Ultimate Viewers Guide to college football Week 4: What to watch, when, and where

With college football's Week 4 beckoning, it's time to do some serious pondering on the optimal viewing experience. Whether you're looking to settle in for a daylong journey around college football or trying to find the biggest game of the day, we've got you covered. Here's the playbook for the Ultimate Viewers Guide to Week 4.

Starting strong

The slate wakes up in a hurry with the Texas Tech vs. Utah battle at noon Eastern (all other times will be Eastern, for simplicity's sake) on FOX. Two ranked teams, two high-powered offenses, and two legitimate contenders for the Big 12 title will face off in what promises to be a very watchable game. For those who are contrary, the noon ABC kick between Arkansas and Memphis might be a good watch for the SEC obsessed.

Midday Battle

Should the early games get out of hand, a quick peak at No. 6 Oregon hosting Oregon State is slated for 3:00 on the Big Ten Network. A half-hour could well be all the time needed to see Dante Moore and company take control.

The 3:30 window offers arguably the day's best action. The marquee game is probably No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma in Jackson Arnold's return game on ABC. If that one doesn't tickle the fancy, there's No. 21 Michigan facing 3-0 Nebraska at the same time on CBS/Paramount +. Even a third alternative, Tulane at No. 13 Ole Miss on ESPN, might be worth contemplation.

Prime-time viewing

The 7:00 spot again offers some quick-check potential if the afternoon games are safely decided-- No. 23 Missouri hosting South Carolina on ESPN could be an intriguing must-win for both SEC teams. For the wise, though, that's a half-hour appetizer at most.

No. 4 Miami hosting Florida at 7:30 is the headline game on ABC. But a smarter pick for a battle could be No. 9 Illinois's trip to No. 19 Indiana at the same time on NBC/Peacock. The Big 12 obsessed might look in at Arizona State and Baylor on FOX at that time slot.

A peek at Wyoming against Coach Prime and Colorado at 10:15 on ESPN is one-sided-game insurance for the late batch. Jayden Maiava and USC then face Michigan State at 11:00 on FOX in the last big-time game of the day. While there is one later game, with Fresno State playing Hawaii at midnight, it's not slated for national TV.

The Game to see

If you're picking one game, it's probably either the Auburn/Oklahoma game at 3:30 or the Indiana/Illinois game at 7:30. The latter one will split the audience with Florida vs. Miami, so the single obvious game to see is probably the Tigers and Sooners.

The underrated game of the week

Indiana/Illinois won't get as much attention as it deserves. That Tulane/Ole Miss game at 3:30 could end up being an epic as well.