What To Watch For In Week 4 Of The 2022 College Football Season

There are three games between ranked opponents this weekend, while five others hit the road.

The non-conference portion of the college football season is mostly behind us, and this weekend’s slate offers several matchups that could determine divisional races or – at the very least – show us which teams are contenders and which team are pretenders in their respective conferences.

There are three matchups between ranked opponents, including a pair of SEC rivalry games, and five other ranked teams hitting the road to take on unranked conference foes who are just chomping at the bit to prove their worth on a national scale. With that said, here’s what to watch for in Week 4 of the 2022 college football season: 

No. 5 Clemson at No. 21 Wake Forest - 12 p.m. on ABC

Although Clemson has won 13 consecutive games in the series –including the last four by an average of 38.5 points – Wake Forest represents the first real test of the season for the Tigers, who have feasted on inferior opponents in Georgia Tech, Furman and Louisiana Tech in the first three weeks.

The Demon Deacons, meanwhile, survived a scare against Liberty last weekend, stopping a two-point conversion attempt with 1:11 remaining to hold on for a 37-36 win. If the offensive line can give quarterback Sam Hartman some time against pass rush, Wake Forest could find itself on the path to its second straight division title.

No. 20 Florida at No. 11 Tennessee - 3:30 p.m. on CBS

The Billy Napier era at Florida kicked off with a win over seventh-ranked Utah, but the Gators have been inconsistent since then. That’s especially true for quarterback Anthony Richardson, who is completing just 53.2 percent of his passes and has yet to throw a touchdown compared to four interceptions on the year.

Tennessee, meanwhile, blew out Ball State and Akron and has an impressive win at Pittsburgh under its belt. Quarterback Hendon Hooker has completed nearly 70 percent of his passes for six touchdowns and zero picks, which is why the Volunteers should feel good about their chances of beating the Gators for just the second time in 18 tries.

No. 15 Oregon at Washington State - 4 p.m. on FOX

The perception of Oregon has changed significantly since the opening weekend of the season, when the Ducks were blown out by defending national champion Georgia. They’re now coming off a 41-10 win over No. 12 BYU, which knocked off ninth-ranked Baylor the week prior, and hope to build upon that in Pac-12 play.

On the other side, Washington State is off to a 3-0 start in Jake Dickert’s first full season as head coach, which includes an impressive 17-14 win at Wisconsin in Week 2. Incarnate Word transfer quarterback Cameron Ward, who is one of the better early-season stories, can introduce himself to the country with a win on Saturday.

No. 10 Arkansas vs. No. 23 Texas A&M - 7 p.m. on ESPN

Arkansas snapped a nine-game losing streak against Texas A&M when these two teams met at AT&T Stadium last season. And just like then, the Razorbacks come into this year’s matchup at 3-0 after beating Cincinnati, South Carolina and Missouri State, though they needed an 82-yard punt return for a touchdown to escape the Bears.

Texas A&M, meanwhile, bounced back from its Week 2 home upset to Appalachian State with a 17-9 victory over No. 13 Miami (Fla.). The offense still struggled despite a quarterback change to Max Johnson, but the Aggies should find more success this weekend against the worst pass defense in the country (352.7 yards per game). The winner stands to be the biggest challenger to Alabama in the SEC West.

Wisconsin at No. 3 Ohio State - 7:30 p.m. on ABC

Wisconsin has lost eight straight games to Ohio State, including three meetings in the Big Ten Championship Game, and hasn’t won in Columbus since 2004. The Badgers have one of the nation’s stingiest defenses, though, allowing just 8.0 points per game through three games this season.

Ohio State, on the other hand, comes into Saturday’s primetime matchup averaging 47.7 points and a nation-leading 565.3 yards per game behind quarterback C.J. Stroud. The Buckeyes’ defense will be tested by running back Braelon Allen, who is the kind of game-changing player they struggled to stop in last year’s loss to Oregon and Michigan.

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