Week 4 featured several first time match-ups for realigned teams in their new respective conferences.
It was also a week of increasing clarity as we race towards the expanded College Football Playoff.
Week 5 has a good sleet of games, non bigger than Georgia going to Tuscaloosa to face Kalen DeBoer’s Alabama Crimson Tide.
Week 4 Quick Hits
Illinois 31 Nebraska 24 – An OT win for the Illini. Was a pretty even game, but Nebraska had just 50 yards rushing, and committed 9 penalties. Big road win for Bret Bielema.
Ole Miss 52 Georgia Southern 13 – Wake Forest is the best team Ole Miss has faced so far, but only 22 points allowed in four games for the Rebels.
Tennessee 25 Oklahoma 15 – Sooners go down in their initial SEC game. The Volunteers get quality road W. Oklahoma was 3 of 15 on 3rd down, and limited to 222 yards overall.
Missouri 30 Vanderbilt 27 – OT home win for Missouri. It’s a conference win, but not a game that gives you a lot of confidence that Missouri belongs as a Top 7 team in the country. Tigers did get a huge game from RB Nate Noel who had 199 yards on 24 carries.
Michigan 27 USC 24 – 46 rushing attempts vs. 12 pass attempts for the Wolverines. 290 yards on the ground for Michigan. Leading 24-20 with 5 minutes left, USC went 3 and out. Michigan then went 89 yards for the winning score.
Utah 22 Oklahoma State 19 – The Utes get Big 12 win #1, and improved to 4-0 overall. A win for Utah against a solid Oklahoma State team on the road, and a win without their starting QB Cam Rising. The Cowboys couldn’t slow the Utah running, or run at all on their own. Not a recipe for success. Utah solidified their place as the favorite in their new conference.
BYU 38 Kansas State 9 – BYU is in their 2nd year in the Big 12. Last year they were just 2-7 in league play. They did not face Kansas State last year. The Wildcats won the yardage battle (367 to 241). K-State had the ball for over 33 minutes. The Wildcats were 8 of 17 on 3rd down. But they had 8 penalties, and turned the ball over 3 times.
Louisville 31 Georgia Tech 19 – Louisville wins on a day they averaged 2.6 yards per carry on 24 attempts.
Clemson 59 NCST 35 – Balance from the Tigers offense. Lots of guys involved in both their rushing and passing attacks. NCST has now been blasted twice.
James Madison 70 UNC 50 – The Tar Heels put up 50 points, and had 616 yards of offense, and were blown out. 5 UNC turnovers being the difference. JMU looks poised to run through the Sun Belt.
Week 5 Games Of Note
Louisville at Notre Dame – Louisville is one of two remaining ranked opponents on the Notre Dame schedule. The Irish need to not only win but look good doing so, as they continue to try and move back into position to be selected for the Playoff. If Louisville can win here, I’ll buy more into them as contender to Miami and Clemson in the ACC.
Kentucky at Ole Miss – Kentucky gave Georgia everything they could handle. Rebels should win at home, but should be pushed for the first time this year.
Oklahoma State at Kanas State – Cowboys and Wildcats licking their wounds after their losses to Utah and BYU.
BYU at Baylor – Baylor allowing that Hail Mary to Colorado was ridiculous.
Wisconsin at USC – Michigan was able to out physical the Trojans when it mattered, but I believe USC is a good team. This not the physical Wisconsin team we’ve been accustomed to over the last two decades.
Arkansas at Texas A&M – Both teams are 3-1, and 1-0 in the SEC.
Illinois at Penn State – Illinois got the road OT win at Nebraska, but has to go back on the road to face Penn State.
Georgia at Alabama – The loser will still be favored to reach the Football Playoff, but their margin for error will be reduced. After this game, Georgia has three top 6 teams on their remaining schedule. Alabama has four top 21 teams left on their schedule after Georgia. ESPN’s Match-up Predictor is giving Alabama a 65.8% chance of winning.
Conference Overviews
AAC – Navy got to 2-0 in conference, putting 56 points on Memphis. is 3-0, Tulane has South Florida this week, that would be a game which factors into the conference race.
ACC – Miami pulled away from South Florida yesterday. Clemson seems to have found themselves. We will know more about Louisville after their game vs. Notre Dame.
Big 12 – 10 teams in the conference have at-least 3 wins. The remaining ranked teams on Utah’s schedule are BYU and Iowa State, both at home.
Big Ten – 12 teams with at-least 3 wins. Ohio State has trips to Oregon, and Penn State, before ending with Michigan at home.
Conference USA – Liberty is 4-0. They are slight underdogs according to ESPN’s Match-up Predictor this week vs. the Sun Belt’s Appalachian State.
Independents – Notre Dame wasn’t helped by Northern Illinois losing in OT to Buffalo.
Mid-American – Northern Illinois lost to Buffalo. Toledo lost to Western Kentucky. Buffalo is 3-1 overall. Bowling Green has competitive losses to Penn State and Texas A&M.
Mountain West – Fresno State has won their last 3. San Jose State lost 54-52 at Washington State. UNLV is undefeated. Boise State is hosting Washington State this week.
SEC – 9 ranked teams, including 1,2,4,5,6.
Sun Belt – While James Madison was putting 70 on UNC, Coastal Carolina lost 43-24 at Virginia. Texas State was off in Week 4, and is favored vs. 3-1 Sam Houston State in Week 5.
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Chris Stoner founded Baltimore Sports and Life in 2009. He has appeared as a radio guest with 1090 WBAL, 105.7 The Fan, CBS 1300, Q1370, WOYK 1350, WKAV 1400, and WNST 1570. He has also been interviewed by The Baltimore Sun, Baltimore Business Journal, and PressBox (TV). As Owner, his responsibilities include serving as the Managing Editor, Publicist, & Sales Director.