Week 4 Forecast - The Ivies kickoff this week

 Week 4 Forecast – The Ivies kickoff this week

Key games in the Big 12, Big Ten and SEC

 

Three of the Power Four conferences – Big Ten, Big 12 and SEC – each have an important game this week. The three games are matching undefeated teams. Only the ACC is lacking a key game in Week 4.

 

The biggest of the three games is in the Big Ten – Illinois (3-0) at Indiana (3-0).  Bret Bielema has turned around the program in Champaign-Urbana. Curt Cignetti has done likewise in Bloomington. Indiana made the College Football Playoff last year, his first with the Hoosiers.

 

In the Big 12, Texas Tech (3-0) and Utah (3-0) do battle. The game is in Salt Lake City.  It matches a passing quarterback – Texas Tech’s Behren Morton – against a running quarterback – Utah’s Devon Dampier.

 

The SEC’s big game is Oklahoma’s chance to make some noise this year. Auburn (3-0) takes on Oklahoma (3-0) in Norman. This contest should give us a good indication if Hugh Freeze’s Tigers are for real or if Brent Venables’ Sooners are ready to play some football in 2025. OU already has a good win over Michigan. Likewise, Auburn has a good win over Baylor. The rest of the story: Auburn quarterback Jackson Arnold was Oklahoma’s quarterback last year.

 

In addition to Illinois at Indiana, the Big Ten has three other games the outcomes of which will be interesting. Michigan (2-1) at Nebraska (3-0) will give us a good indication of just how good the Huskers are this year. Michigan State (3-0) at USC (3-0), another battle of undefeated teams, will let us know if the Spartans or the Trojans should be taken seriously.

And finally, Iowa (2-1) at Rutgers (3-0) is not a game to be taken lightly. It will give us answers about the Scarlet Knights.

 

Next to Texas Tech at Utah, the best game in the Big 12 is Arizona State (2-1) at Baylor (2-1). Baylor bounced back from its loss to Auburn, beating SMU. This could be a sink or swim game for the Sun Devils. Lose, and Arizona State’s season is gasping for air. Win, and the Sun Devils are back in the saddle gain.

 

Next to Auburn-Oklahoma, the best game in the SEC is South Carolina (2-1) at Missouri (3-0). The Gamecocks unexpectedly stubbed their toe last week against Vanderbilt – big time. So, this is really an important game for South Carolina. Behind Beau Pribula and Ahmad Hardy, Missouri has been flying high.

 

Then there are two big interconference games this week – Tulane (3-0) at Ole Miss (3-0) and SMU (2-1) at TCU (2-0). Tulane will most likely suffer its first loss this week. But the Green Wave could give Ole Miss a good fight. SMU-TCU is a great rivalry in Texas.  

 

I am curious about the outcomes of Arkansas (2-1) at Memphis (3-0), Maryland (3-0) at Wisconsin (2-1) and North Carolina (2-1) at UCF (2-0). Can Memphis hang with the Razorbacks? How good (or bad) is Maryland? We know Wisconsin is not that good. And Bill Belichick versus Scott Frost in Orlando.   

 

The Ivy League begins play this week. We have to pay them homage for getting our great game of football off to a rousing start back in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The eight-member league is not what it used to be, but they are still playing football. The games are fun too. I went to a Princeton-Dartmouth game in Hanover, New Hampshire back in 1974. Princeton won, 14-7.

 

Columbia gets the action started this year on Friday night – Columbia at Lafayette. The remaining seven games are on Saturday. Four home games – Georgetown at Brown, New Hampshire at Dartmouth, San Diego at Princeton and Holy Cross at Yale. Three Ivies are on the road – Cornell at UAlbany, Harvard at Stetson and Penn at Stonehill.

 

Iconic actor, producer and director Robert Redford died on September 16. Redford starred in several of the best movies ever made, including many of my favorite movies – “The Chase” (1966), “Barefoot in the Park” (1967), “Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid” (1969), “The Candidate” (1972, “The Sting” (1973), “The Way We Were” (1973), “Three Days of the Candor” (1975), “All the President’s Men” (1976), “The Electric Horseman” (1979); “The Natural” (1984), “Out of Africa” (1985), and “Up Close and Personal” (1996). He directed the movie “A River Runs Through It” (1992). In Van Nuys High School (California), Redford was a classmate with baseball pitcher Don Drysdale. He hit tennis balls with Poncho Gonzalez to help Gonzalez warm up for matches. Out of high school, Redford attended the University of Colorado, where he was a member of Kappa Sigma fraternity. After a year and a half in Boulder, he left Colorado to travel in Europe, living in France, Spain and Italy. He later received an honorary degree from Colorado in 1988. He also received honorary degrees from Brown and Colby College. A native of Santa Monica, California, Charles Robert Redford was 89.

 

Touchdown Tom

September 18, 2025

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com

 

 

Touchdown Tom’s Predictions for

Week Four’s 10 Biggest and Most Intriguing Games….and then some

 

GAME OF THE WEEK: 1. #9 Illinois (3-0) at #19 Indiana (3-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – Saturday, NBC – For several years, whenever Illinois and Indiana got together it was typically two of the worst teams in the Big Ten playing each other. Not so anymore. The Banned Indians and the Hoosiers are two of the better teams in the Big Ten. Little-by-little, coach Bret Bielema has been elevating Illinois. Last year coach Curt Cignetti brought Indiana out of the doldrums in his first year coaching the Hoosiers.  Both teams have experienced quarterbacks – Luke Altmeyer for Illinois and Fernando Mendoza for Indiana. Illinois is more experienced at the other positions. Curt bows to Bret – Illinois 31, Indiana 28.

 

RUNNER-UP: 2. #17 Texas Tech (3-0) at #16 Utah (3-0) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, FOX – It’s not unlikely that these two teams could be meeting again in the Big 12 championship game. At this stage of the season, I’m thinking Tech has the stronger offense, Utah has the better defense. Both have capable quarterbacks – Behren Morton for Texas Tech and Devon Dampier for Utah. Morton is a good passer (901 yards this season). Dampier is a good runner (198 yards this season). Utah has the home field and therein lies the difference. Whittingham outwits McGuire – Utah 28, Texas Tech 27.

 

RESRT OF THE BEST: 3.#22 Auburn (3-0) at #11 Oklahoma (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC – Both teams have a good win. Auburn looked good against Baylor. Oklahoma looked good against Michigan. The interesting thing about this game is the Auburn quarterback – Jackson Arnold. Arnold transferred to Auburn from Oklahoma. He didn’t work out as a quarterback in Norman. Coach Hugh Freeze is hoping he works out at Auburn. OU has a transfer quarterback too – John Mateer. He came to Norman from Washington State. Mateer is an accomplished passer. He has already passed for 944 yards this season. Hugh has a brain freeze – Oklahoma 31, Auburn 27.

 

4. #32 Tulane (3-0) at #11 Ole Miss (3-0) – (AC vs. SEC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – Tulane, who could finish the season as the highest-ranked Group of Five team, has a tough one this week. Probably too tough. The Green Wave are undefeated, but they struggled the past two weeks, beating South Alabama, 33-31, and Duke, 34-27. The best thing Tulane has going is quarterback Jake Retzlaff. He quarterbacked BYU last year. Retzlaff can pass and run. Ultimately, Ole Miss has much more talent than Tulane. And as we learned last week, Ole Miss has two good quarterbacks – Austin Simmons and Trinidad Chambliss. If there is a weakness for Ole Miss, it is the defense. A good day to be in The Grove – Ole Miss 34, Tulane 24.

 

5. #28 South Carolina (2-1) at #23 Missouri (3-0) – (SEC vs. SEC) – 7 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN – South Carolina took it on the chin last week – and from Vanderbilt at that. The Gamecocks will need to step up their game this week – big time.  That means they need to have quarterback LaNorris Sellers playing. Sellers suffered a head injury against Vanderbilt. He may or may not play against Missouri. The Tigers are a big threat on offense with the quarterbacking of Beau Pribula and the running of Ahmad Hardy. They are a double threat. Truman loves the taste of chicken – Missouri 30, South Carolina 20.

 

6. #21 Michigan (2-1) at #34 Nebraska (3-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, CBS – This game could be epic. Both teams are solid in the Big Ten. Michigan’s loss was a non-conference game against Oklahoma. The Wolverines will be fighting to remain undefeated in Big Ten play. Michigan is so-so at quarterback, but the Wolverines have a solid running back in Justice Haynes. He has already rushed for 388 yards this season. Nebraska, on the other hand, has a quarterback and a running back – Dylan Raiola and Emmett Johnson. Raiola has passed for 829 yards and Johnson has rushed for 326 yards. The Huskers defense is playing good too. No justice for the Wolverines – Nebraska 28, Michigan 24.  

  

7. Michigan State (3-0) at #25 USC (3-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 11 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – How good are these two teams. Both are undefeated, but both are untested. The Spartans struggled to beat Boston College earlier in the season. The Trojans looked pretty good at Purdue last week. Both teams are weak on the ground. Michigan State is weak through the air. USC, on the other hand, has a good passer in Jayden Maiava. Maiava has passed for 989 yards this season. Trojans coach Lincoln Riley is out to keep his job. His players give him a boost – USC 38, Michigan State 24.

 

8. #31 Arizona State (2-1) at #35 Baylor (2-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX – Both teams lost to an SEC team. Baylor dropped its opener to Auburn. Arizona State lost in the final 30 seconds to Mississippi State. ASU quarterback Sam Leavitt has been disappointing so far this season. He needs a breakout game. On the other hand, Baylor quarterback Sawyer Robertson has been outstanding. And Baylor probably has the better running game. The game is in Waco. It’s not looking good for the Sun Devils. The Bears have a picnic – Baylor 27, Arizona State 24.

 

9. #37 SMU (2-1) at #30 TCU (2-0) – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN2 – SMU lives and dies on the play of quarterback Kevin Jennings. Jennings has been so-so this season. The Mustangs have no running game. TCU has only played two games, but quarterback Josh Hoover has looked good in both games. The Horned Frogs could be a surprise team this year. SMU has already lost to one Big 12 team – Baylor. It looks like the Mustangs are going to lose to another Big 12 team – TCU 31, SMU 28.

 

10. Iowa (2-1) at Rutgers (3-0) – (Big Ten vs. Big Ten) – 8 pm ET, Friday, FOX – We’ll find out this week which of these two teams is for real. Iowa had a tough loss to Iowa State. Otherwise, the Hawkeyes haven’t been tested. Rutgers is undefeated, but untested. As is typical, Iowa has no offense. The Hawkeyes win their games on defense. Rutgers has an offense, but it is not overwhelming. The Scarlet Knights have no defense. But do you need to have a good defense against Iowa? If you like offense, this isn’t your game. The Knights turn off Iowa’s lights – Rutgers 18, Iowa 17.

 

 

YE OLDE STOMPING GROUNDS:

 

West Virginia (2-1) at Kansas (2-1) – (Big 12 vs. Big 12) – Saturday, FS1 – I guess we’ll find out this week if WVU’s win over Pitt last week was a fluke. You gotta figure Kansas is probably no better or no worse than Pitt. But the game is in Lawrence. The Mountaineers defense has been playing well. It’s the offense that is a big question mark. You don’t know if the offense will show up or not. If the offense does show up, will it establish consistency. West Virginia may have found a running back last week – Tye Edwards, filling in for the injured Jahiem White, had 141 yards rushing against Pitt. As Jalon Daniels goes, so goes Kansas. The Jayhawks quarterback is up and down. If he’s up, he can be dangerous. I should have faith, but I don’t – Kansas 27, West Virginia 24.

 

Florida (1-2) at #4 Miami (3-0) – (SEC vs. ACC) – 7:30 pm ET, Saturday, ABC –  Billy Napier’s days are numbered – maybe even more so after this week. It doesn’t look good for Billy. Miami wasn’t kind to Notre Dame or South Florida. The Canes can’t be expected to be kind to Florida. After throwing five interceptions against LSU, Florida quarterback D.J. Lagway could use some breaks against the Canes. The Gator defense needs to step up. That’s Florida’s only hope. Miami quarterback Carson Beck beat Florida when he was at Georgia. He'll continue to beat Florida while he is at Miami. It’s crying time again for Napier – Miami 24, Florida 13.

 

#38 NC State (3-0) at Duke (1-2) – (ACC vs. ACC) – 4 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN2 –  Duke has dropped two-straight games to Illinois and Tulane. Needless to say, the Dookies are hurting. Their passing game is respectable. Darian Mensah has passed for 1,036 yards. But the running game is atrocious. It doesn’t exist. NC State’s passing game has been weak. C.J. Bailey has been a disappointment. But the Wolfpack running game has been decent. So what’s up? NC State is undefeated, and the Wolfpack are likely to maintain an unblemished record. Duke loses three straight – NC State 30, Duke 27.

 

Sam Houston (0-3) at #8 Texas (2-1) – (C-USA vs. SEC) – 8 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+ – After losing that big game to Ohio State, Texas has played two cupcakes. The third cupcake is coming up this week. Arch Manning not only didn’t look good against Ohio State, but also, he didn’t look good against the two cupcakes – San Jose State and UTEP. During the UTEP game, the Texas fans were booing him. Maybe that will shake him out of his funk. He’s definitely in a funk. Regardless how Manning plays, this will be a win for Texas. It’s only a matter of how big of a win. Bevo says, “No sweat” – Texas 45, Sam Houston 17.

 

Purdue (2-1) at #24 Notre Dame (0-2) – (Big Ten vs. Ind.) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, NBC – I really feel sorry for Purdue. You know the Irish are angry – very angry. They should be after losing their first two games. The Irish will take out that anger on the Boilermakers.  Purdue’s only hope is to keep the score decent. It’s doubtful the Boilers can do that. The Irish get their first win of the season – Notre Dame 38, Purdue 13.

 

 

ELSEWHERE AROUND FLORIDA:

 

South Carolina State (2-1) at #27 South Florida (2-1) – (MEAC vs. AC) – 12 noon ET, Saturday, ESPN+….

Harvard (0-0) at Stetson (1-2) – (Ivy League vs. Pioneer) – 1 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….

 

Edward Waters (3-0) at Bethune-Cookman (0-3) – (SIAC vs. SWAC) – 3 pm ET, Saturday….

Kent State (1-1) at #7 Florida State (2-0) – (MAC vs. ACC) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, ACCN….

North Carolina (2-1) at UCF (2-0) – (ACC vs. Big 12) – 3:30 pm ET, Saturday, FOX….

 

Delaware (2-1) at FIU (2-1) – (C-USA vs. C-USA) – 6 pm ET, Saturday, ESPN+….

West Florida (3-0) at North Greenville (1-1) – (Gulf South vs. Carolinas) – 7 pm ET, Saturday….

 

 

Quotes of the Week

 

“We’re not set up to win a national championship. I’ll just be brutally honest with that. But I think we’re set up to compete really well in the Southeastern Conference,” Arkansas athletic director Hunter Yurachek, on the Razorback’s football program.

 

Touchdown Tom

https://collegefootballweek.blogspot.com