Viewing Guide: Week 4

Week three was unkind to a lot of ranked teams, with three teams dropping out of the Top 25 and top 10 teams losing.

Let's take a quick look back at week three:

• A No. 2 USC team that many thought was the best in the nation coming into the season was knocked off for the fourth straight year by No. 21 Stanford.
• No. 10 Michigan State was upset 20-3 at home by No. 20 Notre Dame. Is this the year the Irish are back in serious contention for a NC game?
• Virginia Tech. Nothing to see here, carry on.
• Arkansas was without starting quarterback Tyler Wilson, but let's be honest, No. 1 Alabama's 52-0 win over the Razorbacks shows it was more than just the QB position.
• Georgia Tech flexed their offensive muscles with a beat down of ACC foe Virginia and No. Texas hung 66 on Ole Miss, a game that looked more like practice for the two teams.
• No. 18 Florida pulled away from No. 23 Tennessee in the second half of a big SEC game.

So what does Week 4 have in store for college football fans? Follow the jump to find out.

Just like last week, VT's game not included.

Ten Games to Watch This Weekend

(in order of play. All times ET, all games subject to local network blackouts)

THURSDAY

BYU at No. 24 Boise State, 9:00 PM ESPN
BYU (2-1) started out strong but fell last week to in-state rival Utah by three points, despite clawing back from 24-7 deficit. Boise State (1-1) opened with a four-point loss to Michigan State, took a week off, then knocked off Miami (OH) by a score of 39-12. This should be a good Thursday night match-up on the blue turf in Boise.

FRIDAY

Baylor at Louisiana-Monroe, 8:00 PM ESPN
Baylor (2-0) may no longer have Robert Griffin III, but they can still put up some impressive offensive numbers. The Bears are sixth in the nation in points for per game (53.5) and ninth in passing yards for per game (352.5). However, Louisiana-Monroe is now slouch, beating at-the-time No. 8 Arkansas by three in overtime and coming up just a field goal shy of Auburn in a defeat last weekend. Baylor needs to be on the lookout against UL-M.

SATURDAY

Kentucky at No. 14 Florida, 12:21 PM SEC NETWORK/ESPN3
Kentucky (1-2, 0-0) lost to Western Kentucky 32-31 in OT as the Hilltoppers converted at two-point conversion for the win, putting Kentucky at 0-2 vs. teams from the Commonwealth of Kentucky. Florida (3-0, 2-0) will be a tough, tough task for the Wildcats and honestly, I don't think they have a chance. Should be entertaining though.

Oregon State at No. 19 UCLA, 3:30 PM ABC/ESPN2
Oregon State has played just one game this season as their opening game was postponed due to Hurricane Isaac. The one game was a big one though, a win over then No. 13 Wisconsin. However, the Beavers go on the road to face PAC-12 foe UCLA, who under Jim Mora have rushed for over 300 yards a game. UCLA knocked off No. 15 Nebraska in week two, the signature win of the young season.

Missouri at No. 7 South Carolina, 3:30 PM CBS
Missouri (2-1, 0-1) looks for their first win in the SEC, but it'll be very tough to win on the road at No. 7 South Carolina (3-0, 1-0). Missouri's first attempt to win an SEC fell short against Georgia in week two. The Tigers defeated Arizona State in week three to get above .500. South Carolina opened with a close win over Vanderbilt and then blew East Carolina and UAB out of the water in weeks two and three, respectively. South Carolina should be able to win this one, but if Missouri's defense can cause trouble it may be tighter than expected.

No. 2 LSU at Auburn, 7:00 PM ESPN
On paper, LSU (3-0, 0-0) should be able to handle Auburn (1-2, 0-1) with ease. However, as is the case with sports, what's on paper doesn't always translate to an outcome on the field. LSU has a highly talented team and can use this game as a good opportunity to prepare for the rest of the SEC schedule.

**No. 18 Michigan at No. 11 Notre Dame, 7:30 PM NBC
Michigan (2-1) travels to South Bend, Ind. to face Notre Dame (3-0) in Saturday's marquee match-up, outside of the ACC. This is often a high-spirited game and both teams have a lot on the line. Though a loss doesn't hurt Michigan's Big 10 chances, a loss would severely affect Notre Dame's early-season push for BCS title game hopes. The Fighting Irish impressively dispatched No. 10 Michigan State on the road and now faces the other team from Michigan. The Wolverines were embarrassed in week one by Alabama but followed that up with wins over Air Force and UMass. But neither of those teams are close to what the Wolverines will face Saturday on the road.

Vanderbilt at No. 5 Georgia, 7:45 PM ABC
Vanderbilt (1-2, 0-1) takes to the road for the second game of their SEC schedule, but it's not going to get any easier as they face Aaron Murray's Georgia (3-0, 1-0). Vanderbilt lost a close one to South Carolina team to start the season then dropped a game to Northwestern before plastering Presbyterian College in week three. Georgia sandwiched the Missouri win with wins over two lesser quality opponents. Georgia should be able to control the outcome for this one very easily.

No. 15 Kansas State at No. 6 Oklahoma, 7:50 PM ET FOX
K-State (3-0, 0-0) is lead by dual-threat quarterback Colin Klein--who has tallied five touchdowns through the air and four on the ground this season. Oklahoma (2-0, 0-0) get their first true test of the the season after opening with UTEP and then walloping Florida A&M. K-State embarrassed Miami 52-13 in week two. Both of these teams are good, on Saturday we'll find out just how good.

No. 22 Arizona at No. 3 Oregon, 10:30 PM ESPN
RICH ROD's Arizona (3-0, 0-0) shook off the dust after a close call against Toledo in the season opener and put up 55+ points in back-to-back games. The Wildcats head to Autzen Stadium to face Oregon (3-0, 0-0) in the first PAC-12 game of the year for either school. Arizona has thrown for over 350 yards per game while the Ducks have run for over 320 per game so this game has the potential to be a back-and-forth affair. Oregon can make a bit of a statement with a big win

Five ACC games to watch this weekend

(Games are subject to local viewing stations)

SATURDAY

Maryland at No. 8 West Virginia, 12:00 PM FX
This game makes a whole hell of a lot more sense to play on a neutral field than WVU-JMU, but that's just me I guess. Maryland (2-1) has one goal on Saturday: to not get embarrassed. The Terrapins barely beat William & Mary, defeated Temple by nine and lost to UCONN by three. West Virginia (2-0) is a very talented team, make no mistake about that. Though the Mountaineers have yet to face a tough opponent (Marshall week one, JMU week two), they've still handled business very easily. For me, I'm just interested to see the scoreline after this one's over.

Virginia at No. 17 TCU, 12:00 PM ESPN
UVA (2-1) started the year strong with two wins, but that all fell apart in week three as Georgia Tech crushed them 56-20. They get another tough game this week as they travel to Fort Worth to face TCU (2-0). TCU opened with a shutout of Grambling State and followed that with a much closer 20-6 win over Kansas. Virginia could do the ACC some favors by winning this one but Gary Patterson's teams are always very well coached and this would be a tough one for UVA to pull out on the road.

East Carolina at North Carolina, 3:30 PM ESPNU
East Carolina (2-1) travels to Chapel Hill to face North Carolina (1-2). The Pirates get their second big test of the year after losing to South Carolina in week two. The Tar Heels started with a 62-0 win over Elon but dropped back-to-back games against Wake Forest and No. 19 Louisville. This is a chance for UNC to get back on track.

Miami at Georgia Tech, 3:30 PM ESPN3
Looking at this game on the calendar you'd normally think that it'd be a huge game for the ACC, but with the way Miami has played this year it doesn't have the same appeal. Now, VT fans will be very interested in the outcome of the game as it has two Coastal division rivals squaring off. Miami (2-1, 0-0) opened with a shaky win over a pretty bad Boston College team followed by a demoralizing loss to Kansas State in week two. The Hurricanes opened their home play against Bethune-Cookman last weekend, in front of maybe 5,000 fans. Georgia Tech (2-1, 1-1) opened their season in a way you all know, then beat Presbyterian and spanked UVA this past weekend. Georgia Tech seems like the offense is starting to click and Miami has struggled on both sides of the ball. Georgia Tech should win this one and has the potential to do so big.

No. 10 Clemson at No. 4 Florida State, 8:00PM ABC
This game has some pretty high stakes. The winner of this game will likely win the Atlantic division and also pads their resume for any BCS title game talk. Clemson (3-0, 0-0) defeated Auburn by seven in week one and then rolled over Ball State and Furman in two and three, respectively. Florida State started with a 69-3 victory over Murray State and hasn't allowed a point since, outscoring opponents 176-3. FSU will get its first real test on defense though as Clemson fields a talent-rich offense with Tahj Boyd, Andre Ellington, Sammy Watkins and Deandre Hopkins all on the field at the same time. Clemson will also get their first big challenge of the season as the FSU offense ranks 11th in rushing yards per game. I'm not going to say much more than this game will be one hell of a contest and it's good for the ACC to take center stage like this.

Which games are you most excited about for this weekend?