2017 Week 4 Preview

Week 3 brought us some major upsets. The biggest being Mississippi State’s complete handling of LSU. Stanford fell to San Diego State, UCLA lost to Memphis, Vanderbilt beat Kansas State. Florida used a last-second hail mary to shock Tennessee, and Texas very nearly upset USC. It was a wild week for sure. There aren’t as many “big” games this weekend, but that means upsets are a possibility. Let’s get into week 4!

How I Fared: 2-4 last week, 13-5 overall

Notable Games
16TCU at 6Oklahoma State
Last week SMU gave TCU a fight for a while. The Horned Frogs ended up winning by 20 but they did give up 36 points. Oklahoma State can score. The Cowboys and their QB Mason Rudolph have scored 59 points twice. Rudolph has thrown 11TDs to just one interception. I think the Pokes are going to be way too much for TCU, but I think both teams will score. The first half might be really entertaining.
I am picking Oklahoma State

17Mississippi State at 11Georgia
Mississippi State throttled LSU last week, winning 37-7. That was a huge shock to college football fans. Miss State looked great and the offense looked really strong. I’m not sure if that game was a product of underestimating Miss State or overestimating LSU. Probably a little of both. Georgia’s biggest test so far has been Notre Dame. I’m not sure how good ND is, so I’m not sure how good Georgia is. I’m really excited to see this game because Georgia’s defense is pretty good. Miss State needs to worry about a let down from last week. The Battle of the Bulldogs should be a good one.
I am picking Mississippi State

20Florida at Kentucky
Florida still has players suspended, but they are coming off that huge miracle win against Tennessee. That could help them or hurt them. Kentucky might be catching them at the perfect time. They might be riding the high of that big win and overlooking Kentucky. Kentucky played really well against South Carolina last week and is trying to join the conversation for SEC East contenders. I think they will fight hard in this game and make it close until the end, but Florida looks to have some magic, even without some of their best players.
I am picking Florida

Duke at North Carolina
The Blue Devils of Duke have been a surprise team so far this season. They are 3-0 and have scored a ton of points. Their biggest win was against a struggling Baylor team last week. I think that win is a very good one, even though Baylor is winless. UNC is just 1-2 with close losses to Cal and Louisville. The Tar Heels gave both of those teams a fight, but couldn’t close the deal. I think this game is going to be a shootout. Lots of points are going to be scored and it might come down to whoever has the ball last. And it’s a rivalry game. What’s not to like?
I am picking Duke

Notre Dame at Michigan State
Michigan State is 2-0 with relatively close wins over Bowling Green and Western Michigan. Like usual, the Spartan defense will keep them in most games, but their offense might hold them back. Notre Dame’s only loss came by one point against Georgia. They have scored 49 points in both of their wins. Their defense hasn’t given up more than 20 points. I think this game is close early, but I expect the Fighting Irish offense to wear out the Spartan defense in the end of the game.
I am picking Notre Dame

UCLA at Stanford
This is a matchup of two wounded teams. Both lost to Group of 5 teams last week. The Cardinal lost to an extremely good San Diego State team. The Aztecs were held to 20 points, but RB Rashaad Penny still rushed for 175 yards. This loss dropped Stanford to 1-2 on the season, their only win coming over Rice in Australia. They will need to have a complete game to beat UCLA. The Bruins ended up losing in a shootout to Memphis. There was a lot of talk on how the early kick might’ve hurt them. I just think it is very hard to win as a ranked team in the Liberty Bowl against Memphis. I think this game will be a shootout, but I think Stanford’s defense will be the difference maker.
I am picking Stanford

Texas A&M vs Arkansas (AT&T Stadium)
Ah, the Southwest Classic. It has been a really long time since Arkansas beat A&M. A&M and ‘Bama are the two SEC West teams Bielema has yet to beat. I have hope that this is the year we get the best chance to take down the Aggies. Texas A&M is a hard team to peg based on the way they have played. They have not played one full game consistently. We know they aren’t a great team, but neither is Arkansas. The Hogs have a lot of things to figure out before Saturday. This is an extremely important game for both teams. I hope Arkansas sets a good tone for their SEC season. I’ll be in Jerry World once again for this game, and I’m hoping for a good game.

Top 25
1Alabama at Vanderbilt
Boston College at 2Clemson
3Oklahoma at Baylor
4Penn State at Iowa
5USC at California
7Washington at Colorado
8Michigan at Purdue
9Wisconsin BYE
UNLV at 10Ohio State
North Carolina State at 12Florida State
Old Dominion at 13Virginia Tech
Toledo at 14Miami
15Auburn at Missouri
Nevada at 18Washington State
Kent State at 19Louisville
Temple at 21South Florida (Thursday)
22San Diego State at Air Force
23Utah at Arizona State (Friday)
Syracuse at 25LSU

Other Games
Texas Tech at Houston
Rutgers at Nebraska
Louisiana Tech at South Carolina