SID Sports Week 4 Top 25

Breaking down my Week 4 CFDawgs Ballot

LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire tackled by a host of Georgia defenders. Credit: Tammy Anthony Baker on Flickr

Week 3 was a doozy, as the top teams seemingly were all pushed to the limits, but came out on top. How does that impact my polls? Let’s find out!

As a reminder, as a contributor for College Football Dawgs, I get a weekly vote in their Top 25 and Player of the Year polls. You can learn more about that in the Preseason Edition of this column.

1. Georgia 3-0 Last Week: 1

   The Bulldogs entered SEC play against South Carolina, and it wasn’t as much of a cakewalk as we had seen in the past. Still, a 24-14 win keeps them in the top spot. I am worried about the Dawgs, though. It took their offense an entire half to find the endzone against the Gamecocks. Carson Beck was solid, but not great. The defense struggled a bit. Let’s see if these problems persist, or if Kirby Smart can get his team to overcome them.

2. Michigan 3-0 Last Week: 2
   J.J. McCarthy is human, but his performance against Bowling Green worries me. He tossed three interceptions, which kept the Falcons in the game for the first half. Blake Corum played incredibly well, though, so there’s that. Michigan also gets Jim Harbaugh back next week, so the Wolverines should shake off this sub-par performance.

3. Texas 3-0 Last Week: 3
   Wyoming is a solid G5 team that can surprise a P5 team, as we saw with Texas Tech. That didn’t happen here. The Longhorns cruised to a 31-10 win, despite Quinn Ewers very much having a down game. Luckily, Jonathon Brooks was able to notch 164 yards on the ground. Who needs Bijan Robinson, anyway?

4. Florida State 3-0 Last Week: 4
   In one of the most puzzling games of Week 3, Florida State had serious trouble with…checks notes…Boston College? It looked like the Noles had BC put away when they went up 31-10 with 11:24 left in the 3rd, but Boston College came right back. The Eagles scored 19 unanswered, including a scoop and score by Khari Johnson. Good teams finish, but it seems like Florida State was saved by the bell here.

5. USC 3-0 Last Week: 5
   The Trojans finally got a week off, and they don’t move because of that. They’ll get a rebuilding Arizona State next week in what should be an easy Trojan win.

6. Washington 3-0 Last Week: 6
   The Huskies annihilated Michigan State 41-7 as Michael Penix Jr. had yet another 400 yard, four touchdown game. Nobody is stopping the Huskies offense, and their defense has continued to improve.

7. Utah 3-0 Last Week: 7
   Paging Cam Rising? The Utes star quarterback is still out with an injury, but Nate Johnson has played well in his absence. But, as the calendar turns to PAC-12 play, when will Rising return? And can the electric freshman Johnson continue to hold down the fort?

8. Ohio State 3-0 Last Week: 8
   Don’t look now, but the Buckeyes might have a quarterback in Kyle McCord. He continues to find Marvin Harrison Jr., which isn’t hard to do, and limits turnovers. Treveyon Henderson looked like the Henderson of old, and the Buckeyes made a slow start meaningless by putting up 35 points in the second quarter. We’ll see what McCord and Ohio State are truly made of on Saturday in South Bend.

9. Penn State 3-0 Last Week: 9
   Drew Allar survived his first down game with Penn State as tailback duo Kaytron Allen and Nicholas Singleton carried the load against Illinois. It also helps when your defense forces five turnovers, including four interceptions. Good teams find ways to win these games, and Penn State delivered with a 30-13 victory.

10. Notre Dame 4-0 Last Week: 10
    Sam Hartman and Audric Estime continue to power a strong Notre Dame offense, albeit one that hasn’t been tested much. But, it’s hard to take away from Hartman, who has already topped 1,000 yards and has thrown 13 touchdowns without an interception. The Fighting Irish will host Ohio State next week for a Top 10 showdown that will make this season a lot clearer in South Bend.

11. Oregon 3-0 Last Week: 11
    Hawaii was overmatched from the start, as the Ducks exploded out of the gate with a 24-0 lead by the end of the first quarter, punctuated by a 49-yard strike from Bo Nix to Tez Johnson under a minute into the game. The Ducks will have a test next week at home against Colorado and we’ll see if Nix and the offense is enough to lead the Ducks into playoff contention.

12. Oregon State 3-0 Last Week: 14
    Oregon State continues to win ugly games, and that has to count for something, right? D.J. Uiagalelei isn’t the conference’s best quarterback, but he has enough around him to get the job done when he struggles, like he did against San Diego State. The Beavs’ defense was the star of the show, though, taking bend-don’t-break to the next level, allowing north of 300 yards, but only nine points.

13. Ole Miss 3-0 Last Week: 16
    Credit to Georgia Tech for keeping it close through three quarters, but good teams finish. Georgia Tech didn’t. Ole Miss did, with 24 fourth quarter points to turn a 24-17 lead into a 48-23 final. Jaxon Dart was a one-man wrecking crew in Oxford, throwing for 251 and a score and running for 136 and two scores.

14. North Carolina 3-0 Last Week: 15
    While they did get jumped by Ole Miss, the Tar Heels still have a solid team. Drake Maye was solid again, with 414 yards and two touchdowns, though the two picks are worrying. I would like to see Omarion Hampton get going more on the ground, though. The biggest thing is that the defense showed up again, holding Minnesota to 13 points and forcing two turnovers.

15. Oklahoma 3-0 Last Week: 17
    Oklahoma continues to beat down overmatched teams, this time obliterating Tulsa, 66-17. Dillon Gabriel looked like the promising quarterback to lead the Sooners to the promised land once again, throwing for 421 yards and five touchdowns with only three incompletions. Pair that with a Brent Venables defense, and you get a potentially very scary team, as long as Gabriel stays consistent.

16. Colorado 3-0 Last Week: 18
    Travis Hunter was injured on a hit that, personally, should’ve drawn a flag, so the Buffs head into Autzen without him. But they do have Shedeur Sanders who continues to light up opposing defenses, this time to the tune of 348 yards and four scores with one pick. They did just get taken to overtime by Colorado State, though, so maybe it’s time to pump the brakes on the hype train. We’ll know either way in Oregon on Saturday.

17. Duke 3-0 Last Week: 19
    Duke’s ground attack is proving to be lethal, with 268 rushing yards against Northwestern. Both Riley Leonard and Jordan Waters scored twice, while Leonard was also an efficient 15-20 through the air for 219 yards. This Duke squad is as advertised after their win over Clemson.

18. LSU 2-1 Last Week: 21
    Despite an early-season shellacking by Florida State, the Tigers continue to claw their way back in the polls following a 41-14 dismantling of Mississippi State. Jayden Daniels has shaken off that rough start and has LSU looking as dangerous as every. Perhaps even scarier is the fact that LSU held Mississippi State to only 201 yard of offense, and prolific passer Will Rogers was only able to post a line of 11-28 for 103 yards.

19. Iowa 3-0 Last Week: 22
    Brian Ferentz fans rejoice, your Hawkeyes scored 41! That pushes Iowa to 28.3 PPG, good enough for Ferentz to keep his job. What’s surprising is how Cade McNamara continued to play like an Iowa quarterback and they still posted 41 points without a defensive score. It was the rushing attack, led by Leshon Williams’ 145 yards and the two scored by Kamari Moulton that posted those gaudy Iowa point totals, though the defense still looked very good.

20. Alabama 2-1 Last Week: 20
    The Tide are on life support. Tyler Buchner is not the answer at quarterback, and I’m not sure Ty Simpson is ready for that either. I’ve never seen Alabama look so bad in a game, and they have to figure this out quick unless they want to be dropped out of the Top 25. I believe in Nick Saban, but things look dire in Tuscaloosa.

21. Washington State 3-0 Last Week: 23
    Wazzu decimated FCS Northern Colorado, as expected. Cameron Ward was very good passing, as expected. Not much to talk about here, and I’m excited to see Washington State in PAC-12 play, where they’ll get Oregon State next week. It should be a fun matchup.

22. Miami (FL) 3-0 Last Week: Next Five Out
    Miami breaks into the Top 25 following a 48-7 win over FCS Bethune-Cookman. Their win over Texas A&M is still impressive, and it seems like Tyler Van Dyke has reclaimed his prior shine. The Canes are starting to put it together under Mario Cristobal, and get Temple on the road next week to continue to work out the kinks.

23. UCLA 3-0 Last Week: 24
    Chip Kelly and UCLA continue to let five-star Dante Brown cook, as they should. Their 59-7 win over FCS North Carolina Central was a solid showing, both for Moore and backup Collin Schlee. Kelly has a team here, but they have to figure out how to survive a PAC-12 that looks like a bloodbath.

24. Clemson 2-1 Last Week: Next Five Out
    Hey look, it’s Clemson! Their Week 1 slipup against Duke aside, the Tigers have looked the part of a Top 25 team. Granted, that was against FCS Charleston Southern and Florida Atlantic, but still. Cade Klubnik is settling in and starting to look like a promising quarterback again. Will Shipley still has room to grow, and Beaux Collins might be a legitimately good receiver. We’ll see if they can hold onto this spot, though, as they square up with No. 4 Florida State in Death Valley on Saturday.

25. TCU 2-1 Last Week: Next Five Out

    Hey look, it’s TCU! The Horned Frogs have rebounded after their Week 1 shock against Colorado, much like Clemson. In fact, the only reason I have them behind Clemson is because I feel like the Tigers are more talented overall. I do think TCU survives longer in these rankings, though, as Chandler Morris and Sonny Dykes are putting it together at last.

Next five out: Tulane, Wisconsin, Missouri, BYU, Kansas State

Dropped out: Kansas State (No. 12), Tennessee (No. 13), Cincinnati (No. 25)

Watch tonight’s College Football Dawgs Pawdcast live to find out the composite Top 25 rankings.

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And, just like before, here’s the Player of the Year ballot I submitted. Now, this isn’t a running Player of the Year ballot for me, per se. Instead, I’m voting on who had the best days that particular week. At the end of the season, we’ll evaluate who my Player of the Year was based on these ballots, with point values assigned similarly to the Top 25 (i.e. three points for a first place vote, two points for second place, and one point for third).

1. Michael Penix Jr., QB, Washington

   The fact that Penix already has 1,332 yards and 12 touchdowns is astounding. He continues to torch opposing offenses, and I don’t know who’s going to stop him. Michigan State sure couldn’t, as he posted a 27-35, 473 yard and four touchdown performance.

2. Kyle McCord, QB, Ohio State
   McCord looked like the comfortable five-star that he is supposed to be against Western Kentucky. He also benefits from the fact that a lot of the top quarterbacks either didn’t play, or didn’t play well. Still, a 19-23, 318 yard and three touchdown day is nothing to sneeze at.

3. Shilo Sanders, DB, Colorado
   It’s not often that a defensive player keeps a team in a game, but Sanders did that. His 80-yard pick six rejuvenated the Buffaloes and gave them temporary life. He also forced a fumble that led to a turnover later in the game. Colorado doesn’t win without Sanders’s strong play in the secondary, so he picks up a down-ballot vote.

There you have it, my ballot explainer for Week 4. How did I do? Do I hate your team? Love them? Let me know on social media or in the comments!