College Football Cheat Sheet: Swing Game Saturday

Week 4 of the college football season has officially arrived. Things are moving along quickly as expected. This slate is an underrated one.

There are rivalry games, huge swing matchups in multiple power conferences, and a beautiful Big Ten game in the after dark window. Saturday will be a fun one even if there isn’t a true marquee helmet game on the schedule.

KSR’s College Football Cheat Sheet has returned for the 2025 season to set the table on Fridays for the football weekend all season long. Let’s dive into the Week 4 card.

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Playoff swing games

The biggest four games of this week’s card standout in a real significant way. The Big 12, Big Ten, and SEC each are hosting a game featuring teams who all have a legitimate path to the playoff. None look like potential top-four seeds at the moment but each could take a big step forward to building a resume with a huge win in Week 4.

— No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah: There will be some breakfast football in Salt Lake City for this monstrous Big 12 game in the Big Noon window. Utah might be a betting favorite in every game they play this season. This might be the only game that Texas Tech is a dog in. The winner will join Iowa State as the early favorites to make it to the conference championship game to play for an automatic bid. Utah underwent a big makeover on offense this offseason and Texas Tech spent big bucks to upgrade the roster in Lubbock. It’s a huge game for both programs.

— No. 21 Michigan at Nebraska: The Wolverines are hitting the road this week without Sherrone Moore. Michigan already has one loss with a schedule that includes remaining games against USC (road) and Ohio State (home). A loss would all but eliminate Michigan from playoff contention, but a win creates a real path to an at-large bid thanks to a favorable schedule in October and November. This is a huge moment for the Nebraska program as year three gets rolling for Matt Rhule. The Huskers get Michigan and USC at home while avoiding Ohio State and Oregon. A big year is possible if they can get this home win. This is a very important game for both sides.

— No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma: Both SEC teams face a brutal schedule this season. This game in Norman serves as a chance for each to add a quality win to the resume. It would be the second quality victory for each team. Auburn appears to be better on the lines but Oklahoma has the quarterback advantage in the Jackson Arnold bowl. The Sooners needed a disastrous Auburn pick-six last year to win this game. There will likely be some fireworks on ABC.

— No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana: The expectation for both of these long-suffering Big Ten programs was a double-digit win season and playoff berth. It seems impossible for both to meet that. The winner in Bloomington will have the advantage. The loser could be headed to a year that will be seen as a missed opportunity. This is such a huge moment for both programs and fan bases. That should create quite the night game atmosphere at Memorial Stadium.

Non-conference rivalries come into focus

Conference realignment has taken away some rivalries but we’re seeing a push to get some of them back. The Backyard Brawl treated us to another classic in Week 3. There are three more on the slate in Week 4.

— SMU at TCU: This is currently the last scheduled game in the Iron Skillet rivlary. SMU has been very outspoken this week about that being TCU’s fault. Former SMU head coach Sonny Dykes was tossed from this game last year in Dallas. Meanwhile, SMU made the playoff just two years after TCU finished as the national runner-up. These stakes feel higher than normal for this early kickoff in Fort Worth.

— Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon: The Civil War could get ugly at Autzen Stadium but these two programs seem to be committed to playing each other long-term.

— Washington at Washington State: The Apple Cup is still running despite the elimination of the Pac-12. Last year was a classic with Wazzu winning because of a goal line stand. The series shifts to Pullman. Washington State is in a rebuild and Washington seems primed to make some noise in the Big Ten.

A big opportunity for Tulane

Jon Sumrall‘s second team is making some noise in New Orleans. Tulane knocked off both Northwestern and Duke at home to give this American squad two power conference wins. Week 4 will give them a shot at a ranked win.

It sounds like Ole Miss will be without starting quarterback Austin Simmons again but that did not stop the Rebels from scoring a bunch of points against Arkansas. Tulane probably does not have the firepower to keep pace in a shootout, but if the road team can keep the pace of play down, then this one could get interesting in the fourth quarter.

With a home game against LSU awaiting next week, this could be a look ahead spot for the Rebels.

Is this the end for Billy Napier?

This is a question we are probably going to be asking until Florida finally decides to move on at this point. A 1-3 start is currently on the table for the Gators unless they pull an upset in Week 4.

Miami is rolling early in the season as Carson Beck is playing good football and Mario Cristobal has been a stout roster on both lines of scrimmage. A home win for the Canes would set up a huge clash when Miami travels to Florida State in Week 6. A loss ramps up the pressure for the Florida administration but a firing after four games would allow nearly the entire roster an opportunity to redshirt.

Billy Napier needs this one badly. A Miami win perhaps sets the stage for a huge season at Hard Rock Stadium.

— Iowa hits the road for a tricky Friday night game in New Jersey. The Hawks have owned this series but the Rutgers offense is putting up some numbers. A 2-2 start would be suboptimal for Kirk Ferentz‘s squad with a huge game in Iowa City against Indiana looming next week. Rutgers has four road games over a five-game stretch after this. A home loss could start a bad run.

— Clemson is struggling. Syracuse at home should be a get-right spot. If the offense does not find some success this week it could be a long season in Death Valley.

— Wisconsin’s schedule in October goes Michigan (road), Iowa (home), Ohio State (home), Oregon (road). That’s not even including November games against Washington (home), Indiana (road), Illinois (home), and Minnesota (road). So, yeah, Luke Fickell needs a win. A home loss to Maryland on Saturday could create quite a tense situation in Madison.

— Arkansas had an important in-state game against Arkansas State in Week 2 before a huge SEC game in Week 3 versus Ole Miss. There is a huge home game against Notre Dame awaiting in Week 5. They just have to play Memphis on the road in Week 4. This is a tricky spot for the Hogs against an American team that looks like a top-30 squad.

— Perhaps the best quarterback matchup of the weekend will occur in Durham. NC State and Duke both have major defensive issues but CJ Bailey and Darian Mensah are each second-year starters who could become first-round picks. This one could be a shootout.

— Missouri’s offense is quietly humming with Penn State quarterback Beau Pribula and ULM running back Ahmad Hardy taking over in Columbia. South Carolina’s offense is not. LaNorris Sellers is scheduled to return to the lineup but Shane Beamer‘s squad has some issues. This one was a classic that included a beautiful two-minute drive from Sellers to win the game last season. Could more fireworks be on the way or does Mizzou run away with this one?

— Texas Tech-Utah is the biggest game in the Big 12 but do not sleep on Arizona State-Baylor. Both have lost a non-conference game to an SEC program but each could make a conference title run. Baylor’s offense has been much better to this point. Sawyer Robertson is a couple more 300-plus yard games with some wins away from becoming a real Heisman Trophy candidate.