Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where Kirby Smart is still flapping his tongue at Tennessee after a ninth straight victory in that series. First Quarter: But Remember, the Selection Committee Is the Problem. Second Quarter: Six Degrees of Jimbo. Third Quarter: The Heisman Race Is in Shambles, Which Is Fine.
Fourth Quarter: Prove-It Games
Several undefeated and largely untested teams are taking a step up in class this week. The Dash has a breakdown:
No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana (31)
When: 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday. Line: Indiana by 3.5. Who needs to prove it: Both teams are 3–0, but the Hoosiers have gotten here without playing a power-conference opponent. The Illini won handily at Duke on Sept. 6.
The answer to the question: Oct. 28, 1950. The question: Prior to Saturday, have these two historic football lightweights ever met as ranked opponents? On that day, No. 12 Illinois beat No. 19 Indiana, 20–0. The Korean War was in its infancy at the time. This time, it will be the No. 19 Hoosiers and the No. 9 Illini.
Dask pick: Indiana 31, Illinois 24. Don’t let the laundry fool you into thinking this isn’t a big-time game. The Hoosiers have improved at quarterback with the addition of Cal transfer Fernando Mendoza, who is sixth nationally in pass efficiency with nine touchdowns and zero interceptions. The Illini remain dynamic at that position with third-year starter Luke Altmyer, who is 14th in efficiency with eight TDs and no interceptions. Both teams are stout defensively. Indiana’s slight separator is in big-play capability.
No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah (32)
When: Noon ET Saturday, which will be 10 a.m. in Salt Lake City. Check with the Utes after this one to see if they’re the latest school to not love being featured on Big Noon Kickoff. Line: Utah by 3.5. Who needs to prove it: They’re both 3–0, but the Red Raiders are leaving home for the first time this season and facing their first power-conference opponent.
This might be the biggest Texas Tech game since the Mike Leach era, which ended in 2009. Tech’s big payroll faces a Utah program that loves to take hyped opponents down a peg. Seems fair to suggest that the winner is the favorite in the Big 12, although it’s probably too early for any grand pronouncements in that wide-open conference.
Dash pick: Utah 35, Texas Tech 31. If you toss out last year’s aberration of a season, the Utes are 19–1 in their last 20 games at home. New Mexico transfer QB Devon Dampier has energized the Utah offense, which should have success against Tech’s improved but not overpowering defense.
No. 21 Michigan at Nebraska (33)
When: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday. Line: Michigan by 2.5. Who needs to prove it: The Cornhuskers. They played a power-conference team of sorts in Cincinnati, in a virtual home game in Kansas City that they had to hold on at the end to win. This is an escalation.
Nebraska has lost its last five Big Ten openers, often extinguishing hope for a breakthrough season before it ever had a chance to get going. This is the latest opportunity, in what should be a juicy QB battle between the No. 1 player in the 2024 class (Dylan Raiola of Nebraska) and the No. 1 player in the ’25 class (Bryce Underwood of Michigan).
Dash pick: Michigan 21, Nebraska 17. The Wolverines cut loose Underwood as a runner last week and he gained 114 yards on the ground and 349 in total offense. That’s a problematic development for the Huskers to deal with. Michigan is again without head coach Sherrone Moore, but Biff Poggi will extend the program’s streak of interim coach victories to eight since the start of 2023.
Michigan State at No. 25 USC (34)
When: 11 p.m. ET Saturday, which is Late Thirty for the Spartans. Line: USC by 17.5. Who needs to prove it: Both teams are 3–0 and both have something still to establish, but Michigan State is playing its first game on the road.
Both teams appear to be improved, and this game might tell us how much. The Trojans have won big and won easy three times thus far this year, including dealing with long travel and a long weather delay at Purdue on Saturday. Michigan State found a way to win a wild game over Boston College in between two cakewalks.
Dash pick: USC 41, Michigan State 31. Spartans coach Jonathan Smith was 1–2 against the Trojans while at Oregon State, with the win coming in the L.A. Coliseum. He should be able to make this difficult for USC, provided his team isn’t half asleep with the absurd kickoff time. (Thanks, realignment.)
Iowa at Rutgers (35)
When: 8 p.m. ET Friday. Line: Iowa by 2.5. Who needs to prove it: The Scarlet Knights are 2–0 against the MAC—Ohio and Miami (Ohio)—and 1–0 against FCS—Norfolk State. Time to see whether they can beat somebody.
Rutgers is slinging it around in a manner most unfamiliar for a Greg Schiano team, with QB Athan Kaliakmanis off to a torrid start. But Iowa has cooled off a lot of quarterbacks over the Kirk Ferentz era. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, completed 21 passes against Massachusetts, tying their most in a game since September 2021. (Seriously.)
Dash pick: Iowa 26, Rutgers 21. The Scarlet Knights haven’t been very good against the run this season, allowing 5.58 yards per carry. That stirs Ferentz’s risk-averse soul. He’ll lean on the ground game, use Mark Gronowski’s arm sparingly to grind out yet another Big Ten win.
Arkansas at Memphis (36)
When: Noon ET Saturday. Line: Arkansas by 7.5. Who needs to prove it: The Tigers are undefeated against the lightweight likes of Chattanooga, Georgia State and Troy, although two of those wins were on the road.
This is quite a start to the season for the Razorbacks, who after a walkover opener have played neighborhood scraps against Arkansas State in Little Rock, Mississippi in Oxford, Miss., and now Memphis on the road. And they have Notre Dame coming to Fayetteville, Ark., for the first time next week. Hogs better keep eyes on the prize here, because this is a big game for the Tigers.
Dash pick: Memphis 30, Arkansas 28. There is a chance Taylen Green wrecks Memphis all by himself. But there also is a chance that the new-look Tigers control the game with a more run-centric offense than they’ve had in the past, having chugged for more than 200 yards on the ground in every game this season. Add another playoff contender from the American.
North Carolina at UCF (37)
When: 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday. Line: UCF by 6.5. Who needs to prove it: The Knights are 2–0 but haven’t played anyone.
The Tar Heels have improved statistically in every game, but it’s not hard to do better than their opening fiasco under Bill Belichick. Since then they have routinely handled Charlotte and Richmond, which doesn’t mean a lot in the grand scheme. UCF started the wrong transfer quarterback in the opener in Cam Fancher, and it almost cost the Knights until backup Tayven Jackson came in. He’s stayed in the lineup since.
Dash pick: UCF 19, North Carolina 14. This seems unlikely to be an offensive masterpiece. The Big 12 improved its record against the ACC to 4–1 last week when West Virginia won the Backyard Brawl. This would make it 5–1, which could matter as the College Football Playoff jockeying intensifies.
Coach Who Earned His Comp Car This Week
Lane Kiffin (38), Mississippi. Kiffin had to replace a stud quarterback in Jaxson Dart, and he had his man for two games in Austin Simmons. But then Simmons got hurt against Kentucky and he had to turn to Division II transfer Trinidad Chambliss to win a shootout against Arkansas. Chambliss was great, accounting for more than 400 yards and three touchdowns. So it does seem like Kiffin could draw up winning plays for a random bus driver at QB if he had to.
Coach Who Should Take the Bus to Work
P.J. Fleck (39), Minnesota. He lost his third annual regular-season game against a power-conference opponent, this one 27–14 to California. (The previous two were to North Carolina.) The Gophers opened the game with four straight punts and finished it with a missed field goal and two turnovers on downs. Fleck thumped the tub hard in the summer for the two-way capability of defensive back/offensive utility player Koi Perich, but his offensive role has been limited—three receptions for 55 yards, one rush for a nine-yard loss. Time to incorporate him more into the passing game?
Point After
When thirsty in the great Pacific Northwest, there are a multitude of options. Among the better ones: No-Li Brewing (40) in Spokane, Wash. Have a Born & Raised IPA and thank The Dash later.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Forde-Yard Dash: College Football Prove-It Week 4 Games Will Separate Real From Hype.
