Big Ten Football Week 3 Saturday Watch Grid

There are 13 different Big Ten football teams playing in 12 different games this Saturday, and HoosiersNow.com has you covered with a watch grid, letting you when and where all 12 games are happening, and which games you should most be interested on putting on your TV this weekend.

BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — Week 3 of the 2023 college football season is here, and following Maryland's 42-14 win over Virginia on Friday night, there are still 12 different Big Ten football games for fans to watch this Saturday.

In Week 2, a lot of the non-conference action was rather bland, with several Big Ten teams facing FCS or Group of 5 opponents in fairly dull matchups. This Saturday, however, is far different. Five Big Ten squads will be taking on ACC opponents in football's version of the annual basketball conference challenge, and there will also be a crucial Big Ten conference game between Penn State and Illinois.

Here are the games you 100 percent need to watch today, the games that you should definitely keep an eye on and the games where you might want to get out of the house or do some chores. 

Tier 1 — Absolute Must-Watch Games

• Penn State at Illinois, Noon ET. TV: FOX
• Louisville vs Indiana (Lucas Oil Stadium, Indianapolis, Ind.), Noon ET. TV: Big Ten Network
• Minnesota at North Carolina, 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: ESPN/ESPN2

No justification is needed for Penn State at Illinois. It's the the No. 7 ranked team in the country going on the road for their first Big Ten game of the season against an Illinois squad that's given them trouble in the past. 

It's also the first meeting between the Nittany Lions and the Fighting Illini since the infamous nine-overtime game of 2021, that ended in a 20-18 win for coach Bret Bielema and Illinois. 

As for Louisville vs Indiana, I'm obviously a tad biased seeing that it's the game I will be attending and covering for most of the day. However, even without the coverage of HoosiersNow.com, it would stand out as a quality matchup. Louisville enters with one of the nation's most explosive offenses, currently averaging 47.5 points and 582 yards per game, while Indiana's rebuilt transfer-heavy defense has made waves across the college football landscape.

Throw in some added off-field tension with the cancellation of the planned home-and-home series, as well as the history between coaches Tom Allen and Jeff Brohm, and this should be a compelling 60 minutes of football. 

As for Minnesota vs North Carolina, it's something one must watch purely because of how odd the matchup is. Both schools are well over a century into their football history, yet have never met prior to Saturday. My friend Patrick Mayhorn at Meet at Midfield said it best — this is a Russell Athletic Bowl matchup, which makes it a bizarre delight here in Week 3. 

Tier 2 — Good Games to Flip to Occasionally

• Northwestern at Duke, 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: ACC Network
• Virginia Tech at Rutgers, 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network
• Washington at Michigan State, 5:00 p.m. ET. TV: Peacock
• Northern Illinois at Nebraska, 7:00 p.m. ET. TV: FS1
• Syracuse at Purdue, 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: NBC, Peacock

This is where the other three Big Ten vs ACC matchups for Saturday — Northwestern at Duke, Virginia Tech at Rutgers and Syracuse at Purdue — come in to play. 

None of that trio of games are particularly compelling, but all three are Power 5 conference matchups where the result should be somewhat in doubt prior to kickoff. 

Washington at Michigan State will be definitely a weird game to watch given all that's happened in and around the Spartans' football program this week. The bad vibes surrounding MSU football might only get exacerbated by quarterback Michael Penix Jr. and the lights out Huskies' offense. Penix has already thrown for 859 yards and eight touchdowns in just two weeks of play. 

As for Northern Illinois at Nebraska, my desire to watch that game can best be described as a morbid curiosity.

The Cornhuskers are the only Big Ten team without a win in the 2023 season. For Matt Rhule and every Nebraska fan's sakes, that better not be the case come Sunday. 

Tier 3 — Games That Are Technically Being Played 

• Georgia Southern at Wisconsin, Noon ET. TV: Big Ten Network
• Western Michigan at Iowa, 3:30 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network
• Western Kentucky at Ohio State, 4:00 p.m. ET. TV: FOX
• Bowling Green at Michigan, 7:30 p.m. ET. TV: Big Ten Network

The four games that do not involve a) two Power 5 teams, or b) the disaster that you can't help but watch in Nebraska. 

Western Michigan and Western Kentucky could be feisty against Iowa and Ohio State offenses that have both been worse than desired through two weeks. And Wisconsin really needs to come out looking improved after a dismal outing against Washington State in Week 2. 

And for Michigan, this will finally, FINALLY, be the last game of coach Jim Harbaugh's suspension that was self-imposed by the University. If you thought the opening snap tribute the Wolverines broke out against East Carolina was silly, just wait to see what UM does for Harbaugh's father Jack, who is somehow now the head coach in today's game. 

Related Stories on Big Ten: 

• MARYLAND 42, VIRGINIA 14: Quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa and the Maryland Terrapins overcame another slow start to eventually blowout their ACC visitors en route to a 3-0 start to the 2023 season. CLICK HERE
• WEEK 2 BIG TEN POWER RANKINGS: Michigan's grip on the top spot in the conference has only tightened, while Wisconsin went flying out of the top five following a loss to Washington State. CLICK HERE
• WOULD B1G EVER KICK A TEAM OUT OF CONFERENCE: With Stanford, Cal and SMU joining the ACC in 2024, conference realignment has truly gotten out of hand. With all the movement up into new conferences coming, we ask the question — would the Big Ten ever forcibly remove a team from its own conference? CLICK HERE
• MEL TUCKER UNDER INVESTIGATION: News broke on Sunday morning that the football coach of the Michigan State Spartans is under investigation for sexual harassment. CLICK HERE