What We Learned: 5 Lessons From College Football Week 4

By Andrew Musur on October 3, 2015

We had another exciting week of college football on our hands this past weekend. New playoff contenders arose and upsets occurred. It is time to take a look at what we learned from college football’s week 4.

No. 1) Utah suddenly became a Pac-12 championship contender.

Utah improved to 4-0 on the season with a road victory over #13 Oregon this past Saturday. The Utes dominated the Ducks from start to finish gaining 530 yards and putting up 62 points. Utah quarterback Travis Wilson played like a warrior for the Utes throwing the ball for 227 yards and four touchdowns, as well as rushing the ball six times for 100 yards and a score.

Wilson wasn’t 100 percent in this game, but the California native didn’t let that hinder his play. Not only did this game prove what Utah is capable of, but it pointed out the giant weaknesses the Ducks possess. There are an enormous amount of questions surrounding Oregon, especially regarding who will be lined up under center.

Looking ahead, Utah has a bye week this weekend and plays hosts to #24 California in two weeks. Besides Cal, the Utes only see two more ranked teams on their schedule: @ USC October 24 and Vs. UCLA November 21.

Wilson will have to have a few more gutsy performances before Utah can be celebrating their first conference championship of any sort since 2008.

No. 2) TCU will have a tough time getting into the College Football Playoff.

TCU survived a scare from Texas Tech this past weekend, when the Red Raiders put up 52 points, but lost by three at home to the Horned Frogs. TCU quarterback Trevone Boykin, put up video game numbers throwing for 485 yards and four touchdowns. Boykin put out on another strong showing, giving him plenty of reason to be in the Heisman debate when this season is over.

Other than Boykin, TCU got a lot of help on the ground from Aaron Green. Green carried the ball 28 times for 162 yards and a pair of scores. The Texas native now has six touchdowns on the season. There was one last thing I loved about this TCU team, Josh Doctson. Doctson caught 18 passes for 267 yards and three touchdowns. The senior was Boykin’s favorite target by far, and will be a huge asset going forward. The 6-foot-3 receiver hauled in 171 yards and two touchdowns a week ago, and has already hit the 593 yard mark on the season.

My biggest concern is the TCU defense. The Horned Frogs gave up 607 yards to Texas Tech and allowed the Red Raiders to successfully convert on third down seven out of 15 times. This TCU offense is a special weapon, but there will be a team that can hang with the Horned Frog offense and can also beat their defense.

No. 3) The Big Ten is pretty darn good.

Several people jumped on the Big Ten early this season as being a top-heavy conference, with little depth. With Ohio State and Michigan State atop all of the college football polls, it was pretty easy to see there were two talented teams in the Big Ten. But when one looked beyond those two teams, things got a little questionable.

However, things changed and through week four of this year’s season, the Big Ten now sports five teams in the AP Top 25. Ohio State and Michigan State are still slotted at number one and two, respectively. After that comes Northwestern at 16, Wisconsin at 19 and Michigan at number 22.

Not to mention Iowa is still undefeated at 4-0 and so is Indiana. The Big Ten is getting back on track and having Ohio State and Michigan State at the top of college football is a fantastic thing for the conference. And it still looks like the Ohio State vs. Michigan State game on November 21 will decide it all.

No. 4) Leonard Fournette will win the Heisman Trophy.

The Heisman Trophy has been a quarterback award for as long as I can remember as 13 of the last 15 award winners were quarterbacks. With that being said, I think this is that odd year for a running back to claim the bronze statue.

LSU running back Leonard Fournette has been a man among boys thus far this season. Fournette has rushed for more than 150 yards in all three of the Tigers’ contests and has two or more touchdowns in all three games as well. The Louisiana native put up his second straight 200 yard game when he carried the ball 26 times for 244 yards and two touchdowns.

Fournette became the first player in LSU history to run for 200 yards in consecutive games. The Tigers take on Eastern Michigan this Saturday; watch for the 6-foot-1 back to go off in the limited time he gets on the field. The Heisman watch is officially on for the Tiger’s back.

No. 5) The state of California is back. 

There is always a ton of talk surrounding which state plays the best football. It is still too early to name a winner in the state-by-state competition, but the the state of California sees four teams ranked in the latest AP top 25 poll.

Coming in at number seven is undefeated UCLA, followed by USC at #17, Stanford a spot behind the Trojans and California at #24. California football is booming for the first time in a long time. UCLA is 4-0 and looking to make their first Rose Bowl since 1998, but they still have four ranked teams remaining on their schedule, including all three of these California teams.

Along with the Bruins, the Trojans have impressed many, but they are still a ways away from their mid-2000s dynasty self. Stanford started the season off on the wrong foot, but has won three straight and is picking up some momentum.

And last but not least, the California Golden Bears. The Bears have been another one of my favorite teams this season as they continue to impress starting the season 4-0. The Bears are ranked 24th, which is the first time Cal has been ranked since the 2009 season.

Cal is led by potential number one pick, Jared Goff, who has thrown for more than 1,200 yards and 11 touchdowns. Goff has thrown for 300 yards or more in all but one of the Golden Bears’ four games, and has had two or more touchdown tosses in all four games. I am a believer in this Cal team, but from October 10 until Halloween the Golden Bears play three straight ranked opponents, a cringeworthy stretch for any team.

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