College football is moving into the part of the schedule where the real measuring stick starts to show up, and Week 4 has a full slate of ranked teams that should separate the pretenders from the teams worth trusting.
The pick sheet starts with Louisville, which has already opened 2-1 and picked up a 41-31 win over SMU in its first ACC game. The Cardinals’ offense has been humming, and that makes them the call over Wake Forest.
The biggest upset call on the board goes to Tennessee. The argument is simple: the Longhorns are being faded.
Manning has not lived up to expectations, and Texas is averaging just 5.3 yards per play, which ranks 78th nationally. Against UTSA last week, he threw for only 164 yards on 4.9 yards per pass attempt.
Texas has leaned on the run game to survive so far, but that won’t be enough against a Tennessee team that ranks 18th in the country in yards per play at 6.6. The Volunteers have also scored 42 or more points in each of their first three games, and with the game in Knoxville, Tennessee gets the upset nod.
Florida is another team getting the benefit of the doubt. Ole Miss may have Trinidad Chambliss playing like a Heisman candidate, but the defense has not been strong enough to hold up against a Gators offense averaging 7.7 yards per play. The read here is that Florida can be a legitimate SEC contender, and that’s enough to back the Gators over the Rebels.
Michigan is also getting faded after its Week 2 win over Oklahoma. That result is not being treated as proof that the Wolverines are a top team, especially after Oklahoma’s performance last week made that win look less impressive. Iowa’s defense is expected to give Michigan’s offense major problems, and the Hawkeyes may not need much scoring to steal the game.
Mississippi State is the final team getting a strong endorsement. The Bulldogs are averaging 7.7 yards per play, which is the third-best mark in college football, and quarterback Kamario Taylor has already worked his way into the early Heisman Trophy conversation. The belief is that Mississippi State will keep building on that momentum with another solid win against Missouri.
In Other News...
Florida Ole Miss Just Got Even Bigger In Gainesville
Gainesville is getting the full national spotlight before Ole Miss visits in Week 4, with SEC Network announcing that SEC Nation will broadcast live from campus on Saturday morning. The pregame show starts at 9 a.m. ET and will feature Tim Tebow along with the rest of the crew, setting the stage for a marquee SEC matchup that has already drawn plenty of attention.
The timing only adds to the buzz around a game that pits No. 4 Ole Miss against No. 21 Florida in the late afternoon window on ABC. For the Gators, the visit from SEC Nation is another sign that this one has the feel of a bigger moment than a typical conference game, with the buildup stretching well beyond kickoff at 3:30 p.m. ET. [Read more 🡒]
Kahleil Jackson Earned A Florida Moment Fans Wont Forget
Kahleil Jackson delivered one of those flash-point moments Florida fans will remember from the Auburn game, when the wide receiver stepped into a trick-play role and uncorked a 48-yard pass to tight end Amir Jackson. The play helped set up a field goal and had been in the playbook for two weeks before Florida finally found the right look to call it, with the defenses alignment giving the Gators the opening they wanted.
For Jackson, the moment carried extra weight because it came after a long stretch of recovery from previous injuries, and Florida coach Jon Sumrall also pointed to the play as a reflection of how the staff and players had prepared for the opportunity. It was the kind of sequence that can change the feel of a game in a hurry, and it added another layer to a season already marked by Jackson trying to get back to form and back into the spotlight. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Still Faces One Real Danger In This Calmer Ole Miss Week
The buildup to Floridas meeting with Ole Miss feels a little different this time around. After a year that brought plenty of noise around coaching changes and a much sharper edge between fan bases, the conversation has settled into something closer to a normal game-week hum. There is still history here, and there is still plenty for both sides to care about, but the social media temperature has cooled enough that the Gators can approach this one with less off-field static than they faced a season ago.
Even so, calm does not mean safe. Florida is the favorite, and that alone is enough to make this the kind of matchup that can turn tricky if the Gators are not locked in from the opening kickoff. Ole Miss has the profile of a trap game opponent, especially in a conference schedule where one flat stretch can change the feel of a season, and Floridas real concern is not the chatter around the matchup so much as what happens if the focus slips once the game starts. [Read more 🡒]