BULLYBALL TOP 25: WEEK 4
Week four is in the books, and it was quite the weekend of college football. There were seven games played by our Top 25 teams against other ranked teams with four of them being one-score games. Ohio State and Florida State went on the road in two of the toughest environments in the sport to earn major wins while Oregon made sure everyone learned Colorado just isn’t quite ready for primetime.
Dawgs Still on Top… But Not by Much
The gap between Georgia and the rest of the top five is narrowing to the point where they could be overtaken if they don’t notch some dominant wins early in conference play. For now, however, the reigning two-time champs remain on top, but beware the Big Ten and PAC-12.
Biggest Riser: Washington State (28 to 20)
Washington State continues to rise after taking down previously 18th ranked Oregon State at home in a game they were 3-point ‘dogs in. The depth of the PAC-12 continues to impress, and Cam Ward is a legit dude. Ward posted a 0.54 EPA per dropback, and on the season, he’s completing 74.5% of his passes, and while his ADoT is just 8.0 yards because they throw a lot of short game, Ward has been terrific down the field. Ward has attempted 46 passes beyond 10 yards, completing 32 of them (69.6%) for nine touchdowns. Ward’s yet to throw an interception as well.
This team struggles to run the ball, totaling just 126.5 yards per game on the ground for just 3.7 yards per carry. That being said, backs Nakia Watson and Jaylen Jenkins combined for 13 carries for 74 efficient yards against Oregon State, and it helped open up the field for Ward. Washington State gets a bye week before heading to the Rose Bowl to take on UCLA.
Who’s New?
22. Wisconsin Badgers
We touched on Wisconsin last week and how disappointing their start to the season has been. With a loss to the aforementioned Washington State, it felt as if the team with Braelon Allen at runningback couldn’t figure out their offensive identity. That was not the story against Purdue, and if things continue to trend this direction for the Badgers, look out. Allen totaled 116 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries as Phil Longo realized the importance of getting the ball to his best player.
24. Miami Hurricanes
Miami has risen their way up the ranks and cracked the Top 25 for the first time, and the ‘Canes could very easily go into their matchup against 17th ranked North Carolina unbeaten on October 14th. Tyler Van Dyke has been great for The U so far, tossing 11 touchdowns to just one interception, and they’ve also been able to run effectively, albeit against mostly weak competition. That run game will be vital throughout ACC play.
Who’s Gone?
UCLA Bruins
UCLA had a great chance to knock off Utah this weekend as the Utes were missing a huge chunk of their starters due to injury. That is not what happened. The normally great rushing attack of the Bruins was completely stymied by Utah’s defensive front. TJ Harden and Carson Steele combined for 22 carries for 60 yards as Utah’s front racked up 11 tackles for loss. Dante Moore was also sacked seven times. On the day, UCLA’s offense posted a 27% success rate, the second worst among any power conference team on Saturday.
Iowa Hawkeyes
Who posted the lowest offensive success rate on Saturday, you ask? That would be the Iowa Hawkeyes! Iowa’s offensive numbers were just that, offensive. Getting shut out by Penn State is one thing, but posting an 18% success rate with 76 total yards of offense is the Iowa we’ve come to know, quite frankly. Iowa lost four of their six fumbles, and no matter how good their defense plays, it will never be enough to overcome their offense on a day like this.
Team of the Week: #9 Oregon Ducks
Oregon welcomed all of the hype and attention from Colorado with open arms and shut it down about five minutes in. It was apparent that Oregon severely overmatched Colorado both in size and scheme. The Ducks forced five punts in Colorado’s six first half drives, and the only one that didn’t end in a punt was because the Buffs took a knee to go to half down 35-0. Oregon allowed just 31 yards in the first half to what had been a prolific Colorado offense through three weeks. Was this the best win of the week? No, that goes to Alabama. Was it the most emphatic win? Absolutely.
Group-of-Five Mini Power Rankings:
Quickly stating the necessity of this: the best Group-of-Five team gets a New Year’s Six bowl berth, so because of that, a GO5 team will always be guaranteed a spot in the Top 25. Right now, that’s Tulane, but here are the ten best Group-of-Five teams right now.
Tulane Green Wave (3-1) | American (#23)
Fresno State Bulldogs (4-0) | Mountain West (#33)
Air Force Falcons (4-0) | Mountain West (#47)
Georgia State Panthers | Sun Belt (#50)
James Madison Dukes (4-0) | Sun Belt (#53)
Memphis Tigers (3-1) | American (#54)
Boise State Broncos (2-2) | Mountain West (#56)
Marshall Thundering Herd (3-0) | Sun Belt (#58)
Ohio Bobcats (4-1) | MAC (#59)
Toledo Rockets (3-1) | MAC (#61)