Upsets always rule a college football Saturday and, while many fans are eagerly looking ahead to next week and the final weekend of September with all of the marquee matchups on the docket, the Week 4 college football slate should not only be a hoot and a half, but there could be upsets brewing throughout the country, particularly if you happen to play at one of the many Memorial Stadiums throughout the sport. In fact, four of the five teams we have on upset alert in Week 4 will be playing at such a venue.
What's interesting about looking at the ranked teams we're ready to put on upset alert in Week 4 is that four of the five are also playing at home this week. Yes, that's obviously an advantage for these teams to some degree. At the same time, we're looking at teams that are, in many cases, unproven so far in the 2025 season, or teams that we're still not quite sure just how good they are.
This will undoubtedly be a Saturday in which we find out a lot about some teams, and what we could find out is that they're susceptible to being upset by other good teams. But let's dive into the teams on upset alert in college football for Week 4.
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FanSided Upset Alert Picks Record — Straight-Up: 6-9, ATS: 6-9
5. No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah (-3.5)
Saturday, Sept. 20, Noon ET (FOX) | Rice-Eccles Stadium - Salt Lake City, UT
There's a real, real chance that both Texas Tech and Utah are going to be going down to the wire vying for the Big 12 title in the regular season, or at least trying to punch their tickets to Arlington for the conference championship game. At the same time, we can't say that with 100 percent certainty based on the lacking strength of schedule both of these teams have played leading into this Top 20 showdown.
The Red Raiders have blown out opponents to this point, but those opponents have been Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kent State, and Oregon State, the latter two being among the worst FBS teams in 2025. But Utah hasn't been much better in this regard, laying it on reeling UCLA, Cal Poly and Wyoming to get to their 3-0 record coming into this game.
While I remain confident that both of these offenses have the ingredients to put up big numbers against most Big 12 defenses, the truth is that I don't have an ounce of confidence in either defense until I see it. I actually lean the Utes in this game because I think they're the better team, but it shouldn't shock anyone if Texas Tech wraps this up in a tortilla for an upset victory. That's the variance of these types of early-season matchups.
4. Tulane at No. 13 Ole Miss (-12.5)
Saturday, Sept. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET (ESPN) | Vaught-Hemingway Stadium - Oxford, MS
Lane Kiffin may have found himself unexpectedly in a phenomenal position at quarterback. While the Austin Simmons hype train was rolling coming into the season, an injury forced Trinidad Chambliss into action against Arkansas and he led the Rebels to a victory in a shootout. How that game played out, however, is why I'm slightly worried about Tulane coming to Oxford and getting a huge statement win over an SEC opponent.
Ole Miss' defense might just be bad. That might sound like an oversimplification of the matter, but it's not wholly based on facing an underrated and potentially awesome Razorbacks offense. This is a Rebels defense that gave up 23 points, albeit on the road, to freakin' Kentucky. That's not a good sign, especially with a proven quarterback like Jake Retzlaff and a Jon Sumrall team coming to town.
At the end of the day, the talent advantage for Ole Miss should be enough to outlast Tulane and not drown in the Green Wave. Having said that, Kiffin's M.O. has, unfortunately, been having some head-scratchers, and their opponent in Week 4 is one that certainly has the right type of opponent and position on the schedule just ahead of SEC play to be that type of outcome for the Rebs.
3. No. 21 Michigan (-1.5) at Nebraska
Saturday, Sept. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS) | Memorial Stadium - Lincoln, NE
Because I'm a Bryce Underwood believer, I do think that there's still good reason to believe in the upside of Michigan this season. At the same time, I'm also realistic about both what we've seen from the Wolverines this season and how tricky of a matchup going on the road to Lincoln to play this. Nebraska team could end up being, especially without Sherrone Moore on the sidelines.
Michigan has one notable result this season, which was their loss on the road to Oklahoma. The wins over New Mexico and CMU don't exactly move me, and apologies if that offends. In that loss to the Sooners, though, two things stood out. First was John Mateer having a big night through the air (and on the ground for that matter) and the Wolverines offense largely getting stonewalled as they dared Underwood to throw it on them.
While I don't believe that the Huskers are the same caliber as Oklahoma, I do believe in Matt Rhule and this team to have a similar gameplan defensively, daring Michigan to beat them through the air. Furthermore, Dylan Raiola, despite the Mahomes memes and whatnot, is a talented leader of their own aerial attack. And with this game being in Lincoln, this could be a white-knuckle affair for every Michigan fan watching.
2. No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana (-6.5)
Saturday, Sept. 20, 7:30 p.m. ET (NBC) | Memorial Stadium - Bloomington, IN
Much like was the case between Utah and Texas Tech, I feel similarly about Illinois and Indiana in this matchup on Saturday night in Bloomington. While the Fighting Illini do have a big win over Duke, it might just be the case that the Blue Devils aren't that good. There's no questioning, however, that Indiana has faced cupcake city to get this crucial Big Ten matchup, though they have looked the part of a Top 20 team in those wins with emphatic blowouts.
One big thing that might be working in the Hoosiers' favor for this game in order to avoid an upset is the fact that Illinois is likely going to be without star cornerback Xavier Scott, which could leave them vulnerable to Fernando Mendoza and a strong receiving corps opening up the passing game. At the same time, the Illini are the more experienced team within this system and program, which could be a difference-maker in such a high-pressure environment.
Luke Altmyer has played stellar this season at the helm of a well-balanced offense, but that will be tested against what could be a salty Indiana defense. At the end of the day, I'm just damn excited to watch this football game between two College Football Playoff hopefuls on Saturday night, and I think the result could be much closer than the nearly full touchdown line that the Hoosiers are favored by at home.
1. No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma (-6.5)
Saturday, Sept. 20, 3:30 p.m. ET (ABC) | Memorial Stadium - Norman, OK
Let me go ahead and get out in front of this one, I'm actually fairly confident that Oklahoma is going to win this game. If there's one area defensively that Auburn's defense has been susceptible this season, it's been through the air, which is where the Sooners have thrived with Mateer. Similarly, Jackson Arnold and the Tigers passing attack has been limited, and Brent Venables already proved against Michigan that he can force even a good, well-coached offense to lean on its weakness.
Having said that, there are a few things still worth considering that could allow Hugh Freeze and Auburn to pull off the upset — and no, it's not the Arnold revenge game. For one, it's the head coach himself. I'm a believer, still, in Freeze, especially in a chess match against a great defensive mind. Furthermore, he always has a gameplan ready to even the playing field in big games such as this one. And there's also a non-zero chance that includes something with Arnold that they've kept holstered until this huge showdown in Norman.
Auburn hasn't really gotten its proper respect this season, especially with the Baylor win continuing to look better as the season moves on. And though we think it's a good win, there's also a non-zero chance that Oklahoma's win over Michigan might not be as good as we all perceived it to be. This will be a fascinating matchup that is close enough to almost be called a toss-up, but it will certainly give us plenty of food for thought as to how the SEC will play out this season.