College football schedule today: Spring games you should be watching

What you should watch as the college football spring game schedule marches on

Spring has sprung and with it comes the annual schedule of college football scrimmages and spring games from around the country. 

Hope springs eternal for fans to watch as their favorite schools get back in action and get a look at how their offseason preparation has gone leading into the summer preseason.

Saturday will give fans one of the busiest days on the spring calendar to watch with many high-profile programs and national championship contenders in action.

Related: Ranking college football's 10 most successful programs all-time

Position battles are still going on with plenty of opportunities for players to make themselves known and move into starting roles with their teams, while other schools are looking to build depth, get new recruits involved, and install transfer additions.

Here's a checklist of the more important spring football games you should keep an eye on this Saturday.

College football schedule today: Spring games you should be watching

USA Today Images

All times Eastern

Ohio State: We won't get a look at the Buckeyes' crucial quarterback competition since Devin Brown had surgery on his finger, but this will be our first in-depth glance at likely favorite Kyle McCord moving the ball to OSU's uber-elite receiver group, while Ryan Day and his coaches work on getting tougher at both lines of scrimmage and re-work a secondary that's high on potential if not experience. 12 p.m. on BTN

Clemson: Out of the College Football Playoff the last two seasons, one of the CFP's early dynasties needs to get back on track, especially offensively. Enter Garrett Riley, last season TCU's play-caller before coming over to Death Valley in one of the sport's most important offseason moves. Cade Klubnik is the undisputed starter at quarterback, but Clemson needs to build some more impressive athleticism at wide receiver while finding replacements for a ton of elite front seven talent that's NFL-bound. 1 p.m. on ACCN Extra

Texas: Our first look at Arch Manning in a Longhorns uniform looking to make a good first impression in what appears to be an open competition for the starting quarterback job, even if most observers think Quinn Ewers should hold the gig this season. Ewers had his ups and downs a year ago, but the ups showed a ton of potential, and he has a shot to prove he has the goods to hold off Manning in one of the most important storylines of this offseason. 2 p.m. on Longhorn Network

Tennessee: College football's top-ranked offense a year ago is losing its three key playmakers, leaving Josh Heupel with the task of patching those holes in a hurry to keep the Vols in the SEC East race. Joe Milton and his rocket right arm is the favorite to step in as starting quarterback, but he'll face some pressure from phenom 5-star recruit Nico Iamaleava. As importantly, however, Tennessee needs to re-configure a secondary unit that was one of the nation's worst a year ago. 2:30 p.m. on SECN+

Joe Milton is the favorite to lead Tennessee's offense / USA Today Images

Ole Miss: College football's most interesting quarterback competition takes the field as incumbent Jaxson Dart, veteran transfer Spencer Sanders, and LSU transfer Walker Howard step into the ring. This is really a two-man race between Dart and Sanders, and of the two, the latter brings the most experience and production, even if Lane Kiffin said Dart is one of the team's most improved players so far this spring and Sanders is coming back from a minor shoulder ailment. 3 p.m. on SECN+

USC: No worries about the Trojans' offense, which should look its usual self with Heisman quarterback Caleb Williams returning, the team adding transfer receiver Dorian Singer, and hiring Kliff Kingsbury to work with the quarterbacks. Now about that defense: it kept USC in games it should have won easily during the regular season and cost the team directly in the Pac-12 title and Cotton Bowl games. All eyes on the unit to be more efficient and aggressive in all phases. The unit allowed over 423 yards per game last season. Any moderate improvement should put USC in the College Football Playoff race. 3 p.m. on Pac-12 Network

Florida State: The sexy preseason pick out of the ACC after taking a major positive turn last season by winning 10 games and retaining the core of a skilled roster, including quarterback Jordan Travis and edge rusher Jared Verse. Add in transfer players like tight end Jaheim Bell and cornerback Fentrell Cypress, and what should be another talented rushing offense, and the Seminoles have the pieces to challenge Clemson for the league title and maybe more. 4 p.m. on ACCN Extra

Related: College football transfer portal team rankings

Georgia: College football's back-to-back national champions are on the threshold of a three-peat, something we haven't seen since the 1930s, but first Kirby Smart needs to find his next quarterback. Carson Beck and Brock Vandagriff are the names to watch, both high-profile additions as recruits, and each working with what is a deeper receiver room thanks to transfer pickups like Dominic Lovett and RaRa Thomas, both coming in alongside existing threats like Brock Bowers and Ladd McConkey. 4 p.m. on ESPN2

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