College football: Biggest takeaway for every Top 25 team after Week 4

The most important takeaway for every Top 25 team after Week 4.

The cream is rising to the top after four weeks of college football action. Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State are head and shoulders better than the fifth best team and would be the playoff teams if the season ended tomorrow. Alas it doesn’t and we still have a couple more months of the season to enjoy, but there have been plenty of things learned about the Top 25 teams beyond the upper-echelon.

The ACC is being exposed, especially after Virginia Tech was upset by Old Dominion and they weren’t the only team in the teens who had a weekend they’d like to forget. Mississippi State, Oklahoma State and TCU all had troubling losses. Outside of Virginia Tech, however, the toughest loss might be by Oregon who fumbled with less than a minute remaining and allowed Stanford to tie the game and force overtime with a field goal where they later won the game.

This all brings me to this week’s piping hot takes for the week that was. I classify it as a hot take, but really, it’s a bold prediction or simply, the big prevailing takeaway after the Week 4 slate and not something that Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd or any other talking heads would be spewing out of their cake hole on TV.

College Football Week 4 hot takes for every Top 25 team

1. Alabama – Nick Saban has the best offense he’s ever had and it’s because of quarterback Tua Tagovailoa who is a lock to be a Heisman finalist.

2. Georgia – Georgia is so much better than the rest of the SEC East that they’ve already clinched the 2019 SEC East division title.

3. Clemson – Trevor Lawrence needs to start now. He’s more talented than Deshaun Watson and just needs a long enough leash to prove it.

4. Ohio State – Dwayne Haskins is already better than Big Ten career touchdown leader, J.T. Barrett and the Buckeyes look like the best team in the Big Ten, even without Nick Bosa, who might be the best player in the nation.

5. Oklahoma – The Sooners barely had the ball in their 28-21 overtime win over Army. That’s highly concerning, no matter how tough Army is to defend. Kyler Murray is as good as anyone but the defense is why Oklahoma is more of a pretender than contender when it comes to winning a national title.

6. LSU – Probably the biggest surprise so far this season, but I think the Tigers are in for a rude awakening, and I wouldn’t be surprised if they lose to a team or two they shouldn’t, beginning with Ole Miss this week or Florida in two weeks.

7. Stanford – The Cardinal were outplayed for about 59 minutes but late-game heroics, including a fumble that resulted in the game-tying field goal to force overtime and a Colby Parkinson touchdown in overtime, saw Stanford steal a win in Autzen. The Cardinal is the Pac-12’s best bet for a Playoff spot.

8. Notre Dame – Behind Ian Book’s five touchdowns (3 pass, 2 rush), Notre Dame has signs of life on offense after Brandon Wimbush was benched. But I think they are still a pretender when it comes to their Playoff hopes.

9. Auburn – The defense has been great all year, save for a drive or two vs. LSU, but I had higher expectations for Jarrett Stidham this year. He’s not a disappointment, but I hoped to see more out of him.

10. Penn State – Trace McSorley is one of the best quarterbacks in the country and a bona fine Heisman candidate but this team will go as far as running back, Miles Sanders takes them. Saquon Barkley’s successor ran for 200 yards and three scores in Friday’s 63-24 win over Illinois.

T10. Washington – The Huskies got a seven-point win against Arizona State but the game really wasn’t in doubt despite the narrow margin of victory. That said, wake me when Washington hosts Stanford on Nov. 3 with the division on the line because that’s the next test for Chris Petersen’s team.

12. West Virginia – Will Grier threw five more touchdowns and I think he’s got a chance to be next year’s version of Patrick Mahomes in the NFL. An experienced starter in a passing-friendly offense with a lot of arm talent to make the toughest throws look routine.

13. Virginia Tech – The Hokies lost to Old Dominion, Justin Jackson was carted off and you can basically cancel the rest of the season. What a weekend to forget for Virginia Tech fans.

14. Mississippi State – The Bulldogs took it on the chin in the loss to Kentucky where Benny Snell ran for 165 yards and four touchdowns. He talked the talk all week and Mississippi State couldn’t walk the walk. Still, I think they’ll bounce back and games vs. LSU and Auburn will determine if they’re able to finish as high as second in the SEC West.

15. Oklahoma State – One of the more overrated teams entering this week was exposed in the 41-17 loss to Texas Tech. The Big 12 is so weak this year.

16. UCF – McKenzie Milton is the best player you’re probably not watching. And if you’re not watching, shame on you. Milton is a Heisman candidate and the Knights have the nation’s longest winning streak. They’re here to stay.

17. TCU – The Horned Frogs always win a few extra games every year because Gary Patterson is one of the best coaches in the business. That said, losing to Texas was likely partly a result of a hangover effect from losing to Ohio State last week but their hopes of winning the Big 12 don’t look good at all.

18. Wisconsin – The Badgers picked themselves off the map after losing to BYU last week with late-game heroics vs. Iowa. Wisconsin scored a pair of touchdowns in the final minute to come away with a 28-17 win. This team is good enough to win the Big Ten West, but that’s like being the smartest kid in summer school.

19. Michigan – The Wolverines scored 56 on Nebraska but I still don’t think this offense is anything special. I still need more from Shea Patterson to believe this team can finish above fourth place in the Big Ten East. Karan Higdon rushing for 136 yards is an encouraging sign though.

20. Oregon – The Ducks had the game won after a Justin Herbert first down in the closing moments of the fourth quarter before a lost fumble gave life to Stanford. The Ducks saw the Cardinal kick the game-tying field goal to force overtime and stopped the Ducks cold on their first possession to leave Mario Cristobal with a loss that’ll sting for a long time.

21. Miami – N’Kosi Perry relieved Malik Rosier on the third possession and didn’t look back. He’s likely to be the starter moving forward. I just don’t think either will elevate the program to a different trajectory other than being the second or third best team in the ACC.

22. Texas A&M – The Aggies have a promising quarterback in Kellen Mond but Jimbo Fisher is at least two years away from legitimately competing with Auburn, Mississippi State and LSU in the SEC West. Just forget about hanging with Alabama.

23. Boston College – The Eagles played their first game as a ranked team since 2008, and after throwing four interceptions in the loss to 0-3 Purdue, it might be another decade until they’re ranked again.

24. Michigan State – The Spartans don’t look like one of the 25 best teams in the country but they’ll remain ranked as one after beating 3-0 Indiana. I think they’ll be in for a wake-up call when they play at Penn State and host Michigan in back-to-back weeks in October.

25. BYU – One week after upsetting Wisconsin, BYU didn’t exactly light it up in their 30-3 win over McNeese, where they failed to reach the end zone in three of four quarters. Don’t be surprised if BYU gets boat raced next week at Washington.