2022 College Football - Week 4

After this week's games, most teams will be 1/3rd of the way through their regular season and some narratives are already being formed. The usual suspects are at the top - Alabama, Georgia, Ohio St, Clemson, all 3-0 - but can anyone else emerge to challenge them? With BYU losing last week to Oregon, are there any non-Power 5 teams with a shot to get into the CFP like Cincinnati did in 2021? Can App St give us any more thrilling games this season?

Week 4 also markes two other developments in the College scheduled: 1) Thursday night games are back, so we get College Football from Thursday evening all the way through Saturday night, and 2) most teams will be into their Conference schedule if they aren't already, so we'll be getting more Conference "rivalry" games which can make for some exciting games. 

We get three games of Top 25 teams facing-off against each other (Clemson/Wake Forest, Florida/Tennessee and Arkansas/Texas A&M), but I see a bunch of other games with some intrigue, as well as some 2023 Draft eligible QB's to watch out for. 

Thursday, 9/22

West Virginia @ Virginia Tech - 7:30PM ET (ESPN)
Both teams are off to "slow" starts with the Mountaineers at 1-2 and the Hokies losing their opener to Old Dominion, but there are a couple reasons to tune-into this Thursday night ESPN game: 1) Lane Stadium at night on primetime TV is always a great atmosphere to watch, and 2) West Virginia has a 2023 Draft eligible QB, JT Daniels, that needs a strong primetime performance to keep pace with some of the other QB's. His 2022 stats aren't poor (64% COMP%, 6 TD's to 2 INT's and a QB RAT of 140.4), but they haven't stood out too much in a crowded QB Class, either, and he was out-performed by Pitt's Kedon Slovis during Week 1 and didn't exactly put up gawdy #'s vs a "cupcake" Towson team last week. The other 2023 Draft prospect to watch in this one is one of Daniels' weapons: WR Bryce Ford-Wheaton; the 6'3" 224 lb WR is #68 on Feldman's 2022 "Freaks List" and has stood-out on a bunch of draft "expert" lists as a prospect to watch out for and he's off to a strong start in 2022, the only eye-sore being dropping a big pass late in the Week 1 loss @ Pitt. 

Friday, 9/23

Virginia @ Syracuse - 7PM ET (ESPN)
The Orange are off to a 3-0 start and are looking like a team that could make a little noise in the ACC this year behind a trio of 2023 Draft prospects: QB Garrett Shrader, RB Sean Tucker and CB Garrett Williams. QB Shrader, a transfer from Miss St, wasn't really supposed to be on the 2023 QB radar, but he's played really well and his stats bear that out: 66% COMP%, 8 TD's, 0 INT's with 200 yds+ rushing and 3 rushing TD's, so he has some mobility, too. I'm excited to get a closer look at him, especially going head-to-head with a QB on the opposite sideline that was supposed to have a big year, but hasn't, Virginia QB Brennon Armstrong. Much like JT Daniels, Armstrong needs a primetime breakout game like this to vault himself back into Day 2/early Day 3 conversations after his terrific 2021 season and like Shrader, Armstrong can also burn you on the ground. This early-season ACC Conference game should be a high-scoring affair which is what you want under the Friday Night lights. 

Saturday, 9/24

#5 Clemson @ #21 Wake Forest - Noon ET (ABC)
Wake Forest is seeking revenge in this one as the 14th-ranked Tigers stomped the 15th-ranked Demon Deacons last season in Death Valley. Wake Forest has had a "shakey" 3-0 start as they nearly lost to Liberty last week and their 2023 Draft QB prospect, didn't start the season for them and the reason wasn't made public until after he came back (it was reported he underwent surgery to remove a blood clot that caused a diagnosis of Paget-Schroetter syndome). He was medically-cleared to return after Week 1 and hasn't quite looked like his 2021 self quite yet. He'll have to get up quickly as Clemson's D is one of the best in the nation. Clemson boasts a few Rd 1-caliber prospects on their DL but the one prospect I'm really intrigued by is LB Trenton Simpson - he flew around all over the place in their Week 1 opener against Georgia Tech and looked real athletic in the open field. I'd like to see if that speed and athleticism is for real against a ranked opponent on the road in an early-season test for the Tigers. The winner of this one takes command of the ACC Conference...for now. 

#17 Baylor @ Iowa St - Noon ET (ESPN2)
The Cyclones are off to a 3-0 start, thanks in part to that 10-7 win over in-state rival Iowa. Baylor is supposed to compete again for the BIG XII title with Oklahoma and Oklahoma St and this games offers and early Conference road test for the Bears. The main prospect to watch for in this game is Baylor's DT Siaki Ika, who made a big impact during Baylor's Conference Championship last season. 

Duke @ Kansas - Noon ET (FS1)
Under any other circumstance, this game would be circled on any College fan's calendar - for basketball, not football, but both "football" teams are off to improbable 3-0 starts, and the winner will get to 4-0 and a shot to crack the Top 25 rankings. I have no idea if either team has any 2023 Draft prospects, but this could be a fun game to watch if both of the other Noon games turn out to be duds. 

#20 Florida @ #11 Tennessee - 3:30PM ET (CBS)
Another week, another solid SEC East matchup between ranked teams, and another national TV game for Florida QB Anthony Richardson. He had a great Week 1 game at home vs Utah, but since then he's looked like he should stay in college for another season and get more experience. On the opposite sideline, the Volunteers 2023 Draft QB, Hendon Hooker, has risen up boards from a Day 3/UDFA prospect to Day 2 (IMO anway), and I'm eager to see if he can keep that momentum in a bigtime environment vs a ranked SEC opponent. All eyes will be on the QB matchup of Richardson vs Hooker in this one, and if Hooker continues to look good, he'll continue his ascent up the 2023 Boards. 

Minnesota @ Michigan St - 3:30PM ET (BTN)
The Golden Gophers are 3-0 and have easily walked-through their "cupcake" opponents, with RB Mohammed Ibrahim off to a great start behind 2023 Draft prospet OC John Michael Schmitz. Michigan St had a wakeup call at Washington last week, as their pass defensive woes from 2021 have not gotten better. Minnesota QB Tanner Morgan might need to win the game for the Gophers, but he'll have to do so without leading WR Autumn Bell, who suffered a season-ending leg injury in last week's win vs Colorado. Let's see if the Golden Gophers can keep the momentum going in their BIG10 opener on the road vs a tough Sparty team. 

#15 Oregon @ Washington State - 4PM ET (FOX)
The Ducks had a big win over a really solid BYU team last weekend to put the Week 1 beating they took at the hands of Georgia behind them. We'll get to see if it's all the way behind them as they travel to Pullman to face-off against a very solid 3-0 Cougars team, led by 2023 QB Draft prospect Cameron Ward, who had a big road win @ Wisconsin in Week 2. Ward didn't have gawdy stats in that game, but he played really well down the stretch and sealed the game with his poise, something that popped-out to me because he played his first 2 seasons at the FCS level at Incarnate Word - a university I've never even heard of before. Ward faces-off against Oregon CB Christian Gonzalez, a 2023 Draft CB prospect and Colorado transfer that's surfaced on many "expert" lists after the Baylor win. 

#10 Arkansas @ #23 Texas A&M (at "Jerry's World") - 7PM ET (ESPN)
Arkansas has had some solid wins to start the season - vs a tough Cincinnati team and vs South Carolina, while Texas A&M has had a bit of a whirlwind start -losing at home to App St and then winning in primetime vs Miami (FL) last week. A&M's defense looked very stout last week vs 2023 QB prospect Tyler Van Dyke and Arkansas QB KJ Jefferson better show more than what he's shown so far. Brad Johnson's kid is the new QB at A&M at the moment, but they aren't a team that throws a ton, which will suit Arkansas fine because they have had several injuries to their secondary this year. I'm thinking this will be a low-scoring affair with points hard to come by and the team that makes the fewest mistakes will win. 

#7 USC @ Oregon St - 9:30PM ET (PAC12 Network)
Even though the Trojans are somewhat of a "darling" story behind Lincoln Riley, QB Caleb Williams and WR Jordan Addison, the Beavers have quietly had a very strong start to the season, too (beating Boise St and Fresno St in back-to-back weeks) and they get the game at home in Corvallis, which is a very tough place to play. I don't know if Oregon St has the talent on defense to hold off the high-flying Lincoln Riley offensive onslaught, but they do have a solid offense, too, and the test will be on the Trojans defense to come up with some key stops. The 2023 Draft prospect to watch in this one is Oregon St TE Luke Musgrave; #27 on Feldman's 2022 "Freaks List" and is off to a very strong 2022 season. 

Stanford @ #18 Washington - 10:30PM ET (FS1)
It's another QB vs QB matchup in Week 4 as Stanford's 2023 QB prospect, Tanner McKee, squares-off against a suddenly red-hot Michael Penix, Jr - a transfer from Indiana. McKee didn't have a great game in Stanford's Week 2 home loss vs USC but he continues to hang around the top of the 2nd tier of the 2023 QB prospects with some mocks still keeping him in Round 1. I'm excited to get an extensive look at him to see what all the hype is about, as well as get a birds-eye view of Penix, Jr to see how he's progressed from Indiana. If Washington wins, they do have a somewhat favorable PAC12 schedule until two tough road games in their last 3 games: @ Oregon and @ WSU. 

2023 QB Watch:

Early Games:
DJ Uiagalelei (Clemson) @ Sam Hartman (Wake Forest)

Afternoon Games:
Anthony Richardson (Florida) @ Hendon Hooker (Tennessee)
Bo Nix (Oregon) @ Cameron Ward (Washington St)

Evening Games:
KJ Jefferson (Arkansas) @ Texas A&M (game being held at "Jerry's World")

Late Games:
Tanner McKee (Stanford) @ Michael Penix, Jr (Washington)