Week 4 in college football will have some big-time matchups, with Tennessee‘s trip to Norman for Oklahoma‘s first-ever SEC game taking the top headline. We should learn a lot about the Vols and Sooners, giving us an idea of where they stand in the College Football Playoff picture.
ESPN’s Greg McElroy went in a different direction though, looking at two under-the-radar matchups with CFP implications.
He began in the Big 12 for another game in the Sooner State. Oklahoma State will be playing host to Utah on Sept. 21 for a battle of two programs looking to compete for the conference title. Whoever winds up winning the Big 12 will get an automatic spot in the CFP, making every contest against top teams that much more important.
“Massive game as far as the Big 12 title is concerned,” McElroy said. “Utah, the favorite alongside Kansas State. They’re on the road against an Oklahoma State team that can pound you and went to the Big 12 title game a year ago. That’s a significant one.”
Both Oklahoma State and Utah have been close to making the CFP in years past but wound up falling one game short. You have to imagine both are happy with the expanded 12-team version, giving them a better shot at being in the field.
McElroy then headed out West for an ACC showdown between Clemson and NC State. Dabo Swinney‘s team will be playing host, a stadium the Tigers do not lose in too often. But McElroy believes if NC State’s offense can play to its potential, they have a chance to win and shake things up.
“Clemson is a tough place to go win,” McElroy said. “NC State, I think, can be one of those teams that could absolutely knock Clemson off — if the offense is advertised. If not, you’re going to have two great defenses going at it there in that one that might have some Playoff implications when we fast forward to the end of the season.”
For reference, NC State has not beaten Clemson in Death Valley since 2002 when Chuck Amato was the head coach. It’s a nine-game losing streak for the Wolfpack as they have played every year since then besides the 2020 COVID-19 shortened season.
And while the game might be early in the season, if NC State does find a way to win, it could significantly impact the ACC CFP bid later in the year.
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