Here we go with week #4 for CFB.  Don't know about you guys, but the bye week seemed to take forever, glad to have the Buckeyes back on the field! 

Last week had a light slate of big matchups and we had to hope for big upsets to make things interesting.  Kentucky almost delivered but they have Mark Stoops as a head coach so... they didn't.   There were some fun games though, LSU vs South Carolina was very entertaining.  As in week 3, there are actually a couple of interesting games on Friday night, and a relatively light slate for Saturday.  Some good games in week 4, but the next few weeks (5, 6 and 7) feature huge matchups with big implications.

Note: these are not game descriptions pulled from the web or AI generated, I'm writing each blurb myself from memory.  If I miss something or make some bonehead mistake, please let me know and I'll fix it.  Then after the game is played I usually put a quick blurb on the actual outcome.

Here we go!

#24 Illinois at #22 Nebraska (-7.5) -- (7:30 PM on FOX, Friday the 20th)
Not only an unusual Friday night ranked vs ranked game, but who'da thunk it that Illinois and Nebraska would both be ranked at this point in the season?  Who would have believed me if I said before the season that before week 4, the top three teams in the B1G standings would be Indiana, Michigan State and Illinois?  I know, reality will set in soon enough, but still pretty crazy.  The fighting Burt's are actually looking pretty competent this year.  Beating E Illinois and C Michigan doesn't say much, but they do have a nice win over Kansas, although that one is losing it's luster a bit as Kansas has been disappointing.  Still, Luke Altmyer has looked solid (7 TD, 0 picks) and their defense has been pretty good as well.  For the Huskers, they are riding high with freshman QB Raiola, but they aren't a one trick pony.  Their defense has been surprisingly stout giving up less than 7 points per game and less than 70 yards on the ground per game.   Sure, it hasn't been great competition, but Colorado has a pretty good passing offense but wasn't able to move the ball on the Huskers at all.  Missing is the usual dominant Nebraska running game, but they are more balanced now that they have a decent QB. Lets see if Raiola can keep playing up to the hype, I'm gonna take Nebraska at home and give the points. 

#11 USC (-5.5) at #18 Cheating scUM -- (3:30 PM on CBS)
Another banger at the Big Outhouse, and I feel comfortable saying we're all hoping for the same kind of result as the last banger there when Texas beat the crap out of the cheating weasels in their own place.  With the change to new D coordinator D'Anton Lynn, the Trojans appear to have a much more solid defense the the putrid one they fielded last year.  They shut out vaunted powerhouse Utah State (lol), and they had a really good showing against LSU in the season opener.  Offensively Miller Moss has been pretty good (no mistakes) and we know USC always has some quality skill position guys on the team like Zach Branch.  Meanwhile, TCUN just switched to Orji as their starting QB after Warren Davis went for 2 TD's and 6 (!!) picks in the first 2 1/2 games of the year.  The weasel fans would have you believe Orji is a stud, but lets remember this guy got beat out by that same Warren Davis in the pre-season for the starting position.   Edwards just isn't the impact RB that Corum was, and the O line just isn't as good, and Connor isn't walking through that door with a nifty sheet of all the (stolen) play signs.  I just don't see TCUN putting up enough points to win this one, I'm going with the Trojans and give the points. 

#12 Utah (-2) at #14 Oklahoma State -- (4 PM on Fox)
The Utes this year have been their usual solid self on defense (albeit against nobodies so far), and their offense has been pretty efficient but unspectacular.   Micah Bernard is one of the better RB's in the country IMO and is good running and receiving out of the backfield.  Isaac Wilson has filled in decently enough at QB, but if this team is going anywhere it's gonna have to be on Cam Rising's shoulders.  Fortunately for them, it looks like he's going to be able to go this week.  For Okie State, QB Alan Bowman has been very good so far, with 8 TD's / 2 picks and close to 70% completion percentage in wins over Tulsa, Arkansas and South Dakota State.  Oklahoma needed double overtime and a huge comeback (and some luck) to get the W over the Razorbacks, their defense this year has not been good at all.   Surprisingly, Ollie Gordon's rushing stats for the season have been very pedestrian.  He's said to be the best RB in the country, but he's only averaging 3.5 yards per carry.  That's ugly.  Their O line must not be opening any holes at all so far.  Should be an entertaining game, I'm not very confident on this one but will go with Utah -2. 

#6 Tennessee (-7) at #15 Oklahoma (7:30 PM on ABC)
This is very much a measuring stick type of game.   The Vol's have been on an absolute tear, obliterating Chattanooga, NC State and Kent State by a combined 191-13.  Sure, not big time competition and the NC State victory isn't what it first seemed, but that's still crazy.   Nico Iamaleava has lived up to the hype so far and then some, but lost in the shuffle is that the Vols running game has been outstanding, with Dylon Sampson and Desean Bishop averaging around 9 yards per carry(!).  The O line has been solid, and the defense has been smothering, led by junior D-end James Pierce.  He's really one of the most explosive defensive ends in the country.   For Oklahoma, they have a 3-0 record, but it hasn't been all that pretty so far.  They beat Temple easily, but struggled against Houston (could have lost) and struggled again against Tulane.  Jackson Arnold has been OK but is getting sacked at an alarming rate (9 sacks in 3 games against low level competition) , and the Sooner running game hasn't done much.  The Sooner defense has been very solid, led by "do everything" linebacker Danny Stutsman.  Ultimately, I think this one comes down to whether Stutsman and his sooner backers can contain Sampson and the running game.  If they do, they can force Iamaleava to make mistakes.  If they can't, it will be a Rocky Top kind of day.   We know UGA, Bama and Texas are in the hunt for the SEC and CFB title, but where to Ole Miss, Tennessee, OK stack up? This game goes a long way toward seeing where OK and the Vols stand.

Some other games of note -- these aren't bangers or particularly relevant, but might be interesting for other reasons.

Stanford at Syracuse (-8.5) -- (7:30 PM on BSPN, Friday the 20th)
Looking at the schedule for the Orange, they could easily be 5-0 by the time they play anything resembling real competition, and even that competition level (NC State) is iffy at this point.   The 'cuse might not be very good, but their cakewalk schedule could get them ranked before they come crashing back to reality.  Kyle McCord has been absolutely lighting it up with Syracuse.  While at OSU he looked tentative, hesitant and unable to get through quick reads, the simplified offensive system with Syracuse appears to suit him much better.   He looks comfortable, makes quick reads and is decisive with throws.   Lets see how he does against the hapless Stanford Cardinal.

#13 Kansas State (-6.5) at BYU (10:30 PM on BSPN)
I'm adding this game in here because I think Kansas State might be on a bit of an upset alert IMO.  Coming off a big (emotional) win vs Arizona last week, there might be a bit of a let-down, and this BYU team is not as bad as most people expected going into the season.  BYU is 3-0 but has played nobody of consequence (S Illinois, SMU, Wyoming), but they've played pretty well.   We'll see if Kansas State is ready to go for this one.

Cal at Florida State (-2.5) (7PM on BSPN2)
Ok, so before the season you could easily have seen this game being a 3-0 team versus an 0-3 team....... but 3-0 Cal vs 0-3 FSU?  Wow.  FSU is favored at home by 2.5, which means on a neutral field they'd be underdogs.   How did things go so bad so quick for Norvell?  Cal is normally a joke, but as Auburn can confirm, even that joke can be good enough to beat a really bad dumpster fire of a team.   

Any other matchups that might be interesting?  Discuss!