I’ll admit up front that I am not that excited about this week. I always find that there is a bit of a lull in week four between the heat of the non-conference schedule and the heart of the conference schedule. That means that there are a lot of games this week that do little to capture the imagination. Here’s a look at the few games that have interesting storylines this weekend. I’m only going to look at three games as I plan to save my enthusiasm for weeks full of interesting games. Let me again remind you that I am looking at these just from the perspective of interesting storylines. These are not in anyway meant to be picks:

Alabama (-9.5) at Arkansas – This one is interesting mostly because of the coaches involved. Both are college studs who flamed out badly in their first attempt in the NFL. Both teams are undefeated, but the difference is that Alabama has looked very good against decent competition, while Arkansas has barely squeaked by against underwhelming foes. I would seem like the Tide would roll in this one, yet Arkansas is at home, they have passed well, and they probably need this game more than the Tide. It could be an interesting one. Or it could be a lopsided mess.

Virginia Tech (+3) at North Carolina – I can’t accurately describe how bizarre I find it that the Hokies are underdogs against, of all teams, North Carolina. This isn’t, after all, basketball. The Heels and their story are easy to love, and the Hokies and their constant disappointments are easy to hate. That makes this one compelling, but I can’t help but think that this one could be a trap.

Miami (-3.5) at Texas A&M – I will be closely watching this one mostly because I have an inkling that Miami is better than people think that they are. I have a lot of respect for Randy Shannon, and they played Florida much closer than the score indicates. The Aggies have largely been disappointing, so if Miami is as good as I hope they are then this could be interesting. The Aggies have been frustrating this year, but this is their chance to prove that they are better than they have looked.