With not a lot of upsets in Week 4, there were a few movers and winners from the week, and as always, plenty of losers. Let’s take a look at this week’s rankings and where each team lands!
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The Buckeyes had a bye week before they travel across the country to take on the Washington Huskies. Ohio State has scored 107 points in the past two games and held their opponents to nine points in that span. Ohio State lost 32-31 at Oregon in its only West Coast conference game last season.
Penn State is coming off the bye week ahead of its top 10 matchup versus Oregon. The Nittany Lions have played all three games at home against Nevada, FIU, and Villanova, so they have not been tested the slightest. A night game in Happy Valley will be the most watched game of the weekend and I think it will live up to the hype.
The Miami defense held Florida to 0-for-13 on third downs, 2.7 yards per completion, and 2.8 yards per carry. The Hurricanes also dominated the time of possession battle with 36:30 to 23:30 and out-gained the Gators, 344-141 in yards.
Carson Beck didn’t improve his Heisman stock in any way with a donut in the touchdown department and one interception, but the Hurricanes proved yet again, they have one of the best 1-2 punches at running back. Mark Fletcher (116) and CharMar Brown (133) combined for 239 total yards and three touchdowns.
The 129th edition of the Civil War was lopsided as the Ducks scored 34 unanswered points. Dante Moore threw a career-high four touchdown passes to four different receivers en route to a 34-point win and 585 total yards of offense.
Oregon travels back across the country to Penn State for a top-six showdown. Penn State’s defense hasn’t been tested yet and Oregon’s offense has been high-flying ranking top five in points and yards. Moore’s Heisman campaign will rely on whether or not the Ducks win.
Georgia is coming off a bye week ahead of hosting Alabama, who also has a bye week. This game could be an absolute grind or feature plenty of points — there is no telling. Alabama has won nine of the last 10 meetings against Georgia. The Tide picked off Carson Beck three times last year and Jalen Milroe had 491 totally yards and three touchdowns in a 41-34 Alabama win.
LSU posted a season-high in points (56), yards (530), plus third and fourth down conversions (12/17), but it was in a win over FCS Southeastern Louisiana, so let’s not get excited.
The Tigers go to Ole Miss for their second road contest. LSU beat Clemson in Week 1, but Clemson is now 1-3, so this will be the toughest challenge yet for LSU. LSU and Ole Miss are 2-2 versus each other since 2021, but the Tigers have won seven of the past nine dating back to 2016. Ole Miss opened as the slight favorite at -1.5 points.
After the win at Notre Dame, the Aggies had a bye week to regroup and lock in for the road ahead. Texas A&M begins conference play with three consecutive home games against Auburn, Mississippi State, and Florida — all winnable games.
Following that three-game home stretch is three-straight road games at Arkansas, LSU, and Missouri. This upcoming six-game stretch will define Texas A&M’s season, but the good news is they did go 5-1 versus those teams with a 4 OT loss at Auburn.
Oklahoma trailed for the first time all season and responded with a game-winning drive against Auburn. John Mateer capped off the winning drive with a rushing touchdown, his 11th straight game with one!
Mateer finished with 300 total yards and two touchdowns making a stronger case for the Heisman with his clutch performance. The Sooners defense stood tall against Auburn with 1.9 ypc allowed and 3-of-15 on third downs. Oklahoma has a bye week before hosting Kent State, so the vibes are high in Norman.
Arch Manning recorded his second game of five touchdowns (three passing, two rushing) as Texas shutout Sam Houston 55-0. Texas held Sam Houston to 1.0 yard per carry, 3.4 yards per pass completion, and 113 total yards overall.
Now that the non-conference action is over for the Longhorns, Texas begins SEC play after the bye week then an October schedule away from Austin. Texas plays at Florida, Kentucky, and Mississippi State, plus a neutral field game against Oklahoma in October — things could get spooky.
Florida State cooked Kent State as expected and scored on 11 of 13 drives (interception, turnover on downs). The Seminoles surpassed their last season win total and had eight rushing touchdowns, which was equivalent to their 2024 season total!
The Seminoles didn’t punt once and had 775 total yards. The Seminoles now average an NCAA-best 363 rushing yards per game. Florida State goes to 3-1 Virginia for their first road game of the season.
Despite losing Behern Morton to a head injury, Texas Tech surprised everybody and rallied to a 24-point victory and 24-point fourth quarter at Utah! Texas Tech is now in the drivers seat of the Big 12 after winning at Utah in its first-ever trip there.
Will Hammond was the star and Morton’s replacement. Hammond threw for 169 yards, two touchdowns, and rushed for 61 yards. The Red Raiders defense held the Utes scoreless in the second half and forced four total turnovers (two fumbles, two interceptions).
Alabama is fresh off the bye week, much like Georgia, so both teams will be well prepped for a chess match. Alabama has four consecutive ranked opponents on deck and six in the next seven games.
Kalen Deboer appears to trust junior quarterback Ty Simpson more and more each week. Simpson broke Alabama records versus UL Monroe going 17-for-17 passing, 226 yards, and four total touchdowns, then 24-for-29, 382 yards, and four more scores. Simpson has 10 touchdowns to zero interceptions and a win over Georgia would vault him into the Heisman conversation.
Ole Miss has now beaten seven straight non-conference opponents by 30-plus points after the 35-point win against Tulane. Trinidad Chambliss got the nod for his second straight start and put together another masterclass of 307 passing yards, 112 rushing yards, and two touchdowns through the air.
Although its’ been two games, I think it’s evident the Rebels have two studs at quarterback, which gives them a decision ahead of a home game versus LSU followed by a bye week. Ole Miss opened as the slight favorite at -1.5 points.
There is no word on Austin Simmons’ timetable, but Simmons has four interceptions on 57 pass attempts compared to Chambliss zero picks on 62 passes.
After a sick month of playing in Dublin Week 0 against Kansas State, then hosting South Dakota and Iowa, capped off by a road trip at Arkansas State — Iowa State needed this bye week.
The Cyclones are 4-0 and won three games by one score or less. Three of those on score games combined for a victory margin of 14. Iowa State doesn’t have a single ranked team remaining on the schedule, plus they avoid Texas Tech and Utah in the Big 12, so the Cyclones are looking more likely to play in the conference championship day by day.
Haynes King posted three total touchdowns and scored on their first three drives against Temple in a 21-point win. There was no fall off for the Yellow Jackets after their electric win over Clemson and they have another winnable game at Wake Forest next before the bye week.
Georgia Tech’s lone remaining ranked opponent is rival Georgia on a neural field as the regular season finale. The Yellow Jackets have five road/neutral games over the final eight, so the road isn’t as easy as strength of schedule for Georgia Tech.
In Bryce Underwood‘s second career road start, Michigan was able to grind out a 30-27 win despite a Nebraska comeback and Hail Mary to end the first half from the Cornhuskers.
The Wolverines ran for 286 yards, three touchdowns (8.7 ypc), and three runs of at least 37 yards. The Michigan defense held Nebraska to 43 rushing yards (1.4 ypc) and grabbed an interception. Michigan has a bye week before a date with Wisconsin who they haven’t played since 2021 (38-17 win).
The Fighting Irish took out some frustration on Purdue in a 56-30 win. Notre Dame didn’t score in the fourth quarter and held Purdue to seven points in the second half. Jeremiyah Love (2 TDs) and Jadarian Price (4 TDs) combined for six scores and 373 total yards.
Despite all of the offensive success, Notre Dame allowed 30 points to a bad offense, including 23 of them in the first half. The Irish could struggle with Taylen Greene of Arkansas next week as the Razorbacks’ quarterback recorded 13 total touchdowns and 1,173 yards through four games, including two games of over 100 rushing yards.
Vanderbilt scored on all six of their first half drives and built 42-9 lead over Georgia State. There was no hangover for Vandy after beating South Carolina 31-7. The Commodores only had six third down attempts for the whole game and held the Panthers to 2.1 ypc (38 yards on 18 attempts).
The Commodores have a road game at Alabama (beat bama 40-35 last year), but before that they host Utah State (3-1) in a lookahead trap spot.
LaNorris Sellers played for South Carolina, but it didn’t mean a win for the Gamecocks when they visit Missouri. The Missouri defense held South Carolina to -0.4 yards per carry and -9 rushing yards overall on 22 attempts (5 sacks).
The Tigers are 4-0 and earned its 14th consecutive home win. Missouri welcomes UMass to town who lost by 32 points versus Temple and 40 points at Iowa in two of three games.
Tennessee scored on seven of their first eight drives against UAB, taking out some of the anger from the Georgia loss.
The Vols held UAB to 1.2 yards per carry, but the Blazers went 39-of-52 passing for 371 yards and a score. Tennessee’s defense can still be an issue this season, but the offense has scored at least 41 points in all four games.
Will the Vols’ offense travel in their first true road game at 4-0 Mississippi State? Are the Bulldogs better than they were advertised? Only time will tell.
Indiana absolutely routed Illinois, 63-10, putting up 579 yards to the Illini’s 161 and holding Illinois to 1-of-10 on third downs! The Hoosiers rush defense was phenomenal allowing 0.1 yards per carry and assisting the time of possession battle which was as lopsided as it gets (39:42 Indiana – 20:18 Illinois).
Indiana goes on the road for the first time this season when they visit the Iowa Hawkeyes. The two teams haven’t met since the 2021 regular season opener (Iowa won 34-6).
USC earned another double-digit victory with a 14-point win versus Michigan State. The Trojans put up 517 total yards, went 8-for-11 on third downs, and 7.6 yards per carry! USC leads the country in points per game (52.5.) and plays at the 115th-quickest tempo! The Trojans have been a tank so far and head to Illinois who just allowed 63 points to Indiana.
Utah took a hard home loss to Texas Tech in a game where they had chance after chance to get even with the Red Raiders. Utah heads across the country to West Virginia before the bye week.
Post break, Arizona State goes to Utah for another standings shifting matchup. The Utes have the luxury of hosting Arizona State and Kansas State down the stretch, but still have four conference road games remaining.
The Tigers got a thrilling 32-31 home win versus Arkansas making a rezone stop via a fumble to seal the deal. Memphis won their three previous games by 21-plus points each and have the best odds of the non-Power 4 teams to make the College Football playoff with the remaining schedule.
Syracuse pounced all over Clemson for a 34-21 win in Death Valley. The Orange have won three straight games versus UConn, Colgate, and Clemson after losing to Tennessee in the season opener. Syracuse plays at the fifth-quickest tempo in the country and despite losing Kyle McCord, the offense looks just as dangerous as last season.
Honorable Mentions
Auburn went toe to toe with Oklahoma but came out holding a 24-17 loss. The Tigers took the lead with 7:08 remaining and were tied 10-10 at the half, but couldn’t hold off John Mateer on the Sooners’ game-winning drive before Auburn took a safety in a bizarre ending.
The Tigers proved they are a fringe-worthy top 25 team holding the Heisman favorite to under 300 yards and an interception.
Arizona is coming off a bye week as they prep for their first road game of the season at ranked Iowa State. The Wildcats are coming off a 23-17 win over Kansas State after winning its first two games by 79 points.
Arizona ran for 234 yards on 45 carries against K-State (5.2 ypc), which is what they will attempt to establish against the Cyclones. Iowa State has allowed 131, 160, and 110 rushing yards in their three games against P4 opponents.
Kansas bounced back in a big way over West Virginia after losing to rival Missouri prior to the bye week. The Jayhawks will be favorites in the next two games before facing ranked Texas Tech, which is one of three ranked opponents remaining.
Arizona State won a tight 27-24 contest at Baylor rallying multiple times. After the 24-20 loss at Mississippi State, I for one, wrote off the Sun Devils, but after the Bulldogs 4-0 start, maybe we shouldn’t be writing off Arizona State.
Illinois is listed as a home underdog against USC, so we will know if the Illini are still top 25 worthy after back to back road games, or if they are more of a 30-50 ranked team after the 53-point loss at Indiana.
New to the Top 25 entering Week 5:
With a loss to only Tennessee on its record, a win over Clemson propelled them into the backend of my top 25. The Orange replaced almost everyone on offense and hasn’t skipped a beat.
Memphis has the highest percentage chance of making the college football between the Power 4 teams and after the win versus Arkansas, the ball is in Notre Dame’s court to keep up.
Now we all know why the Hoosiers closed as -7 point favorites against Illinois. Curt Cignetti continues to beat down on teams as a favorite and they are once again when they visit the Iowa for his first-ever meeting with the Hawkeyes.
Out of the Top 25 following Week 4:
Clemson is cooked! A 1-3 start is the worst start since 2004 and Dabo Swinney for the first time I can remember is on the hot seat. The Tigers have been trending out of national dominance and conference dominance over the past three seasons and the hay has hit the fan.
The Tigers have a bye week, then play back to back road games at North Carolina and Boston College. Five of the remaining nine games come on the road for Clemson, but five of those teams are either an FCS team or .500 and under.
After routing two FCS teams back-to-back, Nebraska couldn’t stop Michigan when it mattered most and lost 30-27. Nebraska goes into a bye week with four home games and four road game remaining with only two ranked opponents.
Dylan Raiola and the offense went 2-for-13 on third downs and averaged 1.4 yards per carry, but the defense held Michigan to 4-of-12 on third downs, which was more impressive at 1-of-9 before the second to last Wolverines drive. There were positives to the loss, but like most losses, the negatives outweighed the positives.
The dream is over for Illinois as they were pummeled at Indiana. The Illini held their first three opponents to 22 total points before Indiana posted 35 first-half points on Illinois.
Illinois hosts ranked USC next, then has two more games before the bye week (At Purdue, Vs Ohio State). The final five games are prime for a run to the College Football Playoff but with an expected loss to Ohio State, Indiana might have just ended the Illini’s postseason hopes.
Biggest Winner from Week 4:
Texas Tech put themselves in the drivers seat of the Big 12 and showed that money can buy happiness! All of the offseason acquisitions proved to be enough for the first-ever trip to Utah, but what we found out about the Red Raiders is they have two quarterbacks!
After Behern Morton went down, Will Hammond took over and led multiple scoring drives. Texas Tech and Ole Miss are two teams to watch out for because they proved they have two starting quarterbacks, which goes a long way.
Biggest Loser from Week 4:
Clemson was a -16.5 to -17.5 point favorite against Syracuse and lost outright dropping to 1-3 in the first four games for the worst start since 2004. Dabo Swinney‘s winning rant isn’t looking so good now and it’s clear the players didn’t care much to respond to that when hosting Syracuse.
Clemson has back-to-back road games after the bye week at North Carolina and Boston College before hosting SMU, Duke, and Florida State. The schedule looks winnable, but the cat is out the bag on how to beat the Tigers.
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