College GameDay spent Saturday morning laying out its Week 4 board, and the picks leaned hard into the kind of games that can shake up the rankings fast. With a loaded slate featuring a dozen ranked teams meeting head-to-head, the show’s crew made clear they expect plenty of movement when the dust settles.
Guest picker Johnny Knoxville joined Desmond Howard, Nick Saban, Pat McAfee, and Kirk Herbstreit for the selections, and the biggest decisions came in the SEC and Big Ten. Alabama drew a clean sweep at home against South Carolina, while Georgia got the same treatment for its matchup with Oklahoma.
The Bulldogs were a popular call because the Sooners still have not shown enough on offense to convince GameDay they can handle a defense like Georgia’s. The front seven should make life difficult, but the bigger issue remains Oklahoma’s ability to move the ball with any consistency.
At Michigan, Saban and McAfee went with Iowa, but the full group ultimately backed the Wolverines in the writeup, with Bryce Underwood’s legs carrying much of the load. The expectation is a tight, low-scoring game, and Michigan’s ground game is seen as enough to edge it at home.
Oregon also picked up support to get back on track at USC. Herbstreit and Saban leaned Ducks on the show, and the reasoning centered on the Trojans’ defense giving up too many manageable gains. Jayden Maiava was expected to keep things close, but not close enough to stop Oregon from responding.
Texas A&M’s trip to LSU was another spot where the panel tilted heavily one way. Herbie, Pat, and Saban all took the Tigers, with the Aggies trying to recover from last week’s loss to unranked Kentucky. Death Valley, the LSU defense, and Marcel Reed’s shaky start were all part of the case against Texas A&M.
Florida got one of the more interesting splits against Ole Miss. Herbstreit took the Gators, while the others sided with the Rebels. The books had Florida as a field-goal favorite at home, basically treating it like a toss-up, but the final call in the written breakdown went to Ole Miss thanks to quarterback Trinidad Chambliss being the best player on the field, even if Florida’s defense is expected to land some punches.
Missouri also found support on the road at Mississippi State, with Johnny Knoxville joining Herbstreit in taking the Tigers to hand Kamario Taylor and the Bulldogs their first loss. Still, the final written prediction flipped to Mississippi State, with the nod going to Taylor until proven otherwise and Ahmad Hardy still out for Mizzou.
Texas at Tennessee brought one of the livelier moments of the morning. Saban joked that, unlike his last trip to Rocky Top, the Volunteers’ goal posts would be safe if Tennessee pulled the upset, but he still projected Texas to win. McAfee went the other way and backed the Vols to knock off the Longhorns.
The written breakdown also landed on Texas over Tennessee, noting that the Longhorns are a narrow favorite in their SEC road opener. The expectation is that Texas will have enough at the skill spots and enough overall defense to absorb what Tennessee throws at it.
In Other News...
Kamario Taylor Just Gave Mississippi State Fans Another Reason To Believe
Nick Sabans on-air suggestion that Kamario Taylor should enter the transfer portal turned into one more flashpoint in Mississippi States surprisingly lively start. Instead of feeding the noise, Taylor doubled down on his commitment to the Bulldogs, and the team has backed him up with a 4-0 run that has pushed Mississippi State into the AP Top 25 at No. 16 after a win over Missouri.
Now the conversation shifts from outside skepticism to what Mississippi State can do next, with Alabama on deck in a matchup that will draw plenty of attention. Taylor has already answered one high-profile challenge with a public show of loyalty, and the Bulldogs get a chance to keep proving their early surge is real when the schedule gets tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Kalen DeBoers Unusual Road Routine Just Put Alabama Fans On Alert
Kalen DeBoer is taking an unusual approach for Alabamas trip to Starkville, with the Crimson Tide planning to travel on the morning of the game instead of making the usual day-before move. The short distance between the two campuses makes that possible, and it lets Alabamas players stay home and sleep in their own beds before heading east for one of the SECs more intriguing early kickoffs.
It is a small scheduling wrinkle, but it adds another layer to a matchup already carrying plenty of weight. The game is set for 11 a.m. and pits two undefeated SEC teams against each other, so every detail around preparation is getting extra attention. For Mississippi State, the setup means the Bulldogs will be waiting on a visiting team that is choosing a road routine not often seen at this level. [Read more 🡒]
Mississippi State Has Earned A Ranking Debate Fans Wont Ignore
Mississippi States 4-0 start has put the Bulldogs squarely into the national conversation, and the latest AP Poll slot at No. 16 only sharpened the discussion. A 2-0 mark in SEC play, highlighted by a win over No. 25 Missouri, has given this team a rsum that looks sturdier than the typical early-season surprise, especially with sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor driving the offense.
Taylor has already thrown for 1,192 yards and 14 touchdowns, tying for the most passing scores in the country, and that kind of production is hard to ignore when the rankings debate turns to the Power Four picture. The bigger question now is how long Mississippi State can keep climbing, with Alabama and LSU looming as the kind of games that can either validate the Bulldogs place in the poll or force another round of second-guessing. [Read more 🡒]