Ranking the 6 ranked games of Week 4 in a college football first since 2023
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College football's Week 4 has shaped up to be a loaded slate of games, with six ranked games throughout the day, the most in one week since 2023. Each one has both College Football Playoff and conference title game implications. Several of the games also have intriguing quarterback battles, as well as some interesting series histories.
In the SEC, No. 1 Texas travels to No. 14 Tennessee as Arch Manning plays against a Vol fanbase that reveres his uncle Peyton Manning. No. 12 Oregon travels to face No. 20 USC for Big Ten bragging rights. Newly ranked No. 21 Florida faces No. 4 Ole Miss at home, and No. 10 LSU and Lane Kiffin look to rebound against No. 23 Texas A&M.
Below, we rank each game from most likely to deliver to least likely to live up to the hype.
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No. 1 Texas vs. No. 14 Tennessee
Fans are in for a treat here, as Longhorn quarterback Arch Manning goes on the road for the first time this season.The fact that this is Texas' inaugural SEC game at Neyland Stadium will also put a bit of extra pressure on the young signal-caller.
There's no better quarterback battle than this one, though. Manning's fourth-quarter heroics against Ohio State were followed up last week with a muted performance against UTSA. He finished with just 161 yards passing with two touchdowns. It'll be interesting to see how Vol fans welcome him to Knoxville, having cheered on Manning's uncle, Peyton, over 30 years ago.
For Tennessee, the Vols have started a true freshman under center at quarterback for the first time since Eric Ainge in 2004 in Faizon Brandon. He has been sensational against the likes of Furman, Georgia Tech and Kennesaw State, having thrown for 552 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions. He's also just the third freshman in the last 20 years with over 500 passing yards and five scores in his first three games.
He's third on the team in rushing with 137 yards and three touchdowns on the ground, as well.
This one has the makings of an offensive shootout, so whoever has the better defense might get the win. That might give an edge to Texas' 17th-ranked scoring defense. But the Vols are only allowing 14 points per game.
Texas could prove itself as a legitimate national championship contender. Meanwhile, Tennessee could show itself capable of making some real noise in the SEC.
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No. 23 Texas A&M vs. No. 10 LSU
Both head coaches, Texas A&M's Mike Elko and LSU's Lane Kiffin, will be looking for bounce-back wins this week. The Aggies have to respond after a shocking 31-21 home loss to Kentucky, and Kiffin will be looking to overcome an emotional loss against his former team, Ole Miss.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt will also be looking to rebound after his worst game yet with the Tigers against the Ole Miss defense. The Rebels held him to just 154 yards passing with an interception. He should have a better day against the Aggie secondary, which allowed 252 yards and two touchdowns to UK's Kenny Minchey last week.
The Tiger defense will be facing a Texas A&M offense that lost one of its biggest playmakers in wide receiver Terry Bussey. Aggie quarterback Marcel Reed has also thrown three interceptions, and LSU's defense has three takeaways so far.
Expect Mike Elko's team to play well, but LSU has too much firepower in this one. Not to mention, Kiffin will be eager to prove his team is still a legitimate CFP threat. The Tigers are also nearly always favored to win at home.
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No. 20 Oregon vs. No. 13 USC
Last week, Oregon took its frustration from the shocking Week 2 upset on the road against Oklahoma State out on Portland State. While the Ducks' 84-0 final score reflected just that, the result wasn't all that surprising, given the Vikings entered that game 0-3.
Oregon will be tested on the road yet again this week, facing a USC team that is 4-0. The Trojans haven't really played anyone notable yet, beating San Jose State, Fresno State and Louisiana before just barely getting past Rutgers on the road, 42-35.
This will be another interesting quarterback battle to keep an eye on. Trojans quarterback Jayden Maiava has been playing lights out, throwing for 1,173 yards with 12 touchdowns and just one interception. Dante Moore has been equally impressive, with 849 yards and nine interceptions. He has taken six sacks already.
USC's defense has eight sacks so far this season. Kennedy Urlacher, the son of Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Urlacher, has two of them this season, along with 10 solo stops as part of USC's defense.
Oregon will need a convincing road win to get back into the CFP conversation, whereas Lincoln Riley can prove this is finally the year he puts it all together. He's failed to reach double-digit wins since his first season in 2022. USC is a 3-point home favorite, so this game really could go either way. Oregon having two losses before the month of September ends would certainly be a shock.
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No. 4 Ole Miss vs. No. 21 Florida
This feels like a good place to invoke Florida head coach Jon Sumrall and say there's a lot of good drugs out there.
The Gators are favored by 3.5 points against Ole Miss at home. The Rebels will play their first true road game of the season, following the emotional win over their former head coach. Vegas might know something we don't, but on the surface, the wrong team seems favored.
Florida vaulted into the Top 25 this week, following a 3-0 start and the Gators' first win on the road at Auburn since 1999. Florida running back Jaden Baugh has brought smash-mouth football back to Gainesville, and he looks like a true Heisman candidate. He's second in the country in rushing, with 458 yards, and tied for first in the FBS with eight touchdowns. He's averaging 8.48 yards per carry, too.
Quarterback Aaron Philo has played well, too, throwing for 721 yards with six touchdowns and two interceptions so far. Florida's defense will have some trouble going up against Trinidad Chambliss, however. The Gators rank 98th in passing defense, allowing 231.7 yards per game.
Both teams are dealing with some injuries in this one to keep an eye on. Rebel running back Kewan Lacy is reportedly a game-time decision to play, and Florida receiver Eric Singleton Jr. is still dealing with an injury..
While Ole Miss has the edge talent-wise in this one, the Gators' home field advantage in this one could play a factor. Ole Miss has lost each of its last two games in The Swamp, in 2015 and 2024. But if Florida has another 138 penalty yards like it did last week, Ole Miss could win big.
Meanwhile, a signature win for Sumrall at home would have folks questioning if Florida finally found the right coach to bring the Gators back from the national stage.
No. 19 Iowa vs. No. 17 Michigan
Death, taxes and Iowa looks like it'll yet again give head coach Kirk Ferentz a new contract. The Hawkeyes have gotten out to a 3-0 start and went from No. 22 to No. 17 after blowout wins over Northern Illinois and Northern Iowa, and a 16-13 win over Iowa State.
Iowa gets its first road test this week, though, facing No. 17 Michigan on the road for the first time since 2019. As with a typical Ferentz-coached team, Iowa has the No. 1 scoring defense in the nation, allowing just 4.3 points per game.
Michigan quarterback Bryce Underwood is still looking for a breakout game this season, and it'll be interesting to see how he plays against this Hawkeye defense. He's been sacked four times so far this season, as Iowa enters with eight sacks so far this season.
This one will likely be low-scoring, but the Wolverines have the advantage of playing this one at home, where UM has yet to lose a game this season.
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No. 19 Missouri vs. No. 23 Mississippi State
This game should be a good measuring stick to tell us just how good both programs are. Both teams enter undefeated, but Mississippi State might have the stronger resume. The Bulldogs are coming off of back-to-back road wins over Minnesota and South Carolina.
Missouri played well on the road two weeks ago, beating Kansas 38-21. This one will be an interesting quarterback battle, and Mississippi State looks like it has a dark horse Heisman candidate in Kamario Taylor. He's thrown for 832 yards with 11 touchdowns and just one interception, rushing for another 178 on the ground.
Tiger quarterback Austin Simmons has also played well early, throwing for 652 yards with 652 yards passing with eight touchdowns.
A win for Missouri can prove Eli Drinkwitz's team will be in the mix to knock off some SEC teams this season. But a big win for MSU could prove Jeff Lebby has a dark horse team in the conference that should be taken very seriously.
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