College Football Picks Week 4: Predictions for Top 25 Games on Upcoming Schedule
Next week's slate of college football games won't have the sheer quantity of epic matchups we had in Week 3. But Week 4 certainly has its share of intriguing contests.
Below, we'll look at the schedule and predictions for every Associated Press Top 25 contest on tap and break down a few of the juiciest matchups.
| Thursday, Sept. 22 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 5 Clemson at Georgia Tech | ESPN | Clemson |
| Friday, Sept. 23 | USC at No. 24 Utah | FS1 | ||
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 12 p.m. | Kent State at No. 1 Alabama | SEC Network | Alabama |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 12 p.m. | No. 12 Georgia at No. 23 Ole Miss | ESPN | Ole Miss |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 12 p.m. | No. 13 Florida State at South Florida | ABC | Florida State |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 12 p.m. | No. 11 Wisconsin at No. 8 Michigan State | Big Ten Network | Michigan State |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 3:30 p.m. | Penn State at No. 4 Michigan | ABC | Michigan |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 3:30 p.m. | No. 19 Florida at No. 14 Tennessee | CBS | Tennessee |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 6 p.m. | No. 18 LSU at Auburn | ESPN | LSU |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 7 p.m. | No. 6 Houston at Texas State | ESPNU | Houston |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | Oklahoma State at No. 16 Baylor | Fox | Oklahoma State |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 7:30 p.m. | No. 20 Nebraska at Northwestern | Big Ten Network | Nebraska |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 8 p.m. | No. 7 Stanford at UCLA | ABC | Stanford |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 8 p.m. | No. 3 Louisville at Marshall | CBS Sports Network | Louisville |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 9 p.m. | No. 17 Arkansas vs. No. 10 Texas A&M | ESPN | Texas A&M |
| Saturday, Sept. 24 | 10:30 p.m. | No. 9 Washington at Arizona | N/A | Washington |
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Analysis
There seem to be a few safe bets this week. It's hard to imagine Alabama losing to Kent State, Louisville losing to Marshall or Houston losing to Texas State. In fact, barring some big upsets, most of the teams in the Top 10 should survive Week 4.
But a few will be seriously tested. No. 8 Michigan State, for instance, will have a battle on its hands when No. 11 Wisconsin comes to town. There are a few reasons to like the Spartans in this contest, however:
- Michigan State is 21-1 at home since the 2013 season.
- The Spartans survived a stiff test against a talented Notre Dame team on the road, showing mental toughness, a balanced offense (501 total yards) and an opportunistic defense (three turnovers).
- Wisconsin looked shaky last week, beating a winless Georgia State team by just six points. "We were just off a little bit on some things," coach Paul Chryst told the Associated Press, via ESPN.com. That seemed like a drastic understatement.
Wisconsin will make a case of its own, however. The Badgers may have been victims of "looking ahead" to their matchup against the Spartans on Saturday. This team also beat LSU to open the season, so it's no pushover.
Both teams will want to control the line of scrimmage and time of possession. Both teams will look to establish the run and win behind strong defenses. Both teams will hope the play of their quarterbacks doesn't hurt them.
In a conference game that feels even, it's always safe to go with the home team. And when one team still has uncertainty at quarterback, like Wisconsin, it's all the harder to trust. For that reason, look for Michigan State to survive with a win.
No. 10 Texas A&M, meanwhile, will have a challenge on its hands with Arkansas on tap. The Aggies have been dynamic on offense, averaging 531 yards and 42.3 points per game, good for 14th and 24th in the nation, respectively.
The balanced offense is led by quarterback Trevor Knight, who has thrown for 830 yards, five touchdowns and two interceptions and rushed for another 151 yards and three scores. The defense looks improved from a year ago as well, though Arkansas' talented offense will represent a challenge.
Greg Ostendorf of ESPN.com broke down the Aggies after a tough win over Auburn:
"After the past two seasons, it's not about how the Aggies start. It's about how they finish. But as Kevin Sumlin said after Saturday's 29-16 win at Auburn, winning an SEC game on the road is nothing to take lightly. There's still room for improvement, but Texas A&M is beginning to look like one of the best teams in the conference
"
This contest could go either way, but Texas A&M has been impressive enough to be the justified favorite.
It won't be the only intriguing SEC matchup, as the improved Tennessee Volunteers will face the dangerous Florida Gators. Tennessee hasn't exactly been convincing early in the season, but Florida could be without starting quarterback Luke Del Rio, per Sam Khan Jr. of ESPN.com.
For Florida, a road game against a talented Tennessee team without its starting quarterback may be too much to overcome.
And then there's Georgia traveling to Ole Miss. The Rebels blew a 21-point lead to Alabama on Saturday and a 22-point lead to Florida State in Week 1, both on the road. But quarterback Chad Kelly and the Ole Miss team have had arguably the toughest opening slate in college football and tested two good football teams. You can make the argument that those two losses were more impressive than any of Georgia's three wins.
Georgia has won its last two games by a combined total of three points to Nicholls and Missouri. Yes, running back Nick Chubb (377 yards from scrimmage, three touchdowns) gives them a chance against anyone. But Ole Miss, at home, will salvage its season with a shootout win over the Bulldogs.
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