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...
Michigan Controversy Resurfaces As Opposing Coach Reframes Western Michigan
Spencer Danielson gave Western Michigan a little more respect than the record shows this week, calling the Broncos an undefeated team while pointing back to the game against Michigan that still lingers in the background. It was an odd way to frame a 2-1 start, but it captured how much the final moments of that matchup continue to shape the way outsiders talk about the Broncos.
The controversy came from officials adding one second back to the clock, which allowed a final play to happen in a game the FBS Oversight Committee later said should not have reached that point. Even so, the result remains on the books, and now Boise State and Western Michigan are set to meet Saturday, Sept. 23, with both teams still sitting outside the top 25 and plenty of interest around how that old dispute gets folded into a fresh gameweek. [Read more 🡒]
Penn State Just Took A Hit Michigan Fans Will Notice
Penn State is heading into its Big Ten stretch missing one of the more productive pieces of its passing game, a development Michigan fans will track closely as the conference race tightens. Koby Howard will be sidelined for an extended period after suffering an injury in a recent game, coach Matt Campbell said, and the setback lands at an especially awkward time for a team trying to keep its offense moving against better defenses.
Howard had become a central part of the attack this season, leading the team in both receptions and receiving yards. Without him, Penn State will have to lean more on the rest of its receiver group, with Chase Sowell and Benjamin Brahmer among the names expected to absorb more of the load as the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Just Added Another Intriguing Name To Its Future O-Line Push
Michigans future offensive line push got another boost with a major scholarship offer to William Crawford, an offensive lineman from St. Johns College High School in Washington, D.C. Crawford has started to draw attention from top college programs thanks to a blend of size, strength, mobility and the kind of versatility that makes linemen especially valuable in todays game.
For Michigan, the appeal is obvious. The Wolverines have been aggressive about identifying high-upside prospects who can develop into real pieces up front, and Crawford fits that mold as a player who could grow into a significant contributor down the line. With multiple major programs now in the mix, his recruitment should remain one worth tracking closely as Michigan keeps building for the future. [Read more 🡒]