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...
USC Is Hiding A Coliseum Twist Before Oregon Arrives
With Oregon coming to the Coliseum, one small pregame detail has become a talking point around USC: the tunnel captain has not been announced yet. The Trojans usually reveal that honor a few days before kickoff, so the silence has only added to the buzz around who will lead the team out for one of the seasons biggest home dates.
Reggie Bush and Pete Carroll are among the names drawing attention because of what they mean to the program, but USC has not made anything public. For a matchup with so much weight attached to it, even the walkout has taken on extra meaning, and the final choice should say plenty about how the school wants this night framed before the game even starts. [Read more 🡒]
USC Stars In The NFL Are Breaking Out And Breaking Down
Drake London gave USC fans a reminder of what elite receiver play can look like on a big stage Thursday night, hauling in nine passes for 194 yards against Green Bay. The former Trojans standout has continued to grow into a featured role with the Atlanta Falcons, and nights like this only deepen the sense that USCs receiver pipeline is producing players who can make an immediate impact in the NFL.
Elsewhere, the picture around USC alums is a little less celebratory. Baltimore Ravens rookie JaKobi Lane is on injured reserve after breaking his wrist in his NFL debut, while Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams is working through a minor hamstring injury that could sideline him on a week-to-week basis. For a program that prides itself on sending stars to Sundays, the early-season snapshot is a mix of breakout production and the kind of health issues that can interrupt even the most promising start. [Read more 🡒]
USCs Rutgers Rotation Revealed A Troubling Depth Issue
USCs trip to Rutgers offered a clear look at how thin the roster has become in spots. The Trojans leaned on a season-low 60 players, with a wide spread in usage that reflected how much the staff had to press the available group into service. Desman Stephens II and Prophet Brown each logged 74 snaps, while Josiah Jefferson and Marquis Gallegos saw just one apiece in a game where the rotation was anything but normal.
The numbers also underscored how many bodies USC was already missing. Fourteen players were out because of injuries or were not dressed, and three more were injured and did not finish the game, leaving no one to return from injury or make a season debut. On the flip side, 13 players hit or matched career highs in total snap counts, a reminder that the Trojans are asking a lot from the same core as the season wears on. [Read more 🡒]