College football picks: USC set to knock off Ducks as teams enter meat of season in prove-it mode

After a lot of blowouts and a few thrillers to open the season, Week 4 is rife with games between Associated Press Top 25 teams that could be ready to reveal their true selves.

No matchup fits the theme more than No. 20 Oregon at No. 12 Southern California, given the Ducks' shocking loss at Oklahoma State two weeks ago and the Trojans' defensive issues under first-year coordinator Gary Patterson.

Also, can No. 4 Mississippi validate its win over LSU with another one as an underdog at No. 21 Florida or are the Gators really good; is No. 17 Iowa's offensive improvement fool's gold or will it get shut down at No. 18 Michigan; and will No. 13 Penn State keep rolling in its Big Ten opener against Wisconsin after playing a light nonconference schedule?

That's just a sample of the questions to be answered as the season moves into conference play and the games become more competitive.

The picks, with rankings and betting lines. All games Saturday unless noted:

Arch Manning takes on Uncle Peyton's alma mater at sold-out Neyland Stadium. Does he meet the moment? Vols freshman QB Faizon Brandon gets his first major test and star RB DeSean Bishop is dinged up.

Pick: Texas 27-21.

Sooners have scored a total of 24 points in their last two games and, in a comment that rubbed fans the wrong way, John Mateer admitted it was a rise in crowd noise that clued him in he had an open receiver downfield for a touchdown pass against New Mexico.

Pick: Georgia 30-14.

Fighting Irish's offensive line was widely considered best in the nation coming into the season. Boilermakers can score, but not enough to offset what their defense gives up.

Pick: Notre Dame 52-23.

Oddsmakers raised eyebrows when the Gators opened as the favorite. It's never easy playing at the Swamp and RB Kewan Lacy's status is uncertain but, with Trinidad Chambliss on a roll, Rebels will avoid a letdown.

Pick: Mississippi 27-24.

So far, so good for Northwestern with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and QB Aidan Chiles. Beating the Hoosiers in Bloomington on Friday night is too big an ask, though.

Pick: Indiana 45-20.

Miami is banged up, which makes the timing fortuitious for playing a MAC team. Chippewas kept it close against Miami in 2019 but haven't beaten a Power Four team on the road since 2017 and have never beaten a top-10 opponent.

Pick: Miami 48-6.

Ohio State hasn't lost a home game against a Big Ten opponent other than Michigan (twice) since 2015. Illinois hasn't found its stride yet and won't this week.

Pick: Ohio State 38-17.

Shane Beamer's future looks bleak after Gamecocks blew a 16-0 lead against Mississippi State and lost their sixth straight SEC game. Last two meetings with Alabama have been close but won't be this time.

Pick: Alabama 44-21.

Texas Tech's J’Koby Williams got only seven carries against Houston last week. Look for him to be more involved against a defense that struggles against the run.

Pick: Texas Tech 49-10.

Penn State has been sharp against three overmatched opponents and now takes a big step up in its Big Ten opener.

Pick: Penn State 26-21.

Utah QB Devon Dampier has been sharp but will get his toughest test to date against an opponent whose strength is defense.

Pick: Utah 28-14.

This has the makings of a high-scoring affair. The Cardinals' Lincoln Kienholz and Keyjuan Brown are on nice rolls coming out of the win over SMU and are playing at home.

Pick: Louisville 38-34.

In what figures to be a defensive battle, Iowa's offense is playing with more confidence. Michigan QB Bryce Underwood is getting better but has lost two fumbles and thrown an interception through three games.

Pick: Iowa 17-14.

Kamario Taylor has thrown 11 touchdowns and one interception through three games and will outplay Austin Simmons at home in a matchup of two QBs who have been revelations.

Pick: Mississippi State 31-24.

Will the real Oregon and real USC stand up? Oregon had offensive line and defensive issues to work out after Oklahoma State. USC had an unexpected tussle at Rutgers.

Pick: USC 28-27.

Coming off the loss at Louisville, Kevin Jennings and the Mustangs will unleash some pent-up fury against the overmatched Bears.

Pick: SMU 55-17.

The Aggies hammered LSU on the road last year and make a return trip to Death Valley because of the SEC's conference schedule restructuring process.

Pick: LSU 27-23.

Lots of connections between these teams. Houston coach Willie Fritz led Georgia Southern to back-to-back nine-win seasons in 2014-15. Eagles coach Clay Helton played at Houston in 1993-94.

Pick: Houston 33-19.

Last week: Straight-up — 15-4; Against spread — 8-10-1.

Season: Straight-up — 46-9; Against spread — 24-30-1.

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Oregon wide receiver Brady Bidwell (89) celebrates a touchdown during the second half of an NCAA college football game against Portland State, Friday, Sept. 18, 2026, in Eugene, Ore. (AP Photo/Lydia Ely)

MILAN (AP) — The Prada model grips her full, pleated skirt into a rosette at the unfinished waist, evoking feminine beauty with a subversive twist.

Co-creative directors Miuccia Prada and Raf Simons kept the focus of their Spring-Summer 2027 collection firmly “waist down,” revisiting the subject of a traveling Prada exhibition staged two decades ago. That new show examined the place in contemporary wardrobes of one of humanity’s oldest garments: the skirt.

The collection arrived amid an uproar in Italy over remarks by Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani suggesting that women who wear longer skirts are more faithful. Tajani later apologized, saying he had not intended to offend women. The coincidental timing of the controversy only gave resonance to a collection that treats the skirt as a way for women to express themselves — at any length.

For practicality and creativity, nothing surpasses the skirt, according to Prada, who favors skirts in her own wardrobe, including a pink silk one she wore for a backstage preview before the runway show that opened Milan Fashion Week on Tuesday.

“If you want to have a normal life, go wherever you want. It’s easy to camouflage even a beautiful skirt,’’ she said. “You need to camouflage the beauty so that you can live with people.”

The creative directors’ decision to keep trousers and dresses out of this collection was inspired by an old video interview of Prada likening the skirt to a T-shirt for men, as “the place where she can put all her ideas,” Simons said.

From the swath of material that ancient man wrapped around the waist, Prada used a rectangular piece of material as the collection’s starting point, which Prada said became the framework for creativity.

Reversing the runway convention of emphasizing the female bodice, black tops in varying styles provided a blank canvas for the first group of skirts.

Woolen numbers fastened with industrial Velcro to allow adjustable slits Sheer nylon formed feminine pleats, while short cotton skirts in naïve prints peeked from beneath coats and sheer crinoline overlaid crumpled silken skirts with flattened ruffles.

Bralettes, bandeaus and bustiers, tiny though they were, offered another outlet for expression. They included scoop-neck bralettes, bandeaus linked to arm bands and bustiers worn unhooked over homely knitwear.

Footwear ranged from silk slingbacks to industrial perforated-leather pumps, while handbags included canvas purses in bright colors.

Rather than proposing complete looks, the collection offered building blocks for self-expression.

“I think you can express complexity,” Prada said. “Everything is so complex — how can you be just one thing? When you express yourself, it is not that you are feminine, sexy, masculine; you are so many things together."

A model wears a creation part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).

A model wears a creation part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).

A model wears a creation part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).

A model wears a creation part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).

Models wear creations part of the Prada women's Spring-Summer 2027 collection presented in Milan, Italy, Tuesday, Sept. 22, 2026. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno).