CFB Blitz: Early takeaways from Week 4

College Football Blitz recaps the most important developments from the day's action and examines their significance moving forward.

Not even Dabo can spin this Clemson start

After dropping to 1-2 following last week's loss at Georgia Tech, Dabo Swinney took to the podium and delivered an impassioned defense of his coaching.

"All we've done is win," Swinney said Tuesday, according to Andrea Adelson of ESPN. "We've won this league eight out of the last 10 years. Is that not good? I'm just asking. Is that good? To win your league eight out of 10 years, to go to the playoffs seven out of 10 years, be in four national championships, win it twice. Yeah, we're a little down right now. Take your shots. I've got a long memory. We'll be all right. We'll bounce back."

Swinney might prefer a short memory, as in one that can immediately erase what he saw Saturday afternoon at home versus Syracuse. The Orange stormed into Death Valley and ran it up on the Tigers, walking off with a 34-21 win to drop Clemson to 1-3 for the first time under Swinney.

The LSU and Georgia Tech losses came down to a few plays, but there was no question as to which team was the better one Saturday. Prior to leaving due to injury, Steve Angeli lit up the formerly stout Clemson defense for 13 yards per completion as Syracuse scored on its first four drives - another first for the Tigers under Swinney.

While the defensive struggles were certainly a surprise, the Tigers' offensive issues are unfortunately par for the course. Yes, Cade Klubnik had 365 yards passing, but it took him an outrageous 60 attempts to get there. Clemson's offense was a laughable 3-for-13 on third down and 1-for-5 on fourth down. That inability to keep the offense on the field essentially decided the game's outcome.

Michigan-Nebraska was extremely on brand

Trying to predict what a group of 18- to 22-year-olds will do under the immense pressure of college football is borderline impossible on a week-to-week basis. Unless, of course, it's Michigan playing under an interim coach or Nebraska facing off against a ranked team. Then, there's no point in watching the game because history tells us exactly how it'll turn out. That held true again Saturday, as the Wolverines improved to a perfect 8-0 under an interim coach, while the Cornhuskers dropped a 28th straight contest to a ranked opponent.

The story Saturday came down to line play, with Michigan operating in a different stratosphere. The Wolverines bowled over an overmatched Nebraska defensive line for an absurd 286 yards rushing, averaging 9.1 per carry outside of sack yardage. On the other side, Michigan's defensive front was equally dominant, sacking Dylan Raiola seven times and holding the Cornhuskers under 50 yards rushing.

Raiola posted an impressive 308 yards and three touchdowns, but a classic Big Ten contest will almost always come down to the trenches. That's where Michigan excels, whether it be Biff Poggi as the head coach or Sherrone Moore. Poggi ends his tenure 2-0 as the frontman, with Moore allowed to return next week. Regardless of who's coaching, the Wolverines' brilliance on both the offensive and defensive lines should make them a serious threat in the Big Ten.

As for Nebraska, the scoreline likely flattered the Cornhuskers, who trailed by 10 before a late score cut it to three. While the continued development of Raiola is encouraging, that defensive line will likely hold the team back from making any serious strides in the Big Ten this year.

Beware Oklahoma's defense

Jackson Arnold might as well still be at Oklahoma for the amount of time he spent with his former teammates Saturday. The Sooners celebrated their former quarterback's return to Norman with a sack party, taking him down a team record 10 times in an outrageous defensive performance versus Auburn. Jayden Jackson led the way with 2.5 sacks, while pass-rush specialist Mason Thomas got two of his own despite only playing the second half. His second sack was the record setter for the Sooners, as he dropped Arnold in the end zone for a clinching safety.

Oklahoma has now faced two high-quality opponents this season in Michigan and Auburn and emerged victorious in both. John Mateer has rightly received plenty of attention for his brilliant quarterback play, but it's the defense that sets the tone for the Sooners. Brent Venables promised that side of the ball would dominate when he took over as Oklahoma head coach, and that's certainly the case thus far in 2025. Those sack numbers are sure to grow in a major way after next week's bye with Kent State on deck. The Golden Flashes entered Saturday having allowed the ninth-most sacks in the nation this season.

Different games for famous last names

The two current most famous last names in college football, Manning and Belichick, delivered very different results Saturday. Arch Manning finally showed why he received more preseason Heisman bets than any other player in the country, lighting up Sam Houston State with his best showing of the season. Manning finished with 320 yards of total offense, throwing three touchdowns and adding two rushing scores before sitting out most of the second half. Yes, the competition was nowhere near an elite level, but we'll take any sign of progress with Manning at this point.

Bill Belichick again walked off a college field on the losing end after North Carolina got steamrolled by UCF 34-9. The Tar Heels looked noncompetitive for most of the contest - the second time that's happened this season against power conference competition. Belichick's counterpart on the other sideline, Scott Frost, has now won 16 straight games with UCF dating back to his perfect 13-0 season in 2017. So, you tell me who's the greatest coach of all time.

Complete Texas Tech is Big 12's best

If you've watched college football over the past 25 years, then you'd likely describe Texas Tech as a program with an explosive passing attack paired with a defense that has struggled to keep pace. Well, times have changed in Lubbock, and the Red Raiders are now one of the most complete teams in the country. After an extremely comfortable schedule to begin the season, Texas Tech aced its first big test with a stunning 34-10 road victory at Utah.

The first thing of note was the defense's dominance. A unit that ranked 123rd in the nation last year has suddenly morphed into the 2001 Baltimore Ravens with timely additions from the transfer portal. The Red Raiders forced a whopping four turnovers, including two interceptions by Devon Dampier, and held Utah to 3.8 yards per play on offense after the Utes had averaged 7 yards per play across their previous games.

A refreshing change for Texas Tech on offense was some incredible balance in the attack. The Red Raiders rushed for 173 yards while throwing for 311. Will Hammond tossed 169 of those air yards after stepping in for the injured Behren Morton. Hammond was nearly flawless in relief, missing just three passes and fitting numerous throws into extremely tight windows in a tough road environment.

Defense, balance on offense, and great depth at quarterback? Saturday's performance should put Texas Tech firmly at the top of Big 12 title favorites and in the driver's seat for the playoff.

Maryland has a dude at QB

Forget the Bryce Underwood love, the Big Ten just might be Malik Washington's playground. Underwood isn't the only true freshman quarterback to start immediately, as Washington continued his brilliant play for Maryland Saturday at Wisconsin. The nation's third-ranked dual-threat passer in the 2025 class again topped the 250-yard passing mark, making him the second true freshman quarterback in the last 20 years to hit that total in each of his first four games of the season.

Another Fickell flop at Wisconsin

You had to dig pretty deep to find someone criticizing Wisconsin's hire of Luke Fickell. After all, he had just guided Cincinnati to the playoffs, making them the first Group of 5 program to reach the postseason. If Fickell could do it with the Bearcats, he could certainly repeat that with the Badgers, right? Turns out, the answer is a resounding no. The latest debacle in Fickell's tumultuous tenure with Wisconsin came Saturday in a home blowout at the hands of Maryland.

Perhaps most damning to Fickell's time in Madison is the loss of the Badgers' long-standing identity. Wisconsin used to send offensive linemen and running backs to the NFL on an annual basis. Now, they struggle to get back to the line of scrimmage on any running play. Even taking away Maryland's six sacks, the Badgers barely topped 3 yards per carry Saturday. Say what you want about quarterback injuries, and there's plenty, but it's borderline unfathomable that a Wisconsin team can't run the ball on a program like Maryland.

Fickell was exceptional at identifying coordinators while at Cincinnati, bringing in future Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman and Irish offensive coordinator Mike Denbrock to his staff. That hasn't translated at Wisconsin, and the program is somehow going backward under his watch. The question is whether Fickell gets the chance to turn things around. His buyout is steep at $25 million, but Saturday's showing might have the state of Wisconsin checking for spare change in the mattress to make that happen.

McAlister cooks SMU in Iron Skillet

You can forgive SMU for not focusing the entire defensive game plan on Eric McAlister. The TCU receiver entered Saturday's contest with five catches on the season for 66 total yards - nothing to sneer at, but not exactly "stop this man at all costs" production. It's safe to say that future Horned Frogs opponents might need to adopt that approach. McAlister absolutely torched the Mustangs for an outrageous 254 yards on eight catches with three touchdowns.

Unfortunately, SMU may have to wait a lengthy period to exact revenge, with Saturday marking the last scheduled meeting in the Iron Skillet rivalry.