College football 2020: 5 games with biggest playoff implications in Week 4

College football's first big weekend is packed with games that impact the playoff race as the SEC returns to play and the Big 12 and ACC crank up. rnAs good as it has been to have the greatest sport in the world back, you have to admit that the schedule has been lacking the first three weeks of the season. Well, look no further, because the SEC is slated to kick off their season in Week 4 on Saturday and love them or hate them, they makes college football more exciting and holds some of the most talented teams in the country.rnrnThe Big 12 is kicking off conference play this weekend and the ACC has some marquee games again after being center stage with Miami defeating Louisville last week.rnrnWeek 4 will bring the first look into some questions that the college football world has been looking forward to trying to answer all offseason: How will LSU look after so much roster turnover and coaches leaving? Will Bo Nix take a big leap in his second season as the starting quarterback at Auburn? Is Florida ready to make a playoff push in year three of the Dan Mullen era?rnrnThese questions have been at the forefront of discussion of a lot of offseason chatter and this weekend will provide a glimpse on some answers.rnrnWeek 4 will also be a chance for some players to elevate their Heisman campaigns or lift them off the ground. D'Eriq King will look to keep his good play going against Florida State, Spencer Rattler will face Kansas State and SEC stars such as Bo Nix, Kyle Trask, Najee Harris and Derek Stingley Jr. kick off their Heisman-hopeful seasons.rnrnHere are the five games with the biggest impact on the playoff race in Week 4rnrn[nextslide teaser="No.%205" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_188409" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Spencer Rattler, Oklahoma football (Photo by Sue Ogrocki-Pool/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 5. Kansas State vs. (3) Oklahoma rnThis game being on the list may surprise some, but allow me to refresh everyone's memory and remind you that Kansas State was the only team to knock off the Sooners in the regular season in 2019.rnrnOklahoma looked like their usual self in Week 1 against Missouri State and Kansas State dropped a home contest to Arkansas State and started the season off on the wrong foot. Everyone is writing off the Wildcats and that is understandable, but that is also what gives this game so much intrigue.rnrnOklahoma is a huge favorite in this game and to win their sixth straight Big 12 championship and that is causing many to call for a blowout in this game on Saturday. That may well happen, but Kansas State is a well-coached football team that won't go away easy.rnrnIf the Wildcats were to shock the nation on Saturday and have a 2019 repeat, then Oklahoma could already be out of the playoff picture and we would have our first major upset of the year.rnrnThe Sooners need to win and show they are ready to take the next step toward winning a championship.rnrn[nextslide teaser="No.%204" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_187725" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Myles Brennan, LSU football (Photo by Frederick Breedon/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 4. Mississippi State vs. (6) LSU rnThe Myles Brennan era at LSU is set to kick off Saturday and LSU will start their title defense at home against the new look Mississippi State Bulldogs. This game has playoff implications for the obvious reasons: Mississippi State is a quality opponent and LSU will try to start their season off on the right foot and show everyone that they have a lot of upside despite losing so many quality starters.rnrnMississippi State is looking to show that they can be a dark-horse in the SEC West behind the new air-raid attack and transfer quarterback KJ Costello.rnrnBoth teams come in with a lot of intrigue and this will be the first chance that the nation will be able to see if LSU can keep their high-powered offense going under new quarterback Myles Brennan and passing game coordinator Scott Linehan. Bo Pelini makes his return to Baton Rouge as the Tigers defensive coordinator, replacing Dave Aranda who left to take the head coaching job at Baylor.rnrnAll eyes will be on Baton Rouge Saturday afternoon to see if LSU can defy expectations and remain playoff contenders.rnrn[nextslide teaser="No.%203" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_188703" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Kenny Pickett, Pitt football (Photo by Justin Berl/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 3. (24) Louisville vs. (21) Pittsburgh rnThe first matchup of ranked opponents on this list, Pittsburgh will host Louisville in a battle of teams trying to emerge from the middle of the pack in ACC and try to be considered a playoff dark horse.rnrn[related-category /]rnrnLouisville suffered a bit of a setback last week in its loss to Miami, but the Cardinals are explosive on offense and are hoping that last weeks miserable performance on defense will not carry over against a quarterback like Kenny Pickett, who is off to a good start in 2020.rnrnPittsburgh has one of the best front-sevens in the country and they will have to be disruptive against an offense that has playmakers like Micale Cunningham, Javian Hawkins and Tutu Atwell.rnrnPittsburgh is off to a good start to the season with wins over Austin Peay and Syracuse and they are hoping that they can go from flying under the radar to suddenly being a team that is capable of going to the ACC championship and beyond.rnrnThis is a bit of an elimination game of sorts early in the season in the ACC and that is why I think that this is a game that has playoff implications in Week 4 and is a game that you should keep an eye on on Saturday.rnrn[nextslide teaser="No.%202" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_184558" align="alignnone" width="3200"] Bo Nix, Auburn football (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 2. (23) Kentucky vs. (8) Auburn rnThe most underrated game of the weekend pits a team with high talent and little experience against a less talented team with loads of experience.rnrnKentucky travels to Auburn as the most overlooked team in the SEC and looking to pull an early season upset and set themselves up for a big season.rnrnAuburn will be looking to showcase quarterback Bo Nix and this offense under former Arkansas and SMU head coach Chad Morris. Auburn is replacing four starters on their defensive line, a lot of their secondary, and standout defensive linemen Derrick Brown and Marlon Davidson.rnrnThat could be a bad recipe against a very experienced Kentucky team that will be very good on the defensive side of the football. Kentucky will also be welcoming back quarterback Terry Wilson and he will be looking to bring more balance to the offense.rnrnThis is a game with playoff implications because both teams are capable of having big seasons and a win here would set either team in the right direction. Kentucky loves playing the role of spoiler and that is what they could be on Saturday as they look to show that the SEC East is much more than Georgia and Florida. This will be a great game and one that could hold some weight later in the year.rnrn[nextslide teaser="No.%201" /]rnrn rnrn[caption id="attachment_188896" align="alignnone" width="1600"] Christian Anderson, Army football (Photo by Edward Diller/Getty Images)[/caption]rn 1. (22) Army vs. (14) Cincinnati rnAfter much thought and debate, I decided to put this game at No. 1 and just allow me to explain. No matter what happens, this is the best chance for a Group of Five team to make the playoff and frankly playoff expansion aside, this might be the only chance for one to make the playoff.rnrnCincinnati has been picked by a lot of analysts as the best Group of Five team and the favorites in the AAC and some very bold analysts have predicted a Cincinnati playoff run. It may sound crazy, but it is not at all that far-fetched and that is why when the Bearcats are presented with an opportunity to play ranked opponent, they must make the most of it.rnrnArmy comes into this game with ambitions of its own and that is to knock off the Bearcats and show that they are the best non-Power Five team in the country.rnrnArmy is excellent at running the ball and that will be a tough challenge for a good Cincinnati defense and that could be the key to the game on Saturday. The Black Knights are a well-coached and physical team and that will make them a handful for the Bearcats.rnrnCincinnati needs a statement win to gain the respect of voters and the nation, as does Army, and that is why I think this is the game with the most playoff implications in Week 4.rnrn[story_link_next description="Ranking%20college%20football's%20top%2050%20fanbases" url="https://saturdayblitz.com/2019/08/26/college-footballs-top-50-fanbases/" /]

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College football 2020: 5 games with biggest playoff implications in Week 4

5. Kansas State vs. (3) Oklahoma

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