Game of the Week
No.5 Clemson 51-45 No.21 Wake Forest (2OT)
In a match up with significant ramifications for ACC supremacy, Clemson and Wake Forest traded blows in a double-overtime shoot out. With Sam Hartman back at quarterback, Wake Forest's offense looks more threatening. The Demon Deacons signal-caller threw for a school record six touchdowns, including a strike to A.T. Perry that put Wake Forest 45-38 up in overtime.
DJ Uiagalelei threw for five touchdowns, completing 26 of 41 passes for 371 yards. His pass to 6'3" receiver Beaux Collins tied the game at 45-45 before a game-winning scoring throw to tight end Davis Allen.
Clemson can wrestle control of the ACC this weekend in a key showdown with North Carolina State, while Wake Forest travels to Tallahassee to take on Florida State.
In the SEC...
No.10 Arkansas 21-23 No.23 Texas A&M
Having restored their pride in a cathartic win over Miami last week, Texas A&M knocked off a dangerous Arkansas team in the Southwest Classic at AT&T Stadium in Dallas. Razorbacks quarterback K.J. Jefferson ran for over 100 yards.. Kicker Cam Little had the opportunity to win the game, but his kick hit the top of the post and bounced off. This was a huge win for the Aggies, who move to 2-1 and back into contention in the tough SEC conference.
No.20 Florida 33-38 No.11 Tennessee
A critical battle in the SEC saw Billy Napier's improved Gators travel to Knoxville to face the Volunteers. Tennessee quarterback Hendon Hooker's name is starting to be whispered in conversation around the Heisman Trophy, given to the best player in college football. Hooker "had a day", completing 22 of 28 passes for 349 yards, the most impressive a diving catch by receiver Ramel Keyton. Hooker ran for a further 112 yards.
Tennessee held off a spirited Florida comeback to move to 4-0 for the first time since 2016.
Kent State 22-39 No.1 Georgia
A flattering scoreline belied a messy performance from the national champions. Georgia turned the ball over three times, Ladd McConkey fumbling twice and quarterback Stetson Bennett threw his first interception of the season.
Tight end Brock Bowers was the standout performer for Georgia again, scoring two touchdowns on the back of a three-score performance against South Carolina. An impressive 75-yard rumble down the sidelines was the highlight. Georgia were fortunate to hold on to their No.1 ranking. They travel to Missouri this evening while the marvellously named Kent State Golden Flashes host Ohio.
Vanderbilt 3-55 No.2 Alabama
Crimson Tide quarterback Bryce Young sat out the fourth quarter of this 55-3 blowout, but still passed for four touchdowns, completing 25 of 36 passes for 385 yards. Ja'Corey Brooks caught two touchdowns on 117 receiving yards for the night. Jermaine Burton and Jahmyr Gibbs were Alabama's other key receiving threats, while Jase McClennan ran the ball in for a touchdown and 78 yards on the ground,
Commodores' freshman quarterback A.J. Swann completed 50% of his passes for 115 yards in just his second start. He will have a valuable week off as Vanderbilt faces Ole Miss on October 8th in their next game. Alabama starts a tough three-game stretch against Arkansas, Texas A&M and Tennessee with a road trip to Fayetteville.
Northern Illinois 23-31 No.8 Kentucky
Kentucky avoided an upset, grinding out a tough win over Northern Illinois, extending their winning streak to eight games. Will Levis continues to be mentioned in Heisman discussions. Kentucky's quarterback threw for 303 yards and four touchdowns, two to wide receiver Tayvion Robinson, who had a career-high 147 receiving yards. Barion Brown had 102 receiving yards on just four catches. Kentucky travels to in-form Ole Miss in what could be a pivotal SEC showdown. Northern Illinois hosts Ball State.
Tulsa 27-35 No.16 Ole Miss
28 points in the second quarter helped No.16 Ole Miss ease away from Tulsa in Week 4. The Rebels had trailed 14-7 before USC transfer Jaxson Dart threw touchdown passes to Malik Heath and Jonathan Mingo, while Quinshon Judkins ran in two more to give the home team a decisive 35-14 lead in Oxford.
Dart ran for 116 yards in addition to his 154 yards passing, while Judkins ran for 140 yards in a balanced-looking Ole Miss offense. They currently lead the SEC in rushing yards this season, with three players having 100 yard+ rushing games. Tulsa hosts AAC rival Cincinnati this week, while Mississippi host Kentucky in a huge SEC game.
ACC
Middle Tennessee 45-31 No.25 Miami
The upset of the week saw Middle Tennessee's Blue Raiders walk out of Miami with their first win over an AP ranked opponent. Miami, 25.5 point favourites before the game, struggled on offense, turning the ball over three times in the first half. Hurricanes quarterback Tyler Van Dyke was benched for Jake Garcia after throwing a pick six.
Pac-12
No.15 Oregon 44-41 Washington State
Following their opening day humbling at the hands of national champions Georgia, Dan Lanning's team are finding their form. Auburn transfer Bo Nix threw for 428 yards, capping a remarkable comeback for Oregon, who scored 29 points in the fourth quarter.
No. 7 USC 17-14 Oregon State
USC's Hollywood line-up on offense seems to be gelling quickly and they are ominously poised to make a run at the Playoff if they can keep their form. Caleb Williams and Jordan Addison connected to put USC ahead. Southern California's defense intercepted the Beavers four times, Max Williams sealing the win by picking off Chance Nolan with 35 seconds left.
No. 13 Utah 34-13 Arizona State
The Utes took the lead early and never looked back in a dominant display, holding the Sun Devils' running attack to negative yardage. Utah seem to be hitting their stride after a surprise early season loss to Florida. Utes quarterback Cameron Rising threw for 260 yards and two touchdowns.
Arizona State are back into rebuild, under new coach Shaun Aguano, the running backs coach was given the interim job after Herm Edwards was fired after the Sun Devils' Week 3 loss to Eastern Michigan.
Big 10
Minnesota 34-7 No.21 Michigan State
Tanner Morgan and the Golden Gophers move to 4-0 after a comprehensive victory over struggling Michigan State, who look like a different outfit to last season and are clearly missing the spark of NFL-departed Kenneth Walker III. Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne threw two interceptions and fumbled in the red-zone. as Michigan State tumbled out of the Top 25 with their back-to-back losses vs. Washington and Minnesota.
Quarterback Tanner Morgan completed 88% of his passes and threw for three touchdowns for Minnesota while the prolific Mo Ibrahim ran for 103 yards.
Maryland 27-34 No. 4 Michigan
Blake Corum was the star of the show in Ann Arbor. Off the back of a five-touchdown performance against UConn the week before, the Michigan back ran for a career-high 243 yards and two touchdowns against a 3-0 Maryland team. J.J. McCarthy, cemented as the Wolverines' starter, completed 18 of 26 passes for 220 yards and two touchdowns to hold off a fighting Maryland team.
Taulia Tagovailoa was intercepted twice for the Terrapins, his second effectively ending the game. Maryland lost the same game by 41 points last year and look much-improved. They face under-pressure Michigan State this weekend while Michigan travels to Iowa.
Wisconsin 21-52 No.3 Ohio State
Speaking of strong running games, Ohio State backs TreVeyon Henderson and Miyan Williams combined for 222 rushing yards as the Buckeyes dominated Wisconsin in a key Big 10 game. C.J. Stroud threw five touchdown passes, four of which were to receiveres Cade Stover and Emeka Egbuka. He now has 16 for the season in four games. Stroud completed his first eight passes, which set the tone to build an unassailable 31-7 lead at half-time.
Wisconsin's promising back Braelon Allen rushed for 165 yards, but the Badgers were outclassed in Columbus. They host Illinois in Week 5 while Ohio State is at home to Rutgers.
In a wide-open Big 12...
Kansas State 41-34 No.6 Oklahoma
Quarterback Adrian Martinez and the Wildcats stunned No.6 Oklahoma, who suffered their first loss under new coach Brent Venables. Martinez put on a stunning dual-threat performance, running for 148 yards and four touchdowns, passing for 234 yards and another score in an upset win for Kansas State, Deuce Vaughn added another 116 yards on the ground for the Wildcats.
Sooners' quarterback Dillon Gabriel passed for 330 yards and four touchdowns for Oklahoma. Oklahoma travel to Fort Worth to try and resurrect their season at TCU, while Kansas State hosts Texas Tech, conquerors of Texas, this weekend.
No.17 Baylor 31-24 Iowa State
Are defending Big 12 champions Baylor the best team in the conference? An impressive win on the road in Ames took Baylor to 3-1 over a previously unbeaten Iowa State team. The Bears shook off an earlier season loss to BYU. Blake Shapen threw for three touchdowns, including an impressive flea-flicker trick play to a wide-open Gavin Holmes for 38-yard score.
Baylor's defense impressed, holding the Cyclones' rushing attack to just 66 yards and picking off quarterback Hunter Dekkers twice. Baylor hosts Oklahoma State at McLane Stadium in a repeat of last year's Big 12 championship game, while Iowa State travels to Kansas.
No.22 Texas 34-37 Texas Tech
A rare fumble by star Longhorns' running back Bijan Robinson in overtime gave Texas Tech a surprise win over Texas in Lubbock. A 20-yard Trey Wolff field goal gave the Red Raiders their first win in this rivalry since 2008, and could be their last game in Lubbock for some time given the Longhorns' move to the SEC in 2024. Both schools are in talks about extending the rivalry which has been played out every year since 1959.
Steve Sarkisian will be worried after his Texas team dropped a two-touchdown lead, a similar trait to their losing streak last season. Hudson Card threw for 277 yards and two touchdowns while Red Raiders quarterback Donovan Smith threw for 331 yards and two touchdowns. Texas Tech travels to Kansas State today, while Texas hosts West Virginia in Austin to try and get momentum ahead of their Red River showdown with Oklahoma in two weeks.
Elsewhere...
Notre Dame moved to 2-2 with a 45-32 humbling of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. Fighting Irish quarterback Drew Pyne threw three touchdowns on 289 yards passing and no interceptions.
In a battle of schools better known for basketball championships, Kansas beat Duke 35-27, moving to 4-0 for the first time since 2009. Jayhawks quarterback Jaylon Daniels is currently the highest ranked passer in the country, with a 97.0 rating through Week 4.
Top 25
The AP Top 25 Poll sees the top five teams largely unchanged, although Georgia may be fortunate to retain top spot following impressive performances from Alabama and Ohio State, who are challenging for No.1.
Tennessee, Penn State and Washington climb three places, to No.8, No.11 and No.15 respectively, while Texas A&M jump up six spots, to No.17 after their win over Arkansas. The Razorbacks fell 10 spots accordingly and Oklahoma fell 12 places to No.18 after their loss to Kansas State. Florida, Texas, Miami and Michigan State are among the casualties, dropping out of the Top 25 altogether.
I am fortunate to be part of a UK and Ireland media group who cast their vote on a Top 25 from this side of the pond, put together by Owain Jones. Here are our rankings from Week 4:
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