College Football Playoff race 2025: Texas Tech, Utah battle in Big 12; Auburn, Indiana look to climb ladder

Conference play is set to -- mostly -- begin in earnest as the 2025 college football season rolls on to Week 4. While some major programs will be wrapped up in clashes outside of their league, there are plenty of prolific clashes featuring conference opponents. 

In fact, all three ranked games on the Week 4 schedule have major conference implications. Two of those contests pit top-20 teams against one another, which means that the College Football Playoff ramifications are also tremendous. 

In fact, this weekend's slate is the type that should add some clarity to the College Football Playoff picture, even though the first rankings aren't released for over a month. 

Here's a look at the Week 4 games that matter in the playoff race, and what it means for both teams involved. 

College football rankings: Miami jumps to No. 2 spot, Texas A&M joins top 10 in CBS Sports 136

Chip Patterson

No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah 

This will be an interesting contrast of styles. Texas Tech pushed all of its chips to the center of the table this offseason by investing in one of the nation's most impressive transfer portal hauls. The Red Raiders leveled up at several positions, including the defensive line, where they landed three transfers with at least a four-star rating in 247Sports' Transfer Rankings. Utah will be the first real test for this new-look Raiders squad, as they've spent the early part of their season beating up on hopelessly overmatched competition. 

Utah also relied heavily upon the transfer portal in the offseason and, though its moves didn't receive as much recognition, they have had a similar impact on the offensive side of the ball. New quarterback Devon Dampier has revitalized a once stagnant offense. It helps that he gets to star behind a line boasting two future NFL tackles in Spencer Fano and Caleb Lomu. Not that this is necessarily a must-win for Utah, but Texas Tech is the only ranked opponent remaining on the Utes' schedule, so there will be some serious questions if they don't walk out of their own Rice-Eccles Stadium with a victory. 

No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma 

Has Hugh Freeze finally built Auburn into a legitimate contender? The jury's still out. Auburn opened the season with a Baylor win that has aged well in recent weeks and then took care of business against Ball State, but the Tigers' performance against South Alabama was less than inspirational. Quarterback Jackson Arnold -- Oklahoma's former starter -- is still inconsistent as a passer, which has kept Auburn's stacked offense from reaching its potential. Oklahoma's defense isn't the best unit to try and figure things out against. These are the games that Auburn needs to win if Freeze wants to show tangible signs of progress. 

Oklahoma, meanwhile, has already built an impressive resume behind the arm of quarterback John Mateer, who has emerged as a legitimate Heisman Trophy contender as Arnold's replacement with the Sooners. They smothered Michigan in a high-profile battle of two historic Goliaths and have climbed well within playoff range as a result. A loss Saturday wouldn't be too devastating. Eight of Oklahoma's last nine opponents are ranked, so there's plenty of chances to impress. It wouldn't be wise to let home SEC wins slip away, though. 

No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana 

Illinois hasn't been challenged too much to this point. The Fighting Illini already faced a tough road trip to Duke and, after trading blows with the Blue Devils early, eventually ran away with the game thanks to a ball-hawking defense and an electric passing attack behind quarterback Luke Altmyer. Illinois looks every bit of the playoff team it was billed as entering the season. Now it has to measure up against another ranked opponent on the road. 

Less than a year removed from its own playoff appearance, Indiana is flying under the radar a bit. Guess that's what happens when you add 23 transfers due to roster attrition. Those new pieces are jelling well enough with returning stars like edge rusher Mikail Kamara so far. The Hoosiers have allowed just 23 total points while averaging 52 points per game through their first three games. Saturday evening gives them an opportunity to reintroduce themselves to the national stage and climb right back into pole position for the 12-team field. 

Dark Horse Game of the Week 

Tulane at No. 13 Ole Miss 

The American Conference is real this year, folks. South Florida stole all of the early headlines thanks to its pair of ranked wins against Boise State and Florida. Tulane is right there. The Green Wave beat Duke and Northwestern already, giving them two important Power Four wins. Those would pale in comparison to a third Power Four win at Ole Miss. The implications for the Green Wave are obvious. 

The implications for Ole Miss are also obvious. A home loss to an unranked Group of Six team -- even one with the reputation and recent success of Tulane -- would be disastrous for the Rebels' postseason hopes. As Notre Dame proved last year, it wouldn't totally sink Ole Miss' Playoff hopes, but it would certainly eliminate any margin of error for the Rebels as they navigate a tough SEC slate later in the year. 

SportsLine's proven computer model has simulated every Week 4 college football game 10,000 times. Visit SportsLine now to see all the picks, all from the model that is 32-20 since the beginning of last season on top-rated money-line and over/under picks.