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Week 4 of the college football season is here, and that means another Saturday of non-stop action.
Like most weekends in the fall, there is no shortage of games to choose from. But even though it is still early in the season, we already have a sense of which teams are in the playoff hunt and which games are the most important.
This week we have five ranked teams on the road and two head-t0-head matchups of Top-25 teams. All the games have playoff implications.
Here are the can't-miss college football games to watch this weekend.
Why it is important: Georgia looked to be on Alabama's level until the Tide went into Oxford and laid 62 points on a good Ole Miss team. Meanwhile, you always worry at this time of year when a highly ranked team goes on the road against a decent opponent. Sometimes the Madden computer decides today is not your day no matter how good you are.
Why it is important: The Irish are in danger of starting the season 4-0 and losing respect among those who matter. This is the second-straight week where Notre Dame needs not only a win but a convincing win. Inferior opponents have given them too much trouble early on.
Why it is important: Keep in mind, A&M gave Clemson a tough game already this season. Of course, that wasn't Alabama, and it wasn't on the road. Still, Jimbo Fisher is a former Nick Saban assistant, and eventually one of those apples is going take down the tree.
Why it is important: The win over Texas A&M was close, but that never felt like Clemson's inevitable hiccup. A&M was too good to overlook. Rather, if Clemson is going to lose one in the regular season, this feels like a more likely matchup. Georgia Tech's offense is like a knuckleball. It is bad just often enough to keep them from ever being great, but when it is on, nobody can stop it.
Why it is important: TCU's loss to Ohio State wasn't an elimination match, but they can't afford any more slip-ups. Meanwhile, Texas looked as good in the final three quarters against USC as they have in a long time. This is a loser-go-home game in both the Big 12 and the playoff hunt.
Why it is important: Stanford is the better team, and if everything else were equal, the committee is probably taking them in the playoff. But if you are a non-partisan Pac-12 fan, maybe you are rooting for Oregon in this game. Their schedule is easier moving forward and might have a better shot at running the table.
Why it is important: This has looked like a potential stumbling block for Wisconsin for a few weeks now and some will think it is even more now after the Badgers' loss to BYU. But Iowa might have been in a better position to pull the upset if Wisconsin hadn't had the wake-up call. Either way, the winner of this game will have a huge leg up on getting to the Big Ten title game.
Now check out the rest of the playoff power ranking
