternoon offers up several goodies across the board – South Carolina-Georgia, Notre Dame-Michigan, Purdue-Oregon, and BYU-UCLA. It’s a shame that Texas- was rescheduled, otherwise it’d be on the list too.

Late Game Worth Staying Up For: Fresno State vs. , 10:30 p.m. ET – Fresno State went to Rutgers and had their way with the Scarlet Knights, so you’d have to think they can more than hold their own at home against the Badgers, who can’t afford to come out flat like they did against Marshall last week. A win for Fresno over the #10 team in the country could bump them into the top 15 and further help their hopes of making a BCS bowl if they can run the table.

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