College football is entering week 4. There are always things to watch every week of the season. Here are 5 things to watch in college football week 4.
One of the best games of the weekend features Notre Dame and Wisconsin at Soldier Field. Former Wisconsin quarterback Jack Coan will have a chance to beat his old team when the two teams meet. Coan has led Notre Dame to a 3-0 record, but things haven’t looked pretty. They have struggled to move the ball consistently in all three games and will have to be more physical than Wisconsin. A win against a solid Badgers team will do a lot for the momentum of this team.
Wisconsin is 1-1 on the season, but their one loss was to Penn State who looks great to start the season. The Badgers are starting Graham Mertz, who took over for Coan at Wisconsin, but has looked shaky this season. There lead back Chez Mellusi, the Clemson Tiger transfer, has 265 rushing yards in the two games played this season. The defense has been one of the best in the country allowing 11.5 points per game. It will be a defensive struggle at Soldier Field and Coan could be the difference against his former team.
Arkansas opened some eyes when they defeated Texas in week 2. Now, they are ranked and look like they will be competitive in the SEC West. The combination of K.J. Jefferson and Treylon Burks on offense have been able to wreak havoc on defenses, but the defense has also made things tough for opposing offenses. They will have another chance to prove how good they are when they take on Texas A&M at home this weekend.
The Aggies came into the season with high expectations. They are undefeated still, but things haven’t looked great. What made things worse was starting quarterback Haynes King getting injured. Zach Calzada came into the lineup and narrowly helped Texas A&M win against Colorado before having a more even game against New Mexico. The Arkansas defense could take advantage of this situation and win a big game at home.
One of the biggest surprises so far this college football season is Clemson’s struggles to move the ball. In their two games against FBS competition, the Tigers have scored a total of 17 points. Only scoring three against Georgia lost them the game, while Northern Illinois was able to score more on Georgia Tech than Clemson did. The talent is there at Clemson, especially with D.J. Uiagalelei at quarterback, but things aren’t clicking.
This week the Tigers are going up against the NC State Wolfpack. NC State has lost some key defensive players to injury, but they are a solid team still. Clemson is favored by 10 on the road, but in addition to winning they have to show improvements on offense. This includes receivers getting separation, the line blocking and running backs finding holes. If Clemson wishes to get themselves back in the College Football Playoff talk, their offense needs to be much better.
Oklahoma is another undefeated team that has not played to their potential yet this season. They have had close games with Nebraska and Tulane, which are teams they should’ve put away early. Spencer Rattler is forcing throws and the defense isn’t playing as good as they were expected to. They will have their first Big 12 game this week against West Virginia, which could give them some problems.
The Mountaineers are 2-1 with a tough loss to an undefeated Maryland team. In Week 3, West Virginia defeated a ranked Virginia Tech team. They were specifically stout on defense, as they allowed just 21 points. Their defense looks solid, but can their offense, led by quarterback Jarrett Doege and running back Leddie Brown, produce enough points to keep up with Oklahoma? Time will tell. But Oklahoma will have their toughest test yet against the Mountaineers.
There are two matchups of undefeated power five teams that haven’t been mentioned yet. First, Kansas State will go on the road to play Oklahoma State. The Wildcats are ranked 25th after defeating Stanford and Nevada early in the season. A problem for them is that quarterback Skylar Thompson is out for the foreseeable future, but the team beat a tough Nevada team without him. Oklahoma State has looked sloppy, but got a big win over Boise State on the road in week 3. The game should help give some clarity on both of these teams.
While neither team has been truly put to the test a battle of Big Ten East teams in Michigan and Rutgers will have just one team leaving with their first loss of the season. Michigan has put up points in their first few games, averaging 47.7. They have the top rushing attack in the country and Cade McNamara has looked solid under center. Rutgers has scored 41 points per game and has solid wins over Temple and Syracuse, but that will pale in comparison to what they will face in Big Ten play.
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