Week 4 of the college football season was an evener of sorts. If you hadn't looked good yet, if you hadn't won a game, this was a good week for you to do so. (Congratulations, New Mexico State and others.) Meanwhile, if you hadn't yet found your moment of sloppy vulnerability, that probably came too. Five unbeaten teams lost as favorites, and even Georgia looked mortal for once.
Georgia looked like a perfect college football team for three weeks and opened Week 4 against Kent State with a 75-yard touchdown run from its tight end, but the Bulldogs quickly found themselves in a scrap, committing multiple turnovers and leading just 19-13 late in the first half.
The Dawgs pulled away to win 39-22, but it was an underwhelming performance for a 45-point favorite, and it reminded us of one of college football's undying rules (and one that we forget from time to time): Anyone can slip up, or at least look bad, on a given day. Georgia had battled spells of passive pass defense -- only one sack and a higher-than-normal 58% completion rate allowed through three games -- and sure enough, Kent State found a rhythm, completing 68% of its passes and moving the ball better than expected. Throw in a couple of sloppy turnovers, and the Dawgs had themselves a battle.
If a team is going to slip, we generally know how it's going to happen before it does. We often come to understand a team's worst flaws before they actually cost it in the win column. With that in mind, let's look at the worst flaws for the best teams in the country through four weeks.
The fatal flaw for each CFP contender
Below are the 16 teams that are unbeaten or have one loss and odds of 1% or greater to reach the College Football Playoff, according to the Allstate Playoff Predictor. Most or all of these teams will lose at least once (or once more) over the next 10 weeks. Let's talk about how it will probably happen.
Alabama
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Vanderbilt, 55-3)
Rankings: second in the AP poll, first in SP+, first in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 84.7%
Fatal flaw: Bryce Young might not have enough help. Granted, if you watched the Bama defense get torched by Quinn Ewers early in the Crimson Tide's 20-19 win over Texas in Week 2, you'd reserve a sliver of doubt for the pass defense, but that's really the only time the defense has been vulnerable this season. I'm finding a bit more concern with the fact that Bama isn't getting a lot of big plays from its passing game and is merely good, not great, in terms of run efficiency.
Four running backs are averaging at least 6 yards per carry, and six players have caught between 10 and 17 passes -- go-to candidates are emerging -- but Bama ranks just 24th in standard downs success rate (good but not elite) and hasn't faced a top-30 defense yet. Young might need to pull a lot more rabbits out of his hat when the schedule picks up steam starting next week.
Ohio State
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Wisconsin, 52-21)
Rankings: third in AP, second in SP+, second in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 77.5%
Fatal flaw: The defense gets burned (and is still a sieve in the red zone). Hiring Jim Knowles as defensive coordinator means signing up for some all-or-nothing tendencies. You're going to force a lot of three-and-outs, but when opponents make a big play, it's going to be a big play. Ohio State has allowed only 36 gains of 10-plus yards in four games (16th in FBS) but has allowed four gains of 50-plus (eighth worst). Enough of those, and even the best offense in the country -- something the Buckeyes quite likely have now that C.J. Stroud and the passing game have found fifth gear -- might struggle to keep up.
Granted, the Big Ten isn't the worst place to live for teams that are vulnerable to explosive plays. But it's still a vulnerability!
Georgia
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Kent State, 39-22)
Rankings: first in AP, third in SP+, third in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 72.7%
Fatal flaw: A passive pass defense. As mentioned above. Four weeks in, the Dawgs rank 81st in passing success rate allowed, 67th in completion rate allowed and, perhaps most worrisome, 121st in sacks per dropback.
They did record three sacks against Kent State -- two from sophomore Jamon Dumas-Johnson -- which could be a sign that they can ratchet up the pressure when they know they need to. Then again, all three came in a dominant first quarter. Including sacks, Collin Schlee's first seven pass attempts against UGA lost 18 yards. His next 18 attempts gained 195 yards.
The Georgia run defense appears sound, and on offense the Dawgs rank first in success rate and fifth in points scored per drive. If everything else is working, they can perhaps afford having a merely good pass defense. But future opponents Tennessee, Mississippi State and Kentucky could land some blows if the defense doesn't improve.
Clemson
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated No. 21 Wake Forest, 51-45)
Rankings: fifth in AP, 13th in SP+, fifth in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 43.4%
Fatal flaw: Defense??? More specifically, a frighteningly porous pass defense. In my Friday preview, I noted that Clemson's defensive averages weren't as good as we might have expected and that Wake Forest might be able to find some success. I think Sam Hartman's passing line of 20-for-29 for 337 yards and six touchdowns qualifies as "some success."
Clemson ranks 105th in passing success rate allowed, 107th in completion rate allowed and 92nd in passer rating allowed, worst among any contender on this list. That DJ Uiagalelei, Will Shipley and the Clemson offense were able to weather this storm and figure out how to prevail, 51-45, in overtime was encouraging in its own right. But there are a lot more good quarterbacks on Clemson's schedule, and I doubt Dabo Swinney wants to put Uiagalelei in a situation where he has to beat all of them in track meets.
Michigan
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Maryland, 34-27)
Rankings: fourth in AP, fourth in SP+, fourth in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 30.3%
Fatal flaw: Finishing drives. It was the biggest issue Michigan faced for much of last season, and with the Wolverines having faced just one opponent that currently ranks better than 125th in SP+, it has been their worst trait so far in 2022 as well.
The Wolverines rank fourth in overall offensive success rate and sixth in marginal explosiveness (my measure for the magnitude of a team's successful plays, adjusted for field position), but they rank ninth in points per drive and 30th in red zone touchdown rate. Against Maryland on Saturday, they finished nine drives in Maryland territory but scored touchdowns on only four of those drives. They lost a fumble at the Terrapins' 27 and settled for three field goals, missing one. Maryland had only six drives reach Michigan territory but was able to hang around in part because of superior finishing (three touchdowns, two field goals).
USC
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Oregon State, 17-14)
Rankings: sixth in AP, 25th in SP+, ninth in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 26.6%
Fatal flaw: Overreliance on turnovers. Despite a dreadfully inefficient offense, Iowa began last season 6-0 thanks to good defense and a spectacularly unsustainable plus-15 turnover margin. As soon as the turnover fairy stopped granting their wishes, the Hawkeyes immediately became mortal. (The rest of the season: 4-4 with a minus-3 turnover margin.)
This USC team is better than that Iowa team, but there are more similarities than Trojans fans would prefer. The Trojans' dreadfully inefficient defense (89th in success rate allowed, 102nd against the run) could have backfired on them multiple times this year if not for their preternatural ability to hold on to interceptions. They have defensed (intercepted or broken up) 24 passes this year, while opponents have defensed 11. Based on national averages, this would typically result in about 5.0 interceptions for USC and 2.3 for opponents. Actual INTs: USC 11, opponents zero. The Trojans have recovered all seven of the fumbles in their games too. They enjoyed matching plus-four turnover margins in two road wins that came by a combined 16 points. That fortune is not going to last.
Minnesota
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Michigan State, 34-7)
Rankings: 23rd in AP, seventh in SP+, 14th in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 10.1%
Fatal flaw: Not enough explosiveness. P.J. Fleck's Golden Gophers have outscored opponents by a combined 183-24, and after devouring three cupcakes, they took to the road and blew out Michigan State, 34-7. How they are only 23rd in the AP poll, I have no idea.
Veteran and run-pass option master Tanner Morgan is still at quarterback and has completed 77% of his passes. A trio of running backs is averaging 41 carries and 255 yards per game, and even without leading receiver Chris Autman-Bell, the receiving corps remains deep, hyphenated (Michael Brown-Stephens, Brevyn Spann-Ford) and reliable. The chunk plays aren't enormous, though. Minnesota is fourth in FBS with 86 gains of 10-plus yards, but only two of those have gone for 40-plus. It is 100th in marginal explosiveness. Easy points will become vital as the schedule strength increases, and it's not clear the Gophers will create many of those.
Penn State
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Central Michigan, 33-14)
Rankings: 12th in AP, 10th in SP+, 13th in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 9.6%
Fatal flaw: Ground inefficiency. James Franklin's Nittany Lions have already beaten Purdue and Auburn on the road and should be 5-0 after Northwestern's visit next week. Thanks to the front-loaded schedule, they've got only one road game remaining against a team in the SP+ top 75.
That one road opponent, however, is Michigan. Minnesota and Ohio State go to Happy Valley after that trip. In terms of rushing success rate, all three opponents rank in the top five on offense and in the top 21 on defense.
Penn State in those two categories: 98th and 97th, respectively.
Freshmen Nicholas Singleton and Kaytron Allen are giving the Nittany Lions the rushing explosiveness they've lacked for a while, and the pass defense combines disruption with big-play prevention. But the freshmen are all or nothing, and the run defense has been porous. It hasn't cost the Nittany Lions yet, but it probably will soon.
Utah
Record (Week 4 result): 3-1 (defeated Arizona State, 34-13)
Rankings: 13th in AP, ninth in SP+, 10th in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 6.8%
Fatal flaw: The red zone. Following a frustrating road loss to Florida in Week 1, the Utes responded by pummeling Southern Utah and San Diego State, then manhandled Arizona State 34-13 on the road. They have been dominant from an efficiency standpoint, and their once-deficient explosiveness numbers have begun to improve. They have created far more scoring chances than they've allowed.
They've also done far less with those chances. In goal-to-go situations, they've scored touchdowns only 54.5% of the time (118th), and their defense is one of 18 to have allowed touchdowns on 100% of opponents' opportunities thus far. In red zone situations, the Utes have scored touchdowns 69.6% of the time (47th) to opponents' 71.4% (97th). Small samples? Absolutely. But it cost them the Florida game, and with games against Oregon State, UCLA and USC on deck, it could cost them again soon.
Tennessee
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated No. 20 Florida, 38-33)
Rankings: ninth in AP, eighth in SP+, 12th in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 6.6%
Fatal flaw: Pass defense. Tennessee has survived interesting tests at Pitt and at home against a Florida team that had won 16 of the teams' past 17 meetings. That Josh Heupel's Volunteers are 4-0 is undeniably solid. They are controlling both lines of scrimmage nicely, scoring plenty of points against solid teams and posting obscene point totals against bad teams.
Their four opponents to date, however, have ranked between 77th and 112th in Total QBR. So when you see that the Vols' defense is 85th in passing success rate allowed, 65th in completion rate allowed and 73rd in passing marginal explosiveness allowed, that should toss up a pretty big red flag. Over the next six weeks, this defense will face Kentucky's Will Levis and three quarterbacks currently in the Total QBR top 15 (LSU's Jayden Daniels, Alabama's Bryce Young and Georgia's Stetson Bennett). That's scary, even considering Tennessee's own prolific attack.
Ole Miss
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Tulsa, 35-27)
Rankings: 11th in AP, sixth in SP+, 11th in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 6.4%
Fatal flaw: Inability to force opponents off schedule. Missing tackle JJ Pegues and TFLs leader Khari Coleman certainly didn't help, but it was still disturbing watching Tulsa carve up the Ole Miss defense for 262 rushing yards (6.1 per carry) Saturday. The Rebels withstood early adversity and appeared to put the game away with a 28-0 second-quarter run. But Tulsa scored the game's final 13 points and fell by only a 35-27 margin.
After four games against opponents all ranked 74th or worse in SP+, the Rebels rank a healthy sixth overall in points allowed per drive but are just 86th in standard downs success rate allowed (first downs, second-and-7 or less, third- or fourth-and-4 or less). Once opponents are off schedule, they're in major trouble. But thanks primarily to inefficient run defense, Rebels opponents are staying on schedule more often than they should. That has to be a concern as SEC play begins.
Oklahoma
Record (Week 4 result): 3-1 (lost to Kansas State, 41-34)
Rankings: 16th in AP, fifth in SP+, eighth in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 4.9%
Fatal flaw: Same as Ole Miss. Brent Venables' first OU squad was rounding into form before Kansas State came to town. The Wildcats won for the sixth time in their past 11 trips to Norman, their 41-34 victory driven primarily by the fact that they were almost always ahead of the chains. Quarterback Adrian Martinez and KSU averaged 6.7 yards per play on first down and dropped Oklahoma to 70th in success rate allowed. The Sooners aren't allowing many big plays -- aside from Martinez's spectacular, game-clinching 55-yard scramble, anyway -- but they aren't creating uncomfortable downs and distances for opponents. It caught up to them once, and the Sooners can't let it happen twice.
The next three quarterbacks on the OU schedule, by the way? TCU's Max Duggan (currently ninth in Total QBR), Texas' Hudson Card (36th) or Quinn Ewers, and Kansas' Jalon Daniels (first). All rank ahead of Martinez.
LSU
Record (Week 4 result): 3-1 (defeated New Mexico, 38-0)
Rankings: unranked in AP, 12th in SP+, seventh in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 4.3%
Fatal flaw: So, so many sacks allowed. That's right! LSU has CFP odds! Since their wacky 24-23 loss to Florida State in Week 1, Brian Kelly's Tigers have obliterated two bad opponents (Southern and New Mexico) and handled an otherwise blemish-free Mississippi State team with surprising ease, 31-16. They're 25th in offensive SP+ and 14th on defense, and they're dominating from an efficiency standpoint. But wow, is Jayden Daniels taking a lot of sacks.
Daniels has long been the heaviest scrambler in college football, and he can occasionally create magic from it. But against three FBS opponents, he has taken 11 sacks, and LSU ranks 108th in sacks allowed per dropback because of it. He's also averaging only 10.3 yards per completion this season; any big plays LSU has created have come from the run game, which is far from optimal for a theoretical playoff contender.
Washington
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Stanford, 40-22)
Rankings: 18th in AP, 24th in SP+, 18th in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 3.8%
Fatal flaw: Getting the defense off the field. Washington's rebound has been immediate and comprehensive. A year after collapsing to 4-8, Kalen DeBoer's Huskies have already matched last year's win total, moving to 4-0 with Saturday night's comfortable win over Stanford. They sacked Cardinal quarterback Tanner McKee eight times in just 34 pass attempts, eased out to a 30-7 third-quarter lead and cruised.
Only two of those sacks came on third or fourth down, however, downs in which Stanford averaged 5.4 yards per play with a decent (all things considered) 43% success rate. For the season, Washington ranks 91st in success rate allowed on third-and-long and 79th on third-and-medium. The Huskies are forcing opponents behind the chains, then letting them off the hook. Upcoming road games against UCLA and Oregon could end unhappily if the Huskies' defense remains that accommodating.
Florida State
Record (Week 4 result): 4-0 (defeated Boston College, 44-14)
Rankings: 22nd in AP, 33rd in SP+, 22nd in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 2.9%
Fatal flaw: Same as Ole Miss and Oklahoma (but way worse). What a turnaround it's been this year in Tallahassee. FSU hasn't finished with a winning record since 2017, but at 4-0 the Seminoles are already more than halfway toward ending that streak -- and SP+ gives them a nearly one-in-three chance of going 10-2 or better. It's been an awfully fun run to date. The offense is both efficient and explosive, and the defense is ... coming along.
Actual CFP contenders, however, don't rank 95th in success rate allowed (113th on standard downs). They don't give up at least four yards on 56% of opponent carries either. Saturday's blowout of injury-plagued Boston College was a nice defensive step forward, but with Wake Forest, NC State and Clemson on the schedule next, the Noles will need a lot more growth in a short amount of time.
Baylor
Record (Week 4 result): 3-1 (defeated Iowa State, 31-24)
Rankings: 14th in AP, 18th in SP+, 15th in FPI
Current odds of reaching CFP: 1.9%
Fatal flaw: It's the biggest big plays or nothing. Above, I talked about how Minnesota was creating plenty of gains of double-digit yards but very few huge gashes. Baylor is the opposite. The Bears' offense has created 11 gains of 30-plus yards (25th in FBS) but only 55 of 10-plus yards (79th). Baylor ranks a ghastly 118th in marginal explosiveness.
Everything else is working pretty well. The offense ranks 46th in success rate and 21st in points per drive despite having played solid BYU and Iowa State defenses. The defense is 32nd in points allowed per drive and is solid in both the efficiency and explosiveness categories. The Bears are hitting hard and winning the efficiency battle. But only one receiver has more than 150 receiving yards thus far, and quarterback Blake Shapen has taken a lot of hits waiting for plays to develop. There are plenty of opponents who could feast on that, starting with this week's visitor, Oklahoma State.
The most maddening way to lose a game ...
College football is full of incredible, mind-numbing ways to lose close games. More often than not, however, you at least know who, or what, to blame. Your coach made an iffy decision. Your star made a killer mistake. Your offense or defense just stunk. The pointy ball bounced in an unfortunate way.
Sometimes it's all of the above. In Missouri's 17-14 loss to Auburn on Saturday ...
1. Eliah Drinkwitz's Tigers punted on six straight second-half possessions in a defensive stalemate but moved the ball inside Auburn's 10 in the final minute of a 14-14 game. Instead of trying to score a touchdown, Drinkwitz elected to eat up the clock and set up kicker and All-America candidate Harrison Mevis -- maybe Mizzou's best overall player -- for a 26-yard chip shot. He missed.
2. In overtime, Mizzou safety Martez Manuel looked like he had reeled in a third-down interception, but replay ruled it an incomplete pass.
3. Given a shot at a field goal, Auburn's Anders Carlson missed ... but Mizzou had jumped offside. Given another opportunity, Carlson made a 39-yarder.
4. On Missouri's overtime possession, it looked like the Tigers were going to render the offside penalty moot. Running back Nate Peat, by far their best offensive player on the day, rushed for 5 yards on one play, then hit the left edge and burst toward the end zone. As he moved the ball from one hand to the other to reach for the end zone, it squirted loose and bounced into the grasp of Auburn's Cayden Bridges.
A fumble in the end zone to win a game in OT⁉️
— ESPN College Football (@ESPNCFB) September 25, 2022
THAT is mayhem 😱 pic.twitter.com/h8R1v4JxT9
Drinkwitz was conservative but not damningly so, the offense stunk for too long, the team's best players committed epic brain farts, the ball bounced in an unfortunate way, and Mizzou lost. And fans couldn't really blame any one person, place or thing for it. Which made it even worse.
(Granted, losing via a length-of-the-field fumble return and a top-of-the-goalpost field goal doink isn't much better. But at least Arkansas fans know to rage at the god of funky bounces.)
... and the most satisfying way to put a game away
Sure, Middle Tennessee had jumped on Miami early and led most of the way. Sure, the Blue Raiders were up three touchdowns in the third quarter. But we were all just waiting for the inevitable Hurricane surge. We've seen this "heavy underdog watches a lead suddenly evaporate" episode before. Miami scored to cut MTSU's lead to 31-17, forced a three-and-out, then quickly moved down the field once more. But on the first play of the fourth quarter, MTSU forced a fourth-and-goal stop at the 1.
On the second play of the quarter, this happened.
CUNNINGHAM TO ENGLAND-CHISOLM FROM THEIR OWN ENDZONE! 😱@MT_FB | #CUSAFB | #SCTop10 pic.twitter.com/FuQalofgUJ
— Conference USA (@ConferenceUSA) September 24, 2022
The game wasn't over yet ... but it was over. It was a two-punch knockout combination. The Blue Raiders would prevail 45-31.
Who won the Heisman this week?
We're attempting an experiment this season: What happens if I award the Heisman every single week of the season and dole out weekly points, F1 style (in this case, 10 points for first place, nine for second and so on)? How will this Heisman race play out, and how different will the result be from the actual Heisman voting?
Here is this week's Heisman top 10:
1. Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (22-for-28 for 349 yards and 2 TDs, plus 112 rushing yards and 1 TD vs. Florida)
2. Jalon Daniels, Kansas (19-for-23 for 324 yards and 4 TDs, plus 83 rushing yards and 1 TD vs. Duke)
3. Adrian Martinez, Kansas State (21-for-34 for 234 yards and 1 TD, plus 148 rushing yards and 4 TDs vs. Oklahoma)
4. Blake Corum, Michigan (243 rushing yards and 2 TDs vs. Maryland)
5. Chase Cunningham, MTSU (16-for-25 for 408 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT, plus 29 rushing yards and 1 TD vs. Miami)
6. DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson (26-for-41 for 371 yards and 5 TDs, plus 52 rushing yards vs. Wake Forest)
7. Jaydn Ott, Cal (274 rushing yards and 3 TDs, plus 10 receiving yards vs. Arizona)
8. Will Anderson Jr., Alabama (5 tackles, 3 TFLs and 2.5 sacks vs. Vanderbilt)
9. Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (20-for-29 for 337 yards and 6 TDs vs. Clemson)
10. C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (17-for-27 for 281 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT vs. Wisconsin)
I didn't expect to have to add an honorable mention section to this, but there were so many deserving candidates this week I had no choice. These guys had to get mentioned:
• Yam Banks, South Alabama (2 INTs, 1 pick-six, 1 TFL and 3 pass break-ups vs. Louisiana Tech)
• Brock Bowers, Georgia (75 receiving yards, plus 77 rushing yards and two touchdowns vs. Kent State)
• Laiatu Latu, UCLA (3.5 tackles, 3.5 TFLs, 3 sacks, 1 pass break-up and 1 forced fumble vs. Colorado)
• Tanner Morgan, Minnesota (23-for-26 for 268 yards and 3 TDs, plus 27 rushing yards vs. Michigan State)
• Bo Nix, Oregon (33-for-44 for 428 yards, 3 TDs and 1 INT, plus 30 rushing yards vs. Washington State)
• Bryce Young, Alabama (25-for-36 for 385 yards and 4 TDs vs. Vanderbilt)
Through four weeks, here's how the point totals have shaken out.
Jalon Daniels, Kansas (24 points)
Bryce Young, Alabama (17)
Caleb Williams, USC (16)
Stetson Bennett, Georgia (15)
C.J. Stroud, Ohio State (15)
Hendon Hooker, Tennessee (10)
Spencer Sanders, Oklahoma State (9)
Michael Penix Jr., Washington (9)
Adrian Martinez, Kansas State (8)
Derek Parish, Houston (8)
Will Anderson Jr., Alabama (7)
Blake Corum, Michigan (7)
Drake Maye, North Carolina (7)
Bijan Robinson, Texas (7)
Also receiving points: Chase Cunningham, MTSU (6); Evan Hull, Northwestern (6); Bo Nix, Oregon (6); Anthony Richardson, Florida (6); Raheim Sanders, Arkansas (5); DJ Uiagalelei, Clemson (5); Jaydn Ott, Cal (4); Tory Taylor, Iowa (4); Jordan Addison, USC (3); Braelon Allen, Wisconsin (3); Dillon Gabriel, Oklahoma (3); Sam Hartman, Wake Forest (2); Daiyan Henley, Washington State (2); Taulia Tagovailoa, Maryland; (2); Jacoby Windmon, Michigan State (2); Todd Centeio, James Madison (1); John Rhys Plumlee, UCF (1); Garrett Shrader, Syracuse (1).
If you're a betting person, obviously the smartest Heisman odds are still on someone from the set of Young, Williams, Stroud and maybe Bennett. And as they all play in bigger games and, theoretically, come up big in those games, they might emerge from the pack here. But if we were awarding a September Heisman, there's no doubt in my mind that it needs to go to Jalon Daniels.
In four games, Daniels has completed 71% of his passes for 890 yards, 11 touchdowns and only one interception, and he's led his team in rushing with 320 yards (8.4 per carry!) and four more scores. He has made Kansas relevant for the first time since the 2000s, and while he's gotten help from his supporting cast, he's the main reason Kansas is 4-0 and on the cusp of being ranked for the first time since 2009.
My 10 favorite games of the weekend
Clemson holds off Wake Forest with a 4th-down stop in the second overtime to win 51-45 vs. Wake Forest.
1. No. 5 Clemson 51, No. 21 Wake Forest 45
2. Kansas State 41, No. 6 Oklahoma 34
3. Texas Tech 37, No. 22 Texas 34 (OT)
4. No. 7 USC 17, Oregon State 14
5. No. 11 Tennessee 38, No. 20 Florida 33
6. James Madison 32, Appalachian State 28
8. No. 15 Oregon 44, Washington State 41
10. D2: Shepherd 42, Kutztown 35
It was a wild day at the Division II level, with lots of ranked teams involved in ultra-close games. This one might have been the wildest of the bunch. Shepherd needed a pick-six and a kick-return score to stay within seven of the host Bears at halftime, then took its first lead with just six minutes left. Kutztown tied the game at 35-35 with 2:38 remaining, but Tyson Bagent and Marlon Cook connected for a 70-yard touchdown with 1:41 left, and the Rams -- the cardiac darlings of last year's Division II playoffs -- made a late stop to prevail.