Conference play is here, and with it comes the kind of shakeup that can turn a clean College Football Playoff picture into a mess by halftime. Week 4 opens with a bracket that already has plenty of pressure points, from the Group of 6 race to a handful of heavyweight showdowns that could reshape both playoff hopes and seeding.
At the top of the Group of 6 picture, the Broncos have held the lead from the start of the season, and they can tighten their grip on the bid if they go into Kalamazoo, Mich., and beat MAC favorite Western Michigan. Notre Dame, meanwhile, still hasn’t stitched together a complete four quarters this season, but the next two weeks - trips to Purdue and North Carolina - give that talented roster a chance to do it.
Saturday night brings one of the biggest tests of the day for Lincoln Riley and USC. Oregon is the kind of opponent that can expose any soft spots in a hurry, and this one feels like a defining moment for the Trojans’ playoff chase. Ohio State, by contrast, doesn’t have that same do-or-die feel against Illinois, but a convincing win in its conference opener could put the Buckeyes right back in the conversation as the team to beat.
Alabama also enters a tricky stretch over the next two weeks, and the Tide can’t afford to look past anyone with quarterbacks like LaNorris Sellers waiting on the other side on Saturday. Indiana has its own issues to clean up after a closer-than-it-should-have-been game against Northwestern, and Curt Cignetti won’t love what he saw from either side of the ball. The bright spot was tailback Lee Beebe Jr., who looks like a bona fide star and could end up playing a massive role for the reigning champions.
There’s also a matchup that may not grab the broadest national attention but still carries serious CFP weight between the lines. The Cougars look like the class of the Big 12, and they get a chance to catch their breath on Saturday before a stretch that could define their season, with trips to TCU and a home date against Notre Dame later in October. On the other sideline, the Tigers are staring at a situation they likely never expected this early: a CFP elimination game in late September when they host Texas A&M at night in Death Valley.
Georgia finally gets a real test against an opponent with a pulse, with Oklahoma coming between the hedges. The obvious draw is what Kirby Smart has planned defensively for John Mateer, but Georgia’s CFP outlook may hinge even more on whether its offense can keep humming against a Sooners defense that still brings plenty of sting.
Mario Cristobal, meanwhile, should be focused on the injury report as Miami heads into what ought to be an easy one against Central Michigan on Saturday afternoon. The Hurricanes have already lost a host of starters this season, even while getting off to a hot start, and they’ll need to get healthier before ACC play begins next weekend at rival Clemson.
Ole Miss has its own emotional reset to manage after exacting a measure of revenge against Lane Kiffin, and Pete Golding has clearly spent the week making sure his team doesn’t drift into a letdown. The Rebels are being cast as the underdog going into the Swamp, but if they can finish the job by sunset, they could have the three best wins in the country - a résumé few teams will be able to match before Halloween.
And then there’s the first of what could be at least two Manning Bowls this season, with Arch & Co. heading to Knoxville for a noon kickoff in a game that doubles as a battle over the UT name. Road games have been a test for the Longhorns before, but a win at Neyland Stadium would go a long way toward locking down the top ranking.
In Other News...
Indiana Is Back At The Center Of A CFP Sideline Dispute
Steve Sarkisians postgame explanation for the late-game communication hiccups in the College Football Playoff final has already turned into a larger conversation than the final minutes themselves. The Texas coach said President Donald Trumps early departure created headset issues for both teams, a claim the White House quickly rejected, setting off a back-and-forth that pulled the spotlight away from the field and onto the sideline.
Indiana coach Curt Cignetti added another layer to the dispute, pushing back on reports that his team suffered a major headset shutdown. He said there were brief communication problems earlier in the game, but they were resolved before the finish, leaving the broader question of what actually happened in the final stretch still very much alive. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Faces One Road Test That Will Expose Last Years Biggest Flaw
Texas heads to Tennessee carrying a different kind of roster this time, one with far more experience than the group that went through last season's road growing pains. The Longhorns know the setting will be hostile and the margin for error thin, but that is exactly why this trip matters. It is the kind of away game that can tell a lot about whether the program has truly steadied itself in the moments when noise, pressure and the road all hit at once.
Last season, Texas' trouble away from home was not just about talent level. Penalties and composure issues kept showing up in losses, turning otherwise manageable stretches into uphill climbs. This matchup in Tennessee offers a cleaner test of whether the added experience on the roster translates into better poise when the environment gets difficult, and for a team with bigger goals, that is the part worth watching closely. [Read more 🡒]
Texas Newcomers Are Already Setting The Tone For No. 1
At the University of Texas Mens Swimming and Diving Sam Kendricks Dust Off Your Boots Invitational, the Longhorns got an early look at how their new faces might fit into a program built to win. Freshman Laon Kim made an immediate impression by taking the 200 free and 100 free, while also helping the winning 400 free relay. Senior Rex Maurer added his own weight to the lineup with victories in the 1000 free and 500 free, and he too was part of that relay win.
Sophomore Luka Mladenovic gave Texas another strong showing by winning the 200 breast and finishing second in the 100 breast and 200 IM. The meet mixed collegiate and professional swimmers across several events, but the Longhorns still came away looking like a group with depth and versatility. For a No. 1 team trying to establish its rhythm early, performances like these matter because they hint at how quickly the newcomers are already raising the standard. [Read more 🡒]