College football conference games are (mostly) underway, and the stakes will be raised accordingly. The sport will test the waters this weekend in ranked games across the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC, which include College Football Playoff favorites and some remaining question marks.
Let’s rank the top 10 games of Week 4, starting with some honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable mentions: JMU at North Carolina, Rutgers at Virginia Tech, Memphis at Navy, TCU at Southern Methodist University, University of Iowa at Minnesota
(All point spreads come from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times are ET and Saturday unless otherwise noted.)
10. San Jose State (3-0) at Washington State (3-0), Friday, 10 p.m., The CW
What a victory for Wazu last week. That rattled Washington in a new, strange Apple Cup rivalry, and the Cougars secured the game with a dramatic goaltending run. With quarterback John Mateer a dual-threat firecracker and head coach Jake Dickert bringing out a celebratory cigar at the postgame press conference, Washington State is one of the teams feeling good early on one. Now, the Cougars have a different kind of grudge game with San Jose State, who might feel ridiculed by WSU for helping lead the Pac-12 in poaching the Mountain West. The Spartans have yet to face a player as good as Vazu, but former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo passed up a triple option and got SJSU off to an undefeated start that included a road win over Air Force.
Wire: Washington State -11.5
North Carolina is off to a rough start. After a 51-10 loss to Tennessee, the Wolfpack lost starting quarterback Grayson McCall to injury in a 30-20 victory over Louisiana Tech. True freshman backup C.J. Bailey will start against Clemson and lead the team’s comeback against Louisiana Tech, but NC State simply doesn’t look like a team worthy of being ranked in the preseason top 25 team. It will also be an interesting test for Clemson, which has a bye after a tough loss to Georgia and a big win over App State. Are the Tigers still a legitimate threat in the ACC and playoffs? This spread also shows this. Regardless, Saturday’s results should bring us closer to those answers.
Wire: Clemson-20.5
Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik threw for a career-high 378 yards on a 92.3% completion rate against App State. (Alex Hicks Jr./USA TODAY Sports via Imagn Images)
8. Arkansas (2-1) at Auburn (2-1), 3:30 p.m., ESPN
It’s hard to put it into words properly, but this game felt like a game-changer for college football in the fall. The game is now on ESPN instead of CBS, and neither team is expected to be an SEC title or CFP contender, with Arkansas’ Sam Pittman being the favorite – but this one There’s something indescribably nostalgic about the game. This should be an interesting quarterback matchup between Arkansas dual-threat Tyron Green and Auburn redshirt freshman Hank Brown, who threw in his first start last week against New Mexico State Scored four touchdowns. Both teams face tough schedules and could really use a win to keep fans from getting restless.
Wire: Auburn-3
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What about Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils? The second-year head coach has led Arizona State, which finished last in the Big 12 preseason, to an undefeated start with three solid wins, including last Thursday’s win over Texas State at Barnborough En University. Quarterback Sam Leavitt has been great, running back Cam Skattebo is a wrecking ball, and Dillingham has recruited a Texas commit return. Whether Arizona State can make any noise in Big 12 play remains to be seen, but it could come against a puzzling Texas Tech team that beat Abby in overtime Lin Christian, who was smoked by Wazu, then scored 66 points against North Texas.
Wire: Texas Tech University-3
6. Georgia Tech (3-1) at No. 19 Louisville (2-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
After Georgia Tech’s close loss to Syracuse, a big win at VMI and a brief stay in the top 25, it’s clear that the Yellow Jackets are doing better this season than most expected. But Louisville is the team I’m more curious about. The Cardinals are almost a natural in the top 20 with easy wins over Austin Peay and Jacksonville State. Transfer quarterback Tyler Shough had a subpar performance, but with a road trip to Notre Dame next week, this game should provide a better look at the ACC and the playoffs Contender Louisville’s viability this season.
Wire: Louisville-10.5
5. No. 8 Miami (3-0) at South Florida (2-1), 7 p.m., ESPN
Mario Cristobal’s Year 3 War tour made an interesting stop in Tampa. Quarterback Cam Ward has been outstanding for the Hurricanes, ranking second in the FBS in passing yards, first in passing touchdowns, and third in yards per attempt and quarterback rating A fourth-place finish moved Miami into the top 10. Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown was efficient against the run but struggled in the air, and USF’s defense cracked in the final seconds against the Tide, losing the final six minutes scored 21 points. A decisive road win in prime time on ESPN will put Miami’s hype train into high gear.
Wire: Miami-16.5
Cam Ward transferred to Miami from Washington State in the offseason and led the Hurricanes to CFP hopes. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
4. No. 24 Illinois (3-0) No. 22 Nebraska (3-0), Friday, 8 p.m., Fox
The top ten ranked matchups you didn’t know you needed in your life. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola and his Patrick Mahomes role will be in the spotlight again on Friday night against the undefeated Illini. Raiola has impressed for a true freshman, has high expectations and a fan base eager to get back on the football field. The Cornhuskers haven’t been to a bowl game in seven seasons, haven’t beaten a ranked team since 2016 and haven’t beaten at home since 2011. state team with a turnover rate of over 8. So far, the Illini aren’t elite in other areas, but are tough enough to keep Lincoln’s optimism on high alert.
Wire: Nebraska-8.5
3. No. 11 USC (2-0), No. 18 Michigan (2-1), 3:30 p.m., CBS
It’s time for Alex Orji to head to Michigan. The speedy junior takes over at quarterback for Davis Warren, who led a dismal offense with six interceptions in three games. Can Orji provide enough of a spark to turn things around? The Badgers were a home underdog for the second time in three weeks. They were defeated by Texas in Week 2 and now USC has an inactive week. Trojan horses are coming CompetitorAfter beating LSU in Week 1, the defense looks much improved under new coordinator De’Anton Lynn. A win over Michigan on the road would further bolster the CFP’s hopes, especially with Ohio State, Oregon State, Penn State, Nebraska and Notre Dame all at home the rest of the schedule.
Wire: USC-6
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2. No. 12 Utah State (3-0), No. 14 Oklahoma State (3-0), 4 p.m., Fox
Utah State quarterback Cam Rising suffered an injury to his throwing hand in the Week 2 win over Baylor and is expected to play. The Utes defense is as strong as expected and remains the highest-ranked team in the Big 12, but is heading into the Thunderdome in Stillwater. The Pokes family has always been a mystery. Doc Walker Award-winning running back Ollie Gordon II was largely limited, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, but seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman more than made up for it. This shortcoming. Bowman ranks sixth in the FBS in passing yards, eight touchdowns and two interceptions. It’s a crucial stretch for Oklahoma State, which travels to Kansas State next week but still has star linebacker Colin Oliver out. With Utah State traveling to Arizona next week, we should be in a better position to compete for the top spot in the Big 12 by the end of the month.
Wire: Utah -2.5
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1. No. 6 Tennessee (3-0), No. 15 Oklahoma State (3-0), 7:30 p.m., ABC
The biggest storyline is Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel’s return to Oklahoma State, where he led the program to a national championship before being fired as offensive coordinator. Joe Rexrode wrote a great recap of how the reunion unfolded for all involved (Tennessee’s case!) and how Joe described the game as “early college football season The bet of “The Clarifier”. The Vols look like a wagon, leading the FBS in points per game with 63.7. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s 10.4 yards per carry ranked eighth among all quarterbacks, and the offense averaged 8.1 yards per carry. The Sooners are on the other end of the spectrum, averaging 4.9 yards per game, led by quarterback Jackson Arnold, who is averaging 5.6 yards per game and is still trying to find his groove. (Wide receivers Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony returning from injuries could help in that regard.) Brent Venables’ defense has been It’s solid, but Tennessee is allowing 3.1 yards per play and allowing 4.3 points per game, both of which rank in the top three in the league. ESPN’s “College GameDay” heads to Norman to see if the Sooners can slow down Tennessee in their SEC opener against Oklahoma State.
Wire: Tennessee-7
(Top photo of Jackson Arnold: Aaron M. Sprecher/Getty Images)
