10 Legitimate College Football Playoff Contenders after Week 4
With a smattering of games played between ranked opponents, Week 4 was the most pivotal moment to date of the 2023 college football season. It was also not light on intrigue, as a handful of games between powers were decided in overtime or with just seconds remaining.
A month into the season, and the College Football momentum is beginning to build.
Oh, we have a long way to go before intrigue morphs into postseason pushes. But expectations are being established the more games are played.
As we assess playoff contenders, let's clear something up. Georgia, Michigan and USC are all clearly playoff capable, although none will be highlighted here.
The Bulldogs and Wolverines have slogged through an easy month of games, while USC got an unexpected scare, at least for a while, against Arizona State. Again, all three will have plenty of time to showcase greatness. Although, for the time being, we're focusing elsewhere.
Here are 10 teams that made an impression in Week 4 and have done superb work through the first month of the season.
Ohio State
1 of 9
In the biggest game of the weekend—and arguably the most important matchup of the season thus far—Ohio State delivered a knockout punch with only a second remaining against Notre Dame.
Although the start of the season has been somewhat sluggish for the Buckeyes—and even when this game was extremely defense-focused—a road win against an excellent team will go a long way in shaping a playoff resume.
Simply put, this is the best win to date. While it's fair to question whether Ohio State's offense can find another gear, there's no debating how significant this win was for the Buckeyes' season.
The College Football Playoff selection committee loves results like these. This outcome could prove huge at the end of the year.
Florida State
2 of 9
The only time Florida State led against Clemson in Week 4 was overtime. This, of course, is the optimal time to take a lead.
It wasn't necessarily a polished performance from the Seminoles, although the Tigers deserve credit for that. In terms of resolve, however, Florida State showcased a great deal of it throughout this matchup.
As for the playoff push, this is a massive outcome. Through four games, FSU already has wins over LSU and at Clemson, and the schedule starts to ease up from here.
Games against Duke, Miami and Florida are still on the docket, and as we saw against Boston College, anything can happen in a given week.
This team has some incredible pieces, nice wins and a workable path ahead. It's a lot to like.
Alabama
3 of 9
It feels a tad premature to connect Alabama directly to the playoff, although the Tide's 14-point win over Ole Miss was a step in the right direction.
More specifically, it likely kept the push for the playoff alive.
The offense wasn't superb, but Jalen Milroe made a handful of tremendous throws. The defense once again played well after allowing a few long plays early on, and the Crimson Tide will head into a critical stretch with some momentum.
Alabama plays at Mississippi State, at Texas A&M, against Arkansas, against Tennessee and against LSU over the next five games. Translation: there is work to be done.
A loss in Week 4 would have all but eliminated Nick Saban's team from the postseason. Heading into Week 5, all is not perfect. But the playoff hopes are alive and well-ish.
Still, there is much work to be done.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
Texas and Oklahoma
4 of 9
OK, so maybe we cheated a little bit. But hear us out.
We didn't expect either Texas or Oklahoma to struggle in Week 4, and that is largely true. The Longhorns played at Baylor, and the Sooners played at Cincinnati.
The fact that both played clean football games speaks to the progress being made. Texas cruised past Baylor 34-6, looking dominant on both sides. Oklahoma once again won with its defense, delivering a convincing 20-6 win on the road.
Again, these results were expected. In recent years, however, both programs have fumbled away games in spots just like these. The fact that the two programs seem to have found balance—not to mention two very capable quarterbacks—says a lot about their trajectory.
In terms of the playoff, October 7th will take us plenty. Oklahoma and Texas will meet, and the winner will have a manageable path to the playoff from there.
Washington
5 of 9
This was not a game we expected to have playoff implications, although the dots are easy to connect regardless.
Washington is bulldozing everything in its path right now, averaging 49.8 points per game. Michael Penix Jr. continues to dazzle at quarterback, and his weapons have also flashed through the first four weeks.
Against Cal, the Huskies were up 14-0 before the Washington offense even took the field.
Yes, it's been that kind of year.
The knock, at this point, is the schedule, and that's really the only knock. After playing Arizona in Week 5, Washington will have a bye. After that, the Huskies will play Oregon at home in one of the most anticipated games of the year.
At the moment, few teams have been more impressive and productive than this one.
Utah
6 of 9
Stylistically, Utah offers something few teams in the Pac-12 have.
Defense.
That defense was fully on display against UCLA, allowing just seven points. Through four games, the Utes have allowed just 38 points overall. (It's worth noting that this team hasn't played cupcakes, either.)
Perhaps the most impressive element of Utah's undefeated start is the fact that it has happened with Cam Rising, the team's best player, being sidelined. If Utah is able to get him back and healthy, the ceiling will continue to rise.
In a very crowded Pac-12, Utah is an outlier. It can win ugly, as it did on Saturday. That style could play enormous dividends as the schedule picks up.
Penn State
7 of 9
There was very little suspense in Penn State's 31-0 win over Iowa. That is putting it mildly.
From the start, the Nittany Lions' defense looked up to the challenge, which isn't all that telling given the way the Hawkeyes have played on offense. That is also putting it mildly.
Still, Penn State allowed only 76 yards. That is staggering.
James Franklin showed he has one of the most complete teams in college football. Young quarterback Drew Allar is growing each week, and he has yet to throw an interception.
This formula could be a delightful one for the Nittany Lions, which have games against Northwestern and UMass before traveling to Columbus.
That game—along with a home game against Michigan—will likely tell the story of their playoff fate.
Washington State
8 of 9
We have spent months talking about potential playoff teams in the Pac-12. That conversation did not include Washington State.
To date, however, Wazzu has one of the more compelling CFB resumes. On Saturday, the Cougars took down feisty Oregon State 38-35 thanks to a brilliant performance from QB Cameron Ward.
Washington State is unbeaten, has a win over Wisconsin, is up to No. 16 in the AP Poll and has a slew of winnable games remaining. The Cougars will also travel to UCLA, Oregon and Washington, and none of those wins will come easy.
Still, this is a team we should be taking more seriously. Saturday's performance proved it. As long as the quarterback stays healthy, they should have a shot in every single game.
Oregon
9 of 9
With the point spread hovering around three touchdowns, Oregon was expected to dismantle Colorado, the most hyped team in college football. And that's exactly what happened.
The Ducks won 42-6, although they could have essentially picked the score if they wanted. Dan Lanning's team was that dominant on both sides of the ball.
That balance has resonated throughout the season thus far. Oregon currently has the nation's No. 2 scoring offense and the No. 17 scoring defense. Behind quarterback Bo Nix, who is having another spectacular season, the Ducks are in the thick of the Pac-12 race and a College Football Playoff run.
That run likely won't be tested this week against Stanford, although it will after the following bye week. The Ducks will play at Washington, host Washington State and visit Utah.
In short, stay tuned.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
