College football winners, Week 4 losers: Iowa emerges as threat for Big Ten title

Week 4 marks the official start of conference play in college football and the important games that take place. No. 17 Iowa had a great game against No. 18 Michigan winning at Michigan Stadium for the first time since 2010 in the final game.

But while there have been many highs, a few top players have struggled in the big moments. Trinidad Chambliss failed to keep the magic going against Florida, while Oklahoma’s John Mateer collapsed against Georgia. The ACC race also took a wild turn after Wake Forest upset Louisville.

In the nightly slate, a few more titans fell as No. 12 USC, No. 13 Penn State and No. 23 Texas A&M all fell. Losses shake up conference title and playoff pictures, but can teams recover? Here are the biggest winners and losers from Week 4.

Loser: Texas A&M

Expectations were low for the Aggies when they traveled to take on No. 10 LSU. But in one fell swoop, a 35-6 loss, No. 23 Texas A&M’s season was effectively over. Quarterback Marcel Reed was unfortunately the main culprit, completing a paltry 10 of 26 passes for 106 yards and one interception. Backup Brady Hart threw an interception on his only pass attempt.

As if that wasn’t enough, Texas A&M allowed over 300 passing yards and nearly 200 rushing yards. Frankly, the Aggies are just a bad football team at this point. Outside of a few talented receivers, who can’t get the ball back due to poor quarterback play, it’s hard to find a single advantage Texas A&M can create against its opponents.

No. 1 Texas, No. 8 Alabama and No. 14 Tennessee are still on the schedule, as well as a road trip to Oklahoma. Will the Aggies play a bowl game?

Winner: Oklahoma State

The Cowboys officially turned the page on their season-opening loss to Tulsa by coming back from an early deficit to beat West Virginia 41-24 on the road. The Mountaineers were at the top of the standings last week after beating 25th-ranked Virginia and took a 14-3 lead early in the second quarter.

But in the face of adversity, quarterback Drew Mestemaker and receiver Wyatt Young once again rose to the occasion. Young was unstoppable with eight catches for 192 yards and a touchdown in the victory. Mestemaker threw an interception to finish with 389 yards on just 27 pass attempts, including 270 yards in the second half.

The win over West Virginia was Oklahoma State’s first Big 12 victory in over 1,000 days, ending an 18-game losing streak. The latest victory surprisingly came before the Cowboys entered the 2023 Big 12 title game. A new era is upon us.

Loser: USC

Once again, USC had the opportunity to overcome the obstacle. After knocking Dante Moore out of the game with a dirty play, they were even playing at home against a backup quarterback. But when the game was decided, the Trojans once again proved too soft.

USC had several opportunities to extend drives, but finished 2 of 11 on third down. The Trojans failed to contain backup Dylan Raiola on fourth down and were bullied in high-leverage spots. This Trojans team is young, but the excuses keep piling up every year. With No. 5 Indiana, No. 7 Ohio State and No. 13 Penn State remaining on the schedule, when will that happen?

Winner: Wisconsin

The Badgers needed something positive to happen in the Luke Fickell era. Old Dominion quarterback transfer Colton Joseph was ready to deliver. In the final 3:31, Joseph threw two touchdown passes to knock out No. 13 Penn State, including a 72-yard pass to Jacob Harris with just 73 seconds remaining. It was the most complete defensive performance the Badgers had ever seen, limiting Penn State to just 233 yards. This was the kind of game Fickell was hired to play. It’s a long season, but can Fickell build on it?

Winner: Iowa

Iowa’s win over No. 18 Michigan to stay undefeated was a perfect football game from Kirk Ferentz. The Hawkeyes struggled through the first 40 minutes of play, only staying within striking distance due to a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. And then, Hank Brown came to life.

The Hawkeyes made one of the great plays in program history, a game-winning touchdown run with no time remaining from Brown to Reece Vander Zee for an incredible touchdown. The win was Iowa’s first at Michigan Stadium since 2010. More importantly, it seriously launched the No. 17 Hawkeyes into the Big Ten title and playoff conversation. With conference favorites Ohio State and Oregon already suffering losses, Iowa could easily spoil the party.

Loser: QB John Mateer, Oklahoma

Playing against Georgia is never a recipe for success, but Oklahoma’s QB1 turned in one of the most incredibly mediocre performances of the season. After going down 14-0 in the second quarter, Mateer gave up one of the worst fumbles you’ll ever see, turning third-and-goal into a Georgia defensive touchdown. He threw another interception, then dropped the ball once more to set up a short 11-yard touchdown run for Georgia.

By the time the dust settled, Oklahoma led 28-0 at halftime in a 41-13 loss to the Bulldogs in Athens. Statistically, Mateer was able to fight back in record time to finish with a respectable stat line, but the damage was done.

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables admitted he considered making a change at halftimebut backup Whitt Newbauer never played any real snaps. There’s no real answer on this Sooners roster, and Mateer is the face of the dysfunction.

Winner: Florida

The Gators announced their return to major college football under coach Jon Sumrall on Saturday, completing an emphatic 52-28 victory over No. 4 Ole Miss. The Gators annihilated the Rebels behind a combined 268 yards and four rushing touchdowns from Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark, finishing with over 300 rushing yards as a team.

While an emotional letdown was expected for the Rebels after the dramatic win over Lane Kiffin and LSU last weekend, Florida emerges as a serious national competitor for the first time in years. The Gators still have No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Georgia on the schedule, but the Florida team we saw in Week 4 can hang with anyone.

Loser: Louisville

The Cardinals can’t make anything easy. A week after taking control of the ACC championship race with a victory over SMU, Louisville lost a stunning game to a Wake Forest team 30-27. With this loss, the Cardinals are no longer an at-large contender for the College Football Playoff with two early losses. SMU still has a chance, and there are a few undefeated ACC teams left, but Louisville looked like the better competition against Miami. Now things are much more complicated.

Winner: Boise State

Boise State officially took its place as king of the Group of Six race after annihilating Western Michigan 32-7 in a marquee game. The Broncos were fantastic in the win, limiting WMU to 3.8 yards per pass attempt and 2 of 11 on third down, while getting 204 efficient yards and three touchdowns from Maddux Madsen. With wins over Memphis and Western Michigan, Boise State becomes the heavy favorite to reach the College Football Playoff — if it can survive a stacked Pac-12.

Loser: QB Will Hammond, Texas Tech

Texas Tech placed a lot of trust in Hammond following a torn ACL, but the redshirt sophomore struggled to seize the moment after taking over as the starter. Hammond threw three interceptions in the first half against Sam Houston and looked out of sorts as the Bearkats closed to within 21-14 at halftime.

Hammond was able to get back on track in the second half, but it was several games of inconsistent play for a team that hoped to contend for the Big 12 title. The running game started in the second half, but teams just don’t trust Hammond’s passing down the field, and that makes life more difficult. The talent is there, but consistency needs to come soon with the heart of the Big 12 on the horizon.

Winner: WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

There really isn’t much reason to point out that Jeremiah Smith is good at football every week, but we’ll make an exception for the second week in a row. Smith was absolutely stupid in a 42-19 win over Illinois, catching 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns, one of the most magnificent wide receiver games in Ohio State history. The four touchdowns are tied for the best game in program history, while the catches and yardage are tied with David Boston for sixth most in a game. We see greatness at work.