Five College Football Games You Should Watch: Week Four

This piece is a continuation of our weekly series, Five Games You Should Watch. The premise is simple: if you’re an Oregon State Beavers fan, it’s already a safe bet that you’ll watch Saturday’s football game at Oregon (12 PM PST on Big Ten Network), but here are five more games for you to consider.

#17 Texas Tech at #16 Utah - 9 AM PST on Fox

Last Saturday, Beavers fans got a close look at the Red Raiders’ high octane offense. Senior quarterback Behren Morton is throwing an NFL caliber 70.4% completion percentage. It’s not all dinks & dunks, either; Morton has game highs of 41, 50, and 61 yards. He’s thrown 11 touchdown passes and only 1 interception. Thanks to Morton, Texas Tech’s offense can score against any team in the country.

Utah isn't just any team. New Mexico transfer quarterback Devon Dampier gives experienced head coach Kyle Whittingham something he hasn’t had in years: consistency. Three quarterbacks saw game action in 2023. Four quarterbacks saw game action in 2024. Now Dampier is leading Utah back to its promised land as a contender for the College Football Playoff.

#22 Auburn at #11 Oklahoma - 12:30 PM on ABC

If, and only if, Dan Lanning’s juggernauts blast the game out of reach, here’s a potentially fun distraction: Auburn at Oklahoma.

The Tigers are unbeaten; they’re also unchallenged, having only played Baylor, Ball State, and South Alabama. The Sooners resume features an impressive 24-13 win over Michigan, but also two unteachable routs of Illinois State and Temple.

Frankly, we don’t know what we’ll see from these teams on Saturday. Personally, I’m excited to find out more.

North Carolina at UCF - 12:30 PM on Fox

“Obviously, we have a lot of work to do.”

That was Bill Belichick’s assessment of his team’s embarrassing season-opening loss to TCU three weeks ago. Many of you likely had harsher words to say after the game.

Despite an ugly opening night, I still believe Belichick’s North Carolina Tar Heels could be the rare NFL-to-college experiment that actually works: in the NIL era, the lines between college & pro are blurry. Recruiting is less about charisma or social media, and more about managing money. Arguably no current college coach has done that better than Belichick, who was the Patriots de-facto General Manager while he coached the team to a franchise record 6 Super Bowl wins.

The Tar Heels followed up their season opener with a pair of FCS blowouts, so this game will help answer an important question: did they learn anything from the TCU game?

Boise State at Air Force - 4 PM on CBS Sports Network

Just like North Carolina, Boise State’s perception took a nosedive after a brutal season-opening rout. The Broncos followed that up with a blowout win over nearby FCS foe Eastern Washington, and then took a bye.

Now comes their first Mountain West Conference game of the season, against an Air Force side that lost a shootout at Utah State 49-30. The Falcons kept things competitive for a half, before a pair of third quarter Utah State touchdowns ballooned their deficit. If Air Force can run coach Troy Calhoun’s offense cleanly - deliberately plodding down the field without coughing up the football - the Falcons could pull off a huge upset Saturday.

This game has one more compelling draw: Troy Calhoun's deep ties to the Beaver State. Air Force's head coach was born in McMinnville - deep in the heart of Willamette Valley wine country - and moved to Roseburg (roughly an hour south of Eugene) when he was a toddler. Later, Calhoun starred as a quarterback for Thurman Bell's dominant Roseburg teams, in the same option offense he now runs at Air Force.

Michigan State at #25 USC - 8 PM on Fox

Jonathan Smith doesn’t have a lot of friends right now in East Lansing, but Oregon State’s 0-3 start is changing minds at Michigan State. There’s another way Smith could potentially win over supporters: upset USC.

While the Trojans were left unranked in preseason polls, they still carry high expectations earned from their rich tradition. If Aidan Chiles and the Spartans leave Los Angeles with a victory, they’ll earn the respect of the nation, and a collective re-assessment not only of Smith, but of the Michigan State program as a whole.

And if it doesn't work out for Sparty on Saturday night, maybe Smith could stay behind in Southern California? Regardless, it'll all be worth watching.