Week 4 of college football has no shortage of games worth watching. The nation’s top-ranked team is headed to a Checker Neyland crowd, Ole Miss has to follow its win over LSU with a trip to Florida, and Oregon and USC will put two top quarterbacks on the same field. The night ends in Baton Rouge, where two teams coming off losses need a response.
Here are my top 4 games to watch Saturday, along with a few 2027 NFL Draft prospects to keep your eye on.
#1 Texas vs. #14 Tennessee | Noon ET on ABC
There may not be a louder place in college football Saturday than Neyland Stadium. Arch Manning has the arm talent and mobility to make plays when the pocket breaks down, but this is a chance to see how consistently he handles pressure in a hostile SEC environment. The second half against Ohio State displayed his mental toughness, but his ability to process through his reads is still a huge question mark. On the other side of the ball, Texas EDGE Colin Simmons can change a game in one series. His first step forces tackles to protect the corner, and he has the closing speed to finish when a quarterback tries to escape. If Texas controls the line of scrimmage, it will be difficult for the Vols to gain momentum. For Tennessee, I have my eye on linebacker Arion Carter, a former track star who has a relatively compact build and flies from sideline to sideline. He is a good open-field tackler and plays the ball well in coverage. With the talent worthy of being an every-down linebacker in the NFL, Carter could catapult his stock with a strong performance Saturday.
#4 Ole Miss vs. #21 Florida | 3:30 ET on ABC
After taking down LSU, Ole Miss now has to bring that same energy on the road. Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has a knack for extending plays without immediately giving up on the throw, and Florida’s defense should give evaluators another look at how he operates when his first read is covered. Rebels running back Kewan Lacy is another name to monitor if he is healthy enough to carry his usual workload. His burst and ability to create yardage after contact give Ole Miss a way to keep the offense on schedule. For Florida, running back Jadan Baugh runs with the kind of power that makes defenders earn every tackle. At 6’0″, 228 pounds, Baugh displays a nasty stiff arm and surprising elusiveness in the open field. This matchup may be featuring the top two backs in the 2027 draft. Linebacker Myles Graham has a chance to help contain Chambliss, as his ability to diagnose a play before closing downhill will be tested repeatedly. This could become one of the most entertaining games of the afternoon if both offenses find their rhythm.
#20 Oregon vs. #12 USC | 7:30 ET on NBC
I do not want to simply harp on the quarterbacks, but we are getting yet another key early-season quarterback matchup. Dante Moore has the tools to be one of the first players selected in the 2027 NFL Draft, but he has struggled to accurately deliver the ball this season when forced to his second read.. USC’s Jayden Maiava can make impressive throws of his own, and a strong performance against Oregon would do plenty for his evaluation. There is a world in which Maiava could go ahead of Moore, but that would likely require a big game against Moore this week. The Ducks also have an imposing pass rusher in Matayo Uiagalelei, whose size and athleticism make him one of the more feared defenders in the Big Ten. With two quarterbacks capable of producing explosive plays, this one could come down to which defense gets the timely stop.
#23 Texas A&M vs. #10 LSU | 7:30 ET on ABC
Both teams are trying to rebound from Week 3 losses, and neither quarterback will be short on motivation. Texas A&M’s Marcel Reed is dangerous when he escapes the pocket, but his draft outlook will depend in part on how consistently he wins as a passer. He is very much a one-read-and-run prospect at this point. LSU’s Sam Leavitt is facing considerable scrutiny after an uneven start to the season. He desperately needs a strong performance against a stout defense like that of the Aggies. The matchup I will be watching most closely, though, is LSU tackle Jordan Seaton against Texas A&M EDGE Anto Saka. Seaton has the movement skills and size NFL teams covet at left tackle, and Saka has elite first-step quickness. I hope to see these two align against each other often on Saturday night.
Which games and prospects are you watching Saturday? Let us know in the comment section below!