Week 3 gave the College Football Playoff race a jolt, and Week 4 looks like the kind of Saturday that can sort out the real contenders from the teams just hanging around the conversation.
Kentucky’s road upset of Texas A&M and Ole Miss’ statement win over LSU changed the tone of the race, and now conference play is about to put even more pressure on the rankings. With several ranked matchups on the schedule, this week has the feel of a checkpoint.
Mizzou is part of that picture, too. The Tigers are 3-0 and sit at No. 19 in the latest AP Top 25 as they head into their SEC opener at No. 24 Mississippi State.
At the top of the board, Texas remains the SEC favorite. Arch Manning and the No. 1 Longhorns are unbeaten through three games and now open league play with a road test at Tennessee on Saturday.
Indiana gets the Big Ten nod after a strong start of its own. The No.
5 Hoosiers are coming off consecutive shutout wins and will kick off Big Ten play Friday night against Northwestern. Curt Cignetti’s team may not match last year’s National Championship group, but the ranking still fits what they’ve shown so far.
BYU holds the Big 12 favorite label after going 3-0 and entering the bye week at No. 11 in the country. Bear Bachmeier’s play has been a big reason why the Cougars are in that spot.
Miami has also built momentum early. Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney continue to look like Heisman candidates, and the Canes are 3-0 overall, 2-0 in the ACC, and ranked No. 6 in the latest AP Top 25.
For the automatic bids, Notre Dame takes the College Football Playoff spot after C.J. Carr and No.
3 Notre Dame handled Michigan State 27-10. The Irish travel to Barry Odom’s Purdue team on Saturday.
Boise State is the Group of Six automatic bid. The Broncos are 2-1 and receiving votes in the latest AP Top 25 poll, and they go in as 7-point road favorites at Western Michigan in the Group of Six showdown game.
The at-large pool is stacked with teams that have already made noise. Ole Miss comes in after Trinidad Chambliss and the No.
4 Rebels beat LSU 32-24, a result that also made their season-opening win over Louisville look even better. They go to Florida on Saturday in another high-profile matchup.
Georgia stayed steady in SEC play, with Gunner Stockton leading the No. 2 Bulldogs to a 45-17 win over Arkansas. Oklahoma comes to Athens on Saturday.
Ohio State sits at No. 7 in the AP poll and opens Big Ten play against Illinois on Saturday.
Alabama answered its Florida State loss with a 50-36 revenge win last week. Keelon Russell and the Crimson Tide are No. 8 in the AP Top 25 and host South Carolina on Saturday.
LSU dropped three spots to No. 10 after the loss to Ole Miss. Sam Leavitt and Lane Kiffin’s team now face Texas A&M on Saturday night in what could very well be an elimination game.
USC rounds out the at-large group after moving to 4-0 with a 42-35 win over Rutgers. The No.
12 Trojans get a major test at home against No. 20 Oregon on Saturday.
The top four seeds stay Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, and Ole Miss.
That feeds into a projected bracket that would send Boise State to Ohio State, BYU to Indiana, USC to Alabama, and LSU to Miami (FL).
From there, the Final Four would feature Texas against Ole Miss and Georgia against Notre Dame, with Texas over Notre Dame in the national championship.
In Other News...
Missouri Heads To Starkville With Two Big Availability Questions
Missouris first SEC availability report for the Week 4 trip to Mississippi State gave a clearer picture of the Tigers depth chart heading into Saturdays game at Davis Wade Stadium, and it wasnt especially reassuring. The list included several players on the out or questionable side, with star running back Ahmad Hardy among those unavailable and defensive end Darris Smith sitting in the questionable column as the team tried to sort through its first conference injury report of the season.
Mississippi States report brought its own set of issues, with defensive tackles Trevion Williams and Diesel Moye ruled out for the season and other Bulldogs listed across the availability spectrum. With kickoff set for Saturday on SEC Network, both teams now have at least one more day of uncertainty before they find out how much of their depth they can actually count on in a game that could hinge on who is able to suit up. [Read more 🡒]
Austin Simmons Just Added Fuel To A Mississippi State Rivalry
Missouris trip to Mississippi State already had the feel of a ranked SEC measuring stick, and the buildup has only sharpened with the broadcast now set for the SEC Network. Austin Simmons brings an extra layer to it, too, given his past in the state and his familiarity with the kind of atmosphere Starkville can generate when the Bulldogs are at home.
The noise is part of the pitch there, of course, and Simmons was quick to brush off the looming cowbell backdrop as something he expects rather than something he fears. For Missouri, that kind of confidence matters in a game where the setting will be as much a part of the challenge as the opponent, and where every small edge in composure could end up meaning plenty. [Read more 🡒]
Mizzou Fraternities Turn Ole Miss Tragedy Into An Urgent Campus Warning
Two University of Mississippi students were found dead this week, prompting a campus conversation that has reached well beyond Oxford. With the cause of death still unclear, the tragedy has already put a harsher spotlight on the risks tied to drugs and alcohol, and on how quickly a campus night can turn into an emergency.
On the Missouri side, the Interfraternity Council moved to address that reality with a statement urging students to take overdose prevention seriously. The group emphasized the importance of Narcan in overdose situations and encouraged education around recognizing the danger before it becomes irreversible, a reminder that fraternity leaders here are treating the story as more than news from another campus. [Read more 🡒]