Three Games to Watch Week Four

Since the No. 23 Utah Utes won last night 30-24 against the Arizona Wildcats (and yes they did win despite how ugly it looked at times and all the injuries they suffered), they will likely move up in the polls, especially with nine other ranked teams going on the road against unranked foes and two games between ranked teams (both of which are included in this write up). No. 21 South Florida got a win on Thursday night, so

#16 TCU at #6 Oklahoma State 1:30 p.m. MT ESPN

The Horned Frogs and the Cowboys are two of the four undefeated Big XII teams (along with Oklahoma and Texas Tech). Both of these teams can score, so this game could turn into a shootout, even though TCU head coach Gary Patterson is known for defense.

Who to root for and who will win

I think if TCU loses, Utah will move ahead of them, but I am not sure if Utah could jump Oklahoma State, unless they get blown out. Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph has been great this year, and I think he is too much for the Horn Frogs defense, and Oklahoma State gets the win in Stillwater.

#17 Mississippi State at #11 Georgia 5:00 p.m. MT ESPN

Mississippi State jumped from unranked to No. 17 following their 37-7 beatdown at LSU last week. Georgia is 3-0, but two of their wins came against FCS or former FCS teams. They did go to Notre Dame and win 20-19, but we still do not know if the Fighting Irish are any good. Georgia was my pick to win the SEC East before the season while MSU is a hot team right now.

Who to root for and who will win

Mississippi State scored a great win at LSU, but they exposed some serious flaws for the Tigers. Georgia is better than LSU in my opinion, and I wonder if there is a hangover for MSU following the LSU win. Utah would certainly jump MSU if they lose, and they might jump Georgia, but I think Georgia would need to lose by double digits. I think Georgia gets the win at home between the hedges.

#7 Washington at Colorado 8:00 p.m. MT FS1

This is a rematch from the 2016 Pac-12 Championship game. These are two teams who have not been tested this season. Only UW has played a Power Five opponent so far this year, but it was Rutgers. UW returns a lot more talent in 2017 from the 2016 Pac-12 Championship team than Colorado brings back for 2017.

Who to root for and who will win

A Huskies win would give Pac-12 South rival Colorado a conference loss, putting them behind the 8-ball. I think the Huskies have too much offensive firepower for the Colorado defense that lost a lot from last year. The Washington defense is also much better than any defense Colorado has seen this year. UW is favored by double digits, and I expect them to cover.

Upset Special

With a total of 10 ranked teams facing unranked teams on the road, the upset potential seems high this week. Last week, Kansas State, LSU, Stanford, and UCLA all fell on the road to unranked teams. I think we see at least one ranked team go down on the road. Here are three teams who should be worried:

#22 San Diego State at Air Force 5:00 p.m. MT CBSSN

Can SDSU avoid a hangover after their big win against Stanford last week on the road against Air Force? The Air Force option offense can be difficult to prepare for and requires discipline from the opposing defense, which might be tough for San Diego State coming off a huge win.

#4 Penn State at Iowa 5:30 p.m. MT ABC

Iowa has won three-straight at home against top five teams. Penn State has played pretty well this season, but they have not really been tested, and Iowa is tough at home, especially at night (just ask Michigan last season).

#20 Florida at Kentucky 5:30 p.m. MT SECN

Yes Florida has won 30 games in a row against Kentucky, but I am not sold on this Florida offense. They have a good defense, but Kentucky is undefeated. This game kind of feels like LSU at Mississippi State last week.