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Remember Toledo’s big win at Mississippi State last week? How about Northern Illinois’ win over Notre Dame? Or Memphis’ win over Florida State?
All three Group of Five teams lost on a wild day of college football Saturday, potentially eliminating them from consideration for the big prize. They may no longer control their own destiny in the quest for the illustrious spot reserved for at least one of them in the College Football Playoff (the champion of the highest-seeded Group of Five conference earns an automatic berth).
The Rockets, Huskies and Tigers followed up their wins in powerhouse conferences with losses to Western Kentucky, Buffalo and Navy, respectively.
Five undefeated G5 teams remain: UNLV, Army, Navy, James Madison and Liberty (Washington State is not eligible for the AQ since the Pac-12, with two teams, does not meet the eight-team requirement).
But enough about the G5. What else happened on Saturday? Michigan stunned USC in the top-25 showdown in Ann Arbor despite trailing by just 32 points. Yeah, thirty two — yards. Coach Sherrone Moore later echoed his predecessor on that statistic.
“I love it,” he told reporters. “It’s my dream.”
What a strange dream!
USC, however, continues to search for answers to its inconsistent offense and Michigan moves forward with renewed hope of winning a Big Ten title (if it can figure out a passing game). In a night game in the Pac-12-turned-Big 12, Colorado beat Baylor in overtime after having to complete a Hail Mary. CU two-way player Travis Hunter forced a fumble at the goal line in overtime that gave the Buffs the win.
In the other big seeding matchup, Tennessee flexed its muscle in Norman, Okla., giving the Sooners a rude welcome to the SEC. Speaking of flexing muscle, since its season-opening loss to Georgia, Clemson has outscored its opponents 125-55 (it led NC State 28-0 after the first quarter on Saturday).
In the Iron Skillet rivalry game, SMU buried TCU and literally sent former coach Sonny Dykes packing, who was ejected from the game.
Dykes isn’t the only coach making headlines Saturday. Mack Brown caused a stir after North Carolina’s debacle in a 70-50 loss to James Madison. During his postgame speech, he suggested to players that he might resign, according to 247Sports. Brown further clarified his comments to ESPN, saying he will be back in the office for work on Sunday.
At Texas, Arch Manning made his first start as a junior in Austin. While he threw an interception during his opening drive, Manning eased into the final drive to throw for 258 yards and two touchdowns.
It’s time to do the rankings. A reminder: we don’t take into account any pre-season polls or any results from previous seasons. What happened in the past is in the past. What matters is who you beat and how you beat them!
1. Tennessee Volunteers
This week: beat Oklahoma 25-15
Next week: goodbye
A warm welcome to the Vols, our new top-ranked team. Tennessee has a neutral-court win over NC State and now a road blowout in the SEC. That’s as good a resume as anyone’s. While much of the Rocky Top hype revolves around sophomore quarterback Nico Iamaleava (and he’s a good one), the world got to see Tennessee’s defense on Saturday: a truly nasty seven-man line. At one point, Oklahoma played 10 straight plays without gaining a single yard.
2. Georgia Bulldogs
This week: Goodbye
Next week: in Alabama
George W. Bush was president the last time Georgia beat Alabama in a regular-season game (2007). The Crimson Tide have won eight of their last nine games entering Saturday night’s top-five showdown in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban beat Kirby Smart, his former protégé, and has beaten him five times in six games, including three SEC championship games and the 2017 national title game.
3. Texas Longhorns
This week: beat UL-Monroe 51-3
Next week: against Mississippi State
As mentioned above, Arch Manning shook off some early rookie issues to lead the Longhorns to victory. It didn’t take much offense to win this game. Monroe finished with 111 yards of total offense. Texas’ resume isn’t fantastic, but Steve Sarkisian’s group arguably pulled off its best win of the season at Michigan (boosted by the Wolverines’ win over USC).
4. Utah Utes
This week: beat Oklahoma State 22-19
Next week: vs. Arizona
Even without Cam Rising (hand injury), the Utes found a way to win, mostly with that stout defense we’ve found on coach Kyle Wittingham’s teams. The Cowboys didn’t surpass the 300-yard mark and scored three points until there were five minutes left in the game.
5. Miami Hurricanes
This week: beat South Florida 50-15
Next week: vs. Virginia Tech
Can you believe USF was leading this game 15-14 at the end of the second quarter? The Bulls did. Then the Hurricanes scored 36 unanswered points. Quarterback Cam Ward threw for 404 yards and three touchdowns. Miami seems to be the real rival, but have they been tested? Their only win in a power conference is at Florida.
6. Illinois Fighting Illini
This week: beat Nebraska 31-24 in overtime
Next week: at Penn State
We expected to have Nebraska in this Top 10 after the Huskers beat Illinois in a Big Ten matchup on Friday night. What foolishness on our part! Bret Bielema’s boys came into Lincoln and silenced the raucous crowd with a beautiful overtime performance. The Illini, who trailed three times, got a stellar performance from quarterback Luke Altmyer (21-of-27 with four touchdowns). His resume (wins over Kansas and now Nebraska) can be much stronger next week in Happy Valley.
7. Alabama Red Tide
This week: Goodbye
Next week: vs. Georgia
Kalen DeBoer’s first conference game as Alabama’s coach is against the two-time national champions, a program that has for years threatened to replace, if it hasn’t already, the Tide as the SEC’s premier program and championship dynasty. Can Alabama take such a legendary title away from Smart and company?
8. Iowa State Cyclones
This week: beat Arkansas State 52-7
Next week: in Houston
Is everyone ignoring the Cyclones? The schedule hasn’t been the toughest (they’ve played just one power conference schedule — a win at Iowa), but still, they’ve allowed 29 points in three games. A mediocre Big 12 schedule is ideal for coach Matt Campbell’s team to get back to that championship caliber we saw in 2020.
9. Washington State Cougars
This week: beat San Jose State 54-52 in 2OT
Next week: at Boise State
While we were all sleeping Friday night and into the wee hours of Saturday morning, the Cougars and Spartans played arguably the best game of Week 4. Each team had a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard receiver, and a (nearly) 100-yard rusher. Each team also led by double digits in points through the first three quarters! The teams scored 10 points in the final 37 seconds of regulation, and the Cougars needed a 52-yard field goal with 5 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
10. Penn State Nittany Lions
This week: beat Kent State 56-0
Next week: vs. Illinois
Penn State outgained KSU 718-67, a 651-yard deficit that marks a school record and is the largest in any game in the past decade, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Nittany Lions haven’t played the toughest games so far (they only won in the power conference at West Virginia), but that will soon change.
Abandonment:USC (2), Northern Illinois (9)
