Now that we’re into the meat of the college football season, we have plenty of critical conference matchups to watch. There are three league matchups featuring ranked teams this Saturday, and all of them could have College Football Playoff ramifications.
Here’s what to watch in Week 4, starting with an early kickoff in Salt Lake City.
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No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah (-3.5)Noon ET, Fox
Neither school has played the toughest of competition, but you can argue that both Tech and Utah have been two of the most impressive teams in the conference. The Red Raiders lead college football with 58 points per game, led by QB Behren Morton. The Utes counter with New Mexico transfer Devon Dampier, who is completing 73% of his passes and has thrown seven touchdowns. This game is an early-season referendum on the key additions both teams made in the transfer portal.
No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma (-6.5)3:30 p.m. ET, ABC
Former Oklahoma QB Jackson Arnold returns to Norman after a tumultuous 2024 season. Arnold has looked good through three games for the Tigers, but this will be a tougher test against OU’s stout defense. Offensively, John Mateer has stabilized the QB position in Norman after arriving from Washington State. Mateer was responsible for all three of Oklahoma’s TDs in the Sooners’ Week 2 win over Michigan.
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No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana (-6.5)7:30 p.m. ET, NBC
This game could end up having massive implications for the CFP at the end of the season. The Hoosiers were the fourth Big Ten team in the playoff, just ahead of Illinois. The Illini return most of their starting lineup from last year, and they have a more favorable conference schedule than Indiana. Can Illinois begin its playoff journey on Saturday?