College Football Week 4 Brings 6 Ranked Matchups as SEC Opens With 4 Top-25 Showdowns
Updated
Updated · ESPN · Sep 25
College Football Week 4 Brings 6 Ranked Matchups as SEC Opens With 4 Top-25 Showdowns
3 articles · Updated · ESPN · Sep 25
Summary
Six ranked-vs.-ranked games headline Week 4 after only five such matchups across the season’s first three weeks, signaling a sharper turn in the 2026 college football race.
Four of those six come in the SEC, where No. 1 Texas visits No. 14 Tennessee, No. 4 Ole Miss goes to No. 21 Florida, No. 23 Texas A&M faces No. 10 LSU, and No. 19 Missouri meets No. 24 Mississippi State.
The Big Ten supplies two more measuring-stick games: No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 USC after the Ducks’ early stumble, and No. 17 Iowa at No. 18 Michigan with the Hawkeyes carrying one of the nation’s stingiest defenses.
Beyond the power leagues, Boise State visits Western Michigan in a key Group of 6 test, while Tulsa gets another shot at a power-conference win against struggling Arkansas.
The weekend’s depth stretches further with Oklahoma at No. 2 Georgia and South Carolina at No. 8 Alabama, underscoring how Week 4 could reshape playoff and conference races.