After a somewhat weird but mostly underwhelming Week 3, college football has some utterly spectacular entertainment in store for us in Week 4. (Though, to be fair, Week 3 gave us an incredible Colorado-Colorado State showdown, a near-boxing match between Tennessee and Florida and a wildly chaotic Missouri upset over Kansas State.)
This weekend, we’ll see six matchups between ranked opponents and so many other fascinating games up and down the schedule.
This weekend, you might be overwhelmed with options for great college football to watch, and we’re here to help you sort through it all and find the absolute best of the best.
5
Texas A&M vs. Auburn (Saturday, noon ET on ESPN)
Favorite: Texas A&M (-7.5)
You might be wondering, “Why would the writer of this piece include a game between two unranked teams in a week with so many ranked-versus-ranked matchups?” Well, reader, that’s because this isn’t a list of the most important games of the week. It’s a list of the most watchable games of the week, and sometimes that means games where the stakes are high and it’s got nothing to do with the College Football Playoff.
The pressure is finally starting to mount at Texas A&M, and Jimbo Fisher needs to keep this train on the rails if he wants to play out the remainder of his enormous contract. Meanwhile, Auburn has been flying under the radar in Hugh Freeze’s debut season, and an SEC win on the road might finally have the Tigers making some noise.
4
No. 21 Washington State vs. No. 14 Oregon State (Saturday, 7 p.m. ET on Fox)
Favorite: Oregon State (-3)
A showdown between the last teams standing in the Pac-12, and both teams head into the game ranked. With all the backstabbing and betrayal at the hands of their departing Pac-12 rivals, you could almost imagine a sense of mutual respect and camaraderie between these two teams beginning form. But this weekend, it will be a tooth-and-nail battle between two of college football’s most pleasant surprises this season.
3
No. 13 Alabama vs. No. 15 Ole Miss (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on CBS)
Favorite: Alabama (-7)
Alabama has been a major hurdle for Lane Kiffin since he arrived at Ole Miss, and he has to be licking his chops heading into the matchup this weekend. Alabama has looked nothing like the fearsome titan of the past decade-and-a-half so far, particularly on offense. That’s a tough place to be when you’re facing the possibility of having to out-shoot a Lane Kiffin offense.
2
No. 9 Notre Dame vs. No. 6 Ohio State (Saturday, 7:30 p.m. ET on NBC)
Favorite: Ohio State (-3.5)
Things are always heated when these two teams meet, but there’s almost a sense of foreboding heading into this game. While Ohio State is the favorite and the higher-ranked team, there’s a sense that the Buckeyes have underperformed against expectations so far this season, while Notre Dame seems to be moving full-steam ahead with its new-look offense. Both teams are good enough to finally expose some hidden flaws in each other for the first time this season.
1
No. 10 Oregon vs. No. 19 Colorado (Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET on ABC)
Favorite: Oregon (-21)
The most watchable game on our list also has the biggest point spread. But it’s safe to say you can throw out Vegas’ expectations (along with anyone else’s) when it comes to the Buffs. Colorado has given us consistently entertaining and spectacular games this season, and though it’ll be missing arguably the nation’s most explosive player in Travis Hunter, this game should still be a showcase for two of the most spectacular quarterbacks in the country in Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Oregon’s Bo Nix.
