This shapes up to be something of a ho-hum weekend in college football. Several of the top contenders are off ahead of major showdowns in Week 5. There are a few matchups of ranked teams, notably No. 8 Illinois traveling to No. 17 Indiana and No. 12 Oklahoma hosting No. 25 Auburn. Those results could impact the College Football Playoff race.
There are potential for surprises in other games with conference play in full swing. Familiarity and complacency on the part of favorties can play a major role in those upsets. But where will they occur on Saturday?
That’s why the USA TODAY Sports college football staff is here. Matt Hayes, Jordan Mendoza, Paul Myerberg, Erick Smith, Eddie Timanus and Blake Toppmeyer weigh in with their bold predictions for Week 4.
It's been a season to forget so far for Florida. The Gators have lost to South Florida and LSU despite its defense looking stout. Much of the blame falls on the struggles of quarterback DJ Lagway. Florida now heads to No. 6 Miami with the Hurricanes surging to the top of the College Football Playoff contenders list. This one will be closer than expect with Miami needing a last-minute driver to beat the Gators. -- Matt Hayes
It feels like people aren’t paying attention to Tulane, which has put up a solid resume with two convincing wins over Power Four teams in Northwestern and Duke. The Green Wave head to Mississippi and play a Rebel team that hasn’t really looked like a SEC contender just yet. Jake Retzlaff continues his stellar play in the air and on the ground to stun Mississippi and move Tulane to 4-0, therefore leaping into the College Football Playoff consideration. -- Jordan Mendoza
