TEXAS, USA — Welcome to the week four edition of The Pregame Pulse where I will be sharing with you what I think are the top-five college football games you should be watching this weekend!
We've made it to conference play, and I think it was worth the wait. Coming off a bit of an uninteresting week three, college football fans are being fed this week as we are getting six Top-25 matchups on Saturday.
The afternoon slate is pretty loaded, so it's a good idea to be somewhere that has every game on for you to enjoy, unless you want your fingers to be sore from flipping back and forth on the TV remote.
So, let's take a look at the best games to watch!
Saturday, Sept. 21
#19 Colorado Buffaloes vs. #10 Oregon Ducks - 2:30 p.m. CT
They are saying everything Deion Sanders touches is turning to gold. They are saying this team has juice like we've never seen before. They are saying this team can take down a real contender. Theatrics aside, can they?
As much as I loved watching the Buffs miraculously comeback and win in a heated, double-overtime thriller that may or may not have ended at 1:30 a.m. and disrupted my sleep cycle, I just don't know if they are there yet.
They really didn't play great against Colorado State, and yes, I know the weekend was filled with superior teams underperforming against lesser opponents, but it raised concerns on whether or not this Colorado team is too emotional.
I think the heat of the rivalry may have played a big role in the Buffs performance last week and as they are facing their biggest battle yet against the Ducks, they will surely be coming in with that chip on their shoulder again.
Don't get me wrong, I think it's great what Deion has done to this team. He's given them such a belief in themselves that they feel invincible. As former Montana Tech Coach Bob Green would say; "His attitude's positive, he thinks he can take on hell with a squirt gun."
Football is a hard game and you can't always win, so it'll be interesting to see not only what happens in this game, but what happens following it.
All that being said, if Colorado wins they are the best team in the country in my eyes and everyone should be happy I don't get an AP vote.
Kidding.
#22 UCLA Bruins vs. #11 Utah Utes - 2:30 p.m. CT
Could we see the return of Utah Quarterback Cam Rising this weekend? I sure hope so!
Utah has had a good start to their season despite not having their starter. Sure, they stumbled a bit against Baylor, but a win is a win when you're rotating quarterbacks.
The Bruins have also played well leading up to this point, no signs of concern anywhere. However, the competition is about to get a lot steeper considering the talent across the Pac-12 this year.
The Utes are currently favored by six points in this matchup and that may grow as more news comes out about Rising's status for the game.
I don't think UCLA really cares about what the odds say as they are coming into this game averaging 527 total yards per game, which is quite a bit.
This is one to keep an eye or two on as it is sure to produce some highlights.
#15 Ole Miss Rebels vs. #13 Alabama Crimson Tide - 2:30 p.m. CT
What a rollercoaster these first three weeks have been for the Crimson Tide.
They opened up the season by dominating Middle Tennessee State, followed it with a loss to Texas at home and then just barely escaped with a win against South Florida. A lot going on over there in Tuscaloosa.
That being said, I'll go back to my previous statement; A win is a win when you are rotating quarterbacks, which is exactly what the Crimson Tide did in week three.
Jalen Milroe is expected to be back in the starting role this week and he better be ready to play because this Ole miss team is red hot and feeling good coming into this one.
Rebels Head Coach Lane Kiffin is no stranger to Nick Saban, and he desperately wants to secure a win over his former employer, but that has proven to be a tough task over the last few years as Kiffin has lost every time they've met.
However, this is not the same dominate Alabama team we've seen over the years. This is a team who has no idea who the leader is and the on-field performances are reflecting that.
In my opinion this is a must-win game for Alabama if they want any shot of getting back to their post-season success we've all come to know. If not, this truly could be a changing of the guard.
Either way, this game will be an intense one as Ole Miss comes in with seemingly nothing to lose.
#14 Oregon State Beavers vs. #21 Washington State Cougars - 6 p.m. CT
Another Pac-12 matchup makes its way into our top five this week as we discuss the Beavs and the Cougs.
Both of these teams have looked amazing over the first three weeks of play. Oregon State Quarterback DJ Uiagalelei has been playing well as he still get comfortable on the West Coast.
However, Washington State Quarterback Cameron Ward has already thrown an extremely impressive 9 touchdowns with zero interceptions so far as he has led the Cougars to an average of 400 passing yards per game.
In my opinion, this game as all the makings of a classic Pac-12 air-it-out game. The talent is present on both sides and I think this game will be very close. The Beavers are currently favored by three points, but I think this is genuinely a toss up.
Now that we're in conference play we might start to see this Pac-12 conference kind of cannibalize itself as there are quite a bit of ranked teams within it. We're going to get to see who's real and who was playing some below-par competition to start the season.
Tune in and find out if either of these teams know what to do when they get punched in the mouth.
#6 Ohio State Buckeyes vs. #9 Notre Dame Fighting Irish - 6:30 p.m. CT
This is my must-watch, non-negotiable game of the week.
There is nothing more important than this game Saturday night. Unless of course you're getting married. But people get married everyday, Ohio State and Notre Dame don't play each other all the time, so we have to appreciate it when we get it.
Notre Dame Quarterback Sam Hartman continues to impress as he has thrown for 13 touchdowns and zero interceptions. A win against Ohio State could launch Hartman into the front of the Heisman race.
On the other side, the Buckeyes star receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. is playing lights out as he continues to build his draft stock.
Each team has looked pretty dominate in their first three games, but now it's time for the first real test. This game will for sure be one that the College Football Playoff Committee looks at towards the end of the season when final rankings are being made.
Again, this is must watch. Appreciate every minute of this one.
Zachary Yanes is a digital content producer for KCEN 6 News and an avid sports fan. He will be telling you the top games to watch every week in "The PreGame Pulse" right here on kcentv.com. You can follow Zachary on Twitter @ZacharyYanes
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