Week 4 Summary
A Flair for the Dramatic Headlines Week 4
Joe Broback
Week 4 ramped up the intensity from previous weeks, from special team gaffes to tip pass winners. Traditional powers showed us they still have what it takes, and others fell flat on their faces. Some impressive numbers were put up by offensive skill position players across the country, and teams didn’t hold back when trying to put points on the scoreboard. The barn burners can thank Memphis and Cincinnati for starting the fire: the Tigers and Bearcats put up a combined 99 points and 1200+ yards.
Conference depth is usually helpful and hurtful to those making a push for the playoff. Normally, the SEC is the model conference of depth and competition. This year, that depth is being tested and questioned early and often. With that in mind, we take a look at all of the conferences and analyze the race to their conference championships.
AAC: This appears to be Temple in the East, with Navy, Memphis, and Houston in the West. Temple only has to play Memphis, while the other three have to play each other. Temple has the best defense in the conference, while Memphis proved it has one of the best offenses in the conference. Navy and Houston are the sleepers of the conference, but have tough remaining schedules to play out.
ACC: This might be the conference that has lost the most when it comes to depth. The beginning of the year had multiple candidates to win the conference: Florida State, Clemson, Duke, North Carolina, Georgia Tech, and Miami. While Miami and surprise sleeper North Carolina State are still undefeated, that won’t last long, leaving the pseudo championship game to Clemson and Florida State. It will be tough for either team to make the playoff losing one game.
BIG 12: This conference has the most depth as we saw with Texas Tech almost beating TCU, and Texas giving Oklahoma State a scare. While this conference will thin out quickly, there are multiple teams that can make a serious run (Baylor, TCU, Oklahoma, West Virginia, and Oklahoma State). If all games end up being like the Red Raider-Horned Frog shootout, this will be the most entertaining conference to watch.
BIG TEN: This race has always been Ohio State and Michigan State. Anyone that thought differently is kidding themselves. Any of the East teams will test that theory, but mark November 21st as the BIG Ten championship game.
CONFERENCE USA: Not sure if you could call this depth, or flip a coin due to inconsistency. Western Kentucky looks to be the favorite, with Marshall right behind them. Someone has to win this conference, but it might be the team that screws up the least, not wins the most.
MID-AMERICAN: With Ohio, Toledo, and Northern Illinois all making some noise playing Power 5 teams, it will be tough to determine a champ. Throw in the offensive-minded Falcons of Bowling Green, and you have a conference that is as clear as mud.
MOUNTAIN WEST: Until someone proves the world wrong, this is Boise State’s title. Everyone else should have been told at the beginning of the year they would be competing for second.
PAC 12: Washington State and Colorado are not last in this conference….yet. Neither has played a conference game so they are above two teams each. While they will not add to the depth of the conference, they can enjoy their positions now. With seven teams that will compete for the title, the Pac 12 will be difficult for any team to navigate.
SEC: The East is better this year, but much of that hinges on the success of Florida and Georgia. The West is looking typical, but Mississippi State needs to prove it’s there to stay, and Auburn has taken a nose dive. The depth of this conference has dropped significantly (mostly in the East). This could be helpful for an SEC team’s playoff chances because, normally, these teams beat up on each other every week. And while there is no easy SEC game, there may be games that these top teams don’t have to work so hard to get a victory.
SUN BELT: Georgia Southern looks like a team on a mission after it was denied a bowl game last year. It will be tough for anyone to beat them in this conference, but don’t discount Appalachian State quite yet.
Rankings rule the college football world. In terms of conference depth (which includes difficulty to win conference and number of conference title contenders), here is where these conferences rank:
1) SEC
2) PAC 12
3) BIG 12
4) AAC
5) BIG TEN
6) MID-AMERICAN
7) ACC
8) SUN BELT
9) CONFERENCE USA
10) MOUNTAIN WEST
TRENDING UP
Leap Frog----Good thing Josh Doctson can jump out of the stadium, and it’s a good thing Aaron Green has good instincts. Doctson tipped a pass from Treyvone Boykin on fourth down, and while he didn’t come down with the catch, Green was behind him to snag the ball for a lead. With a depleted defense, the Horned Frogs leaned on their offense for most of the game.
U(te) Gotta Be Kidding Me----Utah was so close last year, so this year they made sure there wasn’t another so close. The Utes went into Eugene and stomped a struggling Oregon team whose defense had no answer for Travis Wilson and the rest of Utah’s offense. We learned that the Utes are for real, Vernon Adams has a big impact when he’s healthy and plays, and that the Pac 12 is a wide open race this year.
Traditional Powers Rising----Michigan is ranked for the first time in, well, longer than Wolverine fans would like. Florida is undefeated under first year coach Jim McElwain. Notre Dame is showing they are more than just one player and are in serious contention for the playoff. While the season is very young, it’s nice to see teams that have struggled over recent years start to get some traction and remind the nation they can still compete at a high level.
TRENDING DOWN
UnVolunteery defeat----Oh what could have been. Tennessee had Oklahoma right where they wanted them…….and blew a 13 point lead. They had the Gators scrambling for answers, they were going to win for the first time in 10 years, they were going to get their first signature win of the season…..and blew a 13 point lead. I’m sure there will be lots of tackling drills in the Volunteer practices this week after the Vols let up the go ahead touchdown on some poor angles taken and missed tackles.
BCS Busters Busted-----Georgia Tech, BYU, and Arizona State came into the season with high hopes. Those have essentially been wiped out after this week. Tech lost to Duke 36-20, BYU got shutout by Michigan 31-0, and Arizona State tried their best to just contain USC but lost 42-14. These underdogs lost the magic they had at the beginning of the season, and now are trying to find answers for what went wrong.
Horns Down----Special teams may be a focus this week for Charlie Strong. While one play does not determine the outcome of a game, it certainly can impact one. After missing an extra point the week before against Cal, the Longhorns botched a punt attempt that changed the game against Oklahoma State. Texas essentially saved the Cowboys themselves by handing them great field position on the way to a 30-27 loss.
PERFORMERS OF THE WEEK
Brandon Doughty, Western Kentucky----In case anyone forgot about him, Doughty showed he hasn’t lost a step from last year. The Hillltoppers QB threw 6 touchdowns and 457 yards against lowly Miami (OH). If he keeps this up, the Hilltoppers should run away with their conference.
Leonard Fournette, LSU----Fournette figures to be a mainstay in this section with the gameplans the Tigers come up with. A healthy dose of this Heisman hopeful is what teams try to plan against, but with no luck. Fournette rushed for 244 yards and 2 touchdowns, which lead to a ten point win over Syracuse.
Treyvone Boykin, TCU----TCU needed Boykin’s services badly this week. A wiped out defense had trouble stopping Texas Tech, and Boykin answered in a big way. The senior QB threw for 485 yards and four touchdowns, including the winner to Doctson/Green.
Hayden Moore, Cincinnati----While everyone including Moore wishes he didn’t get to play under the circumstances he did, Moore showed flashes of greatness. After starter Gunnar Kiel left the game with a concussion on a scary hit, the freshman came in and threw for 557 yards and five touchdowns………in three quarters! The Bearcats figure to be in good hands should Kiel not be ready to go Thursday against Miami.
GAME BALL: Moore. Thrown into a game that was as high scoring as it could get, the freshman showed poise and confidence throwing the ball. And while his throw while being sacked ended the game, the numbers he put up is nothing short of spectacular.
WEEK 4 PREDICTIONS
My pick: TCU 49 Texas Tech 31 ACTUAL: TCU 55 Texas Tech 52
This game, as predicted, came down to offense. Neither defense could figure out how to stop the opposing unit. Tech’s finally made a stop to force a fourth down, but Aaron Green came up with a catch off a tipped pass in the end zone to give the Horned Frogs the lead. The Horned Frogs then stopped the ensuing last ditch lateral play at their own 10 yard line, giving them a victory and their fans a heart attack at the same time.
My pick: Mississippi State 28 Auburn 21 ACTUAL: Mississippi State 17 Auburn 9
What would usually be considered a tough, hard-fought SEC game was actually a snoozer. Auburn again had no answer for an offense, this time led by Dak Prescott. Sean White started for the first time for the Tigers, but did little to show that he was the better choice than former starter Jeremy Johnson. The Tigers are in for a long season if they keep this up.
My pick: Oregon 42 Utah 24 ACTUAL: Utah 62 Oregon 20
Utah pulled an Oregon on Oregon. Trick plays and 60+ points made you think the Ducks were wearing white and red. The Utes have been awaiting their turn to show the nation they aren’t a second tier Pac 12 team anymore, and are ready to take the conference by storm. Utah made it look like there wasn’t a defense on the field, and their own defense knocked Vernon Adams out of the game for the Ducks. If anyone thought Jeff Lockie was the better pick at QB, they found out the truth, and Lockie struggled in relief of the injured Adams.
My pick: Arizona 35 UCLA 31 ACTUAL: UCLA 56 Arizona 30
The return of Scooby Wright III and having ESPN’s College Gameday didn’t do much for the Wildcats, as QB Anu Solomon was knocked out of the game and the Bruins kept putting up points that Arizona couldn’t answer. Adding insult to injury, the Wildcats may be without Wright for at least another month with a foot injury. Bruins signal caller Josh Rosen played better than his three interception performance the week before, and handed the ball off to Heisman dark horse Paul Perkins (three scores). The Bruins are putting pressure on top teams every week, and are refusing to be ignored.
