Week 4 brings a Saturday slate loaded with matchups that matter, and the biggest draws are the ones with ranked teams colliding in the SEC and Big Ten. Six of those ranked-on-ranked games are spread across the weekend, and a few stand out right away.
The headline game for plenty of fans is Texas at Tennessee. Arch heads into the stadium where Peyton made his name, trying to carve out his own place with a Longhorns team that already knocked off No.
1 Ohio State a couple weeks ago. Now Texas is stepping into its first road game and opening SEC play against a Tennessee offense that can put up points, even if it hasn’t faced a defense like this one yet.
Ole Miss at Florida has the feel of a classic letdown spot if the Rebels aren’t sharp. Ole Miss comes in after an emotional win against Lane Kiffin and LSU, but now has to travel to face an undefeated Florida team that is newly ranked, riding momentum after beating Auburn, and showing it can run the ball well. The question is simple: did Ole Miss spend all its energy on beating Lane, or can it reset fast enough for Florida?
Oregon at USC is another one with major playoff implications hanging over it. Both teams have plenty to prove.
Oregon already has a bad loss to unranked Oklahoma State, and this is the kind of game it needs to use as a statement. USC is still unbeaten, but its defense remains a big question after giving up a lot against Rutgers.
The Ducks’ skill talent will test that group in a big way.
Then there’s LSU at Texas A&M, which has the kind of pressure that makes a late-September game feel bigger than it should. Both teams want SEC championship contention, and both are coming off losses.
LSU’s loss came on the road against top-ten Ole Miss, while Texas A&M took a hit at home against unranked Kentucky. That makes this one especially urgent for the Aggies, who may need it even more.
Either way, neither side can really afford a second straight defeat.
There are also several other games worth keeping on the radar. Iowa visits Michigan in the Big Ten opener for both teams.
The Hawkeyes have only played one Power 4 game so far, a three-point win over Iowa State, while Michigan has had some uneven offense and played UTEP a little too close early before pulling away. That one kicks at 3:30 p.m. on CBS.
Oklahoma travels to Georgia in a matchup that looks tough on paper for the Sooners. Oklahoma owns the second-worst scoring offense in the SEC and ranks 99th nationally in total offense, and now it gets a road date against a Georgia defense that ranks seventh in FBS and is allowing about 3 yards per play. That game is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN.
Missouri at Mississippi State closes the day with a ranked team that has earned it. Mississippi State is ranked after Kamario Taylor led a big win at South Carolina.
Taylor has more than 800 passing yards and 11 touchdown passes, and the Bulldogs already have two road wins over Power 4 schools. Miami is the only other school that can say the same.
That one kicks at 7:45 p.m. on SECN.
In Other News...
LSUs Quarterback Situation Just Got Dragged Into A New Controversy
LSUs quarterback room was already under a fresh spotlight after Sam Leavitts transfer from Arizona State, and the attention only intensified after the loss to Ole Miss. The game itself was enough to put the Tigers back under the microscope, but the conversation quickly shifted online when an account believed to be linked to Leavitts father, Jared Leavitt, drew notice for controversial comments about Muslims.
Jared Leavitt, a former BYU linebacker, has become part of an unwanted side story around his sons move to Baton Rouge, even though LSU has not said anything publicly about the posts. There has also been no apology from the account, leaving the situation hanging over a program that would much rather keep the focus on the field and on settling in after a high-profile quarterback change. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Drew The Wrong Kind Of Attention In Oxford
Saturdays LSU trip to Oxford ended up drawing attention for more than the scoreboard, with multiple security incidents unfolding during the game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium. One LSU fan was injured in a physical altercation with security and law enforcement, and video from the scene showed officers using force to restrain him as the situation escalated in the stands.
Elsewhere during the day, a security guard was assaulted in a separate confrontation, and an 18-year-old was arrested on charges including aggravated assault, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct. For a rivalry game already carrying plenty of edge, the off-field disruptions became a bigger part of the conversation than anyone in purple and gold would have wanted. [Read more 🡒]
LSU Fans Are Debating What Really Happened In That Viral Stadium Fight
The weekend trip to Oxford left LSU fans talking about far more than what happened on the field. During the Ole Miss-LSU game at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium, multiple security incidents unfolded, and one physical struggle between an LSU fan and law enforcement produced visible injuries as video of the scene spread quickly online. Another altercation in the concourse added to the chaos, with a security guard struck amid the commotion.
What has kept the discussion going is the lack of clarity around how the episodes fit together. An 18-year-old was arrested on charges including aggravated assault and resisting arrest, but it is not clear which specific incident that arrest is tied to, leaving fans sorting through viral clips and secondhand accounts trying to piece together what actually happened. [Read more 🡒]