College Football Rankings 2014: Week 4 Standings and Top 25 Team Records
Upsets. Heisman candidates. Conference rivalries. Memorable plays. Intriguing matchups to come.
Ah, the college football season is in full swing. Is there anything better?
No, probably not. Below, we'll take a look at the Associated Press poll, Bleacher Report poll and the records of each team before previewing this week's most intriguing games on the schedule. You can practically feel the pageantry from here.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Florida State (37) | 2-0 | 1,466 | 1 | Florida State |
| 2 | Oregon (17) | 3-0 | 1,424 | 2 | Oregon |
| 3 | Alabama (1) | 3-0 | 1,346 | 3 | Oklahoma |
| 4 | Oklahoma (2) | 3-0 | 1,325 | 4 | Alabama |
| 5 | Auburn | 2-0 | 1,252 | 5 | Auburn |
| 6 | Texas A&M (3) | 3-0 | 1,195 | 7 | Texas A&M |
| 7 | Baylor | 3-0 | 1,134 | 8 | Baylor |
| 8 | LSU | 3-0 | 1,114 | 10 | LSU |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 917 | 11 | Notre Dame |
| 10 | Mississippi | 3-0 | 840 | 14 | Michigan State |
| 11 | Michigan State | 1-1 | 832 | 13 | Ole Miss |
| 12 | UCLA | 3-0 | 807 | 12 | UCLA |
| 13 | Georgia | 1-1 | 729 | 6 | Georgia |
| 14 | South Carolina | 2-1 | 718 | 24 | Arizona State |
| 15 | Arizona State | 3-0 | 680 | 16 | South Carolina |
| 16 | Stanford | 2-1 | 560 | 15 | Stanford |
| 17 | USC | 2-1 | 459 | 9 | Missouri |
| 18 | Missouri | 3-0 | 446 | 20 | USC |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 1-1 | 414 | 18 | Kansas State |
| 20 | Kansas State | 2-0 | 326 | 19 | Wisconsin |
| 21 | BYU | 3-0 | 246 | 25 | BYU |
| 22 | Clemson | 1-1 | 209 | 23 | Ohio State |
| 23 | Ohio State | 2-1 | 204 | 22 | Clemson |
| 24 | Nebraska | 3-0 | 172 | NR | Oklahoma State |
| 25 | Oklahoma State | 2-1 | 126 | NR | Nebraska |
Previewing Top Games on Schedule
Let's call a spade a spade—Week 3 offered fans looking for premier matchups a pretty weak slate of options. South Carolina beating Georgia was a highlight, sure, and there were plenty of intriguing upsets, but in general, Saturday wasn't the type of day that had you glued to your couch.
This week should be more compelling, however.
Things will get started off in brilliant fashion on Thursday night, as No. 5 Auburn and No. 20 Kansas State will clash in a matchup of two of the more dynamic offenses in college football. The Tigers have the No. 7 rushing offense (330 yards per game) and the No. 5 scoring offense (52 points per game), while the Wildcats have rushed for 236 yards a game (32nd in college football) and have put up 43.5 points per contest (21st).
It may be early in the year for these teams, but it's one heck of a test for both. Auburn, at least, should be pretty healthy, and offensive coordinator Rhett Lashlee has a better idea of his team's identity already, per Brandon Marcello of AL.com:
"It's big early in the year because you play one or two games, so you've got a good feel for the new personnel; you've kind of a feel how this team is coming together. It gives us a chance to have everybody as healthy as they can be, even though we've only played two games. We can really work on the direction we think we're going to go.
The only star player with an injury is receiver Sammie Coates, the Tigers' top threat in 2013. Coaches expect his knee to be ready for the 6:30 p.m. kickoff Thursday at Kansas State.
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Dual-threat quarterback Jake Waters and the Wildcats will be tough to top at home, but Auburn's ability to not only run the ball at will on opponent's but also play excellent defense will make them quite formidable, even on the road. This one should have plenty of fireworks.
There will be plenty of other intriguing matchups throughout the week, but the other big doozy on tap is No. 22 Clemson traveling to face defending national champions and No. 1 team in the nation Florida State on Saturday night.
At home, Jameis Winston and company are going to be tough to beat. Then again, we were saying something similar before their opener against Oklahoma State, and they squeaked by in that one, winning 37-31.
Still, the defending champions are loaded. But are they so loaded they are upset-proof?
Andrea Adelson of ESPN doesn't think so, and one of the main reasons is Deshaun Watson:
"Though coach Dabo Swinney does not want to incite a quarterback controversy, we have seen first-hand just how dynamic Watson is when he gets into the game. Cole Stoudt does remain the starter, but Watson is effective when he gets his turn. Of the six drives Watson has led, Clemson has scored a touchdown on five of them. Granted, most came against South Carolina State, but it is hard to ignore how much more dynamic the Clemson offense is when Watson is in the game. His mobility makes him a tremendous asset, and Clemson should use that to its advantage. Plus, he is averaging 16.4 yards per pass attempt and 21.3 yards per completion. The bye week gave Clemson coaches the opportunity to figure out how they want to use him, and when they want to use him.
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That's going to give the Seminoles an extra threat to game-plan for and take up a decent chunk of their preparation. Could that give Clemson enough of an edge to pull off the upset?
Perhaps. Perhaps not. Winston remains one of college football's most dangerous, most talented weapons, and he'll be expected to bring his A-game in prime time. This one is going to be fun regardless of the outcome.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
