FLORIDA — It's Week 3 in the world of college football, and UCF and Florida will open conference play.

With the start of the 12-team college playoff this season, conference play takes on added importance.

UCF is undefeated so far, but the Knights played a Football Championship Subdivision team in Rhode Island in the first week and a second-year Football Bowl Subdivision opponent in Sam Houston State. 

Florida opened with a loss to the Miami Hurricanes, who have climbed to No. 10 in the Associated Press Top 25 and are the only state team ranked. But the Gators routed FCS team Samford last week.

USF crushed FCS foe Bethune-Cookman in its opener but turned in a game effort against No. 4 Alabama before eventually losing 42-16.

Florida State, which went undefeated in the regular season last year, is the only winless team, but it is also the only squad to begin the season against two conference opponents. The Seminoles were stunned by Atlantic Coast Conference foe Georgia Tech in its first game of the season in Ireland and then was defeated by Boston College last week. FSU is hoping to get its season on track against American Athletic Conference foe Memphis, the team he coached before the Seminoles.

Here's a closer look at this week's games:

Saturday, Sept. 14
UCF (2-0) at TCU (2-0), 7:30 p.m., FOX

The Knights will hit the road for the first time this season, in addition to playing their first Big 12 Conference game of the season. The Horned Frogs are 11-3 in home games under coach Sonny Dykes. UCF has never played TCU. The Knights rushed for 384 yards and scored six rushing touchdowns in last week's victory against Sam Houston State. TCU offensive coordinator Kendal Briles spent three seasons at Arkansas from 2020-22 and was current UCF quarterback KJ Jefferson’s position coach and offensive coordinator. Horned Frogs sophomore quarterback Josh Hoover has averaged 310 passing yards and thrown for four touchdowns this season. Running back Cam Cook has scored four touchdowns, tied for second in the Big 12 behind UCF's RJ Harvey, who has six.

Texas A&M (1-1) at Florida (1-1), 3:30 p.m., ABC, ESPN+

The teams have played six times, with the series tied 3-3. Gators coach Billy Napier said he plans to play both freshman DJ Lagway and 23-year-old Graham Mertz at quarterback. Lagway threw for 456 yards and three touchdowns in a 45-7 victory Saturday against Samford. Teams coached by Napier and Texas A&M coach Mike Elko have never faced one another. Florida's Montrell Johnson Jr. has rushed for 173 yards and three touchdowns so far this season. Florida has nine Texas natives on its roster, and Texas A&M has 16 Florida natives, including Tampa receiver Izaiah Williams and defensive lineman Soloman Williams, Orlando offensive lineman TJ Shanahan and Winter Haven and former UCF defensive lineman Josh Celiscar.

Memphis (2-0) at Florida State (0-2), Noon, ESPN

The Seminoles have had two weeks to lament their miserable start to the season. FSU's season reclamation project starts Saturday against coach Mike Norvell's former team Memphis. The question is….is it already too late this season for the Seminoles' conference title and playoff hopes?

Ball State (1-0) at #10 Miami (2-0), 3:30 p.m., ACC Network

The 'Canes are off and running to start the year, outscoring in-state foes Florida and FAMU 100-26. After the game against Ball State, Miami faces another state foe in USF before opening conference play. The scheduling may not loom large for quarterback Cam Ward's Hurricane offense, with only (potentially) one ranked team coming up on the schedule the rest of the season, current No. 19 Louisville on Oct. 19.

USF (1-1) at Southern Miss (1-1), 7 p.m., ESPN+

For three quarters plus, USF stood practically toe-to-toe with No. 4 Alabama last Saturday. The Bulls bedeviled Alabama's offense much of the way for the second year in a row, this time watching a 14-13 fourth-quarter deficit turn into a 42-16 loss. USF will try to bounce back against a Golden Eagles team coming off a 25-point win against SE Louisiana.