Which College Football Teams Will Set Themselves Apart on Saturday?

Last week, ESPN decided it would brand the weekend’s action (plus Thursday and Friday’s games) “Road Test Weekend” because a few highly ranked teams had moderate to large matchups on the road. Cheesy as it may be, from their perspective it’s an easy way to give viewers a loose theme and a reason to watch the games the network was broadcasting.

One problem (aside from the lame obvious one)—if you’re going to name one weekend, you’ve got to name them all. Lucky for you, you don’t have to wait the hours or days to find out how 2011’s Week 4 will forever be remembered. Since we’re mostly through the non-conference portion of the schedule, there are certain important qualities we’ve learned about almost everyone, which is why I now present to you the ALMOST POSITIVE ABOUT REAL TEAMS Weekend, or "A.P.A.R.T."

So who sets themselves apart from the rest of their conference or the tier beneath them? Let’s take a stroll through the biggest five games unfolding during your inaugural A.P.A.R.T parties:

(14) Arkansas at (3) Alabama

Aside from being better than Kent State and North Texas (!), we know Alabama is better than Penn State in every conceivable way, which means less and less with each down of offense the Nittany Lions choose to subject upon their fans.

Arkansas we know less about (better than New Mexico!), but it’d be pretty surprising if the Hogs aren’t able to move the ball, at least on and off, in Tuscaloosa, especially as running back Ronnie Wingo comes into his own after taking over full-time duties for the injured Knile Davis. 

Who’s set apart? After a surprisingly productive first half from Tide quarterback A.J. McCarron, Alabama’s offense stagnates…but not enough to let an Arkansas comeback ruin their SEC opener. Alabama by 4.

(7) Oklahoma State at (8) Texas A&M

The Big 12, despite the whole brink of extinction and forced resignation of its commissioner thing, could quickly become more interesting on the field thanks to five quarterbacks as good or better than the best five any other conference could submit.

Thus, you take the good with the bad with Oklahoma State’s Brandon Weeden—the 300-450 yards come with a couple of picks. Oh, and the good is also running back Joseph Randle and unfairly dominant wide receiver Justin Blackmon, owner of college football’s least believable birth certificate.

Like the Pokes, Texas A&M has looked very good, but with less of a résumé. Unlike Oklahoma State, the Aggies should feel confident in their ability to get defensive stops.

Who’s set apart? Aggie running back Cyrus Gray and his 138 yards rushing are the difference between two teams capable of winning double-digit games this season. Texas A&M by 8.

(2) LSU at (16) West Virginia

It’d be easy to frame this game in a similar way to how many looked at the Oregon-LSU matchup—offensive speed vs. defensive athleticism—but that’d be selling the specific madness of Dana Holgorsen and Les Miles short.

LSU has proven, at least for the time being, that nobody can run on them, east, west, north, south—wherever. The Mountaineers have made it abundantly clear that they themselves have very little interest in running any sort of distances in the running game. Works out well, right?

West Virginia has been able to put up numbers/points through the air (halves at a time, anyway) and hopes to spread the Tigers around the field enough to force coverage and open-field miscues.

Conversely, Les Miles and LSU are happy to just swallow West Virginia whole and let the offensive line slowly wear down a talented Mountaineer front.

Who’s set apart? Until I see otherwise, LSU…just, LSU. Could this be the game that a defensive front forces Jarrett Lee to throw 25-30 times to win the game? Absolutely. Will it be? Absolutely not. LSU by 7. 

(11) Florida St at (21) Clemson

In what can only be described as a “Double Letdown Game” (Ty Hildenbrandt, Solid Verbal), let’s pause to think about what we definitively know about both of these teams. 

The biggest speed (and therefore most intriguing) matchup will be between Clemson’s offense and Florida State’s defense. Assuming both make sufficient enough plays to damage the other team throughout the game, let’s reflect on Florida State’s offense against Clemson’s D.

A dinged-up EJ Manuel has proven that he’s not quite ready for Oklahoma-level prime time (or at all Saturday) and Clemson’s front made it clear that a running game that’s on par with Auburn’s (few are) and run to the right, early and often. Lucky for Clemson, Florida State’s ground game simply isn’t there yet, especially with QB health issues abound.

Who’s set apart? I was leaning Florida State, but in Death Valley and the looming threat of a Clint Trickett sequel, I’m…I’m…taking Clemson by 4.

(23) USC at Arizona State

You could argue at this point that I may be trending toward obsession with ASU linebacker Vontaze Burfict, and in arguing so, you’d probably be correct. I have nothing more to add specifically about him, but it feels good to come clean about things every once in a while.

The 2011 offensive model of the Trojans seems to be an odd, bizarro-world version of what we’d come to expect from the Pete Carroll Trojans of yore. Then: a lethal, varied rushing attack that came at teams in waves before setting up a healthy dose of play action utilizing impossibly tall and physical receivers. Now?: The Trojans employ pass-first offense reliant on an extraordinary stable of smaller, faster receivers stretching the field…and very little in the way of a running game. The merits of each can be argued, but USC is slowly becoming comfortable winging the ball around, despite early season inconsistencies.

Arizona State is battle(ish) tested, with an encouraging home win over Missouri (Brock Osweiler!) and a less encouraging road loss to Illinois (Brock flippin’ Osweiler?). The preseason loss of cornerback Omar Bolden will probably be felt harder Saturday than it will all year, and if ASU fails to force Matt Barkley into quicker decisions than he’d like, it’s pretty easy to imagine multiple calls ending with, “…and they just keep finding the gaps in the Sun Devil secondary.”

Who’s set apart? This has the potential, depending on ASU’s pass rush, to be an ugly, ugly game, which can only be seen as a positive for those in faded maroon/black/white/gold. I see intermittent ugliness mixed with a healthy dose of “Whoa, who’s this (USC receiver) Marquise Lee guy?” USC by 11.

Dan Rubenstein co-hosts The Solid Verbal college football podcast and can be followed on Twitter here.