College football is unpredictable and delightful, which is why we live for what happens on Saturdays. And Week 4 absolutely delivered, from a stunning last-second win for Iowa at the Big House to a big bounce-back performance from Oregon.
Each Sunday, I’ll publish my biggest takeaways from the college football weekend. I’ll highlight the most interesting storylines, track College Football Playoff contenders and specifically shout out individual and team performances that deserve the spotlight.
1. Dylan Raiola played the best game of his college career — in an unimaginably difficult situation.
When Raiola took his first snap of the game, you could still see the ambulance taking Oregon starting quarterback Dante Moore off the field in the top left corner of the screen. It was a jarring moment, much like the hit itself that knocked Moore out of the game and sent him to the hospital. It was an emotional and charged moment for both Oregon and USC, and it was an inflection point in the game. And Raiola, the former Nebraska quarterback, stepped in and put Oregon into the end zone two plays later. Raiola was impressive in relief overall, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns and leading the Ducks to a 41-27 win over the Trojans.
Raiola deserves a lot of credit for deciding to go to Oregon, knowing he was unlikely to start if Moore came back to college. He was willing to sit and learn, and by doing that, he helped the Ducks face — and survive — a challenge that would have been far more daunting without a QB2 with 22 career starts to his name.
2. It’s the same old story for USC.
Lather, rinse and repeat: USC’s defense let it down in a big moment against an elite team in a gotta-have-it game. It was supposed to be better. It was supposed to be different. Gary Patterson was supposed to fix the defense. The talent was supposed to be better — the game plan, too. The time was supposed to be now for USC to finally win a big one, and the Trojans fell short against a backup quarterback. Dan Lanning continues to own the West Coast, and Lincoln Riley’s seat continues to heat up.
3. Buy your Jon Sumrall stock now.
Florida might be the most dangerous team in America. Don’t be late to the bandwagon.
4. Texas has only looked like the No. 1 team in the country for … one total quarter.
The Longhorns played a nearly perfect fourth quarter against Ohio State, scoring 21 unanswered points to come all the way back and beat the Buckeyes. Outside of that, the Arch Manning-led offense has looked quite inconsistent. It’ll look good for a drive or two and then go totally ice-cold, which doesn’t make any sense considering the offensive weapons that Texas has on its roster. Or there might be some truly inexcusable penalties, like we saw on Saturday against Tennessee. How else do you explain a three-point win after you dominated so much of the game — and tallied 10 sacks? Oof.
5. Jeremiah Smith can book his flight to New York City.
Ohio State dialed up four touchdowns for No. 4 on Saturday, a fitting spotlight for the best offensive player in college football. As a rule, it’s hard for non-quarterbacks to win the Heisman Trophy. Their stats must be otherworldly, and they have to be the player given the credit for their team’s offensive success — not their quarterback. That last part could be an issue for the Buckeyes, who also have a Heisman contender in Julian Sayin. I don’t think that will hurt Smith’s chances to get to New York City as a finalist, but it could hurt him when it comes to actually winning the award.
Either way, he deserves the trip. And those four touchdowns from Saturday help boost the stat line for voters who care about that. The rest of ‘em should just watch him week-to-week. You’ll see all you need to know.
6. Boise State is now in the driver’s seat for the Group of 6 spot in the College Football Playoff.
I picked the Broncos to make the CFP in my preseason bracket, and they have done nothing but make me look good ever since. A close loss at Oregon, a lopsided win over Memphis (out of the American) and a dominant victory over Western Michigan (last year’s MAC champion). They’ll be the heavy favorite to win the new-look Pac-12, and if they do that, they should be the highest-ranked G6 champion and the winner of the CFP auto-bid. And it’ll be well-deserved.
7. Never trust a Jeff Brohm team the week after a big win.
We all saw that coming, didn’t we?
8. Always trust the team that gets the last throw (and last laugh) at Michigan Stadium.
One second, two seconds? Doesn’t matter. The football gods balanced out the karma from Week 1’s Hail (Bail?) Mary with Iowa’s come-from-behind win over Michigan on Saturday. And that sets up a massive game in Iowa City next weekend with the Buckeyes coming to town.
