College football on TV: What to watch on Saturday

Break out the chips and cold drinks but let Chris Dufresne handle the remote. Each Friday, the Times’ national college football writer handicaps what’s worth watching, and skipping, on Saturday’s menu of games:

MORNING

No. 21 Auburn (2-0) at Clemson (2-0)

9 a.m., Channel 7

The Tony the Tiger Frosted Flakes Bowl. We pick the Tigers to win. Injury report: Auburn’s eagle mascot is listed as “perch-to-perch” after crashing into a luxury-box window last week. Everything else Auburn has slammed into lately resulted in last-second victory. This week’s high-wire chance is Clemson, one of several “Looney Tunes” finishes on Auburn’s 17-game winning streak. Last year, Clemson failed to connect on the game-winning touchdown in overtime and then hooked the potential game-tying field goal. Auburn won the game and the national title.

Duke (0-2) at Boston College (0-2)

9:30 a.m., Channel 13

Switch over periodically just to see if someone has thrown for a score. The first touchdown pass in this game would be the first this season for either team.

9 a.m.: Mississippi at Vanderbilt, KDOC

9 a.m.: Penn State at Temple, ESPN

9 a.m.: Pittsburgh at Iowa, ESPN2

9 a.m. West Virginia at Maryland, ESPNU

9 a.m.: Eastern Michigan at Michigan, BTN

9:30 a.m.: Kansas at Georgia Tech, Prime

10:30 a.m.: Colorado vs. Colorado State, FS West

MIDDAY

Washington (2-0) at No. 10 Nebraska (2-0)

12:30 p.m., ESPN

The rubber match of a rubber-room trilogy in which logic, reason and home-field advantage have no place on the couch. Nebraska crushed Washington last year in Seattle, 56-21. Washington won the Holiday Bowl rematch, 19-7. Washington no longer has Jake Locker at quarterback, but Nebraska still has Taylor Martinez. Nebraska wins big, right? Yeah, go ahead and make that bet. And just remember, with Nebraska now in the Big Ten, the schools can meet again in this year’s Rose Bowl.

No. 15 Michigan State (2-0) vs. Notre Dame (0-2)

12:30 p.m., Channel 4

Let’s get this straight: Michigan State is ranked, undefeated and has won six of the last seven meetings in South Bend, but Notre Dame is favored? It has to be the home-network advantage. Oddsmakers are banking on the Irish’s desperation factor, which is palpable after harrowing defeats to South Florida and Michigan. If Notre Dame falls to 0-3, NBC may start filling the time slot with XFL reruns.

No. 24 Texas (2-0) at UCLA (1-1)

12:30 p.m., Channel 7

New ABC sitcom: “Whose house is this?” UCLA has called the Rose Bowl home since 1982; Texas has won a Rose Bowl and a national title since the Bruins last won a January game on these hallowed grounds. UCLA, though, has dominated Texas in three games dating to 1997, outscoring the Longhorns, 149-46.

12:30 p.m.: Tennessee at Florida, Channel 2

12:30 p.m.: Virginia at North Carolina, ESPNU

12:30 p.m.: Texas Tech at New Mexico, Versus

12:30 p.m.: Northwestern at Army, CBSSN

12:30 p.m.: Miami Ohio at Minnesota, BTN

1 p.m.: Arkansas State at Virginia Tech, Prime

AFTERNOON

No. 17 Ohio State (2-0) at Miami (0-1)

4:30 p.m., ESPN

Boxing would promote this as “Show Cause Saturday,” or “Sanctions at South Beach” or “Et tu, Brutus Buckeye”? Winner receives the [Maurice] Clarett Jug.

Almost a decade after the schools played for the 2002 national title they meet again as disgraced programs awaiting NCAA sentencing for a booster bundle of alleged and admitted violations. If this was a neutral-site game it might be played at a halfway house.

Prediction: Neither team will shout “Yahoo!” after an exciting play.

3 p.m.: Navy at South Carolina, ESPN2

4 p.m.: Louisville at Kentucky, ESPNU

4 p.m.: Arizona State at Illinois, BTN

EVENING

No. 1 Oklahoma (1-0) at No. 5 Florida State (2-0)

5 p.m., Channel 7

Now, we’re talking. Or at least Brent Musburger is talking. A huge game with national title stakes the week former Florida State coach Bobby Bowden went on “Good Morning America” and announced he went for two and converted against cancer.

Bowden’s last memory of Oklahoma was his team scoring only two [points] against the Sooners in the boring national title game ending the 2000 season. Jimbo Fisher, who took over for Bowden, said “Let me handle Norman” but lost last year at Oklahoma, 47-17.

No. 6 Stanford (2-0) at Arizona (1-1)

7:45 p.m. ESPN

Stanford has a chance to crown its first Heisman Trophy winner since Jim Plunkett in 1970. So, naturally the school agrees to showcase Andrew Luck to East Coast voters in a game that will end sometime Sunday morning. If you’re in New York, we recommend breakfast at Tiffany’s.

5 p.m.: Syracuse at USC, FX

6:15 p.m.: Utah at Brigham Young, ESPN2

7 p.m.: Oklahoma State at Tulsa, FS West

chris.dufresne@latimes.com