As we near the halfway point of the 2026 college football regular season, there are many questions abound, some of which are easier to answer than others? Who’s actually good? Who’s not? Who’s under-ranked, and who is skating by on reputation alone? If last week is any indication, I’m not sure we’ll know the answers for sure until mid-December.
Week Four Recap
Speaking of good teams, Ohio State continued their post-Texas winning streak with a statement blowout of an ranked Iowa team on the road, while Alabama rudely put Mississippi State back in its place in the SEC pecking order. Missouri showed that Florida’s hot start may not be fully sustainable, and Miami is still very clearly the class of the ACC. After several ranked-on-ranked matchups last week, this week is a bit of a lull, with one huge exception in Tuscaloosa.
Top 25 Matchups
Rankings are from AP Poll, All game times EST
Friday 10/9:
- #20 Iowa @ Washington, 9PM, FOX
- Iowa State @ #8 BYU, 10:15PM, ESPN
Saturday 10/10:
12:00-3:00PM
- #7 Indiana @ Nebraska, FOX
- Texas A&M @ #14 Missouri, ABC
- UCF @ #18 Oklahoma State, ESPN2
- North Carolina @ #25 Pitt, ESPN
- South Carolina @ #16 Florida, SECN
3:30PM-6:30PM
- Stanford @ #3 Notre Dame, NBC
- #1 Texas vs Oklahoma, ABC (Dallas)
- #22 Houston @ Kansas State, FOX
- #2 UCLA @ #13 Oregon, CBS
- #9 Ole Miss @ Vanderbilt, ESPN
- Maryland @ #5 Ohio State, BTN
- #15 Tennessee @ Arkansas, SECN
7:00-10:30PM
- #10 LSU @ Kentucky, ESPN
- #2 Georgia @ #6 Alabama, ABC
- #19 USC @ Penn State, NBC
- Kansas @ #12 Utah, ESPN
- #23 Boise State @ Fresno State, The CW
Most Interesting Matchups
Alabama @ Georgia: While Texas has a stranglehold on the #1 ranking for now, the winner of this matchup will be right on their heels with one of the most impressive wins of the season. Tide-Bulldogs usually winds up giving us some great football and there’s no reason to think that this time won’t produce more of the same.
UCLA @ Oregon: The Bruins seemingly hit a home run with the hiring of Bob Chesney, who has UCLA ranked for the first time in three years. Oregon, for their part, already took care of one ranked California team last week and should be ready to take on another one this Saturday.
Houston @ Kansas State: The Cougars are flying a bit under the radar with their only loss being a close one to Texas Tech. Their opponents are the Wildcats, who’ve made it a habit in recent years of playing ranked teams close.
Iowa @ Washington: Iowa’s dark horse Big Ten run hit a major roadblock last week in a blowout loss to Ohio State. Meanwhile, the Huskies handed USC an extremely unconvincing win. Who can rebound from their respective disappointment the best?
Texas vs Oklahoma: The Red River rivalry has lost a bit of luster given the Sooners’ inability to find consistency on offense. If Oklahoma can’t figure out how to score quickly, they may see a repeat of the 2022 edition of this game, which ended with a 49-0 beatdown at the hands of the Longhorns.
FCS Game of the Week
Harvard @ Cornell 10/10, 1PM, ESPN+
In preparation for some SEC action later in the evening, why not start out with Ivy League action as an appetizer? Let the nerds have some fun too!
Selected Pick ATS
My Picks:
Last Week: 1-4 Season: 12-15
- Alabama @ Georgia (+1.5)
- UCLA @ Oregon (-11.5)
- Houston (+2.5) @ Kansas State
- Iowa (+3.5) @ Washington
- Texas (-8.5) vs Oklahoma
Coin Flip Picks
Rules – Heads: Home Covers, Tails: Away Covers
Neutral Site: Heads picks the first team alphabetically
Last Week: 3-2 Season: 14-14
- Alabama @ Georgia (+1.5)
- UCLA @ Oregon (-11.5)
- Houston (+2.5) @ Kansas State
- Iowa @ Washington (-3.5)
- Texas (-8.5) vs Oklahoma
