College football Week 4 schedule: 4 sneaky good games of the week

The college football Week 4 schedule provides some intriguing matchups, with the SEC’s best finally getting started. However, some of the best matchups are elsewhere.

The college football schedule gets a little bit better this weekend, with the SEC finally getting started, and while it will be nice to see the likes of Georgia, Florida, and Alabama gracing television screens again, the conference’s elite teams are positioned to roll in Week 1.

No. 8 Auburn and No. 23 Kentucky should provide a good game, but no dedicated fans are overlooking that matchup. With those teams, as well as No. 3 Oklahoma, headlining the week, it may be easy to overlook some of the best potential games on the weekend slate.

No. 24 Louisville at No. 21 Pittsburgh (-3)

Louisville fell to 1-1 last week after a 47-34 loss to the Miami Hurricanes, but the Cardinals still look like a team that could make some noise among the ACC’s second tier, while Pittsburgh’s defense has allowed just 10 points this season (albeit against Austin Peay and Syracuse). Quarterbacks Malik Cunningham and Kenny Pickett should give fans an entertaining head-to-head matchup, but the Cardinals have the skill position talent to pull of the upset. Running back Javian Hawkins and wideouts Tutu Atwell and Dez Fitzpatrick have looked fantastic so far, and could provide enough explosion to get the Cardinals back above .500.

West Virginia at No. 15 Oklahoma State (-8.5)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys escaped Saturday’s game against Tulsa with a 16-7 win, but fans should by no means be satisfied with the near-upset. The Golden Hurricane stifled running back Chuba Hubbard, the engine of a high-powered offense, and Saturday’s game against the Mountaineers should give fans a read of what they can expect from the Cowboys. West Virginia rolled in its first game despite 11 players suspended, and an upset win as a heavy underdog would not be a surprise by any means considering the Cowboys’ struggles against an inferior opponent. Watch out for Hubbard to bounce back, but the Mountaineers to keep this game incredibly close.

No. 22 Army at No. 14 Cincinnati (-14)

This game pits two of the best teams outside of the Power Five against each other, with very different styles likely to give fans an intriguing matchup. Army has almost 800 rushing yards through two games, and the triple option has given opposing teams fits for years. Cincinnati, meanwhile, fields a more traditional offense, with dual-threat quarterback Desmond Ridder leading the way. While the Black Knights are heavy underdogs, they have rolled in their first two games, and could easily give the Bearcats a fight. With Cincinnati letting up 140 rushing yards to Austin Peay, look for Army to exploit a potential defensive weakness in the ground game.

Georgia State at Charlotte (+2)

This is another mid-major matchup that could be more exciting than it seems, and while the Panthers and 49ers are far from relevant in the top-25 discussion, this game could go down to the wire. Georgia State took No. 19 Louisiana-Lafayette to overtime in its first game, while Charlotte hung with Appalachain State before folding in the fourth quarter. With both teams proving that they can keep up with the superior competition, this has the feel of an under-the-radar game that could wind up being one of the week’s most entertaining. Panthers running back Destin Coates is the player to watch here, and if he can replicate his 150-yard performance from Week 1, Georgia State should be in good shape.

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.