Another Saturday of college football is in the books, and it produced several spectacular finishes.
Many teams notched resumé building victories as the inaugural 12-team College Football Playoff looms in the coming months.
Now that the dust has settled, here are some of the biggest winners and losers from Week 4:
Winners
Illinois
The Illini headed into Lincoln as eight-point underdogs against No. 22 Nebraska, and they left with their second win over a ranked team this season. It was hard-earned, though as Nebraska’s Dylan Raiola had another stellar game. After Nebraska took a 10-7 lead on Isaiah Neyor’s 6-yard touchdown reception in the first quarter, Illinois never led until overtime. Perhaps the most important play of the game was an improbable interception by Torrie Cox Jr.
Bret Bielema’s squad has made remarkable strides since their 5-7 campaign last season that included a home loss to the Cornhuskers. Junior quarterback Luke Altmyer threw for 215 yards and four touchdowns, bringing his season total to 10. He has yet to throw an interception through four games. In 2023, Altmyer threw 13 touchdowns and 10 picks in nine games.
Illinois will hit the road once again in Week 5 to take on No. 10 Penn State. The Illini last visited Happy Valley in 2021 where they defeated the Nittany Lions 20-18 in nine overtimes.
Colorado
The Buffs’ 14-point rally against Baylor marked the largest comeback of Deion Sanders’ tenure. The Bears scored 24 points in the first half, and their only second-half points came on a Hal Presley 24-yard touchdown reception that gave Baylor a seven-point advantage with 5:43 remaining. All hope seemed lost for Colorado after Shedeur Sanders’ desperation heave was dropped by Will Sheppard with two seconds on the clock. Fortunately, Sanders was able to launch another ball into the end zone that was miraculously caught by LaJohntay Webster, forcing overtime.
Colorado punched it in with Micah Welch in overtime, and Travis Hunter saved the day on with a forced fumble at the goal line. The ball went out of the end zone for a touchback. Hunter’s heroic defensive play added to his already spectacular night, as the two-way superstar also caught seven passes for 130 yards. He now has at least 100 receiving yards in each of the Buffs’ four games.
The win gave Colorado its first Big 12 victory of the season, and it was a game they desperately needed with multiple ranked teams remaining on their schedule.
Tennessee
Many people (including me) were skeptical about Oklahoma after their close calls with Houston and Tulane. Tennessee marched into Norman and proved us right. The Vols’ defense nullified Sooner quarterback Jackson Arnold, limiting him to 54 passing yards, two fumbles and an interception. Arnold was benched in favor of Michael Hawkins Jr., who played better but couldn’t orchestrate a comeback.
Nico Iamaleava was solid once again, accounting for a total of 209 yards and one touchdown, a 66-yard strike to Dont’e Thornton Jr. Running back Dylan Sampson added 92 yards and a score.
In four games, the Vols have outscored their opponents by a whopping 188 points. They’ll have a week off before traveling to Arkansas on October 5.
Losers
Kansas State
The Wildcats were blown out by 29 points after closing as 7.5-point favorites against BYU. It was a bad enough day for the Kansas State football team, but it’s even worse for a fan who made a promise that he’s certainly regretting:
Kansas State looked to be one of the hottest offensive teams in the country after their 31-7 win over No. 20 Arizona last week, but they left their offense in Manhattan. Avery Johnson threw for just 130 yards and two interceptions. The Wildcats actually out-gained the Cougars 367 to 241, but turnovers and poor special teams play plagued them. Running back D.J. Giddens had a fumble returned for a touchdown, and Parker Kingston of BYU somehow returned a punt 90 yards for a touchdown.
Next Saturday’s game is crucial for Kansas State. They host Oklahoma State, who also lost this week. It could very well be a playoff eliminator.
USC
The Trojans had no business losing to Michigan. Self-inflicted errors, poor clock management and abysmal coaching led to their demise. Quarterback Miller Moss made some great plays, but his pick six in the third quarter was devastating. The Trojans had just put together their first touchdown drive of the game and gotten a stop on defense, but Moss gifted the Wolverines a touchdown.
After going up by four and forcing Michigan to punt with five minutes remaining, Lincoln Riley elected to throw twice, resulting in two interceptions and saving Michigan precious time that they would turn into a game-winning drive. Kalel Mullings’ 63-yard run set Michigan up in the red zone.
Mullings broke the plane on fourth and goal to win the game for Michigan. He finished with 159 yards and two touchdowns. Quarterback Alex Orji threw for just 32 yards but played a key role in Michigan’s rushing attack.
USC will look to get back on track against Wisconsin in Week 5.
Vanderbilt
The Commodores not only had a chance to upset seventh-ranked Missouri, but they could have won their first SEC game since 2022. Diego Pavia has been a fantastic addition for Vanderbilt, and he contributed 262 total yards and three touchdowns against the Tigers. However, a missed field goal by Brock Taylor in the second overtime period dashed Vanderbilt’s hopes of an upset.
Taylor’s day wasn’t all bad, as he nailed a 57-yarder in the first half, setting a school record. But he’ll be kicking himself for that overtime miss.
The Commodores will have a week off to prepare for No. 5 Alabama on October 5.
In the Shadows Sports 
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