College Football Week 4: Previews and Predictions for the Top 5 Games
Week 4 of the college football season will feature both intriguing nonconference and conference matchups.
The week begins on Thursday night in Manhattan, Kansas, as No. 20 Kansas State and No. 5 Auburn will face off in what could be the big upset of the week.
ACC rivals Florida State and Clemson will headline Saturday’s slate of games in Tallahassee, while Miami (Fla.) travels to Nebraska in what will be their first meeting since the 2002 Rose Bowl. In the SEC, Mississippi State has high hopes of finally defeating LSU on the road with a dangerous quarterback in Dak Prescott, and the Florida Gators head into a hostile Bryant-Denny Stadium, where Nick Saban’s Crimson Tide have lost just three times in the last five years.
In what should be another week filled with pandemonium, here are the top-five games to watch this week.
No. 5 Auburn at No. 20 Kansas State
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Thursday, Sept. 18: No. 5 Auburn at No. 20 Kansas State, 7:30 p.m. ET, ESPN
Both teams come off bye weeks in what will be one of the biggest nonconference matchups of the season. The two last played in 2007, with Auburn defeating Kansas State 23-13 at home.
Gus Malzahn’s Tigers will now visit "The Little Apple" after two dominating performances. Quarterback Nick Marshall’s ability to make plays with his legs is what causes him to be a threat to opposing defenses. He’s already recorded 122 yards and two touchdowns on the ground this season.
Marshall is capable of making plays with his arm, but the major emphasis will be on an Auburn run game consisting of running backs Cameron Artis-Payne and Corey Grant. Both have combined for an impressive 465 yards and five touchdowns thus far.
The Tigers defensively have held their opponents to only 17 points per game.
Kansas State survived a scare at Iowa State on Sept. 6, as it scored 19 unanswered points with the help of senior quarterback Jake Waters to win 32-28. Waters, who leads the team in both passing and rushing, will need to focus on making smart plays with the football and avoid turnovers.
Turning the ball over and putting the defense in a bad position against an Auburn offense averaging 52 points per game will be difficult to overcome. Waters will look to always reliable wide receiver Tyler Lockett in important passing situations and running back Charles Davis, who has found the end zone four times already this season.
If Bill Snyder’s Wildcats want to pull the upset, they’ll need to slow the pace of the game down. The offense needs to control the clock and get small chunks of yardage at a time, something Snyder’s offense has done over the years. It will keep an explosive Auburn offense off the field and keep a Kansas State defense, led by senior defensive end Ryan Mueller, fresh throughout the game.
Auburn will be tested, but avoid the upset with big plays late in the fourth quarter by Marshall.
Prediction: Auburn 35, Kansas State 27
Florida at No. 3 Alabama
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Saturday, Sept. 20: Florida at No. 3 Alabama, 3:30 p.m. ET, CBS
Will Muschamp’s Gators won’t get much downtime after an emotional 36-30 triple overtime win, as they head to Alabama, where they’ve not won since 1998.
Although Kentucky is gradually improving under head coach Mark Stoops, Florida proved to the nation last Saturday that it's not prepared to face the third-ranked team in the country yet. The Gators, of course, went 4-8 last season and had their worst campaign since 1979.
With Florida as a heavy underdog, this is the time for dual-threat quarterback Jeff Driskel to prove that he has matured and can be that player who can step up in big-time games. Driskel has accounted for a combined 543 passing yards and four touchdowns in the first two games.
His touchdown pass on fourth down to Demarcus Robinson in the first overtime against Kentucky is a clear indication of his improvement thus far. Robinson had a career-high 216 receiving yards and two touchdowns in that game. He will be Driskel’s main target in a passing game that currently ranks 12th in the nation with 345.5 yards per game.
The Crimson Tide appear to be going with Blake Sims as their starting quarterback. Sims will be faced with the issue of getting the ball to dynamic wide receiver Amari Cooper, who has already exploded for 454 receiving yards and two touchdowns, because of his matchup with talented Gator defensive back Vernon Hargreaves III. Watch for Christion Jones to get more looks from Sims and for a running back unit led by T.J. Yeldon (225 yards, two TDs) to challenge a stout Florida defense, which has allowed only 80.5 rushing yards per game.
If the Alabama defense shuts down Florida’s pass game, the Crimson Tide should have no problem defeating the Gators for a third straight time.
Prediction: Alabama 34, Florida 18
Mississippi State at No. 8 LSU
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Saturday, Sept. 20: Mississippi State at No. 8 LSU, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN
Mississippi State is hoping to upset a tough LSU squad in Death Valley and end its 11-game losing streak in Death Valley.
Bulldog head coach Dan Mullen will look to quarterback Dak Prescott, who is one of the best at his position in the SEC, to present problems against an LSU defense that hasn’t given up a single point since facing Wisconsin in Week 1.
Prescott already has 696 passing yards, 273 rushing yards and 11 total touchdowns this season. He will look to Josh Robinson for help in the backfield and rely on a group of receivers led by Jameon Lewis.
While Mississippi State will look to have success on offense, LSU has found success early in their offense with Anthony Jennings under center. The duo in the backfield consisting of Kenny Hilliard and true freshman Leonard Fournette has the capability to be dangerous as the season progresses. Both have already combined for 377 yards and five touchdowns.
Jennings has also had success getting the ball to wide receiver Travin Dural, who has 370 receiving yards and four touchdowns. Dural was named to the Biletnikoff Award watch list on Tuesday, after consecutive 100-plus-yard games.
If Prescott can cause havoc against the Tiger defense and not make costly turnovers, a 14-game losing streak to LSU could come to an end. Unfortunately, Les Miles’ team will be too strong in the end at home and find ways to frustrate the Mississippi State offense.
Prediction: LSU 42, Mississippi State 28
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No. 22 Clemson at No. 1 Florida State
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Saturday, Sept. 20: No. 22 Clemson at No. 1 Florida State, 8 p.m. ET, ABC
Clemson and Florida State has become a de facto game the last three seasons for the ACC Atlantic Division.
The Noles went into Death Valley and trampled the Tigers last season 51-14. It was their fourth win in six years against Clemson and the first time they had won in Memorial Stadium since 2001.
Jameis Winston and Co. will look to knock off Dabo Swinney’s squad again, which bounced back from a loss at Georgia by defeating FCS South Carolina State 73-7 on Sept. 6. Winston will sit out the first half, after yelling an obscene statement in the student union this week, per Marc Tracy of The New York Times. Backup redshirt sophomore quarterback Sean Maguire will get the start instead.
Florida State has not looked like a national championship team so far this season, as it struggled to take down Oklahoma State in Week 1 and didn’t particularly manhandle an inferior Citadel team in a 37-12 win. It has the opportunity to put itself in the driver’s seat for not only a third straight ACC title, but for a shot at another national championship as well.
The offense will lean on Karlos Williams (132 yards, one TD) in the run game, while explosive wide receiver Rashad Greene (283 yards, one TD) will need to be a big playmaker in the pass game.
On the other hand, Clemson senior starting quarterback Cole Stoudt will be forced to deal with another hostile crowd, the first of which came in Week 1 at Georgia. Stoudt, who has passed for 446 yards and one touchdown this season, will be up against a talented Florida State defense and must be able to have success throwing the football.
If Stoudt struggles to get the ball into the hands of wide receivers Artavis Scott and Mike Williams, it could be a long game for the Tiger offense. The run game isn’t Clemson’s main strength and being put in a position where it's faced to run through a Seminole front seven consisting of middle linebacker Terrance Smith (17 tackles) is not going to result in a win.
As seen against Georgia in Week 1, it’s going to take time for this Clemson team to adjust offensively against quality opponents without the play from Tajh Boyd, Sammy Watkins and Roderick McDowell.
Vic Beasley (six tackles, two sacks) and the Tiger defense are going to have to find ways to keep Winston in the second half from making big plays, if they have any shot of pulling an upset in Tallahassee.
Florida State may start out slower in the first half with Winston being absent under center, but should pull away in the second half to get another convincing win over Clemson.
Prediction: Florida State 31, Clemson 17
Miami (Fla.) at No. 24 Nebraska
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Saturday, Sept. 20: Miami (Fla.) at No. 24 Nebraska, 8 p.m. ET, ESPN2
Miami and Nebraska have not met during the regular season since 1976, and haven’t played one another since the Rose Bowl in 2002, when the Hurricanes, led by Ken Dorsey, manhandled Heisman Trophy winner Eric Crouch and the Huskers 37-14 to win the BCS National Championship.
Things have changed a lot since then for both programs, as Nebraska is still looking for its first conference title since 1999, while Miami has struggled with success in the last decade, not winning a conference title since 2003.
The Hurricanes head into Lincoln following two convincing wins over FCS Florida A&M and Arkansas State. Miami has an experienced defense that can shut down opposing rushing attacks. This season, it's only surrendered 82.7 rushing yards per game.
The main concern for the Hurricanes will be containing Heisman contender Ameer Abdullah, who has the ability to take over games. Abdullah has 396 rushing yards and four touchdown, which includes his game-winning 58-yard touchdown reception against FCS McNeese State.
If Abdullah is somewhat contained by the Hurricane defense, look for quarterback Tommy Armstrong to rely on sophomore wide receiver Jordan Westerkamp, who has been a threat to opposing defenses this season by already accounting for 271 yards and three touchdowns.
Freshman quarterback Brad Kaaya averaged 175.5 passing yards and threw three touchdowns and four interceptions in the first two games. Last week against Arkansas State, he improved by passing for 342 yards, four touchdowns and one interception. Kaaya has already played in a difficult environment at Louisville this season, but he will have his toughest test yet at Memorial Stadium.
Star running back Duke Johnson will need to be a workhorse and gain critical yardage throughout the game to help open up the passing game for Kaaya.
The receiving corps, though, could still be without Stacy Coley on Saturday, who missed the last game with a shoulder injury. Meaning it will be up to wide receiver Phillip Dorsett and tight end Clive Walford to take control.
If Miami wants to be successful offensively, it must be able to convert on third-down situations. The offense is just 8-for-35 on fourth down this season.
The two teams have had their fair share of wins and losses against each other in a series that currently is tied at five—Nebraska is currently 3-0 at home against the Hurricanes. It should be a close first half, but Miami’s offense will eventually no longer be able to keep up on the scoreboard with Abdullah making big plays in the Nebraska rush attack.
Prediction: Nebraska 38, Miami (Fla.) 20
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