Week 4 - Sunday Storylines

B1G House bullies, Tennessee triumphs, and Colorado's crazy comeback.

Instant Replay

What did we just watch?

B1G House Bullies - Unable to throw the ball, Michigan relied on a steady diet of power run scheme to overcome USC 27-24. Michigan running back Kalil Mullings stole the show, finishing with 159 yards and 2 TDs, including the huge run that kept the Wolverines in the ballgame.

USC got bullied in the first half but did a nice job of responding for the second half of the game. Trojan quarterback Miller Moss had some gutsy throws and looked poised down the stretch, despite a costly second-half pick-six.

This game feels more like an indictment of how good Texas is for dominating this Michigan team a few weeks ago than it was about either of the two teams today. I still think Michigan is good enough for nine or 10 wins and the same goes for USC.

Tennessee triumphs - Entering the primetime matchup against Oklahoma, the talk of the town was the prolific nature of the UT offense. But it was the Vols’ defense that made all the difference in Tennessee’s 25-15 victory over the Sooners.

Tennesse forced multiple first-half turnovers and pressured both OU quarterbacks from the first snap to the final whistle. OU starting quarterback Jackson Arnold struggled and got pulled in the second half.

Tennessee quarterback Nico Iamaleava was serviceable, finishing with 180 yards and 1 touchdown. He showed good poise on the road. Tennessee football is in good hands moving forward.

70 Burger! - The North Carolina football program officially has a monopoly on shame today.

JMU rattled UNC for 53 first-half points and finished the game with 70 on the road! Have some shame, Mac Brown and Geoff Collins! This was the most points ever allowed by a UNC team in a first half EVER.

120 points combined by both teams is just a ludicrous scoreline.

Colorado Clutch - Fortune favors the bold. Starring down the barrel of a loss, Colorado quarterback Shedeur Sanders rolled to his left and tossed a 43-yard Hail Mary as time expired in regulation to force overtime at 31-31 all against Baylor.

In OT, Colorado opened the scoring and Travis Hunter later forced a fumble as a Baylor player was crossing the goal line for the victory. A truly batshit ending and game. Good for CU! What. A. Win. Storm the field!

Meandering Mizzou - No. 7 Missouri narrowly avoided a disaster, overcoming Vanderbilt 30-27 in 2OT. Mizzou did a great job of gobbling up yards but failed to finish drives far too often.

In OT, quarterback Brady Cook nailed a beautiful throw to all-star wide receiver Luther Burden III to go up seven points. Missouri later knocked down a field goal before Vandy wide lefted an attempt at a tie.

If you’re a Mizzou fan, you’re just happy you get to live to fight another day.

Big 12 battering - For much of the game Saturday, Utah took its sack of hammers-style defense to the Oklahoma State offense. It worked so well the Cowboys pulled seven-year senior quarterback Alan Bowman.

Despite a late comeback bid, the Utes rode backup quarterback Isaac Wilson to a 22-19 victory in Stillwater.

Wilson was a slimy gamer and was interesting to watch. He finished the game with a pair of INTs but made some gutsy plays when the Utes really needed it.

Make no mistake about it, this is a monster win without starter Cam Rising. Utah remains in the Big 12 title conversation.

Geaux Tigers - LSU should face jail time for giving up 17 first-half points to UCLA. That is all.

A Clemson Clobberin’ - Clemson dogwalked NC State by the score of 59-35. And truth be told, the score was never that close.

Clemson quarterback Cade Klubnik put on a show, finishing with 3 TDs and over 200 yards in the air. This was a complete domination from start to finish.

I can’t help but wonder how wrong I, and many others, were about the Wolfpack this season. I thought NC State could compete for an ACC title, and right now, it would be lucky to get to a bowl game. Putting the woof in Wolfpack.

Cesspool Bowl - Congratulations, Mississippi State! You built your football program atop a heap of Chef Boyardee ravioli.

Flordia laid waste to the Bulldogs 45-28 and MSU quarterback Blake Shapen was lost for the season in the process. MSU likely won’t win another game all season.

This was a necessary win for Florida coach Billy Napier. He delays the inevitable for another week…good for him!

Bulls on Parade - Just a few short weeks after being the talk of the college football town after upsetting Notre Dame in South Bend, NIU fell at home to Buffalo by a score of 23-20.

One of the hardest parts of being a G5 darling is staying alive week and week out. Unfortunately, the Huskies weren’t able to do that this week.

Woke Campbell Stadium - All week, Cal Twitter was on fire. But today, it was D.J.U and the FSU offense that got hot when it mattered en route to a 14-9 victory at Doak Campell Stadium.

Good for FSU. The ‘Noles were the butt of jokes for the first few weeks of the season and those fellas are finally in the win column, defeating Critical Race Theory Cal in the process.

Sizzlin’ Skillet - Good stuff, ponies! SMU laid the wood to TCU 66-42. It’s amazing what happens when you play the better of two quarterbacks.

Could the clock be ticking on TCU head coach Sonny Dykes?

Cyclone Situation - Are we ready for a legitimately good Iowa State football team in the year of our lord 2024?

Country Roads - Entering Saturday, both KU and West Virginia were gun-shy with leads in the fourth quarter, as both teams had blown multiple leads in weeks prior.

On Saturday, it was West Virginia that scored 15 fourth-quarter points en route to a big 32-28 victory. We might need to have a serious conversation about 2024 Kansas here really soon.

This was a big win for WVU. Neal Brown needed some good mojo after a bad blown lead last week against rival Pitt last week.

Husker heartbreak - Under the Friday night lights, Husker fans felt the deja vu of previous seasons in its 31-24 overtime loss to No. 24 Illinois.

For much of the game, freshman phenom Dylan Raioa looked the part, fizzing the ball to open receivers and making the defense pay for not sending pressure. But late in the fourth quarter, with a chance to put his stamp on the young season, he fluttered a ball over an open tight end near the endzone. On the very next play, Nebraska missed a makeable field goal, leading to overtime.

In overtime, Illinois dominated. It took the Fighting Illini two plays to score. After taking the lead, Illinois blitzed for the next four plays, forcing Nebraska to retreat into its hole of mediocrity.

This felt like a pivotal game for both teams. Nebraska had the chance to notch a huge home win and build on an undefeated start. Instead, the Huskers crash back down to Earth. Altmyer was legit for Illinois. He’s going pro in something other than sports, but he’s such a fun, wiley college quarterback.

Husker coach Matt Rhule had an odd coaching game. I thought Beliema and company outcoached him and DC Tony White. Nebraska better figure things out defensively if it hopes to cope with Rutgers and Indiana in the next few weeks.

Punishment on the Plains - God punished everyone involved in the Arkansas-Alabama matchup. This game was all sorts of stupid, ending in the visitors escaping with a 24-14 victory.

The clock is ticking on Hugh Freeze at Auburn. The air smells sour.

Respect the troops - Thank you, Memphis.

A week after beating FSU you laid a huge egg against Navy in a 56-44 loss. Was this a bad loss or did y’all just respect the troops too much?

Beat the allegations - Hey! Good for you, Temple! You beat the 0-12 allegations. Congratulations on your 45-29 win over Utah State.

Southern Miss blues - We’ve reached untenable status with Will Hall as the head coach at Southern Miss. It’s a matter of when, not if, he gets fired. Sad scenes for the faithful in Hattiesburg.

The Brent Musburger Gambling Guide

Let’s review my locks of the week.

Overall: +1 units

-5.5 USC vs. Michigan - -1 units

Kansas State vs. BYU OVER 47.5 - TBD

Houston vs. Cincinnati OVER 48.5 - -1 units

What I’m Reading This Season

SID Sports - Don’t forget to subscribe to Griffin Olah’s SID Sports newsletter. As a former Divison I sports information director, Olah has a great grasp of the sport and I really enjoy his work.

2201 Kimball Ave | Cameron Morgan - 2201 Kimball Ave is essential reading for all followers of Kansas State football. As a lifelong K-State fan and former player, Cameron brings a unique and thoughtful approach to the analysis of the Wildcats' football team. His newsletters are rational and insightful and I genuinely learn something new with every newsletter.

Split Zone Duo | Alex Kirshner, Richard Johnson and Steven Godfrey - SZD is essential reading and following for CFB ball knowers. Godfrey, Richard and Alex are the Holy Trinity for college football analysis and insight. Each member brings a unique flavor to the conversation, which makes for insightful and downright hilarious banter about the sport we all love. If I had someone ask me where to start for smarter college football coverage, this SZD is where I'd send them.