College Football 2021: Top 3 under-the-radar games to watch in Week 4

2. (14) Iowa State at Baylor

Iowa State opens their conference season on the road as they take on Baylor. The Cyclones have won three of the last four games however they have been close wins in a series full of them.

In the preseason, the Cyclones were talked about as a possible dark horse candidate to make the College Football Playoff. But then the season started. First came the game versus Northern Iowa in which the Cyclones won but slept walk through most of it. Then the game versus Iowa where they outgained the Hawkeyes and had more first downs but turned over the ball four times on their way to a 27-17 rivalry loss.

The biggest issue with the offense has been quarterback Brock Purdy. He did not look like his 2020 version through two games but bounced back last week versus UNLV with his first three touchdowns of the season. The Cyclones will need more of that from Purdy if they are going to keep in the Big 12 race.

Baylor has a top-five rushing offense in the country, led by senior running back Abram Smith. On the young season, Smith has 366 yards on only 47 carries and has found the end zone five times.

The bad news for the Bears is they are about to meet the country’s top defense against the run. Both teams could actually struggle to run in this one, forcing the game onto the shoulders of Purdy and Baylor quarterback Gerry Bohanon. Should be a fun matchup.