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CFB Crash Course: Week 4 - No ranking is safe
Leonard Fournette #7 of LSU should be able to make his Heisman stock rise against Auburn this weekend with a repeat performance of 2015's 228 running yards over the Tigers. Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

CFB Crash Course: Week 4 - No ranking is safe

The season has gotten off to a pretty big start. We've had big-time matchups and some really big-time upsets. Oklahoma, one of the favorites to make the College Football Playoff, has already lost two games. Notre Dame has also lost twice already. And now Louisville has rocketed up to the No. 3 ranking and currently has the Heisman Trophy favorite.

Oh, Alabama is still rolling and we are still excited for a Michigan-Ohio State season finale so not everything is on its head. Three weeks in and the excitement has just begun.

1-SOUTHEAST CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: ALABAMA
Nick Saban finally got to get some revenge on Ole Miss by ending a two year losing streak to the Rebels. The Crimson Tide get a two week ride on easy street (Kent, Kentucky) before hitting the heart of their schedule.

GAME OF THE WEEK: FLORIDA AT TENNESSEE
Ahhhhh, I got the feelings from the 1990s and 2000s. Back when Peyton Manning couldn't beat Steve Spurrier. The ol' ball coach trolling Phil Fulmer. It meant something back then. Usually the SEC East was on the line and it was a huge early season game. It has sort of that feel again. No, Tennessee and Florida probably won't be in the running for a National Championship, but this is a big game. Florida is looking a bit like its old self while Tennessee, who was getting a lot of buzz before the season started, have been squeaking by lesser opponents. It is on in Knoxville.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: GEORGIA AT OLE MISS
This should be a great game to watch. Ole Miss may be 1-2 but their losses were to No. 1 Alabama and Florida State in Tallahassee. They were in both games before the bottom fell out. Georgia had a huge win over North Carolina in their opener but have struggled a bit since. This is a good ol' fashioned SEC battle that Ole Miss really cannot afford to lose.

HEISMAN WATCH: LEONARD FOURNETTE, LSU
The funny thing is that Fournette hasn't been putting up those eye-popping numbers we saw early on last season, but he's been pretty steady. I mean, he's averaging 142.5 rushing yards per game and has two TDs this year and he missed the Week 2 trouncing over Jacksonville State (a game where Heisman candidates can typically run up some numbers). Next up for Fournette is Auburn who he drilled for 228 rushing yards and three touchdowns a year ago.

STORYLINE
While the SEC is still atop the college football world, it is reeling a bit. Alabama is still awesome and there are eight teams currently ranked in the AP Top 25, but it doesn't feel like the elite teams are there right now. Alabama is No. 1, but the next highest ranked SEC team is Tennessee at No. 15. There is sort of a scrum among the next tier of teams who can look great one minute and flawed the next. In the East Division, Georgia, Tennessee and Florida will most likely battle it out for the right to face Bama in the SEC Championship Game.  Ole Miss, Auburn, Arkansas, LSU and Texas A&M will attempt to shock the world by knocking off Alabama while battling each other. So how do we value the SEC?

2-BIG TEN CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: OHIO STATE
Sorry Michigan, but it isn't what you did as much as it was what Ohio State did.  Going into Norman and beating a good Oklahoma team surges the Buckeyes into the top spot.  The great thing is that Michigan has every opportunity to get back on top.

GAME OF THE WEEK: WISCONSIN AT MICHIGAN STATE
Not many were calling on this game to be a must-see, but here we are. The Badgers have taken out LSU and Michigan State rolled Notre Dame in South Bend. The Badgers did struggle with Georgia State last week and are having some quarterback problems. Alex Hornibrook replaced starter Bart Houston late in that game and led Wisconsin from behind for the win. East Lansing isn't a place you want to go to with issues behind center.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: NEBRASKA AT NORTHWESTERN
Evanston is always a tough place the play.  Sure, Nebraska is coming off a win over Oregon but they've lost two straight against Northwestern. Those games were low scoring affairs and this could turn out to be as well. This game figures to be a grind it out affair, but don't sleep on Wildcats quarterback Clayton Thorson. He may not be the most accurate passer in the nation, but he can make some big plays.

HEISMAN WATCH: J.T. BARRETT, OHIO STATE
Barrett went 14-for-20 for 152 yards against Oklahoma last week. Oh, and he threw four touchdown passes. Add in his 74 yards rushing and his ability to just own the game in a tough atmosphere and Barrett is right there in the hunt.

STORYLINE
Last week in this spot, I mentioned Penn State and building for their future. This week, I'm talking about the past. The university celebrated the 50th anniversary of Joe Paterno's first game as head coach of the Nittany Lions. Paterno was a great coach that recorded record setting amounts of wins, national championships, status to the school and helped hundreds of players get an education while the elite moved on to the NFL. He is all those things and Penn State was a better school for it.

He's also the guy who oversaw a program that had a pedophile running around campus representing it and allowing that man to work with and ultimately taking advantage of children. There has been allegations that he knew of Jerry Sandusky's actions and he did nothing to stop it. Before the Sandusky scandal, nearly everyone would agree with the Penn State community about Paterno's legacy of a great leader but all of that went away when we got a little deeper into what was going on behind closed doors.

That stain undoes much of what Paterno did in State College and many people outside the program see Paterno as complicit in the cover-up of horrendous crimes against young men. It is just shocking how in just five years since the scandal broke, Paterno was fired and then passed away that the school chose to have this celebration of Paterno despite his involvement in the sexual assault scandal and the fact the school has had its reputation crushed and had to pay out nearly $100 million to Sandusky's victims. Some Penn State fans protested the celebration and Temple fans, the in-state opponent for the game, gave a symbolic protest of turning their backs to the event as Paterno turned his back on those children.

Penn State didn't need to do any of this but decided to dig up horrid wounds in a attempt to ... I'm not sure why you do this. In a time where conference realignment and television contracts seemingly show the power of football's impact on the college landscape, really it is the ability for one school to forgo their duty to their community and forgetting their role in allowing a ghoulish man the ability to ruin many lives say they could pay homage to the football coach's success that shows you how blind it all can be.

3-ATLANTIC COAST CONFERNCE

FAVORITE: LOUISVILLE
Before the season began, we were wondering if the ACC can get two teams into the College Football Playoff.  We were thinking Florida State and Clemson. After Louisville's 63-20 demolition of the Seminoles last week, the Cardinals have jumped right into the National Championship conversation and the No. 3 ranking. We are now a week away from the Louisville-Clemson game.

GAME OF THE WEEK: PITTSBURGH AT NORTH CAROLINA
In a wide open Coastal Division, every game is seemingly a big one. For the Panthers and Tar Heels, conference play begins with two teams who have a shot at getting to the ACC Championship game in ... uh ... wherever it will be. The Panthers are a physical team trying to match up with a high-flying Heels squad that wants a video game type flow. Since joining the ACC, Pitt is 0-3 against UNC with all of them really close contests. They'd love nothing more than the topple the defending division champs.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: DUKE AT NOTRE DAME
Notre Dame fancied themselves a National Championship contender two weeks ago.  Losses to Texas and Michigan State have put that all but out of their minds and into the having a successful season mode.  Duke still figures into the ACC Coastal Division race, but losses to Wake Forest and Northwestern has the Blue Devils reeling.  The Irish should win this one, but Duke is good enough to give them some trouble and could pull off the upset.

HEISMAN WATCH: LAMAR JACKSON, LOUISVILLE
Three weeks ago, not that many people outside of Louisville knew who Lamar Jackson was.  Less than a month later, he's the Heisman frontrunner. That can happen with such sensational play, a blowout of the No. 2 team and ridiculous numbers to back all of it up.

STORYLINE
There's so much to talk about the Clemson-South Carolina State game. Clemson, after struggling through their first two games, finally flexed their muscle with a 59-0 win. There was the horrible return mistake by South Carolina State that gave Clemson a touchdown. South Carolina State nearly ended their football program so this kind of game is a must to keep it going. But I'm not big on shaving time off a game just because it is a skunk. Weather? Sure, end the game early. However, I'm not a fan of the two teams getting together and deciding to play 12 minute quarters instead of 15 minute quarters so we can move on with our lives.

No, South Carolina State wasn't going to make a comeback but that's not the point. I know we get a bit full of ourselves when we are dealing with big time college football. A school like South Carolina State not only depends on a game like this financially, the kids really look forward to the moment. In the MEAC, with SC State plays, the largest stadium is Florida A&M's Bragg Memorial Stadium that holds 25,000 people. Clemson's stadium holds over 80,000 on game day. It is huge for these kids. Even if you are getting beaten badly, just telling your kids and grand kids that you once played on that field is special. Even Clemson's bench got shafted by not getting those extra minutes to just play.  To most of them, this is the highest level of football they will ever play. Some of those on the deep bench may not play much the rest of the season, if at all. Let 'em play. Clemson doesn't have to run up the score or anything, just let the kids have fun and play.

4-GROUP OF FIVE

FAVORITE: HOUSTON
Houston fought off a game Cincinnati squad who gave the Cougars everything they wanted. Still, Houston moves on with a 40-16 win and should cruise through the schedule until a showdown with Louisville in mid-November. The easier schedule should be a welcome sight with a team that is so beat up right now.

GAME OF THE WEEK: FLORIDA STATE AT SOUTH FLORIDA 
South Florida is sitting at 3-0 after mauling Syracuse at the Carrier Dome, 45-20.  Now the Bulls stay in the ACC by facing a very upset Florida State team that just left Louisville with their tail between their legs.  The game is in Tampa and would be a huge opportunity for USF to get a program defining win.  The Bulls, like Louisville, run a quick-strike offense and could be a tough match-up for a reeling Seminoles squad.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: VANDERBILT AT WESTERN KENTUCKY
Western Kentucky believes their are a program on the rise. Beating an SEC opponent, albeit a weak one, is a big step in achieving that goal. The Hilltoppers have already beaten SEC foes three times this decade (Vanderbilt once before, Kentucky twice). For those uninitiated, enjoy WKU's quarterback Mike White.

HEISMAN WATCH: GREG WARD JR, HOUSTON
The question with Ward is if he can hold up. He's so valuable to the Cougars and has played so well that he'll stay among the Heisman favorites. However, Ward takes a lot of punishment and has already missed one game.

STORYLINE
Don't look now but Army is 3-0! Army has been mired in the bottom slot of the Armed Forces football programs. Navy and Air Force have found success and have been going to bowl games while Army has become a whipping boy whose big moment is the Army-Navy game. But a 66-14 win over UTEP in El Paso has people at West Point excited about their football team. It was the most points Army scored on an FBS opponent since 1944. Of course it isn't all smiles as this week the team went to the funeral of cornerback Brandon Jackson, who died in a single car accident on September 11th. Classy move by rival Navy for showing up to the funeral for support.

5-PACIFIC 12 CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: STANFORD
Stanford has the best team and the best player so they sit here for now. However, their tough schedule rolls on this week.

GAME OF THE WEEK:  STANFORD AT UCLA
Stanford blew out USC last week but now travels to Los Angeles to face their rival, the Bruins. Last season, Christian McCaffrey rushed for a school record 243 yards in the Cardinal blowout. The last time McCaffrey played in the Rose Bowl was ... well, in the actual Rose Bowl where he had 368 all-purpose yards, a Rose Bowl record. So, you may want to stop that guy.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME:  CALIFORNIA AT ARIZONA STATE
This may not be a huge game nationally, but in the Pac-12 you sometimes are just looking for a fun game to watch. I mean, it's late, you've been watching ten hours of college football and just kind of need to have your mind rest but you also need that eye candy. This has all the trappings of a high scoring game. Cal can let it rip while Arizona State keeps it on the ground. Neither defense is very good so it should be a wild one. I think 100 points will be scored in this one.

HEISMAN WATCH: CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, STANFORD
Still the guy most favored to stop Lamar Jackson from getting the Heisman after rushing for 165 yards, 73 receiving yards and two TDs. See above for what he did to UCLA (and in the Rose Bowl) last year.

STORYLINE
Give it up to California QB Davis Webb. All the graduate transfer from Texas Tech had to do was quickly pick up a system and replace the guy who was the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft. He's had to go to Australia, San Diego and then face the hot Texas Longhorns. Against Texas, he threw for 396 yards and four touchdowns including a huge 12-yard TD pass to Chad Hansen for the go-ahead score with less than four minutes to play. I know there's a lot of  'ick' around graduate transfers but it is nice to see one having success in a big time way.

6-BIG 12 CONFERENCE

FAVORITE: BAYLOR
Oklahoma still may be the best team in the league, but they'll have to prove it. TCU had its shot and failed. Now it is Baylor's turn. They are 3-0 and have outscored opponents 133-30. Of course, those wins were over Northwestern State, SMU and Rice. This week's game against Oklahoma State will be their only test until Halloween.

GAME OF THE WEEK: OKLAHOMA STATE AT BAYLOR
What did I just say? This is a weird off week in the Big 12. Only five games involving six teams and this is the lone conference tilt.  Baylor, as I said, is 3-0 while Oklahoma State slid by Pitt last week after losing a controversial game to Central Michigan. This will be another old fashioned shootout but it will have one established coaching staff (Oklahoma State) going up against one that has been in turmoil. Should be an entertaining game with at least a conference win on the line.

UNDER-THE-RADAR GAME: BYU AT WEST VIRGINIA
If BYU wants in the Big 12, start beating Big 12 teams. West Virginia is, along with Oklahoma State, the only undefeated team in the Big 12. This is an interesting game politically because some feel BYU's knock on them joining the league is just how far they are away from the conference's easternmost member, West Virginia.

HEISMAN WATCH: PATRICK MAHOMES, TEXAS TECH
Honestly, no one in the Big 12 is on anyone's radar. Someone must fill this space so how about a guy that's thrown for over 1,400 yards and 14 TDs in three games? Mahomes, a junior for Texas Tech, has had a fun time slinging the ball and even dropped 540 yards on Arizona State.

STORYLINE
Let's keep this short and sweet since I went on some rants earlier. The Big 12 should have had that committee recommend having good football teams would help get the league into the College Football Playoff.

Can you name college football's all-time leaders in rushing yards?
SCORE:
0/10
TIME:
3:00
7,125 / 1996-99
Ron Dayne
6,526 / 1973-76
Tony Dorsett
6,405 / 2013-16
Donnel Pumphrey
6,279 / 1995-98
Ricky Williams
6,245 / 1976-79
Charles White
6,174 / 2017-19
Jonathan Taylor
6,026 / 2002-05
DeAngelo Williams
5,621 / 2014-17
Royce Freeman
5,596 / 1996-99
Travis Prentice
5,589 / 1972-75
Archie Griffin

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