College Football Week 4: Stanford Looks Strong and 25 Things We Learned
What a Saturday it was in college football.
Boise State fans, I'm proud of you for showing up and representing on College Gameday on Saturday. From the reactions of the guys on the show, it sounded as if they enjoyed themselves as well.
Speaking of which, Boise State had another hard-fought win that I'm sure will be scrutinized for another week, and there will be those that say the Broncos don't have another test all season long. I beg to differ, as Fresno State and Nevada will both be teams that will challenge them this season.
We'll take a look at all the goings-on in college football from the good, to the bad, to the ugly, and everything in between.
No. 25: Minnesota Lost To Who?
1 of 25
That picture really doesn't describe what the Golden Gophers were doing on Saturday. The only team flexing their muscles yesterday was...Northern Illinois?
That's right, the Gophers dropped a 34-23 decision at home on Saturday. Ouch. This comes a week after they gave USC a run for its money.
No. 24: Boise State Challenged But Still Unbeaten
2 of 25
ESPN College Gameday was on hand and on campus for their weekly pre-game show.
The Boise State fans turned out in mass, and the team put the win in the win column against Oregon State. It wasn't easy, but a win is a win, right?
No. 23: They Came, They Saw, They Got Rolled
3 of 25
This was a foregone conclusion before the game even started, right?
Well, if it wasn't, it should have been. The USC Trojans jumped out early and were never challenged by the Cougars.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
No. 22: Nate Whitaker Has a Busy Day For Stanford
4 of 25
While Stanford ran away from Notre Dame with an 18-point fourth quarter, Cardinal kicker Nate Whitaker had a busy day, kicking five field goals in the win.
No. 21: Houston Makes a Case Against Tulane
5 of 25
The Houston Cougars had to make a go of it without star quarterback Case Keenum on Saturday against Tulane.
They did just fine in a 42-23 win thanks to a big day from running back Bryce Beall who ran for 123 yards and four scores.
No. 20: Virginia Tech Throws a Complete Game Shutout
6 of 25
After all the Hokies have been through and the games they've lost, it looks like they are finally starting to play good football.
Not only did they play in Alumni Stadium and beat Boston College, but they shut out the Eagles, 20-0.
No. 19: Wisconsin Has An Easy Weekend
7 of 25
I really do hope Austin Peay enjoyed its pay day because they faced a Wisconsin team that nearly got knocked off at home against Arizona State the previous weekend.
The Badgers took out their frustration and ran up the score in a 70-3 win at Camp Randall Stadium.
No. 18: Tennessee Makes Even a Win Look Hard
8 of 25
You wouldn't think that the University of Alabama-Birmingham would be a tough challenge for the Volunteers of Tennessee, especially at their own place.
Unfortunately for Tennessee, it can't make anything easy this year. The Volunteers did end up sneaking away with a 32-29 win but needed overtime to get there.
No. 17: Nevada Cracks Top 25 After Win Over BYU
9 of 25
The Nevada Wolfpack could be the most underrated team in college football. Not only that, but Colin Kaepernick has continued to lead Nevada to an undefeated record, including wins over Cal and now BYU.
Their 27-13 win over BYU on Saturday has landed Nevada in the top 25 for the first time since 1948.
No. 16: Just Not Georgia's Year
10 of 25
After a season-opening win against Louisiana-Lafayette, the Georgia Bulldogs have dropped three straight against South Carolina, Arkansas, and now Mississippi State.
It's just not their year.
No. 15: Kansas Wins, Sort Of
11 of 25
We're not in Kansas anymore, Toto.
I'm not sure which Jayhawks team will show up from week to week, but the one that likes to win showed up on Saturday.
While it's not exactly what most would call a "solid win," seeing as it came against New Mexico State, they at least played better than they have in past games.
No. 14: What Happened To Arizona?
12 of 25
Arizona impressed us all at home against Iowa last weekend. It beat a top-10 team and did so convincingly.
So, when Cal came to town most of us thought this would be a yawner. We got the shock of our lives.
The Wildcats scored a one-point, 10-9 victory over Cal that left us wondering what happened to the team that beat Iowa?
No. 13: San Diego State a Team to Watch?
13 of 25
The San Diego Aztecs came oh so close to knocking off then 25th-ranked Missouri. In fact, they had the game in hand if it weren't for an 88-yard, excuse me, touchdown which won the game for the Tigers.
This weekend the Aztecs got back on track with a 41-7 win over Utah State. The same Utah State team that gave both Oklahoma and Fresno State a challenge.
The Aztecs made this one look easy. Could they be a team to watch in the Mountain West?
No. 12: Oregon Ducks Stay Unbeaten Going Into Their Showdown With Stanford
14 of 25
You have to believe that Oregon was watching the scoreboard, hoping Arkansas would be able to hold off Alabama because it would mean the Ducks would be able to move up the rankings.
Unfortunately that didn't happen, but Oregon did stay unbeaten with a win over Arizona State with its showdown against Stanford looming next weekend.
No. 11: Taylor Martinez Turns In Lackluster Performance
15 of 25
After an impressive performance against Washington last weekend, Taylor Martinez turned in his worst performance of the season thus far.
The Nebraska quarterback threw for just 140 yards and was intercepted twice, not to mention he fumbled his first snap and was flagged for taunting.
Taunting? The Huskers were playing South Dakota State. Are they really worth taunting?
No. 10: Fresno State Runs Into a Buzzsaw in Oxford
16 of 25
This was a game Fresno State had been looking forward to—it was a game it thought it could win even though it was on the road.
The Bulldogs had another thing coming.
The Ole Miss Rebels were tired of playing uninspired football and gave their fans something to be excited about as they knocked off the upstart Bulldogs, 55-38.
No. 9: We Want The Season To Be Over Already
17 of 25
The New Mexico Lobos football team has to be wondering when the pain is going to stop and when they're actually going to play a team they might be able to beat.
Oregon, Texas Tech, Utah, and now UNLV with UTEP, New Mexico State, and San Diego State waiting in the wings.
Could the Lobos actually go winless this season?
No. 8: Trey Burton Scores a Six-Pack For The Gators
18 of 25
Florida Gators wide receiver Trey Burton had a big night with an emphasis on "big."
Burton ran for five touchdowns and had another through the air for six total on the night in a 48-14 win over Kentucky.
No. 7: Oklahoma Keeps Sneaking Away With Wins
19 of 25
Oklahoma is 4-0 and is staying unbeaten by the skin of their teeth.
Through four games, the Sooners have a margin of victory of five-and-a-half points, with their last two wins coming by five points over Air Force and Cincinnati.
Next weekend? The Red River Shootout against Texas.
No. 6: LSU Rides Stevan Ridley, Defense, To Win Over West Virginia
20 of 25
LSU is always tough to beat at home, but with West Virginia coming in things were going to get even tougher for the Tigers.
Running back Stevan Ridley rushed for 116 yards, and the LSU defense held the Mountaineers to just 177 yards of total offense in a 20-14 win on Saturday.
No. 5: Mac Brown Is Looking For a Good Disguise
21 of 25
Texas was returning home after a hard-fought win over Texas Tech in Lubbock. There was no reason to think that UCLA would give them any challenge at all, seeing as the Bruins really hadn't impressed anyone so far.
But the Longhorns got the shock of their life.
The Bruins had absolutely no problem running all over Texas in Austin and headed back to Southern California with a 34-12 win.
Mack Brown was last seen in a costume shop looking for the best disguise possible so he wouldn't be recognized around campus.
No. 4: Taiwan Easterling Has a Big Day For Florida State
22 of 25
Though he didn't score a touchdown, wide receiver Taiwan Easterling caught six passes for 112 receiving yards, which was good enough in Florida State's 31-0 throttling of Wake Forest.
No. 3: Miami Defense Sacks Pitt
23 of 25
The Miami Hurricane defense swarmed Pitt quarterback Tino Sunseri to the tune of three sacks and finished with five on the day.
They also intercepted Pat Bostick twice and held the Panthers to just 104 yards passing in a 31-3 beating on Thursday night.
No. 2: Guest Picker Rob Bowen Rocks The House
24 of 25
I hope everyone who got a chance to read the college football Week 4 preview picked against former San Diego Padres catcher Rob Bowen.
If you did, I hope you made the same picks he did. Bowen finished the week with a perfect 4-0 record.
Maybe I should have listened to the SEC guy, right?
No. 1: Alabama Proving Last Year Wasn't a Fluke
25 of 25
Arkansas jumped out early and held a 20-7 lead in the third quarter. It looked like the Razorbacks were going to be able to hand the top-ranked, defending national champion Alabama Crimson Tide their first loss of the season.
The Tide were up to the challenge and scored the final 17 points of the game, picking up a 24-20 win.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
