College Football Playoff 2014: Final NCAA Outlook Before Saturday's Week 4 Games
On paper, Week 4 of the college football season doesn't look great, but we all know unexpected things can happen in this sport.
The No. 1 Florida State Seminoles are the only top-five ranked team set to battle another squad currently seated in the AP Top 25. In fact, the Florida State vs. No. 22 Clemson Tigers game is the only one on Saturday's schedule pitting two ranked teams against each other.
There's no wonder Tallahassee was chosen as the site of this week's episode of ESPN College GameDay.
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Most would expect the Noles to win easily, but they will be without their leader and reigning Heisman Trophy winner Jameis Winston against Clemson. Winston has been suspended for inappropriate conduct stemming from an incident on campus earlier in the week.
Can the Tigers use his absence as a spark toward pulling the major upset? That game kicks off the top matchups of the week. Click here for a look at the full schedule for the week in college football.
Top Games
Can Clemson Beat Noles on Road?
Even without Winston, the Noles will still be considered the superior team. In Week 1, the Tigers were overrun by Todd Gurley and the Georgia rushing attack. While Winston is on the bench, expect to see Florida State head coach Jimbo Fisher lean heavily on Karlos Williams early.
Perhaps he can find similar success on the ground against the Tigers.
If the Noles have their way, they'll be able to step up and come together as a team while Winston is sidelined.
Will the BYU Cougars Remain Undefeated?
No. 21 BYU is 2-0 now and won't face a team that is currently ranked on its schedule the rest of the way. There's a decent chance the Cougars could run the table and finish undefeated.
If they do that, it would put some pressure on the college football playoff committee to at least consider them for one of the four spots.
Standing in the Cougars' way this week are the Virginia Cavaliers. Fresh off an upset win over the Louisville Cardinals, the Cavs would like nothing more than to send another ranked team tumbling out of the Top 25.
The Battle of the Carolinas...Sort of
Normally the phrase "Battle of the Carolinas" would refer to a matchup between the North Carolina Tar Heels and the South Carolina Gamecocks, but this year's version features UNC and the East Carolina Pirates.
Led by Shane Carden, East Carolina has gotten off to a 2-1 start after an upset win over Virginia Tech in Week 3.
Back in Week 2, the Pirates almost knocked off the Gamecocks but fell 33-23. At that point we thought the narrow win was a bad sign for South Carolina. However, after the Pirates' win over the Hokies, we know Carden and Co. are a good team.
Potential Upset
Can the Mountaineers Knock off Oklahoma?
For a half, the West Virginia Mountaineers looked as if they could pull off an upset against the-then No. 2-ranked Alabama Crimson Tide in Week 1.
Bama took control of things in the second half, but the relatively strong showing has planted a seed in my head as it pertains to West Virginia.
Since then, the Mountaineers have ridden the coattails of former Florida State quarterback Clint Trickett. Through three games, Trickett has thrown for 1,224 yards, seven touchdowns and just one interception.
Can he lead the Mountaineers to an upset of the Sooners? The game will be played in Morgantown. Last year when the teams met, the Sooners only won 16-7 and that game was in Norman.
Trickett is hot and the Mountaineers' offense is tough to contain. If there's a major upset in store, this is the spot where it happens.
Heisman Watch
Marcus Mariota
At this point, it's hard to make a case for anyone besides Mariota for the Heisman Trophy. He's already accounted for 962 total yards and 11 touchdowns, and his team is undefeated and ranked No. 2 in the nation.
In Week 4, Mariota should add more fuel to his Heisman fire against a Washington State Cougars team that hasn't played a ranked opponent but has still allowed 28.7 points per game.
Everett Golson
Golson and the Notre Dame Fighting Irish haven't faced a tough opponent yet, but he and his team have looked as dominant as one would expect against low-level competition.
Through three games, Golson has 863 total yards, 11 touchdowns and no turnovers.
If he can maintain his pace and Notre Dame keeps winning, the Oct. 4 showdown with Stanford will be huge for Golson's Heisman campaign and Notre Dame's season.
Jameis Winston
A slow start and a bumbling decision off the field may have ruined Winston's chances of repeating as Heisman winner.
In Florida State's Week 1 close call against Oklahoma State, Winston and the Noles had to rally after he threw two interceptions.
He did right the ship in that game and also played well against Citadel in Week 2. Now he just needs to mature off the field to reach the potential everyone knows he has.
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