Rare is the college football weekend during the early portion of the schedule that offers multiple games with national title implications. Most of the top teams spend September beating up on patsies who are happy to collect their appearance fees. There are only three matchups between ranked teams Saturday, but two are among the most eagerly anticipated games of the entire season and the third is full of intriguing storylines.

No. 2 Texas at no. 4 Ohio State (8 p.m., ABC) has been circled on the calendars of college football fans for months (if not years in Austin and Columbus), while the other – no. 20 Notre Dame at no. 3 Michigan (12 p.m., ABC) – is a traditional rivalry that has taken on new importance after Notre Dame’s shocking dismantling of Pitt last Saturday.

The winner of Texas-Ohio State gets an immediate leg up on the coveted second spot in the BCS rankings, which will be released October 17. But even if the Buckeyes emerge victorious from what is sure to be a raucous Ohio Stadium Saturday night, they’ll face a tougher road to the Rose Bowl due to forthcoming games against Big 10 powers Iowa and Michigan. Meanwhile, Texas’s main Big 12 foe, Oklahoma, appears headed for a down year after an opening loss to TCU.

Texas quarterback Vince Young is one of the most dangerous runners in the country, but Ohio State has the athleticism in its back seven, where linebackers A.J. Hawk and Bobby Carpenter lurk, to limit his scrambling opportunities and contain tailback Selvin Young. The Buckeyes will grab a huge advantage if they can force Young into obvious passing situations. Young, however, quietly improved his passing efficiency over the course of last season and is more capable in that regard than many believe.

Ohio State’s playmakers are at wide receiver, where Ted Ginn Jr. and Santonio Holmes form a dangerous tandem. The question in this game is who will throw them the ball? Troy Smith, the perceived starter, sat out last week’s win over Miami (Ohio) while serving a suspension. He’s back for Texas, but will share time with Justin Zwick, who played a steady game against the Redhawks.

Earlier Saturday, Michigan will be on upset alert against the suddenly resurgent Fighting Irish of Notre Dame. In Charlie Weis’s debut against Pitt last week, the Irish had their way both on the ground and through the air, and appeared to be two steps ahead of the Panthers at every turn. But Michigan presents a much bigger challenge.

The Wolverines’ offense may be as explosive as any in the country behind steady sophomore quarterback Chad Henne, outstanding receivers Jason Avant and Steve Breaston, and tailbacks Mike Hart and Kevin Grady.

The concerns for Michigan are on the other side of the ball. The Wolverines struggled mightily on defense at the end of last season, a trend that continued in a season-opening win over Northern Illinois, which managed 211 yards on the ground. Coach Lloyd Carr has promised a shakeup this week after his defense failed to penetrate, missed numerous tackles, and took poor pursuit angles.

The Wolverines can expect to see a heavy dose of Notre Dame running back Darius Walker, as well as plenty of offensive ingenuity from Weis. Should the Irish pull off the upset, the buzz created by the Pitt win will mushroom into a full-blown onslaught of hype. A 2-0 start would return Notre Dame to the national title picture.

A third contest between ranked teams pits no. 15 Arizona State and no. 5 LSU (8:45 p.m., ESPN) in a game where much of the focus will be off the field. With the city of Baton Rouge and the LSU athletic facilities being used as a staging area for Hurricane Katrina relief efforts, LSU’s opener against North Texas last week was postponed and this game was switched to Tempe, even though LSU will serve as the home team.

In the eyes of many observers, former LSU coach Nick Saban left behind more than enough talent to contend for the national championship under new coach Les Miles, but it remains to be seen how the team will react to the disruptions in its schedule and the emotional toll of the hurricane and its aftermath.

Miles will count on his defense to slow the passing attack led by ASU quarterback Sam Keller and receivers Derek Hagan and Zach Miller. If there are questions about LSU, they are in the offensive backfield. Starting quarterback JaMarcus Russell struggled as a freshman last season, completing just over 50% of his throws. The Tigers will try to use the running game to take pressure off Russell, but there are questions there, too. Starting tailback Alley Broussard was lost for the season in fall camp, but Miles can take comfort in the fact that his backups have plenty of big game experience.