Notre Dame football gets its third and final Big Ten opponent of the 2026 season, as it travels to Purdue to face an in-state rival.
The Boilermakers are the least talented of the trio, as the Irish look to continue their winning ways. Across college football, there are plenty of other interesting games, with six top-25 matchups in different conferences.
This will be a great chance for Notre Dame to get a quality win and watch other teams beat each other up. Find out below if Tim Healey, Sunny Verma, Kevin Smith and Michael Chen believe that will be the case, and their picks of the top Week 4 games in college football.
No. 1 Texas Longhorns vs. No. 14 Tennessee Volunteers
Game data: Sat., Sep. 26 at 11 a.m. CDT on ABC
Healey - Texas will have its hands full, but I think the Longhorns win a tight one
on the road.
Verma - After that victory against Ohio State, it can be argued that Texas has gotten over the hump and now have a path to a top spot in the CFP. I think they win this game easily.
Smith - Vols will the Longhorns a game, but I think Texas will ultimately have this one in the bag.
Chen - This will be an interesting one, as the Longhorns are riding high from their win over Ohio State. The Vols haven’t really been tested this season, so I’ll take Texas to get a big road victory.
No. 4 Ole Miss Rebels vs. No. 21 Florida Gators
Game data: Sat., Sep. 26 at 2:30 p.m. CDT on ABC
Healey - Ole Miss looks like a legit top-five team, and while playing at Florida is never easy, I think the Rebels walk away victorious.
Verma - Huge potential for a let-down game. Ole Miss spent a lot of emotions in defeating Lane Kiffin and his new LSU team. The line seems suspicious to me and to me suggests Vegas thinks there might be an upset. I'll take Florida.
Smith - A lot can be said about the Rebels being legitimate national title contenders with Pete Golding as their coach and Trinidad Chambliss. Honestly, I can agree with that and Ole Miss beating Florida without a problem.
Chen - It’s hard to say how good Florida actually is, as they may be ranked due to them being in the SEC. They do have a very balanced offense, and the Rebels are coming off an emotional win over LSU. I feel a letdown coming, and the Gators prove they should be ranked.
No. 17 Iowa Hawkeyes vs. No. 18 Michigan Wolverines
Game data: Sat., Sept. 26 at 2:30 p.m. on CBS
Healey - This all depends on which Wolverines offense shows up. If it's the ineffective version we saw before the controversial Hail Mary win, Iowa can steal one at the Big House. That said, my gut suggests an at-home Michigan team will be just good enough on offense to win.
Verma - Michigan has played to their competition all season long, and so I think they're able to beat what looks to be a very solid Iowa team.
Smith - I'm still not over the lucky breaks that Michigan has been getting this season, so I'll take Iowa.
Chen - I just can’t buy into Michigan this year, even with its win over Oklahoma. I just don’t think the Sooners are that good. Iowa always has a good defense, and this year they are capable of throwing the ball. I’ll take the Hawkeyes.
No. 23 Texas A&M Aggies vs. No. 10 LSU Tigers
Game data: Sat., Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. CDT on ABC
Healey - Ah, a battle of teams that were upset the previous week. The Texas A&M loss was worse, since Ole Miss wasn't much of an underdog and was home. Speaking of home, this one is a home match, making life that much harder for the Aggies, but LSU seems messy enough that I think Texas A&M could steal one.
Verma - Last week was an emotional roller coaster for the Tigers. I still think up and down they are one of the most talented rosters in the nation and I think they beat TAMU.
Smith - This should be a good one when you consider that both we'll be hungry for a win after they lost last week. I'll go with Texas A&M because it seems hungrier than LSU at times, who I think have a program littered with distractions.
Chen - This has the feeling like it’s the week that the wheels fall off for LSU. The Aggies know they need this win to say in contention for a playoff spot. This one goes down to the wire, with Texas A&M eking out a close one.
No. 20 Oregon Ducks vs. No. 12 USC Trojans
Game data: Sat., Sept. 26 at 6:30 p.m. CDT on NBC
Healey - USC has looked good early against weak competition, while Oregon bounced back emphatically from its loss to Oklahoma State by beating up on a cupcake. USC can be tough at home, but I think a rejuvenated Ducks team takes it.
Verma - Two teams with very different vibes coming into this game. USC is dominating teams but they have not played anyone noteworthy. I just have a bad taste in my mouth watching Oregon score with 30 seconds left simply to break a program record. I think USC wins.
Smith - Oregon needed to blow off steam after its loss to Oklahoma State a couple weeks ago -- and that came in the form of an overwhelming victory over Portland State. With the Ducks back in focus and a USC team almost losing to a dreadful Rutgers squad last weekend, I think Oregon takes this one.
Chen - This is a very interesting game, as it will tell us a lot about both teams. Is USC for real? Have the Ducks just gotten off to a slow start? No travel advantage in this one with these two West Coast teams, and I’ve got Oregon showing everyone why they were so highly thought of before the season started.
No. 19 Missouri Tigers vs. No. 24 Mississippi State Bulldogs
Game data: Sat., Sept. 26 at 6:45 p.m. CDT on SEC Network
Healey - Mississippi State had a big win last week and is home, and that might just be enough for the Bulldogs to have the winning momentum.
Verma - A pair of interesting teams, makes this a hard choice. However, I’ll go with the home Bulldogs
Smith - I like both teams, but Mississippi State seems like it's on a mission. I'll take the Bulldogs.
Chen - The Bulldogs have a legit star at quarterback in Kamario Taylor, and in games like these, it’s the team with the better one. Mississippi State takes it, but Missouri will keep it very close.
Tim Healey
Notre Dame should once again have very little trouble with Purdue. Sometimes the Boilermakers show flashes, but this isn't the same Purdue team that used to be solid and have a chance against the Irish. This is a program that is still miles away from being contenders. I can see Purdue giving Notre Dame some trouble early -- especially since the Irish are still trying to figure out the running game -- but I suspect Notre Dame will cruise.
Notre Dame 59, Purdue 0
Sunny Verma
The Irish still haven’t played a complete game, but have flashed it during multiple stretches this season. The Rice game doesn’t count, but the other Wisconsin and Michigan State showed the potential. This is the game where we all see it come together, and it’s over at the half.
Notre Dame 48, Purdue 6
Kevin Smith
I don't think Notre Dame will have any trouble against Purdue this weekend. The overall result against Michigan State last weekend was a bit concerning, but the only thing consistently going well for the Boilermakers is their quarterback Ryan Browne (73% on completions, 7 TDs, 1,024 passing yards). The Irish will have this one in the bag.
Notre Dame 48, Purdue 7
Michael Chen
This one on paper favors the Irish, and for multiple reasons. The offense has played well, but there’s room for plenty of improvement. Defensively, this looks like one of the best in the country. Notre Dame has already faced two better Big Ten teams, and it resulted in two double-digit wins. I like another one here, as the Boilers will put up a fight, but it won’t nearly be enough to pull off an upset of the Irish.
Notre Dame 45, Purdue 17
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This article originally appeared on Fighting Irish Wire: FIW staff picks Notre Dame at Purdue and multiple top Week 4 matchups
