College Football Week 2 TV Schedule: Ultimate Guide for This Week's Best Action

If you were wondering how you were going to schedule your television viewing this weekend, don't sweat it—I've gone ahead and taken care of it for you.

From Thursday to Saturday, there are an insane number of games and a bunch of tasty matchups you won't want to miss. But with all of this action, your head might be spinning from too many options.

That's where I come in. Below, you'll find the ultimate viewing guide to this week's must-see college football action. For the full television listings, I suggest you check out this handy tool from NBC Sports. But if you're only looking for the essential games, read on, my friends.

And stock the fridge, because you aren't going to be getting out much.

(Note: All times Eastern.)

Thursday Night

Let's be honest: Come 8:20 p.m. ET, we're all going to be tuning in to the NFL Network to watch the Chicago Bears travel to Lambeau Field to take on the Green Bay Packers. No way you can pass on that tasty matchup.

But until then, I recommend whetting your football appetite with Rutgers taking on South Florida at 7:30 p.m. ET on ESPN.  

Friday Night

Sure, you could go out with your friends and do something "fun." Or you could stay in and watch college football!

Actually, you could probably just combine both of those things, if you're one of those "casual" fans. Whatever. Hardcore college football fans will be taking notes while Washington State battles UNLV on ESPN at 9 p.m. 

Saturday: The Noon Games

The way I see it, you've got four options in the early games: California at Ohio State on ABC; Wake Forest at Florida State on either ESPN or ESPN2; Virginia Tech at Pittsburgh on ESPN, ESPN2 or ESPNU (depending on your region); or TCU at Kansas on FX. 

If you want to see the Buckeyes and Braxton Miller under new coach Urban Meyer, the choice is easy. If you want to see good teams beat up mediocre opponents, Virginia Tech and TCU are for you.

And if you want a surprisingly competitive game, check out Florida State against Wake Forest. Don't expect the Demon Deacons to simply roll over for the sixth-ranked Seminoles.

Saturday: The Afternoon Slate

Now it starts getting good. If you only care about storylines, Penn State taking on Navy at 3:30 p.m. on ABC or ESPN2 will satisfy your hunger for controversy talk. I can't exactly vouch for the quality of the football, however.

But really, even though Alabama taking on Arkansas lost some of its luster after the Razorbacks shockingly lost to Louisiana-Monroe, you should still be watching this one at 3:30 on CBS. Bad loss or not, Arkansas still has a lot of talent, while the Crimson Tide have looked good enough to repeat as national champions thus far.

If that one gets out of hand, there's always Georgia Tech against Virginia (3:30 p.m. on ESPNU) or Louisville hosting North Carolina (3:30 p.m. on ABC or ESPN).

Saturday: A Glorious Evening of Scintillating Matchups

Oh mama, things get really compelling on Saturday night.

At 6 p.m., you should tune in to ESPN for an SEC clash between Florida and Tennessee. No excuses. Watch it while you're eating dinner, I don't care. But this one should be fun.

Don't get too comfortable, though. At 7:30, you'll be flipping between the above game and USC against Stanford on FOX . Then you'll have to factor Michigan State taking on Notre Dame into your flipping rotation once that game commences at 8 p.m. on ABC. 

Three games between six ranked opponents. Awesome sauce.

If a few of the above games turn out to be duds, no worries. Texas at Mississippi gets going at 9:15 on ESPN, while BYU and Utah resume their rivalry at 10:15 p.m. on ESPN2. 

After that finishes, well, I guess you have to get some sleep. After all, you need to be good and rested for all of the NFL action the next day!

Hit me up on Twitter—my tweets are glad the NFL is back too.