The impact of conference realignment will be on full display in college football’s Week 4

September 20, 2024
Conference play finally comes to town this weekend.
CollegeFootball
The impact of conference realignment will be on full display in college football’s Week 4The impact of conference realignment will be on full display in college football’s Week 4
Source: Vol_Football/X

The GIST: Conference play finally comes to town this weekend, meaning the effects of realignment will be on full display. Here’s to old rivals and new enemies.

No. 24 Illinois Fighting Illini (3-0) vs. No. 22 Nebraska Cornhuskers (3-0), tonight at 8 p.m. ET (Fox): Huskers QB Patrick Mahomes Dylan Raiola has almost singlehandedly put Nebraska football back on the map, making tonight’s tilt the first ranked matchup hosted by the Huskers — a ’90s powerhouse — in over a decade.

No. 11 USC Trojans (2-0) vs. No. 18 Michigan Wolverines (2-1), tomorrow at 3:30 p.m. ET (CBS): The Big House is a brutal environment for a Big Ten debut, but USC is looking confident behind QB Miller Moss and his Heisman-worthy performances. Meanwhile, after a slow start to their national championship defense, Michigan badly needs this dub to reclaim their start-of-season swagger.

No. 12 Utah Utes (3-0) vs. No. 14 Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-0), tomorrow at 4 p.m ET (Fox): Rumor has it Utah’s Cam Rising is healthy enough to start, so tomorrow’s bout could be a battle between two seventh-year QBs. This is the starting line of the Utes’ quest to win the Big 12 in their first year — and the Cowboys are one of the top competitors in their way.

No. 6 Tennessee Volunteers (3-0) vs. No. 15 Oklahoma Sooners (3-0), tomorrow at 7:30 p.m. ET (ABC): The Sooners’ first conference game as an SEC squad is a doozy: The Vols are a well-oiled offensive machine who’ve outscored their first three opponents a whopping 191–13. That said, this is also Tennessee’s toughest test yet — can Oklahoma prove that Rocky Top’s all hype?