Week 4 finally delivered the sort of Saturday that reminds UK college football fans why they willingly destroy their sleep schedules every autumn.
There are easier hobbies. Normal hobbies. Healthier hobbies.
None of those involve sitting in your living room at 2:47am trying to explain to a family member why you’re emotionally invested in a game taking place 4,000 miles away between two universities you’ve never attended.
And yet here we are.
Week 4 gave us everything.
A heavyweight showdown in Knoxville.
A ranked rivalry in Los Angeles.
Last-second heartbreak in Ann Arbor.
Florida detonating Ole Miss.
And enough chaos across the rankings to ensure that every playoff projection published in September is already out of date.
College football remains undefeated.
Texas Escape Tennessee. Sam Becomes Even More Unbearable.
The biggest game of the weekend came from Knoxville, where No. 1 Texas survived a hostile trip to Tennessee with a 20-17 victory. The Volunteers recovered an onside kick late and threatened one final twist, but the Longhorns escaped with another statement victory and remained unbeaten.
The concerning part for everyone else?
Texas didn’t look exceptional.
They just looked composed.
The sort of team that wins the kind of games championship teams usually win.
As for our resident Longhorn, Sam has now spent multiple consecutive weeks being able to say “We’re No. 1” without irony.
Frankly, enough is enough.
Oregon Passed The Test Nobody Expected
Last week Oregon’s demolition of Portland State felt like a therapy session.
This week the Ducks had to prove they could beat somebody.
They did.
Oregon marched into Los Angeles and beat USC 41-27 in one of the most impressive road wins of the season. The story became even more remarkable when quarterback Dante Moore suffered a frightening injury, forcing backup Dylan Raiola into action. Raiola responded with 289 yards and two touchdowns as Oregon barely missed a beat.
First and foremost, everyone will be hoping for a speedy recovery for Moore.
Secondly, Adam is going to spend the next podcast explaining why this proves Oregon are playoff contenders.
For perhaps the first time all season, he might actually have a point
Florida Chose Extreme Violence
Every week produces one scoreline that makes you check your phone twice.
This was it.
Florida didn’t simply beat Ole Miss.
They steamrolled them.
The Gators ran up 52 points in a 52-28 victory that launched them into the Top 10 whilst handing the Rebels their first defeat. Running back Jadan Baugh spent much of the afternoon treating the Ole Miss defence like tackling dummies
One minute Ole Miss were playoff hopefuls.
The next they were featured in an episode of CSI.
Such is life in the SEC.
Michigan Experienced The Full College Football Experience
Michigan’s September has been remarkable.
Week 1: Near disaster.
Week 2: Redemption.
Week 3: Optimism.
Week 4: Emotional damage.
Iowa stunned Michigan 20-19 in Ann Arbor with a last-second touchdown to hand the Wolverines their first defeat of the season.
A fortnight ago, everyone was discussing whether Michigan were secretly terrible.
Then they looked resurgent.
Now they’re experiencing the uniquely college football sensation of wondering how a game that looked won suddenly wasn’t – they should ask Western Michigan for advice
Fletch is, without doubt, processing this maturely..
Notre Dame Continue Being Disturbingly Sensible
Whilst everybody else was busy creating content, Notre Dame got busy winning football games.
Again.
The Fighting Irish flattened Purdue 49-10 to move to 4-0 behind another excellent outing from CJ Carr.
At this point Notre Dame has become the College equivalent of that annoyingly organised colleague who arrives early, meets every deadline and somehow remembers everyone’s birthday.
Nobody enjoys competing with them.
Everybody secretly respects them.
Nick, meanwhile, is trying desperately not to look smug.
Failing, but trying.
Meanwhile, elsewhere…
Because not every big story deserves its own section.
- Georgia reminded everyone they’re still terrifying by dismantling Oklahoma 41-13.
- Ohio State comfortably dispatched Illinois 42-19 behind four touchdown catches from #1 Draft pick (too soon??) Jeremiah Smith.
- Wisconsin stunned Penn State with two late touchdowns in the final minutes.
- LSU battered Texas A&M 35-6 and officially activated crisis mode in College Station.
- Indiana quietly moved to 4-0 and continue to be one of the strangest stories of the season.
The UK Fan Survival Group
Every week I feel it is important to recognise the real heroes of college football.
Not the players. Not the coaches. Not the mascots.
The UK fans.
The people who started watching GameDay at midday and somehow found themselves watching a Pac-12 after-dark replacement at nearly four in the morning.
The people who confidently tell themselves they’ll only watch the first half.
The people who have work in six hours.
The people who know exactly how long a commercial break is because they’ve experienced approximately 900 of them.
Stay strong.
October is coming.
A Quick Florida State Wellness Check
This week Florida State won.
Which is somehow more dangerous than losing.
Because now hope has returned. Hope is football’s most addictive substance.
One competent performance and suddenly you’re examining future schedules, calculating possible bowl scenarios and convincing yourself the rebuild is ahead of schedule.
As a Seminoles fan, I have seen this film before.
I know how it ends…
And yet I will absolutely fall for it again.
The Week 4 Awards Nobody Asked For
Most Annoyingly Good Team: Texas
Still winning.
Still No. 1.
Still making Sam impossible to live with.
Best “Fine, We’ll Do It Ourselves” Performance: Oregon
Lose your starting quarterback.
Win anyway.
Not a bad afternoon.
Most Unexpected Demolition: Florida
Somebody should probably check whether Ole Miss arrived back from Gainesville.
Biggest Emotional Swing: Michigan
From playoff optimism to staring silently into the distance.
Best Advertisement For College Football: Iowa vs Michigan
A last-second touchdown.
Pure chaos.
Perfect.
Final Thoughts
Four weeks in, a few things are becoming clear.
Texas are contenders.
Notre Dame are contenders.
Oregon might be contenders.
Florida have entered the conversation.
Michigan have entered therapy.
And Florida State supporters continue to negotiate aggressively with reality.
The beauty of college football is that none of this will matter in about seven days.
Somebody will get upset. Somebody will become a contender. Somebody will become a meme.
And somewhere in the UK, a fan will look at the clock, see 3am, and decide to watch just one more drive.
See you next week.
