College Football Rankings 2014: Final NCAA Overview of Week 4 Standings
The problem with college football rankings is they add even more pressure on a team before games get played. It's easy to sit back and say that a certain team should be great, but when you put a small number in the single digits in front of their name, expectations are increased tenfold.
We've already seen how ludicrous the preseason rankings are and how easy it is to overreact. South Carolina started the year with a bad loss against Texas A&M, falling out of the top 20 in both polls after being ranked ninth in the AP Top 25.
Georgia moved up to sixth in the AP Top 25 after defeating Clemson in Week 1. In typical fashion, South Carolina came back to defeat Georgia last week and moved up to No. 14 in the AP poll. It's all reactionary with these polls, which isn't that much different from the kind of analysis on the Internet.
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As we examine the Week 4 polls leading into Saturday's full slate of games, do we know more about Florida State, Alabama, Auburn, Texas A&M, Baylor or Notre Dame today? It's so fluid and exciting, which is what keeps us coming back.
Here's how both major polls stand right now as well as the key games on the schedule.
| AP Top 25 (1st Place Votes) | Pos. | USA Today Top 25 (1st Place Votes) |
| Florida State (37) | 1 | Florida State (50) |
| Oregon (17) | 2 | Alabama (1) |
| Alabama (1) | 3 | Oregon (6) |
| Oklahoma (2) | 4 | Oklahoma (4) |
| Auburn | 5 | Auburn |
| Texas A&M (3) | 6 | Baylor |
| Baylor | 7 | Texas A&M |
| LSU | 8 | LSU |
| Notre Dame | 9 | Notre Dame |
| Mississippi | 10 | UCLA |
| Michigan State | 11 | Michigan State |
| UCLA | 12 | Mississippi |
| Georgia | 13 | Arizona State |
| South Carolina | 14 | Georgia |
| Arizona State | 15 | Stanford |
| Stanford | 16 | South Carolina |
| USC | 17 | Wisconsin |
| Missouri | 18 | Ohio State |
| Wisconsin | 19 | Missouri |
| Kansas State | 20 | Kansas State |
| BYU | 21 | USC |
| Clemson | 22 | Nebraska |
| Ohio State | 23 | BYU |
| Nebraska | 24 | Clemson |
| Oklahoma State | 25 | North Carolina |
Key Week 4 Matchups
No. 22 Clemson at No. 1 Florida State
A matchup between Clemson and Florida State would be noteworthy on its own, but when you add in the fact that Florida State officials made the 11th-hour decision to suspend Jameis Winston for the entire game due to comments he made on campus earlier in the week, there's more intrigue, via Sports Illustrated's Andy Staples:
Love him or hate him, Winston remains one of the most important players in college football. You can't lose a Heisman Trophy winner and expect to get better. Sophomore Sean Maguire will get the start in this game. He appeared in four games last season with moderate success, via Gil Brandt of NFL.com:
Clemson essentially hasn't played a real game in three weeks. The Tigers beat South Carolina State 73-7 two weeks ago, but how do you really evaluate what an ACC team does against a MEAC school?
The last time we saw Dabo Swinney's group, it was getting run over (literally and figuratively) by Georgia's Todd Gurley. Its offense was nonexistent in the second half with 15 total yards and one first down.
We haven't seen Florida State play a real game since squeaking by Oklahoma State on August 30, defeating The Citadel on September 6, so both teams will have to shake off the rust against quality competition.
Against the Cowboys, head coach Jimbo Fisher's defense gave up 161 yards on the ground. Even The Citadel moved the ball on the ground with 250 rushing yards.
Clemson has three players with at least 10 carries and averaging at least 4.4 yards per carry. The Tigers have to use the run in order to get Florida State biting on the play-action pass. Quarterback Cole Stoudt didn't look comfortable against Georgia, with 144 yards and an interception on 29 attempts.
Artavis Scott and Mike Williams are big-play receivers with 376 yards on 15 combined receptions. Clemson has the talent to stick with Florida State when Winston is on the sidelines. Now, we have to see if the Seminoles have the fortitude to play against a quality opponent without their quarterback.
Florida at No. 3 Alabama
There was a time when Florida vs. Alabama would have been one of the most hyped games of the year. Now, due to Florida's issues the last two years and Alabama's questions at quarterback, this SEC clash has lost a lot of luster.
Despite not being the highlight game of the weekend, it's still incredibly compelling. Starting with Nick Saban's bunch, it appears that Blake Sims has become the No. 1 quarterback with Jake Coker a clear backup.
Through three games, Sims ranks third among all SEC quarterbacks with a 177.3 rating, via SEC Country:
It helps that Sims has one of the best wide receivers in the country to throw to in Amari Cooper. The junior has been the go-to target for the Crimson Tide regardless of who is under center. He's got 33 receptions, 454 yards and two touchdowns. The rest of the team has 35 catches, 440 yards and three touchdowns.
Even more impressive is how Cooper has been able to succeed while moving all over the field. Look at these numbers from ESPN's College Football Twitter account:
Florida is going to Tuscaloosa after a hard-fought overtime win against Kentucky. Head coach Will Muschamp's reputation was made on the defensive side, so he's got to concoct a plan to contain Cooper.
The good news for Gators fans is cornerback Vernon Hargreaves is more than capable of shutting anyone down. Around the SEC tweeted out this stat about the Cooper-Hargreaves matchup that will play a crucial role in Saturday's game:
Sims will have to look in other directions as the game is going on if Alabama wants to keep the chains moving. Given his inexperience, that gives Florida a chance to win because young quarterbacks tend to struggle when they have to read the entire field.
The Gators have a strong defensive line that knows how to get after the quarterback. They have five sacks and 20 quarterback hurries through two games. Say what you want about Eastern Michigan and Kentucky, the latter number is impressive under any circumstances.
Sims has yet to be sacked in three games and 48 pass attempts. If his jersey is clean when the game is over, this game will be a blowout for Alabama. If it's not, the Gators will have a chance to pull off the upset as long as quarterback Jeff Driskel shows accuracy on his passes.
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