Week 4 presents a unique opportunity for Iowa.
The Hawkeyes (3-0) get the primetime spotlight at 8 p.m. against No. 18 Wisconsin, which lost to BYU in Week 3. Iowa can take control of the Big Ten West Division with a win, jump into the top 25 and pick off another ranked Big Ten power at Kinnick Stadium. Michigan and Ohio State learned the hard way the last two seasons, and Penn State needed a last-second touchdown last year to avoid the same fate.
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This game is different, and Iowa coach Kirk Ferentz knows the mesh point. The Heartland Trophy will be decided in the interior as usual. It's always been that way.
"I'll go back to my first year here in '81, they were pretty good up front then, too," Ferentz said. "When Barry (Alvarez) went up there in '99 that was part of his blueprint to be good on both lines and they certainly have reflected that through the years."
Despite last week's loss, the Badgers still average 285.0 yards rushing per game and have the last four times at Iowa. The Hawkeyes, meanwhile, rank fourth in the FBS in scoring defense (8.0) and are tied for fourth in nation in sacks per game (4.0). A.J. Epenesa, a former five-star recruit with four sacks this season, leads that unit. That's where the opportunity presents itself for Iowa.
"It's the way they're built, and we've tried to be the same way," Ferentz said. "I guess philosophically we're kind of similar knowing that if you're good up front you'll have a chance to do some good things offensively or defensively."
That's one of the more enticing matchups on the Week 4 schedule. With that in mind, here is what you should be watching as the first third of the season comes to an end.
Heisman Watch
Georgia coach Kirby Smart notices one attribute more than any other when he sees Missouri quarterback Drew Lock on film.
"He can get the ball in there so quick that the recovery time for defensive backs is minimal," Smart said on the SEC teleconference on Wednesday.
Lock has the required statistics for a Heisman Trophy run. Lock led the FBS with 44 touchdowns last season and is one of just 35 quarterbacks to throw for 40-plus touchdowns in a single season. That list includes former Heisman winners such as Houston's Andre Ware (1989), BYU's Ty Detmer (1990), Oklahoma's Sam Bradford (2008), Florida State's Jameis Winston (2013), Oregon's Marcus Mariota (2014) and Oklahoma's Baker Mayfield (2017). Those last four quarterbacks — all in the last decade — played on championship contenders.
In that regard, this is Lock's biggest stage of the season against No. 3 Georgia. Missouri is 9-1 since a 53-28 loss to the Bulldogs dropped the Tigers to 0-6 this season, and coach Barry Odom has noticed Lock's relentless drive to improve ever since. A victory here — especially with another fringe candidate in Georgia's Jake Fromm on the other sideline — would give Lock a marquee moment to go with those prolific statistics.
"He likes football, he likes to compete and wants to be the best," Odom said. "He understands that he has areas in his game that could be a lot cleaner and better. He's striving to get there. … It's been infectious for our football team."
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Coach on the spot
Oregon has not started 4-0 since 2014 — a year in which the Ducks advanced to the first College Football Playoff championship game with Mark Helfrich and Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota.
The Ducks have burned through Helfrich and Willie Taggart since, but first-year coach Mario Cristobal has No. 20 Oregon in position to score a huge victory against No. 7 Stanford at Autzen Stadium on Saturday. For much of the decade, this has been the marquee game for the conference.
"Any time you can test yourself you want to test yourself," Cristobal said on the Pac-12 teleconference on Monday. "Certainly, with us playing nine conference games, those tests are coming."
This game is also famed for the contrast in styles. Cristobal compared Stanford's offensive philosophy to his last stop at Alabama, but it's the defensive side where Cristobal sees a lot of comparisons with Stanford.
"The thing that aids us a little bit is our defensive schemes are similar," Cristobal said. "There is a good amount of similarity, and that carries over."
One big difference? Stanford leads the nation in scoring defense (7.7 ppg.) Oregon is 43th at 20.0 ppg. Is it possible this game turns into a defensive struggle?
Upset alert
Kentucky hasn't enjoyed a 4-0 start since Rich Brooks led the Wildcats through an unbeaten September before a tight 17-14 loss at No. 2 Alabama on Oct. 4, 2008.
The Wildcats can get back to 4-0 for the first time in 10 years in prime time against No. 14 Mississippi State on Saturday. Four of the SEC's top 10 rushers will be on the field in this game, including Kentucky's Benny Snell (375 yards, three touchdowns) and Terry Wilson (223 yards, two touchdowns) and Mississippi State's Kylin Hill (293 yards, three touchdowns) and Nick Fitzgerald (266 yards, four touchdowns).
"They really put a lot of pressure rushing for 310 or 311 yards a game with the ability to throw the ball as well," Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said on the SEC teleconference on Wednesday. "That's where they put so much stress on you. Their total offense is off the charts right now."
Kentucky won a 48-38 thriller in their last meeting in Lexington in 2016, but we'll temper that with the fact Mississippi State won 45-7 in Starkville last season. We think this will be one of the most entertaining games of the weekend, and the Wildcats have a chance.
After beating Florida for the first time since 1986, anything is possible.
We also think Purdue might avoid 0-4 at home against Boston College in a shootout.
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Think about it
The best path to the College Football Playoff remains going undefeated, and through three weeks there are 34 remaining unbeaten teams in the FBS. The SEC and ACC lead the way with six teams apiece.
A total of 34 unbeaten left in FBS: By conference
— Bill Bender (@BillBender92) September 18, 2018
ACC: 6
SEC: 6
Big Ten: 5
Pac-12: 5
Big 12: 3
American: 3
C-USA: 3
MAC: 2
IND: 1
That's going to reheat the debate about the number of conference games each Power 5 conference plays — with the oft-hammered talking point the fact the SEC and ACC play eight conference games apiece. Nebraska coach Scott Frost addressed that in pointed fashion at Big Ten Media Days on July 23.
"I think you have to absolutely have blinders on because the ACC and SEC are going to be over-represented in the College Football Playoff every year because they play eight conference games while the Pac-12, Big 12 and Big Ten beat themselves up and play an extra game," Frost said.
The obvious comeback here from ACC and SEC fans would be to tell Frost to worry about Nebraska, but it works both ways. The ACC and SEC have managed to play well in nonconference games, and that's with two head-to-head games between LSU and Miami and Alabama and Louisville.
Non-Conference Records of the Power 5 Conferences:#SEC - 28-5 (85%)#ACC - 27-7 (77%)#Big12 - 19-7 (73%)#Pac12 - 22-10 (69%)#B1G - 24-12 (66%)
— SportSourceAnalytics (@SportSourceA) September 16, 2018
The Big 10 already has more non-conference losses this year (12) than they had all of 2017 (11).
Winning all your games is the easiest way in, and winning your conference remains the focus. But in the College Football Playoff era, winning those nonconference has become just as important.
Nobody is doing it better than the SEC and ACC, and it shows.
