CFB Fast Forward: Ohio State Marches On, Oregon Lights Up Colorado, Florida State Breaks Streak, Alabama Still Kicking

What did you expect on one of the strongest days on the College Football schedule? We witnessed a wild ending for Ohio State-Notre Dame, while Oregon lit-up Colorado, with Florida State finally beating Clemson and Nick Saban getting the last laugh.

In a week full of buildup, Saturday delivered in more ways than just on the field. Who had Ryan Day torching Lou Holtz in a postgame interview on their bingo card? I know I sure didn't, but did get a nice laugh out of it all. And all the talk about Alabama's defense and the crumbling castle of Nick Saban, but Lane Kiffin fails to deliver again for Ole Miss.

We had it all, with a number of crazy finishes to spice up a few games along the way. Luckily for LSU, Arkansas couldn't deliver just one more red-zone touchdown or defensive stop, or Brian Kelly would be sitting in Baton Rouge with two losses. The return of Jim Harbaugh to the Michigan sidelines was a relief to the Wolverines head coach, while Kyle Wittingham and Chip Kelly delivered a dreadful Pac-12 finish.

The Notre Dame Fighting Irish take the field prior to the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Notre Dame Stadium on September 23, 2023 in South Bend, Indiana. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

Yea, I said dreadful. Come on, Pac-12 or Pac-2, the Bruins winning was nice, but 14-7 final score was like watching Iowa football. Oh yea, speaking of the Hawkeyes offense, they managed to score zero points against Penn State, which I'm sure was a nice talking point for the Ferentz family on the flight home after the 31-0 loss.

But enough of the small talk, let's look back, while also hitting the fast forward button to next weekend.

Appreciate The Insane Finish Between Ohio State-Notre Dame

Yes, we were all at the edge of our seat Saturday night as the Buckeyes and Fighting Irish battled down to the final seconds of a thriller. It might not have mattered, but Notre Dame not having eleven players on the field for the 1-yard touchdown run that won the game for Ohio State will eat at them for a while. How in the world do you let this happen?

Ahh, but the game itself was the entree, while Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day teeing off on former Notre Dame coach Lou Holtz was the dessert. I honestly didn't see it coming, especially RIGHT AFTER the game ended, but it was easy to tell that Day was hoping he'd get that moment. Both teams will be fighting for a playoff spot if they continue to play like they did last night.

But now, Notre Dame will play Duke, in what could actually be a pretty intense matchup next Saturday in Durham. As for Ohio State, they'll be staying at home next weekend, hosting undefeated Maryland.

It Was Personal For Dan Lanning, As Oregon Lit-Up Colorado

Sorry Deion, but Oregon coach Dan Lanning won the pregame speech competition. Not only did Lanning have his players ready to go-off on Colorado, he had fans at home willing to run through a wall. That man had his team fired up, which led to a 42-6 drumming of the Buffaloes.

Bo Nix had himself a day, while Deion Sanders is hoping his team can erase this game from their memories, quickly. There was absolutely nothing you could takeaway from the game for Colorado, as Oregon put on a clinic. But, on the positive side for Colorado, they do get another chance to prove themselves next week, against USC. As Deion Sanders said postgame, they just got their butt whipped Saturday afternoon.

Now, Oregon will prepare for a nice cupcake, as they travel down the coast to Stanford. On the other side, Colorado has to prepare for reigning Heisman winner Caleb Williams and his Trojans, which should make for another crazy atmosphere in Boulder. OutKick will have you covered next week in Colorado, so go ahead and send some recommendations my way for the Boulder area.

Lane Kiffin Talked, Then Nick Saban Walked The Dog

Wrapped up in all the expectations that this would be the year the Lane Kiffin finally defeated Nick Saban, there was quiet doubt. If you're going to talk THAT much about the Alabama defense, you have to do better than ten points. Unfortunately, Kiffin found out the hard way that Nick Saban can still go 'old-school' for a win.

Yes, Jalen Milroe wasn't perfect, but he came up big in the key moments. I give Jaxson Dart a lot of credit, he kept Ole Miss in the game, when it was starting to waver. But at the end of the day, all of the talking was just that, talking. The Rebels had the talent, the quarterback, the play-calling, but must've forgot that dog like mentality in the locker room during halftime.

Head coach Nick Saban of the Alabama Crimson Tide converses with head coach Lane Kiffin of the Mississippi Rebels after their 24-10 win at Bryant-Denny Stadium on September 23, 2023 in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

I don't know about you, but seeing Nick Saban enjoying himself postgame is not some warning sign that the guy is going to hang it up after this season. But please, continue on with this narrative for the time being, I enjoy it. As for the Crimson Tide, they'll travel about one hour down the road to Mississippi State next weekend. For Lane Kiffin, well Brian Kelly and the LSU Tigers, coming off a fourth quarter win over Arkansas, will be heading to Oxford. Should be fun.

We See You Florida State, Very Clear. Losing Sight Of Clemson

Oh yes, the thrilling kickoff to yesterday, with Florida State defeating Clemson in overtime to break a seven year losing streak. Credit to Dabo Swinney for his team giving the Seminoles everything they had, and then some. The Tigers forced Jordan Travis into some tricky spots, while Cade Klubnik converted a number of big players for Clemson.

Clemson was a 29-yard field goal away from potentially beating the Seminoles, but former retiree Jonathan Weitz hit it a little far to the left. By the way, the story of Weitz rejoining the Clemson football team is fantastic, especially since he should be in New York City right now, working for a financial institute. A phone call from Dabo Swinney last week changed all of that.

In overtime, Jordan Travis threw the 25-yard dime and Keon Coleman came down with it, ending the upset bid for Clemson. Now, Florida State can take a breath, with Virginia Tech heading to town, coming off a loss to Marshall. As for Clemson, they'll head to Syracuse next week looking to once again give an opposing team its first loss.

Saturday Delivered, But That Shouldn't Come As A Surprise

Whether it was founding members of the Pac-2 delivering a great finish, after it looked like Washington State was going to runaway from Oregon State, or LSU barely escaping the weekend with only one loss, Saturday delivered. Well, not much for the hyped up 'White Out' game on CBS between Iowa and Penn State, where Brian Ferentz hurt his overall scoring percentage for the season, with a dud 31-0 game.

But overall, the games we were looking forward to all week came up aces on Saturday, and into Sunday morning, thanks to Arizona State hanging with USC for a while.

So, that's it, week four is in the books. We're starting to get a much clearer picture on some of these teams that could be fighting for a playoff spot, while we still have questions for others. The good thing about those questions is that it's only going to get better from here.

College Football is in full swing, and Saturday was a nice appetizer for the remainder of the season.