2025 College Football: Week 4 Takeaways
Underachievers show up every year. Clemson, a top-10 team to start the year, already has 3 losses. Oklahoma State, once a proud Big XII contender, lost at home to Tulsa for the first time in decades. And Lee Corso never platform dove during College Gameday like his successor Pat McAfee did. Ok, that last one wasn’t serious, but the point is that even teams that look good on paper don’t necessarily shine. This week, we’re highlighting some haves and have-nots in the Power 4. We’ll go through a few ranked-on-ranked showdowns and coaching updates. Let’s see what we can learn from this slate of games in my week 4 takeaways.
(17) Texas Tech Flexes Finance-Based Transformation at (16) Utah
Both of these schools consider themselves Big XII contenders. Utah is always in the upper tier of the conference under Kyle Whittingham, while Texas Tech spent BIG money this offseason to try and become an elite program. What should’ve been one of our most competitive matchups of the day (their rankings are the closest at least) was indeed so for 3 quarters. However, that’s mostly because both teams gave us a comedy of errors. The game featured 6 turnovers, none of which were particularly pretty. Utah turned the ball over more, but they were cleaner on the penalty front. TTU committed 14 accepted infractions for 122 yards.
At the start, the Red Raiders seemed to have a better rhythm. On their first drive, QB Behren Morton (12/19, 142 yards, 2 INTs) found RB J’Koby Williams (11/43; 2/71 receiving) on a short pass for a 73-yard gain, setting up a quick TD. Regardless, the offensive line was not blocking well, which portended trouble. Utah only earned 1 sack, but the pressure impacted the offense throughout most of the game. The Utes had a rough go offensively from the very beginning. Most ominously, a 69-yard TD got called back for my least favorite penalty: ineligible man downfield. The lineman basically got punished for blocking too well.
It was around that time when the turnover party erupted. Two of them came back to back, and the Texas Tech defense punched out two fumbles. Both defenses had outstanding first halves, and we expected that from the Red Raiders given their expensive defensive line. That unit, stuffed to the brim with high-cost transfers, swarmed. Utes QB Devon Dampier (25/38, 162 yards, 2 INTs) had a day to forget, and the rushing attack averaged just 3.3 yards per carry. Utah’s only first-half points came after a roughing the kicker penalty gave them a second chance at an FG, but they still trailed 10-3 at the break.
The third quarter featured no turnovers but contained nothing but punts. Each team booted the ball away 3 times, with no drive lasting longer than 6 plays. Morton left the game injured during the quarter due to a shot to the head, and backup Will Hammond needed time to find his groove. By the 4th quarter, he definitely found it. Hammond (13/16, 169 yards, 2 TDs; 8/61 rushing) led the team for 4 drives: an FG and 3 TDs. TTU ran away with a 34-10 laugher of a final score, but this was a close contest for most of the game due to Red Raider mistakes. Meanwhile, Utah remained stuck in the mud the entire time.
Utah came into the game 3-0, but their opponents didn’t make the record very convincing. We now know that UCLA is terrible, Cal Poly is an FCS school, and Wyoming is mediocre as well. It may just be that the Utes are a solid team but not one that can play with the big boys. They’ll probably finish strong–they always do–but this isn’t a contender. Texas Tech, on the other hand, is a team with great potential. After all, they spent a lot of money for it! However, they need to play much cleaner football to make good on their talent. If they do, they’re fully capable of winning their conference and reaching the CFP.
Dishonest Play Lifts (11) Oklahoma over (22) Auburn
We’ll loosely call this matchup the “Jackson Arnold revenge game”. The new Auburn QB played the last two years at Oklahoma. He was a highly touted 5-star recruit, but he struggled with a subpar supporting cast and was basically driven out of town. He probably felt some deja vu in this game. His former Sooners teammates must’ve held some sort of grudge against Arnold, as they made life hell for him. Auburn’s offensive line is good, but they couldn’t compete with Oklahoma’s defensive line, which went on a rampage. Arnold took a whopping 10 sacks due to a mix of pressure and holding onto the ball too long.
In case you were wondering, that total of 10 is a new team record for the Sooners. Everyone got involved. Eight different players earned at least half a sack, and linemen Jayden Jackson and R Mason Thomas had 2.5 and 2 of them on their own, respectively. I guess Arnold’s old team knows him better than most. Despite all of that, the game was highly competitive, as Auburn’s defense very much held its own. They held OU’s potent rushing attack to a measly 1.2 yards per attempt on 26 tries. Unfortunately, two bad breaks from the officials ruined their day, and they have every right to be furious about what transpired.
On OU’s first drive, WR Isaiah Sategna (9/127/1) caught a pass and fumbled it, and Auburn took the ball for a score. Upon review though, the officials ruled the pass incomplete. You can check the video, but I think it was a clean catch, and Auburn got robbed. The second issue was worse. After a 4th-and-forever punt failure on a bad snap, Auburn gave Oklahoma a short field but still seemed like they would hold. Sategna then pretended he was leaving the game, stood next to the sideline, and ran a route for a cheap score. This is not allowed, and the SEC admitted as much after the game, but OU still got the points.
Even with the officials seemingly determined to destroy them, the Tigers competed. Arnold (21/32, 220 yards, TD) played well overall, and WR Cam Coleman (3/88/1) emerged as a star deep threat. However, following a missed FG in the 3rd quarter while down 3, the defense ran out of gas, and the OU offense started cooking. QB and new Heisman favorite John Mateer (24/36, 271 yards, TD; 10/29/1 rushing) found some open receivers and led two straight scoring drives. Between those marches, Auburn did earn a TD after an overdue PI call on 4th and 11, but a safety on the record-breaking 10th sack ended the Tigers’ hopes.
This is a critical season for Auburn coach Hugh Freeze, and I don’t think this 24-17 loss will hurt him in the eyes of the school. Yes, they’ll likely fall out of the rankings, but they’re clearly a better football team than they were in 2024. Had they played in a completely neutral game, they might’ve even won. Oklahoma is also an improved version of their former selves, but they have one odd stat: the defense has forced 0 turnovers this season. Nobody will complain while they allow so few points, but it’s worth keeping an eye on. Other than that, the Sooners look like a pretty complete team. We’ll see how they (8) Texas next week.
(19) Indiana Slaughters (9) Illinois in Lopsided
Sometimes the sportsbooks know what they’re doing. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was downright suspicious. Casual fans probably saw the #19 team favored by 6.5 points against the #9 team and felt confused. What was driving that sort of spread? It seems rather simple to me: the ranking polls badly underestimated the Hoosiers. In his first season at the helm, coach Curt Cignetti transformed the Indiana program through transfers. He made it all the way to the CFP, where they put up a decent fight against the eventual runners-up in Notre Dame. However, QB Kurtis Rourke and many senior transfers graduated.
Clearly, the assumption was that Indiana couldn’t possibly return to those heights again. Conversely, Illinois, which has been steadily constructed by Bret Bielema, was a more stable and legitimate power. To me, Illinois profiled as a team ranked 20-25, with an above-average defense and an inconsistent but opportunistic offense. Indiana came into the season with more potential, but both schools are underrated Big Ten competitors. If I had to pick a winner between them, I probably would’ve taken Indiana at home, but I don’t think anyone expected the drubbing that the Hoosiers gave the poor, unsuspecting Illini.
After trading punts to open the contest, Indiana drew first blood with a blocked punt for a TD. D’Angelo Ponds did it all himself: the block, the scoop, and the score. A coverage bust by the Hoosiers allowed Illinois to tie the score, but that was the last time these two squads would look equal. Indiana scored TDs in 8 of their next 9 drives (including 7 straight), while they held the Illini to just 3 more points in a 63-10 blowout. The scoring barrage was led by coveted Cal transfer QB Fernando Mendoza (21/23, 267 yards, 5 TDs), who had his best performance since joining the Hoosiers. He was far from alone though.
RBs Khobie Martin (12/107/2), Kaleon Black (10/89/1) and Roman Hemby (14/65; 2/37 receiving) all feasted. Elijah Sarratt (9/92/2) and Omar Cooper Jr (6/78/1) were the prime beneficiaries in the receiving department. Most impressively, the defense was downright dominant. They sacked Illinois QB Luke Altmyer (14/22, 146 yards, TD) 7 times, with linemen Tyrique Tucker and Mario Landino each earning two. The Hoosiers earned 10 TFLs and 4 PBUs in a complete performance that put the rest of the Big Ten on notice. Illinois definitely needs to regroup. Conversely, I have a sneaking suspicion that IU won’t be ranked 19th this week.
Checking in on Bill Belichick’s Start as HC of North Carolina
In a probably overdue column, I’m going to address one of the main stories of college football. That would be Bill Belichick and his first college head coaching gig at UNC. I held off because I wanted a decent sample size before I made any snap judgments. Four games in, I think we can discuss it. In short, the Tar Heels have been highly unimpressive, but that doesn’t mean Belichick is doing poorly. To start with a key positive: he’s still great at the scripted part of the game. By that I mean the early part of a contest where you can follow a plan. We saw that in week 1 against TCU, where UNC took a quick 7-0 lead.
The man’s actual coaching and teaching skills have not vanished, and he still has a passion for the game at 73 years old. His issue is one of talent, not scheme. In an effort to remake the roster on the fly, Belichick added an unprecedented 70+ new players through transfers and recruiting. Based on pure probabilities, some of those are going to be whiffs, and the young guys may not be ready right away. We should have expected the result: this roster could not be fully refreshed overnight, and the play was not going to be inspiring. No one can make that sort of turnaround from where UNC was unless they pay huge cash (see TTU above).
Looking again at the TCU game, after the Tar Heels took a 7-0 lead, they fell apart and lost 48-14 at home. Wins over one of the worst teams in the FBS (Charlotte) and an FCS foe (Richmond) gave the team some confidence, but that was false confidence given the quality of the opponents. Facing a real team again at UCF this week, the Tar Heels got blown out 34-9. UNC never led one, and starting QB Gio Lopez left on a cart with a leg injury. In truth, there’s not much difference between him and backup Max Johnson, and both are lackluster options. Former coach Mack Brown’s Achilles heel, the defense, still looks awful.
In essence, North Carolina doesn’t currently have a single ranked team on their schedule, but they still face an uphill battle for bowl eligibility. They’re simply a poor team at this point in time, and that’s not an indictment of their coach. Belichick needed a year even in his legendary New England stint to truly make headway, and that team wasn’t as far from contention as UNC is now. My main point here is that while many have been quick to criticize Belichick, I’d suggest some patients. While he may not succeed, it’s far too early to draw conclusions. This program is a total rebuild, and we have to judge it accordingly.
First Two Coach Firings of the Season Hit College Football
Sticking with the coach theme, two members of that fraternity lost their jobs this week: Virginia Tech’s Brent Pry and UCLA’s Deshaun Foster. Hokies OC Philip Montgomery and Bruins special assistant Tim Skipper, respectively, are the teams’ interim coaches. Diagnosing what went wrong for these squads is fairly easy. Pry had a promising start to his tenure, but he was expected to take a step forward this year. Instead, his team was 0-3 upon his firing. Foster lost his job due to his own 0-3 beginning to the 2025 season, but in UCLA’s case, the team simply looked lifeless. They were even blown out by New Mexico.
Much of the failure can be traced back to QBs. Virginia Tech’s Kyron Drones looked to be a star in the making a couple of years ago, but he has struggled since against decent competition. UCLA’s Nico Iamaleava has been a complete bust, and we discussed that very topic just last week. Any time a midseason coach firing occurs, it has two reasons: to give the team a head start in its search for their new hire and to light a fire under the players and remaining staff to hopefully kickstart a winning stretch. In truth, it’s basically just eating money, as any short-term gains don’t tend to statistically correlate with long-term turnarounds.
So what can we expect from these schools under their interim coaches. For one, we have a new result. Beating an FCS team (Wofford) at home 38-6 doesn’t tell us much of anything about Virginia Tech. However, it does finally get them into the win column, and the operation at least looked smooth. They didn’t suddenly become good though, and it’s not like they can go and add free agents. UCLA was idle this week and has an easy matchup next week against Northwestern that should tell us where they stand before a likely pummeling at Penn State. These teams didn’t fire their coaches because they were any good!