Stop me if you've heard this before, but this is yet another slow week in the relatively short lifespan of a college football season. ESPN and the powers that be really need to establish an entity that schedules all Power 4 games. Locally it doesn't matter because the 2-0 Gamecocks have a huge game this week against a name-brand Top 20 opponent in LSU. An opponent that Carolina has beaten just twice and has not beaten at home since 1930. Outside of Columbia, SC, there are two games this weekend with matchups of Top 25 teams. Alabama at Wisconsin is a fun matchup as well. Also, Week 3 was the designated week for old instate PAC-12 rivals to renew their feuds.

This week's guest picker is former Gamecock and JL Mann Academy DB Ranzino Valentine. "Zino" played at Charleston Southern during the 2003 and 2004 seasons. He joined the Gamecock program as a walk-on in the spring of 2005. Valentine played in three games as a junior while earning SEC Academic Honor Roll. He repeated that feat in 2007, while also winning an Outstanding Walk-On award at the culmination of 2007 spring practices. Valentine played on special teams in 2007 and recovered a blocked punt against Mississippi State to set up a Gamecock touchdown in Carolina's win 38-21.

Now, I can't tell our readers that I built Zino's Adonis-esc physique, but I did build his Adonis-esc physique in the Storm Thurmond Fitness Center back in 05'. In addition to owning any weight room he steps in, Ranzino and his lovely wife Jennifer were co-founders of PUSH Med. Jennifer and her business partner came up with an idea of incorporating IV Vitamin Therapy with Aesthetics. Whether it's IV vitamin therapy or optimal skin health, they invite you to experience all the benefits of Push Med in the comfort of their soothing lounge or calming treatment rooms. All of you Upstate Scoop readers check out Push Med in Greenville.

All game times below are listed in EDT and the rankings are from the AP Poll.

No Friday night NFL game, no problem. College football has you covered with an all-Wildcat Top 25 matchup in primetime. Former Arizona coach Jedd Fisch improved the Wildcats from 1-11 in his first season to a 10-3 team in his third and final season. Fisch bolted for the vacant Washington job and former San Jose State head man Brent Brannan is now leading the Arizona program. He also brought in former Syracuse HC Dino Babers as his OC.

On the other side, no one does more with less than K-State. The Sunflower State Wildcats constantly defy the recruiting rankings and keep chugging along with 8-10 wins a year despite a roster full of 3-star players.

Check back at GamecockScoop, daily, no, hourly for all the latest coverage of the LSU/Carolina matchup leading up to, during, and after Saturday's SEC showdown. Alan Cole will have the official GamecockScoop prediction later today.

This weekend will mark the second-ever trip for the Alabama Crimson Tide to Madison, Wisconsin. The first was an unforgettable 15-0 Wisconsin win on November 3, 1928, the very day Osamu Tezuka, the Japanese "godfather of manga" was born. Unfortunately, Tezuka passed away in 1989 so he won't get to see the second trip. I'm guessing Nick Saban was none too happy about South Carolina getting ESPN College Gameday. The last time Nick was in town for a Gameday, well you all remember what happened. Saban has also appeared at Bama's first two home games after the show broadcasted from a different location. This will be the first Tide game he's missed since he tested positive for Covid before the Auburn game in 2020.

The quietest best game of the week. Gamecock fans might not care for Eli Drinkwitz, but he has done a hell of a job at Missouri. The Tigers have an unexpectedly stout NIL system in place for football as well. The Tigers have played Murray State and Buffalo so take these numbers with a grain of salt, but they are allowing 127 yards of offense against and have yet to surrender a point.

Another guy who can flat-out coach is Bill O'Brien. He might not be an NFL GM, but he's as good as it gets with the headset on. O'Brien kept Penn State's program afloat during the worst NCAA sanctions handed out since the SMU death penalty. Penn State went 15-9 and 10-6 in the Ben Ten during Bill's two seasons. He also made the playoffs in four of six full NFL seasons with only one losing season while leading the Texans. He currently has Boston College sitting 2-0 after upsetting Florida State in Week One. The Eagles defense is surrendering only 6.5 points per game.

"I don't need your civil war." Sorry Axl, this is one Civil War the country does need. Oregon and Oregon State were the two old friends at the bar that rode together. Oregon got lured away by the attractive rich girl he just met, Oregon State was left trying to find a ride home while confiding to his only friend, Washington State.

The Ducks lead the Civil War 68-49-10, but in the last four years the series is tied 2-2 with the Beavers winning the last two meetings in Corvallis. Oregon has lived dangerously this season, needing all four quarters to beat Idaho by 10 and kicking the go-ahead field goal as time expired against a really solid Boise State team. The Ducks weren't expected to be tested until October 12, when the Buckeyes head to Eugene. The Beavers pitched a shutout against San Diego State on the road last week. Oregon is either going to win this game by 40 or it's coming down to all 60 minutes.

Billy Napier must feel like he's sitting on the sun. He came into this season, his third at UF, with an 11-14 record and a 6-10 SEC record. Getting blown out in Gainesville by Miami in Week 1 didn't make things any easier. A win over A&M won't secure his job, but a loss will all but seal his fate. The Gators still play Texas, LSU, Ole Miss, and Tennessee. Florida also still has games with UCF at home and FSU on the road. My two cents, Billy isn't on the travel roster by the time the Gators head to Tallahassee.

We still don't know much about the Aggies. We'd expect them to improve as the season progresses until Mike Elko. A&M's home loss to Notre Dame doesn't look as good after the Irish face-planted at home against Northern Illinois.

Round two of the turncoats versus the PAC-12 with the Apple Cup on the line. Historically Washington has dominated their instate rival leading the series 76-33-6. The Cougars are leaving Pullman for the first time this season after decimating Portland State and securing a convincing 37-16 win over Texas Tech. The Cougs offense is sixth nationally in points scored hitting 53.5 a game. Washington is allowing only six points a game. This will be a fun game.

There is nothing I could write that would capture the essence of this rivalry, the "Backyard Brawl" more than the Tweet below.

The scene in the picture above could have been taken from Kroger Field in the fourth quarter of last week's game. Can the Kentucky program rally with top-ranked Georgia coming to town? Mark Stoops is going to have to shore up that offensive line really quickly because the Cats aren't going to stay in this game running between the tackles. Expect Georgia to wear down the Kentucky defense in the second half, similarly to what they did to Clemson.

This is an interesting Big XII matchup. Both teams enter undefeated. Stanford is the best team that either UCF or TCU has beaten. The Horned Frogs beat the Cardinal by seven on the opening weekend of the season. Translation: no one really knows for certain what each of these teams has to offer. The line movement on this game has been wild, in some places TCU is a two-point favorite and in other places, UCF is a 1-2 point favorite. The late window games this weekend stink, save this one.