With one week left in September, the clear, elite teams in college football are starting to reveal themselves. Upsets have saved the reputation of some programs and teams as well. Still, there is a lot of ball left to play this year, including 10 weeks left in the regular season. Here is a look back on what happened during Week 4.
1. Tennessee DOMINATED Oklahoma with DEFENSE
Josh Heupel may have the scariest team in college football. The Vols are 4-0 with two wins over ranked teams thanks to the fact that their defense was absolutely suffocating opponents. They shut down the Oklahoma Sooners, and the fourth quarter on Saturday was the first time they allowed a defensive touchdown all year. Given what we know about Heupel’s offense, this team could be historically great.
2. Michigan isn’t done yet
Just when we were all ready to write off the Wolverines, Sherrone Moore’s team beat the undefeated USC Trojans…with 32 yards passing. They truly welcomed Lincoln Riley to the Big Ten by winning in ugly fashion at The Big House. Will this last? It’s unlikely, but any Michigan fan has to be proud of them winning such an old-school style college football game.
3. Don’t forget about Utah, Illinois, BYU
The Utes, without Cam Rising, beat Mike Gundy’s Oklahoma State Cowboys on the road. On Friday, Bret Bielema’s Fighting Illini beat a top 25 Nebraska Cornhuskers team on the road. Meanwhile, the Cougars obliterated the Kansas State Wildcats 38-9. All three schools are undefeated and looked really good against top 25 teams, so watch out for them.
4. Coach Prime magic returns to college football
Don’t look now, but Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes are 3-1. Sure, they don’t have any big wins, but beating the Baylor Bears like that in overtime off a hail mary to get there can really bring this team together. Travis Hunter had a touchdown grab and the game-winning forced fumble, forcing himself into the Heisman conversation.
5. Missouri survives; Arch Manning looks pedestrian for Texas
Two disappointing SEC teams for different reasons remain undefeated. Eli Drinkwitz’s Tigers had to hold off the Vanderbilt Commodores in overtime 30-27, which was a bad look. It wasn’t the same for the Longhorns, as they dominated the Louisiana Monroe Warhawks, but Arch Manning fell short of the hype, completing barely 50 percent of his passes with two picks.
6. Washington State separates itself from Group of Five pack
A week after beating the Washington Huskies, the Cougars had to hold off the San Jose State Spartans 54-52 in overtime. However, that was huge, as it was a weekend of upsets against Group of Five teams looking to make the College Football Playoff. The Memphis Tigers lost to the Navy Midshipmen, and the Northern Illinois Huskies lost to the Buffalo Bulls, so WSU leads the way for that spot.
7. UNC suffers HUMILIATING loss to JMU, gives up 70
Recruiting in the Carolinas is ripe for the picking. Mack Brown and the North Carolina Tar Heels were humiliated, giving up 70 points to the James Madison Dukes, and he then offered to step down after the game. Normally, this wouldn’t be relevant, but that level of humiliation for a Power Five team given the recruiting potential makes us cover this.
8. Miami, Ole Miss look DOMINANT with their offenses
Don’t sleep on either of these teams. The Hurricanes won 50-15 against a South Florida Bulls team that took the Alabama Crimson Tide to the fourth quarter. Meanwhile, the Rebels cruised to a 52-13 win over the Georgia Southern Eagles. These appear to be the two most exciting offenses in college football right now, which is why both could reach the CFP.
9. 2024 College Football Heisman race
1. Cam Ward
2. Jaxson Dart
3. Jalen Milroe
4. Travis Hunter
5. Drew Allar
10. College Football Top 10 after Week 4
1. Georgia
2. Tennessee
3. Texas
4. Alabama
5. Utah
6. Oregon
7. Penn State
8. Miami
9. Missouri
10. Illinois
