Reactions from Week 4

Some streaks broken, some live on.  My Week 4 reactions are below.



The Over-Reaction:

• The key for Tennessee to winning convincingly over a quality opponent has to be falling by 2-3 TD's early. The Vols might as well do it against everyone and go undefeated!
• UCLA will NEVER beat Stanford! Mora is just the coach for winning the games UCLA "should" and won't take that next step.
• Texas A&M beat Arkansas in regulation this time! They're bound for a New Year's Six bowl!
• UVA beat someone! Better yet, a MAC team that was favored in Charlottesville! The ACC Coastal has a new front runner!

The "Wait and See" Reaction:

• Three Top 10 matchups are on the horizon for this coming weekend (Stanford at Washington, Wisconsin at Michigan, and Louisville at Clemson). Will any/all of them live up to the billing?
• My beloved Hokies had an awesome win against East Carolina, shaking off a 2-game losing streak to the Pirates. And they looked GOOD! Might Virginia Tech find themselves a contender for the ACC in Year 1 of the Justin Fuente era?
• Alabama has been crowned the "clear-cut" #1 team, but have had yet to face any 2 tough foes in a row. How will that Arkansas-Tennessee-Texas A&M stretch work out for the Tide after one more "easy week" coming up against Kentucky?
• Will LSU crumble, given the negativity and pessimism regarding Les Miles's job? Or will they rebound and make a surprise impact going down the stretch?
• With 2 Mountain West teams now ranked in the AP Poll (San Diego State and Boise State), can they continue throughout the season as the "hunted"? And can the MW Champ get an at-large New Year's Six berth (which would have to be the Cotton Bowl) alongside Houston?

Tony's Takeaways:

• After September, the Big 12 has established itself as the clear underdog with regards to making the CFP. And the prospects are not looking particularly promising for a 2nd team to get an at-large NY6 berth. To their credit, they did sweep their four non-conference teams this week.
• I've long said that a Group of Five team CAN make the CFP - if the conditions are just right. Houston's doing very well against the teams they're supposed to beat. USF, Cincinnati, Navy, and Memphis are looking like decent-to-good conference foes. And Louisville's rolling as well. That night in November could be one of the most highly-anticipated Thursday games ever!
• Notre Dame has issues! Three losses already. On top of that, the Defensive Coordinator has been let go. Things could unravel quickly in South Bend!
• Bravo to the ACC for winning ALL eight of its non-conference games. Especially Duke and Wake Forest for winning on the road against (respectively) Notre Dame and Indiana. Nice!