Week 4 is lined up to test a handful of ranked teams that are already walking a tightrope.
The biggest pressure point sits in Knoxville, where No. 1 Texas brings its unbeaten record into a road game against Tennessee on Saturday night.
The Longhorns are coming off a 30-6 win over UTSA, but that result did little to quiet concerns after a sluggish follow-up to their thriller against Ohio State. Arch Manning finished that game 16/32 for 161 yards, and Texas needed second-half work to pull away.
On the road for the first time outside Austin, that kind of start won’t be enough.
Tennessee has opened 3-0 and handled each of its first three opponents. Freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon, a former five-star recruit, has been ahead of schedule so far.
He has completed 64.1% of his passes for 552 yards with 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions, while adding 137 rushing yards and 3 more scores. If Brandon gets rolling early, Texas could be in for a long night.
Manning, meanwhile, has been inconsistent enough that the Longhorns can’t count on a late surge to save them every week. Texas needs to start fast and take the crowd out of the game.
Florida’s matchup with Ole Miss carries a different kind of tension. The Gators are technically favored, but the Rebels come in with the better ranking and have already knocked off two ranked opponents.
Their latest statement came in a 32-24 win over top-10 LSU, a result that only sharpened the oddsmaking debate. Jon Sumrall even questioned what Vegas was thinking.
There’s also real shootout potential in Gainesville. Florida has one of the country’s most dangerous rushing attacks, averaging 246 yards per game on the ground behind Jadan Baugh.
Ole Miss has its own firepower, with Trinidad Chambliss looking even better than he did a year ago and carrying Heisman buzz. The one major name to monitor is Kewan Lacy, who is considered doubtful.
That would be a significant loss for the Rebels if he can’t go.
USC is another team that has been living dangerously. The Trojans barely escaped Rutgers, winning 42-35 in a road game that stayed tight for most of the second half.
Jayden Maiava has been electric and is leading the country in passing yards and passing touchdowns, but the defense keeps leaving the door open. USC has allowed 26 or more points in three of four games, including back-to-back outings of 30-plus against Louisiana and Rutgers.
Keep playing with that kind of margin, and eventually it catches up.
Missouri also enters Week 4 with questions hanging over it, even if the matchup on paper looks manageable. Mississippi State has already matched its win total from 2025 and has won back-to-back road games at Minnesota and South Carolina.
Bulldogs sophomore quarterback Kamario Taylor is becoming a name to know, with 56 completions on 82 attempts for 832 yards, 11 touchdowns and 1 interception, plus 178 rushing yards and another score. Jeff Lebby has the program in a good place.
Missouri hasn’t looked sharp in its wins over Kansas and Troy. Against Troy, the Tigers scored 24 of their 27 points in the second quarter, then went quiet until the final frame.
The Trojans even led 10-0 at one point. If Missouri doesn’t put together a full four quarters, Mississippi State has enough momentum to make this one uncomfortable.
West Virginia, meanwhile, is trying to push itself into the top 25 for the first time since 2018. The Mountaineers earned that kind of attention with a 38-27 upset of ranked Virginia in Charlotte, holding the Cavaliers to 13 points over the final three quarters. Now the schedule shifts to Big 12 play, starting with Oklahoma State.
That game has its own upset feel after the Cowboys knocked off No. 6 Oregon 39-31 two weeks ago, then followed it with a 59-0 win over Murray State.
The season-opening loss to Tulsa suddenly looks far behind them. West Virginia will lean on quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. and his dual-threat ability, but Oklahoma State has already shown it can land a punch.
Drew Mestemaker, who likes being the underdog, could be the one to do it again.
In Other News...
Nick Saban Just Raised The Stakes For Florida Against Ole Miss QB
Nick Sabans latest TV turn landed right in the middle of Ole Miss momentum swing, and it came with a fresh dose of respect for Trinidad Chambliss. After Chambliss helped the Rebels beat LSU, the former Alabama coach praised him on The Pat McAfee Show and called him a top playmaker, a notable endorsement from someone who has spent years sizing up quarterbacks in the SEC.
Saban also made it clear he had learned his lesson after backing LSU before that matchup, saying he regretted picking against Chambliss and would not do it again. With Ole Miss headed toward Florida, the comment only adds a little more intrigue to a game that already carries plenty of attention, because now the Rebels quarterback arrives with a high-profile seal of approval and a fresh target on his back. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Fans Turned College GameDay Into A Lane Kiffin Message
Tennessee fans made their feelings about Lane Kiffin clear on ESPNs College GameDay ahead of their showdown with Texas, turning the pregame spotlight into a reminder of how deep the resentment still runs. Kiffin, now the head coach at LSU, has long been a sore spot in Knoxville because of his brief and contentious stint leading the Volunteers in 2009, and the crowd response underscored that the history never really faded.
The timing only added to the edge, with both SEC programs staring at demanding weeks ahead. LSU has Texas A&M coming up, while Tennessee now has to turn around and host Texas, keeping the focus on the field even as Kiffin once again became part of the conversation around the Vols. [Read more 🡒]
Alabamas SEC Title Position Just Got A Lot More Interesting
Week 4 is starting to reshape the SEC race, and the picture is suddenly a lot less settled than it looked a week ago. ESPN Analytics now has Texas and Georgia as the conferences leading contenders, with Texas at 33 percent and Georgia at 32 percent, but Alabama and Ole Miss are still very much in the mix as the league heads into another round of telling matchups.
For Ole Miss, the spotlight only gets brighter with a trip to Florida on deck, one of several games that could begin to separate the true contenders from the rest of the pack. Texas at Tennessee is another measuring-stick game on the slate, and with Alabama also facing a significant test ahead, the path to Atlanta already feels crowded and fragile in a way that should keep the SEC race interesting for a while longer. [Read more 🡒]