We’re four weeks into the season, and the calendar is starting to tilt toward conference play in a real way. A few league games have already given us a taste - Purdue at UCLA, Kentucky at Texas A&M - but Week 4 brings a fuller menu, and it arrives after another wild weekend that somehow found room for blowouts, comeback chaos, and one ending that bordered on surreal.
The early part of the season has already delivered plenty to chew on. Ole Miss got its revenge in Lane Kiffin’s homecoming/hate watch showcase.
Houston and Texas Tech went down to the wire on Friday night, with Cougar quarterback Conner Weigman ruled down just fractions of an inch short of the goal line on a two-point try. Oregon unloaded on Portland State, USC escaped Rutgers, and Clemson erased a 17-6 halftime deficit to beat Bill Belichick’s Tar Heels 28-20.
Then came Nashville. NC State held a 24-7 lead well into the third quarter, only for Vanderbilt to claw back within three by the final minute.
With :06 left and facing fourth and long from inside their own five, Dave Doeren chose not to punt from that deep in his own territory. CJ Bailey took the snap and tried to run off as much clock as he could, but he was tackled in the end zone, producing the worst possible result.
That kind of week sets the table nicely for a lighter slate that still has plenty of weight at the top. The Big Ten gets its spotlight fix with Northwestern at No. 5 Indiana, while Clemson’s trip to Cal on Friday night has the feel of a sneaky-good watch.
Saturday morning starts with the game that towers over the rest: No. 1 Texas at No.
14 Tennessee. Texas finally got the Ohio State monkey off its back and climbed to the top of the AP poll.
Now the Longhorns leave home for the first time, and Tennessee brings one of the best scoring offenses in the country to the table.
There are other games trying to steal your attention, too. Illinois at No.
7 Ohio State is the Fox Big Noon game, though the Illini’s shine has dulled a bit after opening the season with dark-horse buzz. A win in Columbus would change that in a hurry, but Illinois hasn’t beaten the Buckeyes since 2007.
If you’re hunting for a matchup that could stay tight, UCLA at Maryland looks like the better bet. The Bruins and Terrapins both have productive offenses - 26th and 13th in yards per game, respectively - and Maryland’s defense sits 17th.
The afternoon window keeps the ranked games coming. No.
4 Ole Miss visits No. 21 Florida, and No.
15 Utah heads to Iowa State in a game that has real intrigue around Jimmy Rogers’ first Big XII test. He’s inherited a Cyclones team that has started better than expected, and this is a meaningful measuring stick.
The same goes for Matt Campbell, now on the other sideline in Wisconsin’s trip to No. 13 Penn State.
Wisconsin isn’t elite, and Happy Valley is a brutal place to visit, but the Badgers are better than Buffalo, Temple, and Marshall. It’s Campbell’s first real challenge.
There’s also an Iowa game on this list for more than just allegiance. No.
17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan feels genuinely important for both teams, each trying to build something substantial.
Michigan still has something to prove after its near miss against Western Michigan, and Iowa gets a chance to open a three-game gauntlet the right way.
The night slate brings the conference-heavy finish. In the SEC, No.
19 Missouri visits No. 24 Mississippi State, and No.
23 Texas A&M heads to No. 10 LSU.
Mississippi State is ranked for the first time since 2022, with Kamario Taylor driving the surge. Texas A&M and LSU are both coming off losses and both staring at difficult conference stretches.
LSU will be without tight end Trey’Dez Green and defensive back Dashawn Spears, while Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed needs a bounce-back after throwing two interceptions against the Wildcats. South Carolina at No.
8 Alabama is worth a close look as well.
The night closes with another big Big Ten matchup: No. 20 Oregon at No.
12 USC. Jayden Maiava has been on a tear for the Trojans, with 12 touchdown passes, more than 1,100 yards, and just one interception.
Oregon’s 84-0 demolition of Portland State looked imposing on paper, but questions remain after the narrow win over Boise State and the loss at Oklahoma State. The talent is there.
Now it has to show up against an old Pac-12 rival.
In Other News...
Three Under The Radar Hawkeyes Could Decide Iowa's Michigan Test
Iowa heads into Week 4 with a perfect 3-0 record and a road trip to Michigan that should tell a lot more about where the Hawkeyes really stand. For a team built on field position, discipline and doing the little things well, this kind of matchup tends to put the spotlight on players who do not always get it.
Offensive lineman Trevor Lauck, punter Boston Everitt and linebacker Jayden Montgomery fit that mold. Laucks play up front will matter against Michigans strength, Everitt could shape the night every time Iowa is forced to flip the field, and Montgomerys work on defense may be part of the effort to keep the Wolverines from dictating the game. Those are the sorts of edges Iowa will need on the road, especially in its first away test of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa's Backfield Suddenly Looks Different Entering Michigan Week
Iowas backfield has been the kind of moving target that can force a staff to adjust on the fly, and Michigan week arrives with that picture still unsettled. Running backs coach Jay Norvell said L.J. Phillips Jr. is expected to be available for the week four matchup, giving the Hawkeyes another option as they try to keep the ground game on track after a stretch in which the group has already had to absorb injuries and still produce.
Kamari Moultons status is less clear after he was not listed on the depth chart, even though Kirk Ferentz had offered some optimism about his availability. The encouraging part for Iowa is that the running back room has shown it can function even when the pieces keep changing, with multiple backs topping 100 rushing yards in a recent game, and that depth could matter again with Michigan on deck. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa Has A Real Shot To Make A Statement At Michigan
Rece Davis gave Iowa a nice spotlight heading into Saturdays trip to Michigan Stadium, picking the 17th-ranked Hawkeyes to knock off No. 18 Michigan in a game that should carry plenty of postseason weight in the Big Ten race. ESPNs College GameDay host pointed to Hank Browns play at quarterback and Iowas defense as the reasons the Hawkeyes can walk into one of the sports toughest road environments and leave with a statement win.
Michigan still brings its own issues to the table, with a defense that can make life difficult and a recent run of ball-security problems that has invited pressure in close games. For Iowa, the chance is simple enough: handle a ranked opponent on the road, at a 3:30 p.m. ET kickoff on CBS, and turn a national prediction into the kind of result that changes the conversation around the Hawkeyes. [Read more 🡒]