College Football Polls

The Alabama Crimson Tide maintained a stranglehold on the top spot in the Amway Coaches Poll after throttling Arkansas 65-31 on Saturday afternoon.

Georgia, Ohio State and Clemson held steady at Nos. 2, 3 and 4, but there was a shakeup in the Top Five following Oklahoma's 48-45 loss to Texas in the Red River Rivalry.

Here's a look at the Week 7 rankings:

• 1. Alabama (61 first-place votes)
• 2. Georgia
• 3. Ohio State (1)
• 4. Clemson (2)
• 5. Notre Dame
• 6. West Virginia
• 7. Washington
• 8. Penn State
• 9. Central Florida
• 10. Wisconsin
• 11. Oklahoma
• 12. LSU
• 13. Michigan
• 14. Texas
• 15. Miami
• 16. Florida
• 17. Oregon
• 18. Colorado
• 19. NC State
• 20. Kentucky
• 21. Auburn
• 22. Texas A&M
• 23. South Florida
• 24. Stanford
• 25. Cincinnati

The Sooners' hopes of piecing together an undefeated run through the Big 12 came crashing down when Sam Ehlinger led the Longhorns on a clutch nine-play, 52-yard drive punctuated by Cameron Dicker's game-winning 40-yard field goal with nine seconds remaining.

"The first three quarters were very impressive," Texas head coach Tom Herman said, per ESPN.com. "But maybe that last drive was the most impressive to me because ... we had really given up a lot of the energy. For him to go shut the door, with his teammates, that says a lot about his grit."

Thanks to that effort, Texas climbed from No. 20 to No. 14 and is in position to make a midseason surge with showdowns against Baylor, Oklahoma State and West Virginia on tap.

Unlike Texas, Auburn suffered a setback and dropped out of the Top 10 with a dispiriting 23-9 loss to Mississippi State. The Tigers surrendered 418 yards of offense, including 349 on the ground.

Bulldogs quarterback Nick Fitzgerald led the way with 28 carries for 195 yards and two touchdowns, while running back Kylin Hill tacked on 23 carries for 126 yards.

"You make the right reads," Fitzgerald said, according to the Associated Press' David Brandt. "The offense is designed to put one player in conflict. You can take the running back or take me. My job is to make him wrong."

Elsewhere, Stanford's slide continued.

One week after the Cardinal lost to Notre Dame 38-17, they laid another egg in a 40-21 home defeat to Utah. As a result, Stanford dropped all the way to No. 24 a week after dropping from No. 7 to No. 14.

Now 4-2, the Cardinal will hope running back Bryce Love can work his way back from an ankle injury that sidelined him Saturday in time for their game against Arizona State on Oct. 18.

Looking ahead, Week 7 promises even more movement with ranked matchups galore, including a Georgia-LSU tilt jam-packed with College Football Playoff implications.

The Week 7 slate also features a meeting between Washington and Oregon as well as Penn State in search of redemption versus a Michigan State program that lost to Northwestern 29-19 on Saturday.

The Big Ten action will continue in the evening when Wisconsin heads to the Big House for a clash with Michigan.

The Alabama Crimson Tide continue to pace the field in the Amway Coaches Poll following a 56-14 thumping of the Louisiana Ragin' Cajuns on Saturday. 

In the Week 6 rankings USA Today released Sunday, Alabama sat ahead of six other undefeated power programs:

1. Alabama (61 first-place votes)

2. Georgia

3. Ohio State (1 first-place vote)

4. Clemson (2 first-place votes)

5. Oklahoma

6. LSU

7. Notre Dame

8. West Virginia

9. Auburn

10. Washington

11. Penn State

12. Wisconsin

13. UCF

14. Stanford

15. Kentucky

16. Michigan

17. Miami (Fla.)

18. Oregon

19. Michigan State

20. Texas

21. Oklahoma State

22. Colorado

23. Virginia Tech

24. Boise State

25. NC State

The Tide were never in danger en route to victory Saturday, and quarterback Tua Tagovailoa further bolstered his Heisman Trophy candidacy in the process.

While Tagovailoa attempted just eight passes, he completed all of them for 128 yards and two touchdowns.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Tagovailoa is off to the most efficient start of any quarterback in major college football through five games over the past 15 years:

In the last 15 seasons, no quarterback has had a better QBR through 5 games than Tua Tagovailoa’s 97.9 QBR this season.

The previous high was Russell Wilson, who had a 96.4 QBR through 5 games for Wisconsin in 2011. pic.twitter.com/DAk2Cu4IcY

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 29, 2018

Bama wasn't the only highly ranked team that cruised to victory Saturday, as Georgia beat Tennessee 38-12, LSU crushed Ole Miss 45-16, and Oklahoma dominated Baylor 66-33.

The Bulldogs held Tennessee to just 209 yards offense and 11 first downs, but they were also aided by one of the wildest plays in college football this season.

After Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm was stripped of the ball in the first quarter, junior tight end Isaac Nauta scooped it up and ran 31 yards for a touchdown:

It was downhill from there for the Volunteers, as they fell to 2-3.

In Oklahoma's dominant win over Baylor, quarterback Kyler Murray enjoyed a career day with 432 yards and six touchdowns through the air to go along with 45 yards and a touchdown on the ground:

Austin Kendall started the game over Murray as a disciplinary measure, but Murray missed just four plays before slicing and dicing the Bears defense.

Murray reestablished himself as a Heisman contender and accomplished something that hadn't been done in the Big 12 in a decade:

No. 6 Oklahoma rolls to a 66-33 win over Baylor. The 66 points are the 2nd-most the Sooners have ever scored against a Big 12 opponent (77 vs Texas A&M in 2003).

Murray became the 1st Big 12 QB with at least 6 Pass TD and 1 Rush TD in a game since 2008 (Graham Harrell - TTU). pic.twitter.com/ZJUjympNeQ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 29, 2018

Saturday wasn't a cakewalk for every top team, as both Clemson and Ohio State went down to the wire to escape with wins.

The Tigers' post-Kelly Bryant era got off to a rough start, as freshman quarterback Trevor Lawrence left the game with an injury in the second quarter against Syracuse, leaving the game in the hands of redshirt freshman Chase Brice.

Syracuse led by as much as 10 in the fourth quarter, but Clemson mounted a comeback, punctuated by a Travis Etienne touchdown run with 41 seconds remaining to seal the 27-23 victory.

It was a big win for Clemson that erased the memory of last year's loss to the Orange, but the Tigers could be in trouble if Lawrence misses significant time.

Ohio State also narrowly avoided a loss, overcoming a 12-point, fourth-quarter deficit on the road to beat the Penn State Nittany Lions 27-26.

Quarterback Dwayne Haskins showed why he is a leading Heisman candidate over the final seven minutes, as he threw a 47-yard touchdown to Binjimen Victor and then followed it up with the go-ahead, 24-yard touchdown pass to K.J. Hill with just over two minutes remaining:

Penn State drove into Ohio State territory in hopes of stealing the win on its final drive, but running back Miles Sanders was stuffed on fourth down, thus preserving the OSU victory.

While Ohio State moved up one spot from fourth to third, Clemson dropped from second to fourth, allowing Georgia to move into the No. 2 slot.

If Ohio State vs. Penn State was the marquee game of the week, Notre Dame vs. Stanford wasn't far off.

Both teams entered the week ranked inside the top 10, as was the case with the Buckeyes and Nittany Lions, but this was a one-sided affair.

The Fighting Irish dominated the Cardinal 38-17 thanks largely to the performance of junior quarterback Ian Book, who threw for 278 yards and four touchdowns while also rushing for 47 yards.

Since Book took over for Brandon Wimbush, the Notre Dame offense has been virtually unstoppable:

Notre Dame has scored 94 points in 2 games started by Ian Book, compared to 70 points in the 3 games started by Brandon Wimbush. Miles Boykin has 11 catches tonight, the most by a Fighting Irish receiver since Michael Floyd in 2011. Boykin entered with just 9 catches in 4 games. pic.twitter.com/MGjTGHnlgC

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 30, 2018

With the win, Notre Dame moved from eighth to seventh in the rankings and proved that it's a legitimate contender for the College Football Playoff.

Other teams that remained undefeated were West Virginia with a 42-34 road win over Texas Tech, UCF with a 45-14 home win against Pittsburgh, and Kentucky with a 24-10 home triumph against South Carolina.

Also, Colorado remained undefeated with a 38-16 win over UCLA, allowing it to go from outside the top 25 to 22nd.

Looking ahead to next week, Oklahoma will have a tough test when it faces Texas in the Red River Showdown, while Notre Dame will have to be careful to avoid a letdown in a road game against a Virginia Tech team that upset Duke on the road this week.

As college football enters the final weekend of September, it is becoming more apparent which teams are for real, giving the Top 25 polls a little more legitimacy.

It should also be easier to identify and pick favorable spreads before each week, and Week 5 offers some intriguing matchups on that front. Not only are there potential wins for games featuring two Top 25 squads, but some big teams should also be on alert against unranked foes.

The odds below represent the consensus spreads, according to OddsShark.com. Rankings are according to the most recent AP Top 25 poll.

    

Top 25 matchups, odds

Louisiana-Lafayette at No. 1 Alabama (-48.5)

Tennessee at Georgia (-31.5)

Syracuse at No. 3 Clemson (-25)

No. 4 Ohio State (-3.5) at No. 9 Penn State

Mississippi at No. 5 LSU (-11)

Baylor at No. 6 Oklahoma (-23.5)

No. 7 Stanford at No. 8 Notre Dame (-5.5)

Southern Miss at No. 10 Auburn (-27)

No. 20 BYU at No. 11 Washington (-17.5)

No. 12 West Virginia (-3.5) at No. 25 Texas Tech

Pittsburgh at No. 13 UCF (-13.5)

No. 14 Michigan (-14) at Northwestern

North Carolina at No. 16 Miami (-18)

South Carolina at No. 17 Kentucky (-1.5)

No. 18 Texas (-8.5) at Kansas State

No. 19 Oregon (-2.5) at No. 24 California

Central Michigan at No. 21 Michigan State (-28.5)

Virginia Tech at No. 22 Duke (-5)

Florida at No. 23 Mississippi State (-7.5)

        

Believe in BYU

Washington is 3-1 and ranked No. 11 in the nation. BYU has the same record with a No. 20 ranking, yet the Huskies are somehow favored by more than two touchdowns. Why the huge spread?

Oddsmakers are seemingly knocking down BYU for a 21-18 loss to a now-ranked California in Week 2, but far too much credit is being given to the Huskies here.

Washington has yet to beat an FBS team by the margin it is favored by against BYU, and they only held a 24-3 lead over North Dakota before exploding for 21 points in the fourth quarter. Defensively, the Huskies are clearly an excellent unit that ranks fourth nationally with 12.8 points allowed per game. On offense, it is not such a sure thing.

Jake Browning seems to still carry the reputation of an orchestrator of an explosive offense, but that has not been the case in the back half of his career. Since losing John Ross during Browning's explosive 43-touchdown sophomore season, he has just 26 touchdowns and nine picks in 17 games. It is the running game behind Myles Gaskin that has been the driving force of the offense.

More of the same should be expected this season, where Washington is averaging 23 points per game against FBS opponents.

BYU's scoring margin has been within five points in its games against FBS teams, and that includes a win on the road at Wisconsin. The Cougars play sound defense that ranks 32nd in points allowed per game while tying for 12th nationally in turnover margin per game.

BYU is tough to blow out, and Washington does not seem to have the offense to get that done. Expect the Huskies to pitch a defensive gem of their own and likely win the game, but don't bet on it being by more than 17 points.

      

Orange crush

Clemson undoubtedly circled its matchup with Syracuse on the calendar during the preseason. Last year's upset loss did not end up costing the Tigers a playoff spot or even a No. 1 seed, but it did prevent Clemson from being the only Power 5 school to finish the regular season undefeated.

This time around, these two teams will meet in Death Valley. And once again, Clemson's quarterback situation, specifically Kelly Bryant, is the top storyline entering the contest.

Bryant was knocked out of the game last year in the first half with a concussion, leaving Zerrick Cooper to throw for just 88 yards the rest of the night before Syracuse won 27-24.

This time around, Bryant is making waves for announcing his transfer intentions after true freshman Trevor Lawrence was named the Tigers' starter this week.

So not only does Clemson have to deal with the distraction of the much-publicized departure of a quarterback who started the team's last 18 games, but it must also deal with a tough 4-0 Syracuse team on the field.

After roasting Clemson last season for 278 yards and three touchdowns through the air in addition to 61 yards rushing, Eric Dungey is back and ripping it up for Syracuse.

Despite getting knocked out of the Orange's Week 3 game against Florida State, Dungey sports a 62.4 completion percentage along with 763 yards, nine touchdowns and a pick. On the ground, he has 354 yards and four touchdowns.

Syracuse, ranked 10th nationally in total offense, can obviously put up points. Making matters more difficult for Clemson is its last performance against a quality dual-threat quarterback in Texas A&M's Kellen Mond, who threw for 430 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 33 yards.

The likelihood of Syracuse holding up through four quarters against Clemson's ridiculous defensive line and a talented quarterback like Lawrence is not high. However, given the Tigers' tumultuous week and the strength of Syracuse's offense, the Orange are definitely worth the risk to cover with the over three-touchdown cushion they are getting.

Winning the game on the road will be a monumental task, but Syracuse should be able to keep it close enough.

     

Mississippi State history likes Starkville

Perhaps no team in college football should be as excited to go back home as Mississippi State.

The Bulldogs took a hard fall in their quest to compete for an SEC West title, taking a 28-7 beating on the road to Kentucky. Now, Mississippi State must win its other divisional crossover to keep its other conference championship hopes alive, and the team is in a great setting to do so.

Mississippi State plays hosts to Florida and former coach Dan Mullen on Saturday night. While David Wade Stadium is already one of the more hostile environments in college football, it should be even more rowdy with Mullen on the other sideline after he left the program for the Gators this offseason.

That's good news for the Bulldogs. They are 8-3 straight up and against the spread in their last eleven home games and 23-5 against the spread at home over their last 28 games, per OddsShark.com.

On the contrary, Florida has struggled on the road in recent years. In fact, the Gators have not won back-to-back road games since 2015. They are 3-10 against the spread in their last 13 games following a successful cover the week before, per OddsShark.com.

So the historical figures back up Mississippi State in this matchup, but are the Bulldogs game to come through?

Led by Nick Fitzgerald, the team is experienced and deserves the benefit of the doubt for right now with its one loss coming in tough conditions on the road to a hot team. The Bulldogs rolled in their first three games, notching a blowout road win at Kansas State while averaging 50 points offensively and conceding just 26.

Florida is in the opposite situation, having played only one road game against an awful Tennessee team. The Gators were also decisively beaten by Kentucky, although at home.

Mullen's team has not had any strong showings against quality competition, and there is still much uncertainty surrounding the legitimacy of quarterback Feleipe Franks.

Thus, there is nothing in this matchup to force the dismissal of each program's recent history in this type of game. Go with what has worked for Mississippi State, and expect it to defend home turf and win by at least 10 points.

      

Statistics are courtesy of NCAA.com.

The early part of the college football season is over, and teams are starting to establish their strengths and minimize their weaknesses as they prepare for the main part of their conference schedules.

There has been little movement in the upper part of the Top 25 in either poll, and once again Alabama, Georgia, Clemson and Ohio State remain in the top four spots. Georgia is the No. 2 team in the Associated Press poll, while Clemson is in that position in the Amway Coaches Poll.

All four of those teams won comfortably Saturday, with the Buckeyes registering the most decisive victory as they rolled to a 49-6 triumph over Tulane.

Alabama registered a 45-23 victory over Texas A&M at home, while Georgia beat Missouri 43-29 and Clemson got the best of Georgia Tech 49-21.

Both the Bulldogs and Tigers got their victories on the road.

Here's a look at the AP and Coaches rankings heading into Week 5.

Oklahoma is in the fifth spot in the coaches poll and the sixth spot in the AP rankings after their 28-21 overtime victory over Army.

Oklahoma breathed a sigh of relief after Kyler Murray threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to CeeDee Lamb in the extra period, and Parnell Motley came up with the interception on Army's extra-period possession.

LSU was pushed by Louisiana Tech, but the Tigers came away with a 38-21 victory. Seventh-ranked Stanford overcame a 17-point halftime deficit on the road to beat Oregon 38-31.

Notre Dame, Penn State and Auburn, the No. 8, 9 and 10 teams, respectively, all rolled to sizable triumphs. Penn State actually trailed Illinois 24-21 in the third quarter, but the Nittany Lions scored the last 42 points of the game.

Alabama hosts Louisiana-Lafayette in what should be an easy game for the Crimson Tide, but Clemson faces a challenge from unbeaten Syracuse. Georgia faces Tennessee at home Friday night, and quarterback Jake Fromm will have an excellent chance to add to the nine TD passes he has thrown this season.

The highlight of the schedule is a pair of games involving top-10 teams.

The fourth-ranked Buckeyes have their biggest challenge of the year to date as they travel to Happy Valley to take on the ninth-ranked Nittany Lions Saturday night. Ohio State quarterback Dwayne Haskins has been superb this year, having completed 87 of 115 passes for 1,194 yards with 16 touchdowns, but he will face a huge test against hard-hitting Penn State.

Notre Dame will host Stanford Saturday night, and the Cardinal have shown they will not be intimidated if they fall behind early. They proved they could overcome a big deficit on the road against Oregon, and they should be ready to come with their best game against the Fighting Irish.

If the Irish are going to come up with the home win, they must overcome the combination of quarterback K.J. Costello and wide receiver JJ Arcega-Whiteside. Costello has thrown 10 TD passes, while Arcega-Whiteside has seven TD catches through the first four games.

      

Predictions

Alabama will continue to roll with its powerful defense and two-quarterback system. While Jalen Hurts continues to play, Tua Tagovailoa has been dynamic as he has thrown for 12 TDs.

Tennessee is too erratic to cause big problems for Georgia, but Syracuse is good enough to hang in on the road against Clemson for a half. The second half will belong to the Tigers.

Ohio State was tested earlier this year by TCU, and now the Buckeyes have a bigger problem against Penn State. Look for the Nittany Lions to win this game by at least a touchdown.

Notre Dame is a solid team and the Irish play well at home. Stanford has proved itself, and Arcega-Whiteside will score the winning touchdown the game's final minutes.

On the heels of a week in which the top 12 teams in the Associated Press Top 25 poll won, the Alabama Crimson Tide maintained their spot at No. 1 as expected.

Here is a rundown of the rankings from the AP with first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Alabama (60)

2. Georgia

3. Clemson (1)

4. Ohio State

5. LSU

6. Oklahoma

7. Stanford

8. Notre Dame

9. Penn State

10. Auburn

11. Washington

12. West Virginia

13. Central Florida

14. Michigan

15. Wisconsin

16. Miami

17. Kentucky

18. Texas

19. Oregon

20. BYU

21. Michigan State

22. Duke

23. Mississippi State

24. California

25. Texas Tech

    

The Crimson Tide faced their toughest test this season in the form of the Texas A&M Aggies, but Bama had little trouble beating the then-22nd-ranked team in the country 45-23.

Quarterback Tua Tagovailoa's Heisman Trophy candidacy was bolstered by a performance in which he threw for 387 yards and four touchdowns and rushed for another score.

According to ESPN Stats & Info, Alabama is off to its most dominant start in nearly 40 years:

Alabama is outscoring opponents by 164 points this season, the best mark in FBS and its best point differential through four games since 1979 (+170).

That 1979 team, led by Bear Bryant, went on to finish 12-0 and won the national championship. pic.twitter.com/2ymeATIgYZ

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 23, 2018

Arguably the most impressive victory came courtesy of the Stanford Cardinal, who overcame a 24-7 third-quarter deficit to beat the Oregon Ducks 38-31 in overtime.

Despite the win, Stanford stood pat at No. 7 in the rankings.

The Cardinal appeared to be dead to rights late in the third quarter with the Ducks driving to potentially take a 31-7 lead, but Joey Alfieri scooped a bad snap over Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert's head and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown:

Stanford cut further into its deficit with a 22-yard touchdown run by running back Bryce Love on its next drive.

A Ducks touchdown with 4:39 remaining appeared to put the game away at 31-21, but the Cardinal scored quickly to restore the three-point deficit and then recovered another fumble with 51 seconds remaining.

After Jet Toner's 32-yard field goal forced overtime, tight end Colby Parkinson made a remarkable 23-yard touchdown catch by tipping K.J. Costello's pass to himself in the end zone:

Stanford's Alameen Murphy then intercepted Herbert on a fourth-down pass to the end zone to seal the most improbable comeback of the season.

Oregon had a win probability as high as 99 percent in the second half of Saturday's game:

Oregon had a 99% win probability after a rushing touchdown by Jaylon Redd was overturned and the ball placed at the one-yard line. From that point on the Ducks fumbled twice, one of which was returned for a touchdown. pic.twitter.com/0fKulfUcWF

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 23, 2018

The Ducks stood to rise significantly in the rankings with a win, but instead they moved up just one spot from 20th to 19th.

Georgia and Clemson enjoyed double-digit victories over conference opponents Saturday with the Bulldogs beating Missouri 43-29 and the Tigers beating Georgia Tech 49-21.

Ohio State also destroyed Tulane 49-6 in head coach Urban Meyer's first game back on the sideline following his suspension.

The one team near the top of the rankings that struggled to defeat an inferior opponent was Oklahoma, as Army pushed the Sooners to overtime.

The Black Knights dominated time of possession 44:41-15:19 by rushing for 339 yards.

That kept Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray off the field, but he rushed for 71 yards and a touchdown while completing 11 of his 15 pass attempts for 165 yards with three touchdowns and one interception.

The most important touchdown came in overtime when Murray hit wide receiver CeeDee Lamb from 10 yards out for what turned out to be the game-winning score:

Saturday's win wasn't pretty, but it didn't have a major impact on the Sooners' ranking, as they dropped from fifth to sixth.

Several ranked teams lost Saturday, including Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, TCU and Boston College.

The worst loss of the bunch belonged to the Hokies, as they fell 49-35 to an Old Dominion team that was 0-3 with losses to Liberty, Florida International and Charlotte.

The Monarchs had never beaten a Power Five school, and their win was the biggest upset of an ACC opponent in four decades:

Old Dominion's win over Virginia Tech is the largest upset against an ACC opponent in the last 40 seasons. pic.twitter.com/OwJeVt3H5H

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 22, 2018

Virginia Tech starting quarterback Josh Jackson injured his ankle in the fourth quarter and was carted off the field.

The Hokies are no longer ranked after they checked in at No. 13 last week.

The AP Top 25 could experience a significant shake-up next week with No. 9 Penn State hosting No. 4 Ohio State and No. 7 Stanford traveling to take on No. 8 Notre Dame.

The weekly Amway Coaches Poll was released Sunday, and a number of upsets and marquee matchups shook up the rankings.

Below, we'll look at the Week 5 poll and analyze the weekend.

   

Rankings

1. Alabama

2. Clemson

3. Georgia

4. Ohio State

5. Oklahoma

6. LSU

7. Stanford

8. Notre Dame

9. Penn State

10. Auburn

11. Washington

12. West Virginia

13. Wisconsin

14. Central Florida

15. Michigan

16. Miami

17. Kentucky

18. Michigan State

19. Mississippi State

20. Oregon

21. Oklahoma State

22. Texas

23. Duke

24. Virginia Tech

25. Boise State

   

Analysis

Saturday was a wild day of college football, though the nation's elite largely avoided the fracas.

Alabama handled a tough opponent in Texas A&M, 45-23. Tua Tagovailoa continued his remarkable season, throwing for 387 yards and four touchdowns while rushing for another 10 yards and a score.

Nonetheless, Nick Saban found flaws.

"We were fortunate that we made a lot of big plays on offense," the head coach said, per the Associated Press. "We really threw the ball effectively and scored a lot of points, but we really didn't control the game. We didn't control the line of scrimmage. We struggled to run the ball offensively with consistency."

And yet, another blowout win. Every coach in the nation would take Alabama's "concerns."

Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State were likewise dominant, though Oklahoma surprisingly needed overtime to beat Army 28-21. Despite the unexpected scoreline, quarterback Kyler Murray kept his name in the Heisman conversation, throwing for 165 yards, three scores and a touchdown against one interception while also rushing seven times for 71 yards and another touchdown.

And then there was the game of the day, Stanford's 38-31 overtime win at Oregon, which could have major ramifications for the Pac-12 going forward.

Trailing 24-7 late in the third quarter, the Cardinal's comeback began when Stanford linebacker Joey Alfieri recovered a fumble and returned it 80 yards for a touchdown.

They completed it in overtime when K.J. Costello found tight end Colby Parkinson for a 23-yard touchdown pass and Alameen Murphy picked off Oregon quarterback Justin Herbert on the Ducks' possession.

The most memorable moment came with less than a minute remaining and Oregon facing 2nd-and-3. CJ Verdell fumbled on the running play, Stanford recovered and drove down the field, and Jet Toner sent the game to overtime with a 32-yard field goal.

"Unfortunately we kind of shot ourselves in the foot a couple of times, and we did everything we could to just give Stanford the game," Herbert said, per the AP.

Ducks head coach Mario Cristobal, meanwhile, defended the decision to run the ball rather than take a knee.

"We felt pretty good about the run game," he said. "We just needed one more to get a first down and close out the game."

Oregon wasn't the only team licking its wounds after Week 4, as Virginia Tech, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State, TCU and Boston College were also upset. Of that group, the Hokies' loss to Old Dominion was perhaps the most shocking, though it was also unexpected for the Horned Frogs to drop to 2-2, even if their loss came against an improving Texas squad.

As for next week, the premier matchups continue, highlighted by a huge Big Ten clash between Ohio State and Penn State. Washington will host BYU, while Stanford's schedule doesn't get any easier with a good Notre Dame team up next.

Sometimes, the best gameweeks of the college football season are the ones you least expect—and that's exactly what happened Saturday.

Despite only featuring two matchups between ranked teams, it turned into one the wildest weekends of the season, with fives teams losing to unranked opponents.

After an almost unprecedented set of upsets, predicting the Associated Press Top 25 is a difficult task. The top 10 will likely remain relatively unchanged, but it's chaos on the back end of the rankings. Here's a preview at how Top 25 could look when released Sunday afternoon.

          

Predicted AP Top 25

1. Alabama (1)

2. Georgia (2)

3. Clemson (3)

4. Ohio State (4)

5. Oklahoma (5)

6. LSU (6)

7. Stanford (7)

8. Notre Dame (8)

9.  Auburn (9)

10. Penn State (10)

11. Washington (10)

12. West Virginia (12)

13. UCF (16)

14. Wisconsin (18)

15. Michigan (19) 

16. Miami FL (21)

17. Kentucky (NR)

18. Mississippi State (14)

19. Oklahoma State (15)

20. Michigan State (24)

21. Duke (NR)

22. Oregon (20)

23. California (NR)

24. BYU (25)

25. Colorado (NR)

Dropped out: Virginia Tech (13), TCU (17), Texas A&M (22), Boston College (23).

             

5. Oklahoma

Oklahoma nearly fell victim to the upset bug Saturday night, needing overtime to hold off Army.

After such a narrow escape against an unranked team, it could be argued that the Sooners deserve to drop in the rankings. However, most voters are likely to forgive Lincoln Riley's squad because of the unique nature of a game against Army's triple option.

Army was able to control the tempo by dominating the time-of-possession battle. By controlling the ball, Army allowed Kyler Murray and the Sooners offense just under 16 minutes with the football in regulation, during which they worked quickly and rolled up 355 yards of offense.

Since the Oklahoma offense looked crisp as usual and the Sooners defense won't be faced with having to stop the triple option again, most voters will likely let this close call slide. Oklahoma survived, and that's all that matters.

                

17. Kentucky

Kentucky entered the season unranked and didn't receive a single vote in the AP Poll until Week 3 after an upset of Florida in The Swamp. After pulling off another shocking upset over Mississippi State, the Wildcats are 4-0 for the first time since 2008 and are likely headed for a spot in the Top 25.

Normally, a team that cracks the Top 25 for the first time will just barely sneak in, but with so many ranked teams losing in Week 4, Kentucky has a chance to make a huge leap.

One of the factors that could allow Kentucky to rise significantly is the fact that most voters will likely want to leave Mississippi State in the Top 25. Those voters will need to keep Kentucky at least one spot ahead of the Bulldogs, potentially leading to their placing the Wildcats higher than a new entrant would normally land.

If any doubters remain, Kentucky will have another chance to prove itself Saturday night when it hosts South Carolina, followed by a trip to Texas A&M in Week 6.

               

Virginia Tech

It's rare for a team to fall from a position inside the top 15 to unranked, but a loss to a winless Old Dominion team will probably do the trick.

If Virginia Tech had stumbled into some bad luck but otherwise looked like the superior team, maybe some voters would consider keeping them in the Top 25 conversation. However, the Hokies defense looked helpless, likely eliminating any chance of gaining votes.

Old Dominion quarterback Blake LaRussa, who had just four career touchdown passes entering Saturday, picked apart the Hokies defense for 495 yards and four touchdowns, leading the Monarchs to 632 yards of total offense.

According to ESPN's Adnan Virk, it was a historically bad day for a typically strong Hokies defense:

632 Yards by Old Dominion is the most ever allowed by Bud Foster since he’s been the defensive coordinator at Virginia Tech

— Adnan Virk (@adnansvirk) September 22, 2018

This is the type of loss that voters don't quickly forget, and it could hurt the Hokies' chances of climbing back into the rankings unless they turn things around in dramatic fashion.

Following an eventful slate of Saturday games, there has been a shake-up near the top of the Week 4 Amway Coaches Poll.   

Here's how the latest Top 25 looks, followed by the biggest winners and losers from the rankings. 

       

Coaches Poll Top 25

1. Alabama (3-0)

2. Clemson (3-0)

3. Georgia (3-0)

4. Ohio State (3-0)

5. Oklahoma (3-0)

6. LSU (3-0)

7. Stanford (3-0)

8. Notre Dame (3-0)

9. Penn State (3-0)

10. Virginia Tech (2-0)

11. Auburn (2-1)

12. Washington (2-1)

13. West Virginia (2-0)

14. Mississippi State (3-0)

15. Oklahoma State (3-0)

16. Wisconsin (2-1)

17. TCU (2-1)

18. Central Florida (2-0) 

19. Oregon (3-0)

20. Miami (2-1)

21. Michigan (2-1)

22. Texas A&M (2-1)

23. Michigan State (1-1)

24. Boise State (2-1)

25. Boston College (3-0)

         

Analysis

After having the same Top 10 from Week 2 to Week 3, Wisconsin and Auburn ensured there were big changes this week. 

The Badgers were the biggest loser when BYU stunned them in a 24-21 upset at Camp Randall Stadium. Wisconsin got beat at its own game, letting the Cougars run all over them with 6.8 yards per carry, and Rafael Gaglianone missed a last-second 42-yard field goal that would have sent the game to overtime.

Despite the loss, there is some good news for Wisconsin moving forward. The Big Ten had a terrible overall showing on Saturday:

Wisconsin is the 3rd Big Ten team to lose as a double-digit favorite today.

The bad day for the conference might not be over. There are 3 more Big Ten teams that will play tonight as favorites of at least 10 points (Iowa, Northwestern and Ohio State).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) September 15, 2018

Seven of the conference's 14 teams lost in Week 3, and nine teams already have at least one loss. The Badgers can add a 10th team to that group next week against Iowa and get back in the Big Ten West driver seat. 

One Big Ten team that has had no issues on the field is Ohio State. The reigning conference champions went 3-0 during head coach Urban Meyer's suspension, highlighted by a 40-28 victory over TCU on Saturday night.

The Horned Frogs looked to be in control of things with a 21-13 lead midway through the third quarter. Ohio State proceeded to score four touchdowns in the span of 6:41 to take a 12-point lead and seal its biggest win of the young season. 

Quarterback Dwayne Haskins continues to dazzle in just his third career start. The sophomore has thrown for 890 yards and 11 touchdowns, though he's doing his best to keep this early success in perspective. 

"There's definitely a little more energy, more juice getting ready for this game because it's a big time game," Haskins said, via Cleveland.com's Bill Landis. "We have a lot of key games in order to go do what we want to do for a national championship this year. This is only one of them."

Meyer will be back for next week's game against Tulane. That contest figures to serve as a tune-up before a crucial Sept. 29 game at Penn State.

The other key game from Week 3 saw LSU pull off another second-half comeback against Auburn to make an early statement in the SEC. 

Unlike Wisconsin's late special teams blunder, LSU stole a victory thanks to Cole Tracy's 42-yard field goal as time expired:

LSU scored the final 12 points of the game after falling behind 21-10 in the third quarter. It marked the second straight double-digit comeback win for the Tigers against Auburn. They won last year's contest 27-23 after trailing by 20 points. 

After knocking off Miami in the season opener, LSU is putting together a strong resume with two victories over ranked opponents. The Tigers will get a break from conference play next week when they host Louisiana Tech. 

Auburn's hopes of making the College Football Playoff took a significant hit with the loss because of potential tiebreakers and a remaining schedule that includes road games against Georgia and Alabama.

Looking ahead to next week's games, the list of marquee matchups includes two Pac-12 contests between Stanford vs. Oregon and Arizona State vs. Washington. Top-ranked Alabama will look to keep rolling when it hosts Texas A&M in SEC action. 

The second full week of the college football season was fairly unusual.

Not because of the upsets that took place, but because there were none that impacted top-10 teams. All of them won, and most by big margins.

Both the Associated Press poll and the Amway Coaches Poll are in agreement when it comes to the top nine teams in the country. 

Alabama remains in the top spot, followed by Clemson, Georgia and Ohio State, and those four teams would presumably be headed for the College Football Playoff. While it's much too early to start talking about that, college football fans are always thinking about the teams likely to end up in the championship race.

Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Auburn, Notre Dame and Stanford follow in the next five spots. Washington is in the 10th spot in the AP poll, while Penn State is in that spot in the coaches poll.

Here's a link to the top 25 from both polls.

Alabama rolled to yet another win, and their 57-7 victory over Arkansas State surprised nobody. The Crimson Tide continues to play quarterbacks Tua Tagovailoa and Jalen Hurts, and it does not seem to have an impact. Alabama looks like a dominating team, and there is no reason to doubt Nick Saban's side for the foreseeable future.

The schedule is just too easy as the Crimson Tide doesn't play a team in the Top 25 until early November when they go to LSU.

Tagovailoa threw three TD passes in the win over Arkansas State, while Hurts had two scoring passes. 

"I think that both guys did a really good job," Saban said, per John Zenor of the Associated Press (h/t Yahoo Sports). "I think both guys played well. We made some big plays in the passing game, were pretty efficient."

The Crimson Tide is the No. 1 team in the nation for the 106th time since the AP poll started in 1936. That moves Alabama slightly ahead of Ohio State, as the Buckeyes have been the top-ranked team 105 times in poll history.

Clemson may be a bit lucky to be sitting in the No. 2 spot. The Tigers held on for a 28-26 road victory over a feisty Texas A&M team that outscored the Tigers 13-0 in the final period.

If Texas A&M quarterback Kellen Mond had been successful on a late two-point conversion, the Aggies would have pushed the game into overtime.

While Clemson had problems on the road, Georgia did not. The Bulldogs had a tough assignment at South Carolina, but Georgia came through with a 41-17 triumph. Quarterback Jake Fromm threw for 194 yards and a touchdown, and the Georgia running game proved too much for the Gamecocks to handle.

Ohio State punished Rutgers 52-3, and quarterback Dwayne Haskins looked like a superstar as he completed 20 of 23 passes for 233 yards with four touchdowns.

However, the Buckeyes are going to get put to the test Saturday when they go to AT&T Stadium in Dallas to take on undefeated TCU. The Horned Frogs are ranked 15th in the nation.

Oklahoma may no longer have Heisman Trophy winner Baker Mayfield, but Kyler Murray looks like he can handle the QB1 position. He threw for three touchdowns and ran for two more in the Sooners' 49-21 triumph over UCLA.

The Sooners could be vulnerable to an upset if they are not careful, because they go to Ames, Iowa, to take on Iowa State this week.

Oklahoma suffered a tough blow with the loss of running back Rodney Anderson to a knee injury. It's the third time Anderson has suffered a season-ending injury in his career.

"We're heartbroken for him," Oklahoma coach Lincoln Riley said in a statement, per the AP. "He's overcome so much in his career, and if anybody can do it again, it's Rodney."