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College football conference play is (mostly) underway and the stakes will be raised accordingly. The sport will be on the road this weekend with ranked matchups in the Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC featuring College Football Playoff favorites and some remaining question marks.
Let’s rank the top 10 games of Week 4, starting with a few honorable mentions and counting down.
Honorable mention: JMU at North Carolina, Rutgers at Virginia Tech, Memphis at Navy, TCU at SMU, Iowa at Minnesota
(All point spreads are from BetMGM; click here for live odds. All kickoff times are Eastern and Saturday unless otherwise noted.)
10. San Jose State (3-0) at Washington State (3-0), Friday, 10 p.m., The CW
What a win for Wazzu last week. It upset Washington in another strange display of the Apple Cup rivalry, secured by a dramatic goal-line stand by the Cougars. Quarterback John Mateer is a dual-threat stunner, head coach Jake Dickert brought a celebratory cigar to the post-game press conference, and Washington State is one of the first feel-good teams. Now the Cougars have a different kind of grudge match against San Jose State, which may feel scorned by WSU for helping lead the Pac-12’s poaching of the Mountain West. The Spartans haven’t met anyone as good as Wazzu, but former Navy coach Ken Niumatalolo ditched the three-way option and let SJSU send it off to an undefeated start, including a win over Air Force.
Line: Washington State -11.5
Rough start for NC State. After losing 51-10 to Tennessee, the Wolfpack lost starting quarterback Grayson McCall to injury in a 30-20 win over Louisiana Tech. True freshman backup CJ Bailey will start against Clemson and led the comeback over Lousiana Tech, but NC State didn’t look at all like a team that deserved the preseason Top 25 rankings. This will also be an interesting test for Clemson, who is coming off a bye after the big loss to Georgia and the big win over App State. Are the Tigers still a legitimate threat in the ACC and Playoff race? The spread in this one suggests as much. Either way, Saturday’s result should bring us a little closer to those answers.
Line: Clemson -20.5
Clemson QB Cade Klubnik threw for a career-high 378 yards on a 92.3 percent completion percentage 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 just feels like leaf-turning college football in the fall. The game is now on ESPN instead of CBS, neither team is expected to contend for the SEC title or CFP, Arkansas’ Sam Pittman is on the hot seat – but there’s an unspeakable nostalgia hit to this matchup. It should be an interesting quarterback matchup between Arkansas’ dual-threat Taylen Green and Auburn redshirt freshman Hank Brown, who threw four touchdowns in his first start against New Mexico last week. Both teams have a good schedule ahead of them and could really use a win to keep the fans from getting restless.
Line: Chestnut brown -3
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What about Kenny Dillingham and the Sun Devils? The second-year head coach has given ASU – picked dead last in the preseason Big 12 poll – off to an undefeated start with three solid wins, including a victory over Texas State last Thursday. Quarterback Sam Leavitt has been a workman, running back Cam Skattebo is a wrecking ball, and Dillingham’s push to recruit Texas is already paying off. Whether ASU can make any noise in the Big 12 race remains to be seen, but it could start against an enigmatic Texas Tech team that escaped in overtime against Abilene Christian, got smoked by Wazzu and then hung 66 on North Texas .
Line: Texas Tech -3
6. Georgia Tech (3-1) at No. 19 Louisville (2-0), 3:30 p.m., ESPN2
Georgia Tech got right with a blowout over VMI after its close loss to Syracuse, and with a short stay in the Top 25, it’s clear the Yellow Jackets are better than most expected this season. But Louisville is the team I’m more curious about. The Cardinals have climbed into the top 20 almost by default thanks to easy wins over Austin Peay and Jacksonville State. Transfer quarterback Tyler Shough has impressed against inferior competition, but with a road trip to Notre Dame next week, this matchup should provide a much better idea of how viable an ACC and Playoff contender Louisville can be this season.
Line: Louisville -10.5
5. No. 8 Miami (3-0) at South Florida (2-1), 7 p.m., ESPN
Mario Cristobal’s third-year warpath makes an intriguing stop in Tampa. Quarterback Cam Ward was spectacular for the Hurricanes, ranking second in FBS in passing yards, first in passing touchdowns, third in yards per attempt and fourth in QB rating, putting Miami in the top 10. But now it must face a USF team that gave Alabama 3 1/2 quarters. Bulls quarterback Byrum Brown has run the ball effectively but struggled through the air, and USF’s defense cracked late against the Tide, allowing 21 points in the final six minutes. A decisive win on the road, in prime time on ESPN, would kick the Miami hype train into high gear.
Line: Miami -16.5
Cam Ward moved to Miami from Washington State this offseason and is leading the Hurricanes to their CFP hopes. (Sam Navarro/Imagn Images)
4. No. No. 24 Illinois (3-0) and No. 22 Nebraska (3-0), Friday, 8 p.m., Fox
The ranked Big Ten matchup you never knew you needed in your life. Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola and his Patrick Mahomes cosplay will take the spotlight again Friday night against the undefeated Illini. Raiola has been impressive for a true freshman with high expectations and a fan base desperate to get back to winning football. The Cornhuskers haven’t been to a bowl game in seven seasons, haven’t beaten a ranked team since 2016 and haven’t done so at home since 2011. Enter an Illinois team that ranks second in FBS with a plus-8 turnover margin. The Illini haven’t been elite in other areas so far, but they are powerful enough to keep optimism high in Lincoln.
Line: Nebraska -8.5
3. No. No. 11 USC (2-0) at No. 18 Michigan (2-1), 3:30 p.m., CBS
It’s Alex Orji time for Michigan. The speedy junior takes over the quarterback role from Davis Warren, who threw six interceptions in three games at the helm of a dismal offense. Can Orji provide enough spark to turn things around? The Wolverines are home underdogs for the second time in three weeks. They got clobbered by Texas in Week 2 and now USC has had an inactive week. The Trojans come rushing in The Athletics‘s Playoff projector after the opening week win over LSU and with what appears to be a much improved defense under new coordinator D’Anton Lynn. A win over Michigan on the road would further boost those CFP hopes, especially with a favorable schedule for the rest of the trip: no Ohio State, no Oregon, and Penn State, Nebraska and Notre Dame all at home.
Line: USC-6
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2. No. No. 12 Utah (3-0) at No. 14 Oklahoma State (3-0), 4 p.m., Fox
Utah quarterback Cam Rising is expected to play after suffering an injury to his throwing hand in the Week 2 win over Baylor. The Utes have been predictably strong on defense and remain the top-ranked team in the Big 12, but are traveling into Stillwater’s thunderdome. The Pokes were a bit of a mystery. Doak Walker-winning running back Ollie Gordon II has been largely held in check, averaging just 3.5 yards per carry, but seventh-year quarterback Alan Bowman has picked up the slack. Bowman ranks sixth in FBS in passing yards, along with eight touchdowns and two interceptions. This is a crucial stretch for Oklahoma State, which travels to Kansas State next week and is still without star linebacker Collin Oliver. With Utah heading to Arizona next week, we should have a better handle on the top of the Big 12 by the end of the month.
Line: Utah -2.5
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1. No. 6 Tennessee (3-0) at No. 15 Oklahoma (3-0), 7:30 p.m., ABC
The big storyline is that Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel returns to Oklahoma, where he quarterbacked the program to a national championship and was later fired as offensive coordinator. Joe Rexrode wrote a great look back at how the reunion unfolded for everyone involved (worked out for Tennessee!), as well as the stakes for a game that Joe describes as an “early College Football Playoff clear-up.” The Vols look like a wagon, leading the FBS in points per game with 63.7. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava’s 10.4 yards per attempt ranks eighth among all quarterbacks and the offense is averaging 8.1 yards per play. The Sooners are on the opposite end of the spectrum, averaging just 4.9 yards per play under quarterback Jackson Arnold, who is averaging 5.6 yards per attempt and still trying to find his feet. (Getting wide receivers Nic Anderson and Andrel Anthony back from injury could potentially help on that front.) Brent Venables’ defense has been solid, but it’s Tennessee allowing 3.1 yards per play and 4.3 points per game , both in the top three in FBS. ESPN’s “College GameDay” heads to Norman to see if the Sooners can slow down Tennessee in the first SEC showdown for Oklahoma.
Line: Tennessee-7
(Top photo of Jackson Arnold: Aaron M. Sprecher / Getty Images)