Five takeaways from CFB Week 4: Coaching hot seats and more

What is wrong at Clemson?

Dabo Swinney gave a passionate defense of himself and his team earlier in the week, but it fell flat on Saturday. The Tigers were beaten 34-21 at home against Syracuse, marking the program's first 1-3 start since the 2004 season.

It was an ugly loss for Clemson, featuring a 3-for-13 performance on third down, eight penalties for 75 yards and two turnovers. Swinney's resume is elite, and he doesn't deserve the hot seat conversation, but it will only get worse after this week.

Texas Tech made a statement

The Red Raiders are no joke. According to 247Sports, Texas Tech signed 10 of the top-20-rated transfers in the Big 12, including three of the top four this offseason. It's paying off.

Texas Tech's defense was dominant in a 34-10 win at No. 16 Utah. Utah came in averaging 517 yards per game, but was limited to just 263 yards. The Red Raiders forced four turnovers and overcame 14 penalties of their own, along with losing starting quarterback Behren Morton midway through the game to injury.

Right now, Texas Tech looks every bit like a College Football Playoff team.

Indiana is for real

Curt Cignetti and the Hoosiers were a surprise CFP team in 2024. It was a nice story, but skeptics wondered what they had in store for an encore. It appears the CFP will very much be a possibility again.

IU dismantled No. 9 Illinois, 63-10, using an explosive offense to bury the Illini early. Fernando Mendoza was lights out, going 21-for-23 for 267 yards and five touchdowns. Illinois had only allowed two passing touchdowns all season, coming into the game. Indiana had three touchdowns of 30 yards or more.

Trips to Iowa and No. 6 Oregon are next up for the Hoosiers.

Not all seats are hot

While some coaches have only seen their seat get hotter, Oklahoma's Brent Venables has taken himself fully out of the conversation. A 22-17 record over the last three seasons had his seat warm, but after defeating No. 22 Auburn, 24-17, the Sooners will be in the top 10 of the new AP poll for the first time since October 2023.

OU recorded a program record 10 sacks and now has wins over Michigan and Auburn. A should-be cakewalk against Kent State is all that stands between the Sooners and rival Texas as they renew the Red River Rivalry Oct. 11.

It's also worth mentioning that Auburn's Hugh Freeze had a warm seat, but it has cooled with the Tigers' performance this season. Auburn won at Baylor, and while losses are never good, he will surely gain some breathing room for nearly upsetting the No. 11 team on the road.