College Football Rankings Week 4: 3 Rising Teams Whose BCS Dreams Are at Stake

BCS contenders and pretenders are set to clash in Week 4 of the 2011 college football season. A slate of juicy match ups will reveal if these three teams are for real or if they will see their early-season success go for naught by Saturday night.

No. 7 Oklahoma State

Oklahoma State has rolled through its first three games of the season, tallying touchdowns and piling up yardage at a record pace while wiping out the competition by an average margin of 25.3 points per game.

Heisman Trophy contenders Brandon Weeden and Justin Blackmon will face their first real test of the season when they head to Kyle Field to take on No. 8 Texas A&M in what, for now, will be both teams' Big 12 season opener. The fast-and-furious Cowboys will have to get physical with the rough-and-tumble Aggies if they are to remain unbeaten and keep their national title hopes alive.

If this game turns into a good ol' fashioned shootout (which it should), look for OK State to have the upper hand. If not, and smash-mouth football becomes the order of the day, then A&M will hang on for a big win at home.

No. 14 Arkansas

Down in the highly-competitive SEC West, Arkansas will look to prove that it belongs when it travels down to Tuscaloosa to take on No. 3 Alabama in a monumental conference clash. The Razorbacks are the offensive envy of the entire conference thanks to quarterback Tyler Wilson and a receiving corps that is among the deepest and most talented in all of college football.

Whether that will matter against a Crimson Tide defense loaded with NFL talent remains to be seen. This game will be decided on the other side of the ball for both teams, with a middling Hogs defense attempting to hold down the Tide's mediocre attack. Bama has a clear home-field edge at Bryant-Denny Stadium but Arkansas just has a certain je ne sais quoi that gives them an excellent chance to pull out the biggest win of the Bobby Petrino era in Fayetteville.

No. 21 Clemson

If ever Clemson were to overtake No. 11 Florida State and ascend to the top of the ACC, it's right now. The Tigers are on a roll after ending Auburn's 17-game winning streak last weekend behind another virtuoso performance from quarterback Tajh Boyd. The Seminoles, on the other hand, were beaten up by No. 1 Oklahoma at home, 23-13, and will arrive in Death Valley with EJ Manuel nursing a sprain in his non-throwing shoulder.

A tough task, indeed, especially for a young team in its first road game of the year. Clemson coach Dabo Swinney is coaching to save his job right now and, chances are, his players will have his back in a big way on Saturday.

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