5 games you need to watch on Saturday
"Volatile" would probably be the best word to describe the first four weeks of the college football season, and with a handful of Top 25 teams squaring off against division rivals, don't expect the constant stream of upsets to stop anytime soon.
Here are the five games that most deserve your attention on Saturday:
Missouri (3-1) at No. 13 South Carolina (3-1) on ESPN at 7 p.m. EST
After getting lit up by Kenny Hill and Texas A&M's offense in Week 1, Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks have been playing quality football. Have they been playing well enough to be considered the nation's No. 13 ranked team? Not according to Spurrier, but given the league's current landscape, their ranking seems appropriate. Beating the formerly No. 18 Missouri would go a long way in solidifying their place among the Top 15.
Speaking of the Tigers, they officially dropped out of the Top 25 after looking horrendous against an Indiana team that had no business beating them. Saturday night's matchup against a far-from-dominant South Carolina squad might just be what the doctor ordered for them to get back into the AP's good graces.
Considering the Tigers gave up 132 yards to junior running back Tevin Coleman last week (and 241 total rushing yards), we expect the Gamecocks to continuously feed the ball to Mike Davis.
Cincinnati (2-0) at No. 22 Ohio State (2-1) on Big Ten Network at 6 p.m. EST
After an eight-year hiatus, the battle of Ohio is back, shaping up as one of the week's best matchups.
After a weirdly-placed two-week bye at the beginning of the season, Tommy Tuberville's 2-0 Bearcats have looked impressive, none more so than sophomore quarterback Gunner Kiel. In the first two starts of his college career, Kiel has thrown for 689 yards and 10 touchdowns with only two interceptions. Another impressive performance coupled with a win against a ranked team could see the Bearcats reach the Top 25 for the first time this season.
Anyone who follows college football knows it's been a tough start to the season for Urban Meyer and co., but winning Saturday night's game would go a long way in proving that the Buckeyes are still one of the nation's top teams. We should also get a chance to see more of five-star recruit Raekwon McMillan, four-star running back Curtis Samuel, and a number of Ohio State's other talented freshmen playing an expanded role.
Fun Fact: The last time these two teams met was in 2006, when quarterback Troy Smith and wide receiver Ted Ginn Jr. led the No. 1 ranked Buckeyes to a 37-7 win against the Bearcats.
Oregon State (3-0) at No. 18 USC (2-1) on ESPN at 10:30 p.m. EST
Both No. 18 USC and undefeated Oregon State will be heading into Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum on Saturday with something to prove.
For the Beavers, senior quarterback Sean Mannion will look to legitimize the Beavers' 3-0 start to the season by beating their toughest opponent to date – a feat easier said than done since they'll be without leading wide receiver Victor Bolden, who's nursing a finger injury.
For the Trojans, winning this game will erase some doubts that critics may have had after the team's embarrassing loss to unranked Boston College. In that game, the Trojans limited the Eagles to 54 passing yards, but gave up a whopping 452 yards on the ground.
Although the Beavers are a pass-first team, we'd expect them to try and get their ground game going early in this one.
No. 16 Stanford (2-1) at Washington (4-0) on FOX at 4 p.m. EST
Another Pac-12 rivalry game will see Stanford try to climb back up the rankings as the Cardinal travel to Washington to take on the Huskies.
The key matchup will be Stanford's stout defense against Washington's powerful rushing attack.
Coming into this game, the Cardinal defense has allowed an average of 4.3 points per game, including two shutouts, while the Huskies have averaged 41.3 points per game, including an average of 239 rushing yards.
After beating four unranked teams, the Huskies are almost a sure bet to crack the AP's Top 25 if they get an upset win over the Cardinal.
Tennessee (2-1) at No. 12 Georgia (2-1) on ESPN at 12 p.m. EST
A classic SEC rivalry game, this matchup should be more exciting than it might appear at first.
After being upset by Steve Spurrier's Gamecocks, Georgia laid a 66-0 beat down on Troy. Despite playing against a lesser opponent, the Bulldogs were firing on all cylinders and come into this game with momentum on their side.
Tennessee's young squad had a rude awakening a few weeks back against No. 4 Oklahoma, but the Volunteers have had a week to prepare for the Bulldogs. The main task for the Vols' offense will be keeping Georgia's pass rush away from quarterback Justin Worley. Having already allowed nine sacks through three games, Tennessee's young offensive line might very well be the difference between a win and a loss.