Trey's CFB Takes: Clemson Is In Trouble, Indiana Surges, Miami Fights, Oklahoma Wins On A Wild Day
From Clemson’s struggles to Miami’s grit, Week 4 delivered chaos across college football, with a massive weekend awaiting.
Oh, we had a wild Saturday of college football, thanks to a few upsets and a number of close battles in the top-25. Was the game of the day in Columbia, as Missouri defeated South Carolina? Or was it such a shock that Syracuse destroyed Clemson that it will be felt for weeks to come?
There's an argument to be made that Arizona State beating Baylor on a game-winning field goal by a kicker names Jesus Gomez was actually the most intriguing contest of the wild day.
Here's a stat for you. Vanderbilt scored 70 points on Saturday for the first time since 1918, a year in which their quarterback was killed during the WWI.
Whether it was Oklahoma coming up big in the final minutes against Auburn, or Texas Tech having the backup quarterback take care of Utah in a game that started at 10am local time, we were once again treated to an interesting day of football.
Oh, and how about the Florida Gators taking Miami to the fourth quarter, thanks to Billy Napier finally deciding to open up things a bit on offense? Sure, the Hurricanes ended up winning, but if you're a Florida fan, you have to appreciate the fight from the Gators.
Or not.
Dabo Swinney Has A Problem At Clemson, Obviously
Just when it seemed things couldn’t get worse for Clemson after Dabo Swinney’s midweek press conference, Syracuse added another chapter to the growing list of problems.
Don’t let the 34–21 final score fool you. The game was never truly that close, even with Orange quarterback Steve Angeli exiting in the second half with an injured leg.
Clemson looks like a mid-tier ACC program—stocked with NFL talent but completely lacking identity. Nothing about the Tigers’ effort inspired confidence in the future.
Dabo Swinney’s Words No Longer Resonate As Clemson Fans Lose Patience After Syracuse Loss
This Tigers team doesn’t look like it can be fixed this season. Not even a trip to Chapel Hill in two weeks feels like a lifeline. After Swinney spent the week daring fans to push him out if they didn’t appreciate his resumé, he was handed another slice of humble pie.
Indiana Is Good, Illinois Over-Ranked; Oklahoma, Texas Tech Deliver
Few expected Indiana to lead Illinois 35–10 at halftime, but the Hoosiers dominated behind quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Curt Cignetti clearly has his team positioned to surprise again this season. Illinois, meanwhile, showed its No. 9 ranking was far too generous.
I’m not saying Indiana is ready to take down Oregon, Penn State, or Ohio State, but Big Ten heavyweights would be wise not to overlook this squad.
But my goodness, Indiana absolutely destroyed Illinois 63-10, almost as if Brett Bielema was talking about Curt Cignetti's mother.
As for Oklahoma, the John Mateer show was out in full-force on Saturday against Auburn. This one delivered, with Jackson Arnold returning to Norman to face his former team and throwing for 220 yards and a touchdown.
But, it was the Sooners' defense that came up strong in the fourth quarter, covering the 6.5 point spread with a safety on Arnold in the final minute. I will say, both of these teams are going to be a problem for the SEC this year.
Credit to Brent Venables for guiding this team to 4-0 on the season, with one cupcake remaining on the schedule, before a showdown with Texas. As for Auburn, they will face Texas A&M next week, in College Station.
That's one hell of a two-game road trip for the Tigers.
Red Raiders Looking Like It Was Money Well Spent Against Utah
Even though the first half was burning our eyes in Salt Lake City, turns out Texas Tech spending a bunch of money through the transfer portal paid off against Utah. We all wondered in the Red Raiders could deliver when the opponents started getting tougher, and they didn’t let their fans down on Saturday.
While head coach Joey McGuire had to rely on backup quarterback Will Hammond when Behren Morton went down with what looked to be a head injury, the Red Raiders finally pushed the gas pedal in the second half.
A 34-10 win over No. 16 Utah will go a long way for the confidence of this squad, with a trip to Houston coming in two weeks. The tortillas were flying in Utah, and this Texas Tech squad looks as though they will be a massive problem in the Big 12, and a college football playoff run.
Arkansas Just Has Horrible Luck, This Time Against Memphis
Well, the Razorbacks have certainly had an eventful two weeks of football. After fumbling in a key moment last week against Ole Miss, the turnover bug struck again at the worst possible time.
Arkansas was inside the Memphis 10-yard line, with an easy opportunity to get out of town with the win, until disaster struck. A fumble in the final minute gave Memphis the win, and added to the misery of Razorbacks coach Sam Pittman.
I mean, you couldn't even make this stuff up if you tried.
Teams Handled Business, Like Vanderbilt, Ole Miss And Even Michigan
Though Nebraska put together a nice comeback in the fourth quarter to make it 30-27, Michigan hung on to defeat the Cornhuskers in what turned out to be a fun game in Lincoln. Unfortunately for Matt Rhule, the losing streak to ranked teams has now reached 28-games, which is a brutal stat.
It was an easy day at the office for Tennessee, coming off the heartbreaking loss last week to Georgia. Not only did they destroy UAB, but they also had an opposing player deciding to go full ‘Cobra Kai’ on Tennessee kicker Max Gilbert. Next up, at trip to Mississippi State.
Yep, Vanderbilt delivered a sweet dose of revenge to Georgia State, leading 42-9 at halftime. If you remember, the Commodores lost last year in Atlanta, but this is clearly a different team under Clark Lea, who has the chance to be 5-0 when they arrive in Tuscaloosa two weeks from now.
Next Week's College Football Lineup Is STACKED
OK, I know every weekend can bring us surprises in this beautiful sport of college football, but next weekend's card is going to be glorious.
- No. 6 Oregon vs. No. 2 Penn State
- Auburn vs. N0. 10 Texas A&M
- No. 3 LSU vs. No. 13 Ole Miss
- No. 14 Alabama vs. No. 5 Georgia
- No. 15 Tennessee vs. Mississippi State
- Arizona vs. No. 12 Iowa State
SIGN ME UP!
We are entering the final weekend of September, and thank goodness, we're just getting started. There has been plenty of chaos so far this season, and we're headed for another wild weekend of premier matchups.