Only four weeks into college football and chaos has already erupted. From just this previous week, teams such as Vanderbilt, University of Southern California and Georgia Tech have entered the Top 25 rankings, while big names such as Clemson and University of South Carolina dropped out. The biggest drop from last weekend was Notre Dame, nearly falling out of the top 25 after a devastating one-point loss to ranked Texas A&M. This loss puts Notre Dame at 0-2, becoming the first team to start the season off ranked and lose their first two games since 1988. Notre Dame will play in-state rival Purdue at home to prevent what could be a devastating blow to the program.
Other in-state rivalry games this weekend will feature No. 4 University of Miami hosting the University of Florida. Miami started this season off strong by beating No. 6 Notre Dame at home, followed by blowout wins over Bethune-Cookman and No. 18 South Florida. The Florida Gators look to turn their season around after a pair of unfortunate losses to South Florida and then No. 3 Louisiana State University last weekend. This in-state rivalry will be sure to bring much intensity and certainty some bragging rights.
Bragging rights will also be up for grabs when No. 6 Oregon hosts Oregon State. Although Oregon State is having a rough start to the season going 0-3, upsetting its in-state and top-ranked rival is one way to turn the season around.
Moving into the Big 10, No. 9 Illinois looks to continue their hot start on the road against No. 19 Indiana. Illinois will face a tough schedule the next few weeks, facing off against (19) Indiana, (25) USC, Purdue and (1) Ohio State. This is a must win game for the Fighting Illini, as they look to continue a hot streak against top ranked opponents.
With difficult schedules in mind, no one’s seems to be harder than the current No. 11 Oklahoma Sooners. The Sooners will host No. 22 Auburn as both programs are off to a 3-0 start. This game will start the Sooners path against ranked opponents in seven of their nine upcoming games, one of the two unranked teams being South Carolina, who just dropped out of the Top 25 this past weekend. For Oklahoma to start this path off right, their offense must be firing on all cylinders. Their defense must also lock down opponents after allowing just 19 points in their first 3 games.
A top regional matchup will occur when No. 16 ranked Utah hosts No. 17 Texas Tech with both teams trying to make a statement and climb the rankings in the Big 12 play. Both teams have yet to be challenged this season, which should make for a good matchup on both sides. Offenses will need to continue their excellence while their defenses face their first challenge of the year.
Lastly, the Michigan Wolverines will face a tough Big Ten opponent when they travel to Nebraska who is off to a hot 3-0 start. The Wolverines rebounded after a tough loss to ranked Oklahoma in Week 2, beating Central Michigan 63-3 last week. This will be a much-needed win for the Wolverines on their quest for the Big Ten title.
With three weeks already down in college football, so much has happened between upsets, last second winners and complete blow-outs. All this unpredictability adds to the excitement of college gameday and the pure entertainment when the television turns on.