Storyline Saturday: What to watch in college football's Week 4

From the look of things, this appears to be one those years.

You know the kind. The season that makes anyone involved in the ranking of a team curl up in a blanket and call for mama. While there has not been a miraculous amount of upsets, the tone of Week 3 tells you they are out there.

The teams at the top do not look like world-beaters. Instead of using games like SMU and Northern Illinois to take breathers, TCU and Ohio State barely kept their heads above water. Ole Miss toppling Alabama, then seeing itself rocket near the top, could just be the start of a near-endless cycle.

With 75 percent of the season to go, we can rest assured that anything can and will happen. So, if you haven’t already, buckle up for Week 4.

The big games

Who: No. 9 UCLA at No. 16 Arizona
Where: Arizona Stadium, Tucson, Ariz.
When: 7:00 pm ABC

After the first two weeks, Josh Rosen looked like the second coming for UCLA. While that vision may not have ended in a three-interception performance against BYU, the young star had to put out a distress call to his run game. Luckily for the Bruins, Paul Perkins answered and racked up over 200 yards in the comeback victory.

Arizona started off shaky, but after putting up 792 yards of offense last week the Wildcats appear to be rounding into form. This one, as most Pac-12 games tend to do, will come down to which defense shows up.

Who: No. 18 Utah vs No. 13 Oregon
Where: Autzen Stadium, Eugene, Ore.
When: 7:30 pm FOX

Speaking of the Pac-12, it seems to be the saving grace in a week devoid of many ranked matchups. The conference's big week continues in Oregon as the Ducks get their second crack at a top-20 team. While Oregon put up 28 points in a losing effort the Michigan State, it sandwiched that performance with two 61-pointers.

The offense is there, but it would appear the defense is not. The Ducks are currently sporting the worst defense in the Pac-12, giving up 456.3 yards per game. While Utah is by no means an offensive powerhouse, the subpar Ducks defense might allow the Utes to sneak away with one in Autzen. No easy task.

Honorable mention games
No. 14 Texas A&M vs Arkansas: 6:00 pm, ESPN: This game has many possible outcomes, but two that could be the most meaningful. Either Texas A&M uses this as another showcase for what it is building in a big victory, or Arkansas shows it's more than chicharrones at the sight of SEC play.

Mississippi State at Auburn: 6:30 pm, ESPN2: If you’re looking for an edge in this one, both teams have fallen to LSU, but Mississippi State looked much better in doing so. While the season is still young, a second conference loss for either of these squads would be downright devastating to their chances. So, who wants it more?

No. 3 TCU at Texas Tech: 3:45 pm, FOX: If kicking an unranked Arkansas’ ass felt good, toppling the Horned Frogs may just send Kliff Kingsbury over the edge. TCU has been tested a few times this year, but the Raiders seem to be the most capable offense the Horned Frogs have faced so far. Some weird stuff can happen in Lubbock, so keep your eyes on this one.

You’re up, kid

While the SEC has predominately been a defense-driven league, it’s hard to win without a quarterback (for any team that doesn't have Leonard Fournette). With that in mind, a few teams have either chosen — or had their hands forced in choosing — a new starter under center this week.

After three weeks of awful performances, Gus Malzahn learned that Jeremy Johnson cannot read a defense. To put that in perspective, it’s like Apple appointing a new CEO, just to have him replaced for not knowing how to turn on a Mac. Now it's Sean White’s team and the season rests on his shoulders. Making your first start against SEC competition is not ideal, so it will likely be a boom or bust situation for the redshirt freshman.

Meanwhile in Florida, first year head coach Jim McElwain will go with Will Grier against Tennessee. While he has started the last two games, the redshirt freshman was splitting time with Treon Harris before the latter’s suspension. Now it's fully Grier's show and he will be carrying much more than just this year’s Gators squad.

Tennessee has not beaten Florida since 2004. That is the kind of streak no quarterback wants to see end, especially at home. However this game turns out, it will likely anoint the challenger to Georgia in the East.

Good luck with that.