College Football Rankings: Predicting How Each Top 25 Team Will Do in Week 4

Week 4 of the college football season is almost here, and with several marquee matchups, the rankings look to change drastically.

With games like Alabama vs. Arkansas, Oklahoma State vs. Texas A&M, Florida State vs. Clemson and LSU vs. West Virginia, Week 4 looks to be the best week of the season yet. Hope you don't have anything planned, as there are some must-watch games this weekend.

Here are the predictions for how every Top 25 team will perform on Saturday.

25. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets

The Yellow Jackets are the best rushing team in the country, averaging almost 428 yards per game, but will be going up against the talented defensive line of the North Carolina Tar Heels.

According to ESPN, "...Georgia Tech has won 11 of its last 13 meetings with the Tar Heels, averaging 29.7 points and 449.8 yards during a six-game home winning streak in the series."

You can expect that to continue in this game thanks to Georgia Tech's high-powered running game, as the Tar Heels gave up 170 rushing yards to Virginia last week.

24. Illinois Fighting Illini

Illinois beat their first ranked opponent in 10 tries last week, beating the Arizona State Sun Devils 17-14. This week they take on the 2-1 Western Michigan Broncos.

These two teams have only met twice, and in the last meeting in 2008, the Broncos upset Illinois by a score of 23-17.

Look for Illinois to get revenge, as they are the better team in this matchup. Western Michigan quarterback Alex Carder has a strong arm, but he throws way too many interceptions.

Illinois has a balanced offense, with dual-threat quarterback Nathan Scheelhaase and running back Jason Ford leading the way.

23. USC Trojans

The 3-0 Trojans play their second Pac-12 game with a matchup against the Arizona State Sun Devils, who are coming off an upset loss to Illinois.

USC is cruising on offense with quarterback Matt Barkley leading the way, but they need to score more touchdowns, and Arizona State has a tough defense that may make it difficult for them to do so.

With the game being a home game for Arizona State, look for the Sun Devils to get the win. A victory here would end a losing streak against USC that dates back to 1999.

22. Michigan Wolverines

This game will feature exciting players on offense for both teams.

We all know about Denard Robinson for Michigan, but San Diego State has quarterback Ryan Lindley and running back Ronnie Hillman, who is second in the country in rushing.

The Aztecs will be a big test for this Michigan defense, but I don't bet against Denard Robinson. Until he lets me down, I'll keep rolling with him.

Look for Michigan to go 2-0 all time against San Diego State.

21. Clemson Tigers

The Tigers are coming off an emotional victory over the Auburn Tigers, snapping Auburn's winning streak at 17 games.

A lot of people were shocked, but the streak was coming to an end sooner or later, and it's not the same Auburn team from a year ago.

Clemson will take on Florida State in a game that will have a ton of speed on both sides of the ball. Look for Clemson's balanced offense to make plays, but it won't be enough against a tough Seminole defense.

20. TCU Horned Frogs

Now, I know this TCU team is far different from the TCU teams we've seen before, and although they lack experience, the talent is still there.

So, with that said, is an explanation really needed for a matchup against Portland State? If the Horned Frogs find a way to lose this game, they need to be banned from the rankings for the rest of the year.

19. Texas Longhorns

Last season was the first time ever that Texas lost to the Iowa State Cyclones.

I hope the Cyclones enjoyed that victory, because it won't happen again this season.

Texas quarterback Garrett Gilbert is out for the year, but Case McCoy is playing solid football for the Longhorns. Texas has too much talent on both sides of the ball to lose to a team that beat Northern Iowa by only one point.

18. South Florida Bulls

The South Florida Bulls are currently 3-0, and are looking like one of the favorites to win the Big East.

A home game against the UTEP Miners won't change things, as the Bulls will easily cruise to a 4-0 start to the season.

17. Baylor Bears

The Baylor Bears, one of the surprise teams of the year, will take on Rice. The Owls are coming off a 24-22 upset over Purdue.

I know anything can happen, but Baylor hasn't lost to Rice since 1992, and with Heisman candidate Robert Griffin III leading them, expect the streak to continue. Rice doesn't do anything exceptionally well on either side of the ball, and will struggle to keep up with the Bears on offense.

16. West Virginia Mountaineers

The West Virginia Mountaineers are coming off a nice victory over Maryland last week, but the game this week against the LSU Tigers will be a little different.

The Mountaineers are a fast-paced offensive team, but the offensive line is brutal. LSU has one of the best defensive lines in the country, and will cause problems for Geno Smith and the running game.

Expect the Mountaineers to keep things close and competitive at home, but the Tigers' defense will be too much.

15. Florida Gators

The Florida Gators will take to the road for the first time this season, and will take on the Kentucky Wildcats. This game should be a complete mismatch, as Kentucky struggles on both sides of the ball and the Gators play well.

Look for running back Chris Rainey to have a big day and continue to gain some Heisman respect, and for the Gators to extend the winning streak to 25 games over Kentucky.

14. Arkansas Razorbacks

The Arkansas Razorbacks have a real shot of making a statement in the rankings against the Alabama Crimson Tide this weekend. It's really going to be a matchup of the Crimson Tide defense against the Razorbacks' offense.

If the Razorbacks can manage to score a few touchdowns, they will probably win the game due to Alabama's shaky quarterback situation. The Razorbacks will also get Greg Childs back, which is huge.

13. Virginia Tech Hokies

The Hokies have struggled early on this season, with games against East Carolina and Arkansas State. This week they get another cupcake in Marshall, who has already lost to West Virgina and got destroyed by Ohio.

The Hokies will win this game easily, but have to play better as they are a week away from their ACC schedule.

12. South Carolina Gamecocks

South Carolina is taking on Vanderbilt this week after the Gamecocks almost suffered an upset against Navy a week ago.

The Commodores' defense is great at forcing turnovers, and that's something the Gamecocks have struggled with early on. Quarterback Stephen Garcia needs to play better if South Carolina expects to play in the SEC Championship game this year.

Head coach James Franklin is doing a great job with this Vanderbilt team, but South Carolina is too talented on both sides of the ball to lose this game at home. 

11. Florida State Seminoles

The Florida State Seminoles suffered a heartbreaking loss to the Oklahoma Sooners last week, but get a chance to get the bad taste out of their mouth against the Clemson Tigers.

The Seminoles could be in trouble if quarterback E.J. Manuel isn't going to play, but freshman Clint Trickett didn't play badly at all. Clemson has a ton of speed on both sides of the ball, but so does Florida State.

I believe that defense is going to be the difference in this game, and Florida State has that department shut down. Seminoles win.

10. Oregon Ducks

The Oregon Ducks have climbed their way back into the Top 10 after losing to the LSU Tigers in Week 1. Now they have an interesting matchup against the Arizona Wildcats.

This game could be interesting because both teams have high-scoring offenses. The problem is, the Ducks aren't one dimensional like Arizona is, and Oregon also plays defense.

Until Arizona starts playing to their potential, you have to go with the Ducks here.

9. Nebraska Cornhuskers

Can anybody explain to me what is wrong with the Nebraska defense? Giving up 420 yards to Washington is nothing to be excited about.

Good news is they play Wyoming this week, and although the Cowboys are 3-0, they are nowhere near the talent level that Nebraska is.

The Cornhuskers win this game, and hopefully they improve for the huge game against Wisconsin next week.

8. Texas A&M Aggies

The Texas A&M Aggies take on the Oklahoma State Cowboys in what should be a classic shootout. If you combine both teams' average points scored, you'll have a ridiculous 93 points scored.

Of course, that is unlikely to happen, but there will be a ton of scoring in this one.

Both teams have great quarterbacks and a solid supporting cast, and whichever team scores last will probably be the winner.

I'll go with Texas A&M, simply because they are the home team, but this game could go either way.

7. Oklahoma State Cowboys

See the last slide.

6. Wisconsin Badgers

The Wisconsin Badgers are probably the dark horse to win the National Championship. With Russell Wilson under center, this offense is almost impossible to stop.

Well, maybe it can be stopped, but it hasn't yet, and South Dakota won't be the first to do so.

The Badgers win this game with no problem.

5. Stanford Cardinal

Idle.

4. Boise State Broncos

The Broncos are on a mission to run the table and put pressure on the NCAA to let them into the National Championship game. Their next stop is Tulsa, who has already been torched by two other Top 10 teams.

This game won't be any different, as the Broncos continue to roll and Kellen Moore improves his Heisman stock.

3. Alabama Crimson Tide

The Alabama Crimson Tide get their first true test of the season with a game against the Arkansas Razorbacks. This game will come down to the key matchup of Alabama's defense against Arkansas' offense. 

If the Razorbacks are able to put points up, the Crimson Tide are in trouble, because I don't think anybody is comfortable with their quarterback situation.

2. LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers so far are the most impressive team in the country, and they look to build on that resume with a matchup against the West Virginia Mountaineers.

This game will come down to whether West Virginia's offensive line can block LSU's defense line, and I don't believe it can.

This game will still be interesting, but the Tigers continue to win and will make a case for the National Championship.

1. Oklahoma Sooners

The Oklahoma Sooners survived a scare against the Florida State Seminoles last week, and take on the Missouri Tigers this week.

The Tigers love to run the ball, as they average 257 rushing yards a game, but if last week's game showed us anything, it's that the Sooners' defense is no joke. Missouri is going to struggle moving the ball, and Landry Jones will bounce back from a sub-par showing last week.

If the Sooners didn't lose last week, don't expect them to lose to a lesser opponent this week.