College football Week 4: As conference play ramps up, more mismatches are on the slate for top teams

Updated Sep. 18, 2024 6:10 a.m. ET

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We aren't quite in the throes of conference play as the first month of the college football season winds down. Things get real next week when Georgia-Alabama gives us a top-five SEC matchup that will be advertised as an early battle for seeding in the College Football Playoff.

In the meantime, No. 1 Texas, No. 3 Ohio State and No. 5 Mississippi each are favored by no fewer than five touchdowns against overmatched opponents Saturday.

The four games pitting AP Top 25 teams are conference matchups, starting Friday night with No. 24 Illinois at No. 22 Nebraska.

The Illini have knocked off a ranked Kansas team and are 3-0 for the first time since 2011. The Cornhuskers are unbeaten through three games for the first time since 2016, which was their last winning season.

No. 11 Southern California, No. 12 Utah and No. 15 Oklahoma will be playing their first conference games in their new leagues. The Trojans visit No. 18 Michigan, the Utes go to No. 14 Oklahoma State and the Sooners host No. 6 Tennessee.

USC-Michigan is one of those so-called helmet games that pair two of the biggest brands in college athletics.

Utah hopes to have quarterback Cam Rising back, though true freshman Isaac Wilson filled in admirably against Utah State last week in his first start. Oklahoma has injury issues on the offensive line and at receiver, and the Nico Iamaleava-led Volunteers have shown no weaknesses on either side of the ball.

Best game

No. 11 Southern California (2-0) at No. 18 Michigan (2-1), Saturday, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS)

This will be the first regular-season meeting between the Trojans and Wolverines since 1958. The last seven matchups, and eight overall, have come in the Rose Bowl.

USC's Miller Moss has established himself as one of the nation's top pure pocket passers, and the Trojans' revamped defense is has allowed a total of 20 points in two games after allowing more than 34 per game in 2023.

The Wolverines' Alex Orji will make his first career start. Davis Warren, the former walk-on who started the first three games, has been intercepted a Big Ten-high six times and thrown for just two touchdowns.

USC is a six-point favorite at the Big House, according to BetMGM Sportsbook,

Heisman watch

Miami's Cam Ward went into the week as the 9-to-2 favorite to win the Heisman Trophy, according to BetMGM, and has another opportunity to put up monster numbers in a road game against South Florida.

Ward is throwing for 345 yards per game with a nation-leading 11 touchdown passes. Five of those TD passes came in last week's 62-0 win over Ball State. Ward had 10 completions go for 20 yards or longer against the Cardinals, and he'll be going against a USF defense prone to giving up the big pass play.

Numbers to know

2 — Consecutive games 2023 rushing yards leader Ollie Gordon Jr. of Oklahoma State has gone without a 100-yard game. Since he became a starter, that hasn't happened since he opened last season with three straight sub-100 outings.

5 — Years since Stanford, which visits Syracuse, played in the Eastern time zone.

178 — Tennessee's SEC-record point differential through three games. The Volunteers have outscored opponents 191-13.

400 — Nebraska's ongoing NCAA-record sellout streak when it hosts Illinois on Friday night.

2009 — Year of UCLA's most recent road win against an SEC opponent (Tennessee). The Bruins visit No. 16 LSU.

Under the radar

Kansas (1-2) at West Virginia (1-2), Saturday, noon ET (ESPN2)

This has the feel of a tipping-point game for the Jayhawks, who were a nine-win team in 2023 after not finishing above .500 since 2008.

Kansas has lost back-to-back games to good but not great teams. Fans are calling for Cole Ballard to replace starting QB Jalon Daniels, who has committed seven turnovers in three games and is averaging a Big 12-low 6.2 yards per pass attempt.

The Mountaineers are extremely tough at home and also in bounce-back mode after blowing a 10-point lead with less than 5 minutes to play at Pittsburgh and losing 38-34.

Hot seat

The status of Arkansas' Sam Pittman has been overshadowed by Billy Napier's implosion at Florida. The Razorbacks had to erase a two-touchdown deficit in the second quarter to beat UAB, a middling American Athletic Conference team. Three straight ranked opponents await the Hogs after this week's visit to Auburn. Pittman is 25-26 in five years in Fayetteville.

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Get poll alerts and updates on the AP Top 25 throughout the season. Sign up here. AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll and https://apnews.com/hub/college-football

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