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To say that the Week 4 college football slate is loaded would be an understatement, as the weekend schedule is chalk full of marquee matchups of intrigue.
We’ll get to see No. 4 Florida State try to reclaim the “King of the Mountain” mantle in the ACC when facing Clemson. We’ll get Deion Sanders and No. 19 Colorado taking their show on the road when facing No. 10 Oregon. We’ll witness No. 15 Ole Miss try to drive a stake into the heart of a vulnerable No. 13 Alabama. And we’ll get a heavyweight showdown in South Bend between No. 6 Ohio State and No. 9 Notre Dame. While those matchups are absolutely worth your time, I want to go slightly off the grid and point your attention elsewhere.
Every week, I’ll go full hipster and point out an under-the-radar game that you should also be paying attention to on the schedule. This week, we’ll head to America’s Heartland to get an early glimpse of the new Big 12
UCF at Kansas State, 8 p.m. ET, FS1
Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook
Spread: Kansas State -4.5
Total: 52
Moneyline: K-State -198, UCF +164
The underrated matchup that we’ll take a look at for Week 4 brings us to Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, KS, where the UCF Knights will battle Kansas State Wildcats. This game will officially mark the Big 12 debut for UCF, who officially joined the conference this season. It will also be just the second all-time matchup between these two programs with K-State winning the only prior matchup back in 2010.
The underrated matchup that we’ll take a look at for Week 4 brings us to Bill Snyder Family Stadium in Manhattan, KS, where the UCF Knights will battle Kansas State Wildcats. This game will officially mark the Big 12 debut for UCF, who officially joined the conference this season. It will also be just the second all-time matchup between these two programs with K-State winning the only prior matchup back in 2010.
UCF is 3-0 on the year heading into this showdown, with its signature non-conference victory coming against Boise State two weeks ago. The Knights have handled their business on both sides of the ball so far and that is born out by them being ranked 34th in SP+ on offense and 28th on defense. Starting quarterback John Rhys Plumlee was operating the controls well through the first two games before suffering a leg injury, leaving backup Timmy McClain to lead UCF in its first Big 12 game. The USF transfer acquitted himself well in their 48-14 victory over Villanova last Saturday, throwing for over 300 yards and two touchdowns in the win.
Kansas State is 2-1 heading into the conference opener, pummeling SE Missouri State and Troy to open the year before losing to old Big 12 rival Missouri on a last-second field goal last Saturday. The Wildcats stood a strong chance of taking out the Tigers in overtime if kicker Harrison Mevis didn’t drill a ridiculous 61-yard field goal to walk it off for Mizzou. The loss didn’t do much to throw the team off in SP+ as they are ranked 20th on offense and 29th on defense. Similar to UCF, K-State will also have a question mark at quarterback with starter Will Howard dealing with a leg injury he suffered last week. If he’s unable to go, true freshman backup Avery Johnson will most likely take over.
What makes this matchup intriguing is that it’s the first true representation of what the new Big 12 will be. UCF was one of the most successful Group of Five programs in the last decade and its supernova rise has led the program to this point. Right out the gate, the Knights will be facing the reigning Big 12 champions in K-State, who itself has the opportunity to establish itself as one of the league’s powers once Oklahoma and Texas leave. This will be an intriguing clash and I suggest having this on in one of the YouTube TV quad boxes while Notre Dame-Ohio State is on.