Week four of the college football season is almost here. It's hard to believe that most teams across the country have already played three games and we are getting into conference play this week. The regular season is already 25% of the way done for a lot of teams. There are a lot good matchups this week, and one of the best games of the week will be a Big 12 clash between the Utah football team and Oklahoma State. This is the conference opener for both of these top-25 teams, and the 14th ranked Cowboys will be hosting the 12th ranked Utes.
Big 12 battle. Two top-15 teams going at. Conference play getting started for both of these teams, and Utah's first game in the Big 12. This is definitely one of the most intriguing matchups of the weekend, but there are a lot of other good matchups as well. This is technically week four, but this is the fifth week of the college football season as there were a few games in week zero before most teams kicked off.
ESPN's College GameDay goes to the biggest game each week, and they will be heading to Norman, Oklahoma this weekend for a huge clash between Oklahoma and Tennessee. The Sooners are ranked #15 in the country and the Volunteers are ranked #6.
In terms of ranked vs. ranked matchups this week, we have that Oklahoma-Tennessee clash, #22 Nebraska vs. #24 Illinois on Friday night, #11 USC plays #18 Michigan in Ann Arbor, and of course, #12 Utah hitting the road to take on #14 Oklahoma State.
There are some other good matchups this weekend featuring ranked teams as well. For example, #21 Clemson has a big one at home in ACC play as NC State is coming to town. That should be a good game, and so should Georgia Tech vs. #19 Louisville, another matchup in the ACC.
Two other good games this week will feature Miami hitting the road to take on South Florida in their final non-conference clash of the season, and also #13 Kansas State hitting the road for a tricky matchup against BYU. All in all, they're a lot of good matchups this weekend.
The Utah football team has a big one for their first ever matchup in Big 12 conference play. The Utes and the Cowboys are two of the biggest threats to win the conference, and whoever wins this game will be in a great position going forward. Before we get into predictions for this matchup, let's take a look at where these teams are at heading into this game.
Utah needs Cam Rising
A big storyline heading into this matchup is the heath of Utah football quarterback Cam Rising. Rising is one of the best, most experienced QBs in college football, but he can't help his team out when he's on the bench. Rising missed all of last season after tearing his ACL in the Rose Bowl the year prior, but he came back this season and looked great in week one. However, he got injured in week two and didn't play in week three.
Cam Rising was tackled awkwardly into a table on the sideline in week two, and he had to leave the game due to a hand injury. The Utes offense hasn't been the same since. If he isn't able to play this weekend against Oklahoma State, Utah is going to be in trouble.
If Rising is able to play, Utah should feel good going into this game. With him on the field, the Utes look like the best team in the Big 12, and they can definitely win this conference and go to the College Football Playoff. They need Rising.
Oklahoma State is 3-0
The Oklahoma State football team is also 3-0 heading into this matchup, but they did have a close call against a weak Arkansas team at home in week two. That performance was a little bit concerning, but the Cowboys did get the win.
Arkansas is one of the worst teams in the SEC, which is why it was a little bit worrisome to see the home Cowboys need double overtime to get the win. Still a win is a win, and Oklahoma State now has another massive home game this weekend.
If Cam Rising is out, there is no excuse for Oklahoma State to not win this football game. They are at home, and they have a 7th year QB running the offense. The Cowboys should be able to get it done if Utah is playing a backup QB.
It's unclear right now if Rising is going to play, but for these predictions, we are going to assume that he will. Here are three predictions for the game:
Cam Rising will throw three touchdown passes
If Cam Rising plays, he is going to have a big day. People are sleeping on Rising. Before his ACL injury, he was one of the best QBs in college football and he led the Utes to back-to-back Pac-12 titles. If he can stay healthy, he will still be one of the best QBs in college football, and he can absolutely lead this team to a big win on Saturday. If he plays, he'll have a big day.
Cam Rising will throw for 300+ yards
If you couldn't already tell, this game is going to come down to whether or not Cam Rising plays. If he does, he is going to have a big day with 300+ yards and three touchdowns. In that scenario, Utah goes into Stillwater and wins comfortably. However, if he can't play, this game will be completely different.
Utah wins 31-17
With Cam Rising on the field, this Utah football team is far and away the best team in the Big 12, and they are the much better team between these two squads. A Rising-led Utes squad will go on the road and beat Oklahoma State by multiple scores. If Rising doesn't play, we'll switch things up and go with a 20-13 win for the Cowboys. Rising makes a HUGE difference.
This Big 12 clash will kick off at 4:00 ET/3:00 CT from Boone Pickens Stadium in Stillwater, Oklahoma. The game will be airing on Fox, and the Cowboys are currently favored by 2.5 points. They were 2.5-point underdogs on Wednesday, so people are speculating that Rising might be out, and that's why the line has changed so much.
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