Northwestern in Washington: Week 4 of the CFB is “Cats vs. Dogs” in Seattle

Look, what do a few thousand miles mean between friends?

That's only four times longer by car than the drive from Evanston to the woods and mountains of central Pennsylvania, where Penn State is located. And between Evanston and Piscataway, NJ, where Rutgers is located, it's only two and a half times as long.

Actually just a stone's throw away.

But enough of the absurd, out-of-control expansion of the Big Ten’s so-called “footprint.” Northwestern (+10½) at Washington (6 p.m., FS1, 720) is, in theory at least, just another college football game – and a chance for one of those 2-1 teams to put its stamp on the other.

Wildcats coach David Braun was concerned about the long trip to Seattle, and for good reason. First-year Huskies coach Jedd Fisch rightly extolled the virtues of playing at Seattle's Husky Stadium, a premier college football venue that offers gorgeous views of Lake Washington but also the volume that can blow an opponent's hair back. That's a noise level that could really bother an inexperienced quarterback like the Wildcats' second-time starting quarterback Jack Lausch.

Most importantly, though, will be whether Braun's team can win at the line of scrimmage against an almost completely revamped Huskies team. Forget last season when Washington made it to the national championship game. Everyone who mattered to these Huskies has left, which largely explains why these Huskies just suffered a surprising 24-19 home loss to Washington State.

Last week, the Huskies failed to score any touchdowns in the red zone and were caught cold on the game's final play, an option pitch from the 1-yard line. They'll dribble and dunk like crazy — quarterback Will Rogers connects with wideout Giles Jackson eight times a game — but if they're weak up front, the visitors will keep up from far, far away.

“We have to prepare for this environment and we will prepare for it,” said Braun, “but that cannot be an excuse or explanation for us not to perform at a high level.”

Braun called Washington's passing game a “scary operation,” but its defense will hold up well enough. I'm worried about its offense. The Cats lose 26-14.

OTHER TIPS FOR WEEK 4

All games take place on Saturday.

Buffalo (+13½) at No. 23 Northern Illinois (2:30 p.m., ESPN+): NIU got all the attention after its win at Notre Dame, but the MAC is strong this year. Bowling Green, Toledo, Miami (Ohio), Ohio — the list of strong teams capable of winning the division is long. Then again, Buffalo probably isn't one of them. Huskies coach Thomas Hammock says his players weren't surprised they beat the Irish, but who would believe that? Thankfully, a week off helped them refocus. Huskies, 34-17.

No. 11 USC (-5½) at No. 18 Michigan (2:30 p.m., CBS 2). The Wolverines' chance to defend their national title is just a glimmer of hope. On defense, they lost 31-12 to Texas in Week 2. On offense, it was even worse. USC isn't Texas, but Caleb Williams' former team made a splash in its opening win over LSU, had an extra week to prepare for this game and has a big advantage at the QB position in Miller Moss. Trojans, 24-17.

No. 12 Utah (+2½) at No. 14 Oklahoma State (3 p.m., FOX 32): The Utes expect QB Cam Rising to play, and having him on the field could make all the difference. For a first start in the Big 12, though, this one is pretty tough. Who's ready for overtime? Come on, you know who you are. The Cowboys are kicking a winner.

No. 6 Tennessee (-6½) at No. 15 Oklahoma (6:30 p.m., ABC 7): Tennessee coach Josh Heupel won a national title as quarterback at Oklahoma and long dreamed of becoming head coach at his alma mater. He rose to the position of offensive coordinator before then-boss Bob Stoops fired him. The rematch? Vols, 38-24.

My absolute favorite: Iowa (-2½) in Minnesota (6:30 p.m., NBC 5): Iowa won four straight games against Floyd of Rosedale in Minneapolis, taking home the trophy eight years in a row before losing the last game, 12-10. Kudos to the Gophers for winning in what was a real mess, but let's be honest — while these teams do a lot of things similarly, the Hawkeyes usually do it a little better. The Hawks emerged victorious from the mess, winning 19-10.

My favorite outsider: Miami (Ohio) (+28) at No. 17 Notre Dame (2:30 p.m., NBC 5, 780-AM): The Redhawks are 0-2 after losses to Northwestern and Cincinnati, but their defense doesn't give up much and their quarterback Brett Gabbert has been to a million rodeos. And as for the Irish: Outclassing an SEC team (Texas A&M) on the road, losing at home to a MAC opponent (Northern Illinois), crushing a Big Ten team (Purdue) on the road … losing at home to another MAC opponent? No, no, but that spread is too wide.

Last week: 7:0 directly, 3:4 against the spread.

Season: 13-7, 9-11.