2021 Week 4 Preview

Once again, a week that looked quite blah on paper turned out to be interesting. The biggest game of the weekend, Alabama at Florida, turned out to be much better than the first quarter. Florida outplayed the Tide in the final three quarters but couldn’t overcome the 21-spot they gave up early. Oklahoma and Clemson both barely survived their opponents. Penn State and Auburn played a great game despite the second worst SEC ref performance of the weekend (see: Mississippi State at Memphis). Notre Dame and Ohio State ended up with wins that were much closer than the final scores. Fresno State shocked UCLA in a shootout and we learned that Miami is just bad. Conference play is starting for a lot of teams this week and my Hogs have a huge ranked vs ranked game against A&M. Let’s dive into week 4!

My Record: 3-3 last week, 10-8 overall

Notable Games
9Clemson at NC State
This is a huge game for Clemson. The Tigers have not looked good on offense this season. Last week they barely got by Georgia Tech. A lot of things could explain their lackluster performance, the biggest being the long rain delay and wet conditions. I think Clemson is better than they have shown, but they will have a tough road test this week with NC State. I think the Wolf Pack will give Clemson their best shot. I think Clemson is the better team, but so far, they have not shown they are a CFP caliber team.
I am picking Clemson

12Notre Dame vs 18Wisconsin (Chicago)
This is a big game, but I don’t expect a good viewing experience. Notre Dame is probably over-ranked at 12 given their close wins to teams that have proven themselves to be not good. Wisconsin has only played two games and the offense just doesn’t seem to be where we expected. I think Notre Dame will win this game, but no fun will be had. This one is being played at Soldier Field in Chicago for some reason. When will they learn we as fans don’t like neutral site games?
I am picking Notre Dame

Nebraska at 20Michigan State
It is starting to look like Michigan State might actually be good. They took down Northwestern in week one and demolished Miami in Miami last week. Nebraska played really tough last week in a renewed rivalry game against Oklahoma. I just don’t see them bringing that same energy in to this week’s game. Sparty is riding high right now and I just get a better feeling about them than I do for Nebraska.
I am picking Michigan State

24UCLA at Stanford
This game looks a lot more interesting than it did at the beginning of the season. Stanford is coming off of two pretty significant wins where they scored 40+ points. UCLA started off this season stronger than almost any other team in the country but lost a heartbreaker to Fresno State last week. I think the Bruins are a better team, but I’m sure Stanford is feeling pretty good about themselves right now. I expect UCLA to win this game, but Stanford could make it close.
I am picking UCLA

25Kansas State at Oklahoma State
I’m going to be honest, I’m not really sure why Kansas State is ranked. This game should be a close one, but I have not seen much of either team this season. Oklahoma State is coming off a nice win (beat Boise State on the Smurf Turf). I’m not totally sold on either team’s offense. I am picking the Cowboys because they are the home team, but I don’t know who has the better team.
I am picking Oklahoma State

FAU at Air Force
If you want a lot of offense, this game should deliver exactly that. Both these teams love to score. Air Force is coming off a crazy game against Utah State that they lost right at the end. FAU scored 45 against Fordham last week. I think Air Force is the better team, but this one could be crazy. The over/under for this game is only 54.5, which seems very low to me. I expect a fun game
I am picking Air Force

7Texas A&M vs 16Arkansas (Dallas)
This is the other ranked vs raked matchup of the weekend. Arkansas usually plays their best game against A&M, no matter what shape they are in. It has been a while since this game has really meant anything in terms of SEC play. We might see a rare low-scoring affair this year. I am worried that the tough A&M defense will make it so KJ will have to throw the ball. I know he can be accurate, but I’m not sure the consistency is there against a defense like this. The Aggies are having to use their backup QB and that could be helpful for the Hogs. The defense will need to play well for a full four quarters. I think most scores will be long ones. This game always comes down to weird plays, and I expect nothing less from the Southwest Classic. I’m sure I’ll be on the edge of my seat the whole game.

Top 25
Southern Miss at 1Alabama
2Georgia at Vanderbilt
Arizona at 3Oregon
West Virginia at 4Oklahoma
Colorado State at 5Iowa
Villanova at 6Penn State
7Texas A&M vs 16Arkansas (Dallas)
8Cincinnati BYE
9Clemson at NC State
Akron at 10Ohio State
Tennessee at 11Florida
12Notre Dame vs 18Wisconsin (Chicago)
13Ole Miss BYE
14Iowa State at Baylor
USF at 15BYU
UMass at 17Coastal Carolina
Rutgers at 19Michigan
Nebraska at 20Michigan State
Georgia Tech at 21North Carolina
UNLV at 22Fresno State (Friday)
Georgia State at 23Auburn
24UCLA at Stanford
25Kansas State at Oklahoma State

Other Games
LSU at Mississippi State
SMU at TCU
Boise State at Utah State
Louisville at Florida State
Kentucky at South Carolina