College Football Week 4 Recap

Let's first see how my Week 4 Bold Predictions turned out:

1. Texas Tech outguns TCU in Lubbock

This game came down to the wire, as I thought it might, but TCU survived by way of a crazy 4th-and-goal tipped pass with 23 seconds left on the clock.  Perhaps even crazier was Texas Tech's last-ditch effort on the final play of the game, which involved a Hail Mary pass and multiple laterals, but ultimately failed.  The final result was a 55 - 52 win for the Horned Frogs.

2. Virginia Tech falls to East Carolina for second straight year

The quality of the Buckeyes' best win to-date took a hit on Saturday as the Hokies lost to the Pirates once again.  East Carolina toppled Virginia Tech, 35 - 28, giving both teams a 2-2 record to start the year.

3. Ohio State's defense keeps the Broncos out of the end zone

I was pretty close with my score prediction (38 - 6 vs 38 - 12) but Western Michigan reached the end zone twice, making this another failed prediction.  I guess I should have called for Ohio State to keep the Bronco's out of the uprights, as WMU's kicking game had major issues (0 of 2 on field goals, 0 of 1 on extra points).  The Buckeyes' defense and special teams shined overall once again, but the offense definitely made strides as well.  It's still a work in progress, but I think they're starting to find their identity.

4. Bobcats notch surprise win over Gophers

Another prediction I narrowly missed, as Minnesota found just enough offense to overcome the Bobcats' upset bid, 27 - 24.  Ohio had a chance to tie it with a 53-yard field goal, but a controversial delay of game penalty moved them back 5 yards, and OU opted to try a Hail Mary instead, which fell incomplete as time expired.  A big battle in Evanston looms for the Gophers next week, as they prepare to face 16th ranked Northwestern.

5. Arizona State changes their fight song to Florence + The Machine's "Shake It Out"

They didn't change their fight song, but maybe they should have, as they were unable to shake USC in their conference opener.  The Sun Devils took a 42 - 14 drubbing at the hands of the Trojans, and things don't look to get any easier next week as they travel to UCLA.

Week 4 record: 1 - 4
Overall record: 4 - 16

I'm sensing a pattern here and I don't like it...

Other headlines from week 4:

UCLA, Utah emerge as front-runners in Pac 12

Not too many people saw it coming, but the Bruins and Utes look like the best teams out west right now.  These two squads absolutely dominated ranked conference opponents Oregon and Arizona, and with other Pac 12 contenders USC and Arizona State each already having 1 and 2 losses, respectively, UCLA and Utah look like the teams to beat.  There's still a lot of football to be played, so things could certainly change, but the November 21 showdown between these two could be huge, not just in terms of the Pac 12 race, but potential playoff implications as well.

Is Michigan back?

Speaking of Utah, the Wolverines' 7-point loss in Salt Lake City suddenly doesn't look so bad.  And following their 31 - 0 blowout win over BYU, Michigan is back in the rankings for the first time since 2013.  I think it's still too early to declare that Harbaugh has them back to the greatness their fans desperately lust after, but they're definitely getting better.

A tale of two punters

Virginia Tech and Texas both went down on Saturday, but their punters' roles in the defeats couldn't have been more different.  The Hokies lost, despite punter A.J. Hughes' herculean effort following a bad snap.  The ball sailed well over Hughes' head and into the end zone, but he was able to run back to recover the football and get the punt off (and a good one at that) before getting tackled and without having it blocked.  Virginia Tech still gave up a touchdown on the ensuing drive, and would ultimately lose by 7, but you certainly can't blame their punter.  As for Texas' loss, well... you kind of can blame the punter.  In the final minute of the fourth quarter, tied at 27 with Oklahoma State, the Longhorns faced 4th and 11 on their own 24 and wisely opted to punt.  But the ball went right through the hands of the true freshman punter, and while he was able to recover it and kick it, the resulting punt netted minus 6 yards, putting the Cowboys in position for an easy field goal to win the game.  You can bet he will be kicking himself for a long time after that mistake... sorry.

Punter 1:

Punter 2: