This week in college football featured four major showdowns between ranked opponents and while the Buckeyes, Utes, and Crimson Tide clung to victory, the Oregon Ducks absolutely dismantled the Cinderella story of the early season in Deion Sanders and the Colorado Buffaloes.
It was an ugly showing in Eugene and it doesn't get easier as the Buffs welcome USC (4-0) to Boulder next week. The Buckeyes' incredible come-from-behind win delivered a gut punch to the Fighting Irish, who had put together 58 minutes of excellent defensive football, but tried to stop Ohio State with just 10 players on the field. Despite having to play a backup quarterback for the fourth week in a row, the Utes got a pick-six to start the game and rode that to a 14-7 win over UCLA. Alabama has been playing some pretty poor football by their standards, but a big fourth quarter helped them upend Lane Kiffin and Ole Miss.
Overall, there are 27 undefeated teams remaining with Florida State, Missouri, Kansas, and Texas coming on as the early surprises. With the good, there is also the bad, as Virginia, Buffalo, Nevada, Sam Houston St, and UConn are the five remaining winless teams in the FBS.
As for the conference power rankings, the SEC is clinging on as the best conference in the FBS, but the Big Ten and Pac 12 are right behind them. After the departure of their marquee teams, the American sits as the worst conference, as only Tulane and Memphis boast winning records.
Here's a look at the first real rankings in this week's Pool Poll (WA=the average opponent's rank of games won, LA= average rank of losses):
1. Washington Huskies (4-0, 57.5 WA, 0 LA)
Previous Rank: 3
Last Week: Steamrolled Cal (59-32)
This Week: Arizona (54, 3-1)
How'd They Get Here: Their worst offensive output was 41 against Michigan State and this week's 27-point win over Cal was their closest contest yet. All of their opponents have been at the FBS level and that has helped their overall average.
2. Texas (4-0, 58.8, 0)
PR: 1
LW: Declawed Baylor (38-6)
TW: Kansas (13, 4-0)
HTGH: A huge win over Alabama got them to number 1, but Baylor has been a doormat early on and that dropped them into a tie for second in WA, but then it becomes my personal opinion for the tiebreaker.
3. North Carolina (4-0, 58.8, 0)
PR: 2
LW: 41-24 over Pitt
TW: Bye
HTGH: They almost didn't after seeking out a double-overtime win against Appalachian State a few weeks ago. Aside from App State though, their other three wins are against Power 5 schools (South Carolina, Minnesota, and Pitt).
4. Utah (4-0, 61.8, 0)
PR: 8
LW: 14-7 win over UCLA
TW: Oregon State (37, 3-1)
HTGH: The Utes have been without Cam Rising due to injury, but that hasn't stopped them from winning big games. Utah's defense has allowed nine points per game against Florida, Baylor, Weber St (FCS), and UCLA.
5. Florida State (4-0, 63.3, 0)
PR: 4
LW: Survived Clemson in overtime (31-24)
TW: Bye
HTGH: Jordan Travis is much improved and he's opening the door for Florida State to make a push for the playoffs. Their marquee wins over LSU and Clemson were impressive, but they struggled against Boston College and their other win was over lowly Southern Miss.
6. Missouri (4-0, 65.5, 0)
PR: 7
LW: 34-27 win over Memphis
TW: Vanderbilt (100, 2-3)
HTGH: The big win came over No. 15 Kansas State on a last-second field goal and that's been the Tigers' M.O. Three of their four wins this season have been by seven points or less.
7. Oregon (4-0, 68, 0)
PR: 12
LW: 42-6 serving of Prime Buffalo
TW: Stanford (106, 1-3)
HTGH: The Ducks' big win over Colorado was impressive, but their rally against Texas Tech in Week 2 was equally impressive. Oregon hasn't scored fewer than 38 points and dropped 81 against Portland St (FCS) in Week 1.
8. Ohio State (4-0, 72.8, 0)
PR: 14
LW: 17-14 over Notre Dame
TW: Bye
HTGH: The Buckeyes had played a non-conference schedule so soft, one might have mistaken it for Michigan's or Georgia's, but unlike those two, they had a bonafide showdown with a Top Ten opponent. While it looked shaky, the Buckeyes remained calm and Chip Trayanum punched it in with one second left to give OSU the biggest win of the college football season. One could argue Florida State over LSU, but that was played on a neutral field and the Buckeyes had to go into South Bend in primetime.
9. Washington State (4-0, 73.8, 0)
PR: 20
LW: 38-35 win over fellow 2024 Pac 12 member Oregon St
TW: Bye
HTGH: The Cougars put a hurting on Colorado State, then knocked around Wisconsin before holding on to win over Oregon State. Their two wins over Top 25 teams are only hurt by their win over Northern Colorado (FCS).
10. Penn State (4-0, 75.8, 0)
PR: 21
LW: 31-0 plucking of Iowa
TW: Northwestern (66, 2-2)
HTGH: Their win over West Virginia looks better now that the Mountaineers are off to a fast start, but a win over a ranked Iowa team, has got them looking good early on. It's a shame that they are stuck in the same division as Michigan and Ohio State because they likely aren't making the Big Ten Championship.
11. Michigan (4-0, 80.3, 0)
PR: 23
LW: 31-7 over Rutgers
TW: Nebraska (65, 2-2)
HTGH: Playing mediocre football against mediocre schools has failed to impress me so far this season. They should be able to handle Nebraska, but J.J. McCarthy has got to better job at not turning the ball over.
12. Oklahoma (4-0, 82.8, 0)
PR: 19
LW: 20-6 win over Cincinnati
TW: Iowa State (75, 2-2)
HTGH: They score a lot of points against D-tier schools and don't allow points to B-tier schools and now they're 4-0. Iowa State already lost to one OU already, but the Sooners seem like a tougher task than the Bobcats.
13. Kansas (4-0, 84.5, 0)
PR: 28
LW: 38-27 win over BYU
TW: Texas (2, 4-0)
HTGH: Their wins over Illinois and BYU are most impressive, but they needed to rally from 17-0 against Nevada (0-4). They are a nice story, but the Longhorns are head and shoulders above any competition they've played so far.
14. Duke (4-0, 87, 0)
PR: 6
LW: 41-7 over UConn
TW: Notre Dame (28, 4-1)
HTGH: Duke showed their promise with a win over Clemson in Week 1, but now they can show if they're for real when they square off with Notre Dame.
15. Miami (4-0, 89, 0)
PR: 18
LW: 41-7 over Temple
TW: Bye
HTGH: A big win over Texas A&M is about all the Hurricanes have going for them with the rest coming against lower-level opponents.
16. Syracuse (4-0, 91, 0)
PR: 27
LW: 26-19 over Army
TW: Clemson (84, 2-2)
HTGH: The same way they always do, win all their non-conference games and then struggle to get to six wins.
17. Liberty (4-0, 93, 0)
PR: 33
LW: 38-6 over FIU
TW: Bye
HTGH: The Flames have not skipped a beat under new head coach Jamey Chadwell. Unlike the past few seasons, this year's non-conference did not feature any Power 5 schools.
18. Georgia State (4-0, 100.5, 0)
PR: 31
LW: 30-17 over Coastal Carolina
TW: Troy (77, 2-2)
HTGH: The Panthers have never lost to Coastal Carolina in Myrtle Beach, and they still haven't lost this season.
19. Fresno State (4-0, 101, 0)
PR: 22
LW: 53-10 over Kent State
TW: Nevada (132, 0-4)
HTGH: They have two big wins over Power 5 schools, but they needed overtime to hold off Eastern Washington (FCS). They will be hard to stop in Mountain West play.
20. Louisville (4-0, 101, 0)
PR: 26
LW: 56-28 thumping of Boston College
TW: NCST (57, 3-1)
HTGH: They have skated by so far and can do a lot to improve their stock with a win this week against NCST.
21. Marshall (3-0, 101, 0)
PR: 30
LW: 24-17 over Virginia Tech
TW: Old Dominion (82, 2-2)
HTGH: The first two wins were unimpressive, but they added to the Sun Belt's win over Power 5 schools early on when they knocked off the Hokies.
22. USC (4-0, 102, 0)
PR: 24
LW: 42-28 over Arizona State
TW: Colorado (34, 3-1)
HTGH: There is no marquee win yet, but if they can kick Colorado while they're down, it would be a good start.
23. James Madison (4-0, 109.3, 0)
PR: 32
LW: 45-38 over Utah State
TW: South Alabama (69, 2-2)
HTGH: They won in the final seconds against Virginia to claim a Power 5 win and followed that up by edging past Sun Belt heavyweight Troy.
24. Kentucky (4-0, 111, 0)
PR: 37
LW: 45-28 over Vanderbilt
TW: Florida (44, 3-1)
HTGH: They finally get a real test in Florida, so I don't expect to see them in these rankings next week.
25. Maryland (4-0, 113.8, 0)
PR: 39
LW: 31-9 over Michigan State
HTGH: The Terrapins are the Syracuse of the Big Ten, they'll get their wins early and scrap for bowl eligibility the rest of the season.
Dropped Out: Ole Miss, Colorado, Oregon St, Notre Dame, UCLA, UCF, Iowa, Wake Forest, and Rutgers
Waiting List: Georgia, Air Force, Notre Dame, Ohio, Alabama, KSU, Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Colorado, Wyoming, Ole Miss, Oregon St, UCLA, TCU, and UCF
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