National Preview: Week 4

The last two weeks did not have a whole lot to offer outside the Big Ten. Things change this week as conference play begins in certain parts of the nation.

Game of the Week
(15) Kansas State at (6)Oklahoma FOX 7:50 p.m.
Once again, Bill Snyder has done wonders for the Kansas State program during his second tenure as head coach. Oklahoma has played one team with a pulse this season, where they limped past UTEP in week one. The Sooners had an early bye week to help prepare for this game, but the Wildcats are hungry to make a statement that they are back among the nation's elite.
Prediction: Kansas State- 24 Oklahoma- 21

Worth Watching
(10)Clemson at (4)Florida State ABC 8 p.m.
A game between two top ten teams should automatically be the game of the week, but both of these programs have a tendency to start the season ranked much higher than where they finish. It's too early to tell, but both teams could be clinging to the Top 25 by November. Both teams have looked impressive so far, but only one gets to escape with BCS title aspirations.
Prediction: Florida State- 27 Clemson- 16

(22)Arizona at (3)Oregon ESPN 10:30 p.m.
No one expected RichRod to turn Arizona around in his first season, but the Wildcats find themselves in the rankings after a 3-0 start that included a total dismantling of Oklahoma State. They may have shown immediate improvement, but it's doubtful they are ready to hang with the big boys just yet.
Prediction: Oregon- 55 Arizona- 35

Oregon State at (19)UCLA ABC or ESPN 3:30 p.m.
Both teams scored big upsets of Big Ten teams in week two. Now they get to duke it out to see who is for real. UCLA has shown great progress so far, while it's hard to get a feel for Oregon State since this will be only its second game of the season.
Prediction: UCLA- 20 Oregon State- 17

Keep an Eye On
Missouri at (7)South Carolina CBS 3:30 p.m.
Missouri failed to prove they are an SEC-caliber program two weeks ago against Georgia. Now they get a chance to prove themselves against another top-10 team from their new conference. South Carolina has a tendency to lose a game they shouldn't early in the season, which could make this game interesting.
prediction: South Carolina- 24 Missouri 13

Cal at (13)USC Pac-12 Network 6 p.m.
Cal nearly pulled off an upset of Ohio State last week while USC had its national title hopes dashed yet again by Stanford. It will be interesting to see how each team responds.
USC- 28 Cal- 24

(2)LSU at Auburn ESPN 7 p.m.
This may be the most under-appreciated rivalry game in the nation. Nearly every year this game includes a memorable finish and a wild and completely unexpected set of circumstances in an intense atmosphere. However, Auburn seems to be in a down year while it appears LSU will zip through its schedule until its clash with Alabama later in the season. Anything could happen in this rivalry, but LSU will likely walk away with this one.
Prediction- LSU- 48 Auburn-20

Vanderbilt at (5)Georgia ESPN2 7:45 p.m.
Vandy came close to upsetting South Carolina on the opening night of the season. Can they finish the job this time?
Prediction: Georgia- 27 Vanderbilt- 17

Colorado at Washington State FX 4 p.m.
This won't be a good game, but Colorado is like the car accident you can't help but look at. How far have they fallen? Last week, Colorado was down to Fresno State 35-0 by the end of the first quarter before losing 69-14. Combine that with a week two loss against Sacramento State, and Colorado may be the worst team in the nation and one of the worse BCS-conference teams of all time. Mike Leach has his work cut out for him at Washington State, but the Cougers shouldn't have much trouble with this one.
Prediction: Washington State- 41 Colorado- 17

Editor's Choice
How I will be spending my Saturday

Noon Games: TV1-UTEP at Wisconsin TV2- Kentuckey at Florida TV3- UAB at Ohio State
3:30 Games: TV1- Temple at Penn State TV2- Oregon State at UCLA TV3- UCLA at Oregon State
Night Games: TV1- Michigan at Notre Dame TV2- Kansas State at Oklahoma TV3- Clemson at Florida State (Also Watching: Cal at USC, Auburn at LSU, Vanderbilt at Georgia)
Late Night Games: TV1- Arizona at Oregon, TV2- Utah at Arizona State