In Week 4 of the 2025 college football season, we had some of the biggest teams in the sport, like Ohio State and Penn State, on BYEs, but that didn’t prevent there from being madness and mayhem all around the country. Many teams began conference play today, but we also had some huge non-conference matchups, and we definitely had some results that have some CFP implications. Let’s dive into what we learned:
The Clemson tailslide continues
I had this game totally wrong. I figured that Cade Klubnik and the Tigers would come out swinging at home against Syracuse after struggling out of the gates in 2025. They did not. Syracuse’s Steve Angeli played masterfully and put Clemson in a hole early that they could never get out of. Stick a fork in Clemson – their CFP and ACC hopes are done.
Mateer Mania spoils the Jackson Arnold revenge tour
After a controversial trick play and 10 sacks from the Sooners’ defense, John Mateer was left with the football while trailing late in the fourth quarter. And he delivered, closing the drive with a powerful run to plow into the end zone. This year’s Oklahoma team is certainly better than last year’s, but a brutal schedule awaits with six ranked opponents remaining.
Texas Tech is the team to beat in the Big 12
I was all in on the Utah bandwagon from what I had seen in the first few weeks. But Texas Tech went into a sleepy Salt Lake City and walloped the Utes 34-10. Most of the damage was done after starting QB Behren Morton left the game and Will Hammond came in relief, and the team never missed a beat. The major transfer class of the Red Raiders appears to be worth every penny as they are now the favorites to win the league and clinch a CFP berth.
Ole Miss has a QB controversy on their hands
Austin Simmons was a big-time recruit for the Ole Miss Rebels a few years ago, and he exercised patience in waiting his turn behind Jaxson Dart. Simmons entered the 2025 season as the starter and played good but not great football through 2 games before getting injured. Trinidad Chambliss is a transfer from Ferris State who has started in his place and has played great, throwing for over 300 yards and topping 100 rushing yards against Tulane. What will Lane Kiffin do when both QBs are healthy?
Nebraska still isn’t there yet
The Huskers fans had high hopes entering 2025, as it was year 2 of the Dylan Raiola era, and Matt Rhule teams tend to have a history of a year 3 turnaround. But after a 30-27 loss to Michigan, it appears that 2025 is bringing more of the same to the Huskers, who have not beaten a ranked Big Ten opponent in over 9 years. Matt Rhule famously stated during his stint in the NFL that it took Jay-Z 7 years to build his empire, so maybe he just needs four more years.
The American is the premier Group of 5 conference
If there was any doubt in who the top G5 league is, it was put to rest in Week 4. Memphis brought in a huge win for the American, topping Arkansas 32-31 in a “why would their AD schedule that?” home game. Given South Florida and Tulane’s existing resumes, it seems a near certainty that the G5 representative in the CFP will be the winner of the American – and likely USF, Memphis, or Tulane themselves.
Notre Dame understands how advanced metrics work
Marcus Freeman and the Irish know they have their work cut out for them to make the CFP after falling to 0-2. They seem to be hyper-aware that the CFP committee is human, and that they must pass their “eye test.” They also seem to be aware that computer metrics factor in the margin of victory to produce power rankings. For both of these reasons, they never let their foot off the gas in a 56-30 win over Purdue. Expect a lot of big wins for the Irish as they look to climb back into the CFP picture.
Carson Beck and Miami are one win away from the unofficial Florida Championship
Hear me out, this is just a concept, but we actually had somewhat of a ladder-style round robin for the Florida FBS teams this year. USF beat Florida, Miami beat USF, and now Miami beat Florida in the battle of QBs trending in entirely opposite directions as DJ Lagway failed to throw for 70 yards. The Hurricanes now have to wait to play Florida State for the unofficial Florida Championship.
Arizona State notches yet another close win
At what point does a statistical anomaly become an unlikely truth? Arizona State went 6-1 in one-score games last season and is now off to a good start in 2025 as they used a walkoff field goal to beat Baylor 27-24. Kenny Dillingham’s crew knows how to find a way to win, and even though they have a loss to Mississippi State, that will not hamper their ability to play for a Big 12 championship.
Illinois is not a true contender in the Big Ten race
In the preseason, I was vocal about backing Illinois to win more than 8.5 games. Saturday’s game against Indiana will not be one of those, as the Hoosiers battered Illinois 63-10. I think this tells us more about the Illini than the Hoosiers – for two years now, we’ve seen Indiana beat the tar out of bad teams on a regular basis. Ergo, Illinois is a bad team.