Remember Toledo’s big win last week against Mississippi State? How about Northern Illinois beating Notre Dame? Or Memphis beating Florida State?

All three Group of Five teams lost on a wild day of college football on Saturday, potentially putting them out of contention for the top prize and potentially out of control of their own destiny if they want to earn the glorious College Football Playoff berth that at least one of them deserves (the Group of Five’s top-ranked conference champion gets an automatic berth).

The Rockets, Huskies and Tigers’ victories were followed by losses to Western Kentucky, Buffalo and Navy, respectively.

There are five G5 undefeated teams left: UNLV, Army, Navy, James Madison and Liberty (Washington State is not eligible for the AQ because the Pac-12 with two teams does not meet the eight-team requirement).

But enough about the G5. What else happened on Saturday? Michigan surprised USC in the Top 25 showdown in Ann Arbor, despite only making 32 passes – yes, thirty-two — Yards. Coach Sherrone Moore then repeated his predecessor’s words regarding this statistic.

“I love it,” he told reporters. “It’s my dream.”

What a strange dream!

Still, USC is looking for answers to its inconsistent offense, and Michigan marches on with renewed hope for a Big Ten title (if it can get a passing game going). In a late-night game in the Pac-12-turned-Big 12, Colorado beat Baylor in overtime after having to complete a Hail Mary. CU’s two-way player Travis Hunter forced a fumble at the goal line in overtime that gave the Buffs the win.

In the other big ranked matchup, Tennessee flexed its muscles in Norman, Oklahoma, and rudely welcomed the Sooners into the SEC. Speaking of flexing muscles, Clemson has outscored its opponents 125-55 since its season-opening loss to Georgia (it was 28-0 after the first quarter against NC State on Saturday).

In the Iron Skillet rivalry game, SMU defeated TCU and literally sent home former coach Sonny Dykes, who was ejected from the game.

Dykes isn’t the only coach making headlines Saturday. Mack Brown made headlines after North Carolina suffered a 70-50 loss to James Madison. In his postgame speech, he hinted to players that he might resign, according to 247Sports. Brown further clarified his comments to ESPN, saying he would be back in the office working on Sunday.

At Texas, Arch Manning made his first career start in his third year in Austin. While he threw an interception on his opening series, Manning threw for 258 yards and two scores on the final series.

It’s high time for the rankings. As a reminder, we don’t take into account pre-season polls or previous season results. What happened in the past is the past. It’s about who you beat and how you beat them!

1. Tennessee Volunteers

This week: 25:15 against Oklahoma

Next week: Bye

A warm welcome to the Vols, our new top team. Tennessee has a neutral site win over NC State and now a road loss in the SEC. That’s as good a record as any. While much of the Rocky Top hype is about sophomore QB Nico Iamaleava (and he’s good), the world got to see Tennessee’s defense on Saturday – a downright nasty front seven. At one point, Oklahoma managed 10 plays in a row without gaining a single yard.

2. Georgia Bulldogs

This week: Bye

Next week: in Alabama

George W. Bush was president the last time Georgia beat Alabama in a regular season game (2007). The Crimson Tide have won eight of their last nine games heading into Saturday night’s matchup against a top-five seed in Tuscaloosa. Nick Saban beat his former protégé Kirby Smart five times in six games, including three SEC championship games and the 2017 national title game.

3. Texas Longhorns

This week: Beat UL-Monroe 51-3

Next week: against Mississippi State

As mentioned above, Arch Manning overcame some early rookie issues to lead the Longhorns to victory. It didn’t take much offense to win this game. Monroe finished the game with 111 yards of total offense. Texas’ record isn’t fantastic, but Steve Sarkisian’s group arguably pulled off the best win of the season at Michigan (helped along by the Wolverines’ win over USC).

4. Utah Utes

This week: 22:19 against Oklahoma State

Next week: against Arizona

Even without Cam Rising (injured hand), the Utes were able to win, thanks in large part to the tough defense we’ve come to expect from Coach Kyle Wittingham’s teams. The Cowboys failed to break the 300-yard mark and were up by three points with five minutes left.

5. Miami Hurricanes

This week: 50:15 against South Florida

Next week: against Virginia Tech

Can you believe USF led 15-14 in this game late in the second quarter? The Bulls actually did. Then the Hurricanes scored 36 unanswered points. QB Cam Ward threw for 404 yards and three scores. Miami seems to be the real deal, but have they been tested yet? Their only win in the power conference was at Florida.

6. Illinois fights against Illini

This week: Beat Nebraska 31-24 in overtime

Next week: at Penn State

We expected Nebraska to be in this top 10 after the Huskers beat Illinois in a Big Ten matchup Friday night. Oh, how silly of us! Bret Bielema’s boys marched into Lincoln and silenced the raucous crowd with a beautiful overtime performance. Trailing three times, the Illini got a standout performance from QB Luke Altmyer (21 of 27 with four touchdowns). Their record – wins over Kansas and now Nebraska – can get a lot better next week in Happy Valley.

7. Alabama Crimson Tide

This week: Bye

Next week: against Georgia

Kalen DeBoer’s first conference game as Alabama’s coach is none other than the two-time national champions, a program that has been threatening to overtake the Tide as the SEC’s premier program and championship dynasty for years, if it hasn’t already. Can ‘Bama take such a mythical title away from Smart and Co.?

8. Hurricanes in the state of Iowa

This week: 52-7 against Arkansas State

Next week: in Houston

Are the Cyclones all sleeping? The schedule hasn’t been the toughest (they’ve only played one power conference program – a win at Iowa), but they’ve still allowed 29 points in three games. A mediocre Big 12 schedule is a good premise for coach Matt Campbell’s team to return to the championship level we saw in 2020.

9. Washington State Cougars

This week: 54-52 win against San Jose State in the 2nd overtime

Next week: at Boise State

While we were all sleeping Friday night and into the early hours of Saturday morning, the Cougars and Spartans played arguably the best game of Week 4. Each team had a 300-yard passer, a 100-yard receiver, and (almost) a 100-yard rusher. Each team also led by double digits in points through the first three quarters! The teams scored 10 points in the final 37 seconds of regulation, with the Cougars needing a 52-yard field goal with 5 seconds left to send the game into overtime!

10. Penn State Nittany Lions

This week: Kent State defeated 56-0

Next week: against Illinois

Penn State outgained KSU 718-67 — a 651-yard differential that’s a school record and the most in a game in the last decade, according to ESPN Stats & Information. The Nittany Lions haven’t had the toughest games so far (just one power-conference win at West Virginia), but that’s about to change.

Dropped out: USC (2), Northern Illinois (9)