College football Week 4 players to watch: Can Faizon Brandon steal the show from Arch Manning?

Week 4 is already shaping up to be one of the more pivotal weekends of the season. There are six games between ranked teams and four of those contests are in the SEC. Here are your players to watch in the final weekend of September.

Northwestern at No. 5 Indiana (8 p.m. ET Friday, Fox/DIRECTV)

The former Oregon State and Michigan State quarterback is finding his footing in Chip Kelly's offense at Northwestern. Chiles has thrown for 514 yards across two games and was incredibly effective as the Wildcats blew out Colorado in Week 3. Chiles went 17-of-22 passing for 241 yards and three touchdowns while also rushing for two other scores. If Northwestern has any hope of pulling the upset on Friday night — Indiana is favored by three touchdowns — Chiles will need to have the best game of his career.

No. 1 Texas at No. 14 Tennessee (Noon ET, ABC/DIRECTV)

Brandon isn't the star quarterback in this matchup. The attention will gravitate to Arch Manning and the No. 1 Longhorns. But don't overlook the freshman in his first big college football test.

After winning Tennessee's starting quarterback job in fall camp, Brandon has been stellar through the Vols' first three games of the season. He's 41-of-64 passing for 552 yards and has thrown six touchdowns without an interception while also adding 137 rushing yards and three scores on the ground. If Tennessee pulls the upset, Brandon is going to be college football's newest star.

No. 3 Notre Dame at Purdue (2 p.m. ET, Peacock)

Aneyas Williams entered the season as Notre Dame's projected feature back following the departures of Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price to the NFL. After all, Williams averaged over nine yards a carry on his 24 rushes in 2025.

Instead, Williams has just 38 carries for 144 yards so far this season. Nolan James Jr. has been Notre Dame's most effective rusher. James has rushed 39 times for 169 yards so far and could emerge as Notre Dame's lead back sooner rather than later. The Irish need to figure out how to run the ball better, anyway. After having a rushing attack that everyone feared in 2025, Notre Dame is averaging just 3.6 yards a carry as a team so far.

No. 15 Utah at Iowa State (3:30 p.m. ET, Fox/DIRECTV)

The roster turnover following Matt Campbell's departure to Penn State provided plenty of opportunity for the players who stuck around. And Flora is taking advantage of his chance. The Iowa native had 15 carries across his first two seasons with the Cyclones. Already this season he has 38 carries, and he's rushed 328 times for three touchdowns. That's an average of 8.6 yards a rush and he had 12 carries for 194 yards and two scores in Week 3.

Boise State at Western Michigan (3:30 p.m. ET, ESPN2/DIRECTV)

Could Week 4 determine who ends up in the College Football Playoff from outside the power conferences? The winner of this one will have a distinct advantage over the final two months of the season, and Riley has been powering Boise State's offense so far. He's established himself as the top back for the Broncos ahead of Sire Gaines with his 62 carries for 454 yards so far this season.

Vanderbilt at Auburn (4:15 p.m. ET, SEC Network/DIRECTV)

Melendez's stats look almost identical to his 2025 numbers. But he played in 11 games a season ago and Auburn is playing its fourth game of the season this weekend. Last year, Melendez had 29 tackles with 19 solo stops and 10 assisted tackles along with a sack. This season, Melendez already has 29 stops — 19 solo and 10 assisted — along with two sacks and three passes defensed. The sophomore is already one of the most important players on Auburn's defense and could become one of the best linebackers in the SEC.

No. 19 Missouri at No. 24 Mississippi State (7:45 p.m. ET, SEC Network/DIRECTV)

Taylor is the breakout star of the 2026 season so far and now he's got his first chance of the year against a ranked opponent. After taking over as Mississippi State's starter at the end of 2025, Taylor has showed off a rocket arm and the ability to make plays with his legs as he's put up some spectacular numbers.

The Mississippi native is 56-of-82 passing for 832 yards and has thrown 11 touchdowns with one interception. He's also rushed for 178 yards and a score. Missouri's defense has been beaten over the top a few times already this year. And Taylor can throw the ball further than nearly everyone else in college football.