Sports Fountain’s college football top 20 rewards Florida and questions familiar favorites

Florida went into halftime against Ole Miss ahead 17-6, with reasons to be annoyed. The Gators had a long touchdown called back and left another drive deep in Rebels territory without points.

Then they scored touchdowns on their first five possessions of the second half.

Ole Miss had beaten Louisville and LSU. There were good reasons to take the Rebels seriously, which made Florida’s 52-28 win all the more striking. By the finish, the Gators had rushed for 302 yards.

Florida moves to second in our rankings. Texas stays first, although Tennessee made the Longhorns defend that position until the final play. Iowa needed the last play to win at Michigan, too, while Oregon left USC with a victory overshadowed by concern for Dante Moore.

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Here is our top 20 through Week 4:

1. Texas (4-0)

Colin Simmons finished with five sacks at Tennessee. The rest of the Texas defense added five more. Somehow, the Longhorns still needed to knock down a pass in the end zone on the final play to win 20-17.

Texas made the finish harder than it needed to be, giving up a late touchdown and then an onside kick. The offense managed only 262 yards. That gives Steve Sarkisian plenty to work on during the bye, but he gets to do it with wins over Ohio State and Tennessee.

I’d take that September, flaws included.

2. Florida (4-0)

Jadan Baugh carried 29 times for 142 yards and three touchdowns. Duke Clark added 126 yards on just 12 carries. Florida could keep handing it off because Ole Miss couldn’t make that a bad idea.

A week earlier, the Gators had won 44-39 at Auburn. Now they have followed a difficult SEC road win by beating a much better opponent comfortably at home.

Second is a big move. I’m willing to make it for an unbeaten team that just handled Ole Miss this thoroughly.

3. Alabama (4-0)

Keelon Russell had thrown four touchdown passes before halftime against South Carolina. Three covered more than 30 yards. Alabama was getting big plays early, and a 35-10 halftime lead became a 49-18 win.

The Tide have scored at least 45 in every game. Russell finished Saturday with 365 passing yards and added a rushing touchdown, giving South Carolina more problems than it could solve.

Alabama’s defense allowed Florida State 36 points a week earlier, so there’s work to do. The quarterback is giving it plenty of room to improve.

4. Notre Dame (4-0)

Purdue chose to receive and was sacked on the first play. Notre Dame finished with six sacks, and the Boilermakers didn’t score a touchdown until their final drive in a 49-10 loss.

The Irish have held all four opponents below 300 yards. Against Purdue, they were able to pressure the quarterback with four rushers, leaving more defenders in coverage.

5. Georgia (4-0)

Georgia beat Oklahoma by 28 points and outgained it by only 12 yards. That helps explain why Kirby Smart wasn’t especially pleased afterward.

Four takeaways and a defensive touchdown helped the Bulldogs win 41-13. Their own offense became sloppy after halftime, with Gunner Stockton throwing his first interception of the season. Georgia had already built enough of a lead to absorb the mistakes.

“We played really sloppy in the second half,” Smart said.

6. Miami (4-0)

Darian Mensah has thrown 14 touchdown passes and 12 incompletions through four games. Even against a forgiving early schedule, that’s a remarkable month of passing.

He completed 23 of 27 throws in the 52-3 win over Central Michigan, despite Miami missing several offensive players. Chris Wheatley-Humphrey rushed for 104 yards with Mark Fletcher Jr. and Marty Brown out. Malachi Toney had another 100-yard receiving game.

Miami got useful work from players it may need more often as the season goes on. Mensah, meanwhile, takes that form to Clemson next.

7. Ole Miss (3-1)

Trinidad Chambliss helped bring Ole Miss within 38-28 in the fourth quarter. Florida answered with two more touchdowns.

That was the Rebels’ afternoon. They could get back within reach, but their defense couldn’t give them the next possession they needed. Allowing 302 rushing yards will make for an unpleasant week in the meeting room.

The Louisville and LSU wins still count, especially the head-to-head result against the Tigers. Ole Miss stays above LSU here.

But the Rebels have given every remaining opponent a good reason to test their run defense early.

8. LSU (3-1)

Lane Kiffin went for fourth-and-1 from his own 43, leading Texas A&M 14-3. Sam Leavitt found Jackson Harris for a 57-yard touchdown.

That opened up a game LSU’s defense had already been controlling. Marcel Reed finished with 106 passing yards, and A&M managed two field goals in the 35-6 loss. Harris had 163 receiving yards and two touchdowns; Winston Watkins Jr. added 107 yards.

Reed couldn’t rescue the Aggies with his legs, either. He finished with minus-13 rushing yards, sacks included. LSU kept a dangerous quarterback from finding a way around his passing problems.

9. Iowa (4-0)

Iowa had the ball at its own 9, down five, with 1:46 left at Michigan. The offense had done little to suggest a 91-yard touchdown drive was coming.

Hank Brown took the Hawkeyes the length of the field. With two seconds left, on fourth down from the Michigan 16, he found Reece Vander Zee in the corner for the winning touchdown.

The 20-19 win doesn’t make the offensive problems disappear. Iowa rushed for 58 yards and needed a kickoff-return touchdown to stay close. But the Hawkeyes now have wins over Iowa State and Michigan, and their quarterback delivered when there was no other way out.

Ohio State visits next.

10. Mississippi State (4-0)

Missouri led 24-17 entering the fourth quarter in Starkville. Mississippi State scored the last 14 points and won 31-24, with Kamario Taylor throwing for 360 yards and three touchdowns.

The Bulldogs have now beaten Minnesota and South Carolina on the road and Missouri at home. I’m putting them in the top 10 on that work.

11. Ohio State (3-1)

Jeremiah Smith caught 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns against Illinois. Julian Sayin kept finding him, and Illinois never found a workable response.

The Buckeyes won 42-19, though their defense allowed 462 yards. That part is easy to miss when Smith is producing one highlight after another. Illinois also ran for 199 yards, enough to give Ryan Day something to address before the trip to Iowa.

12. Utah (4-0)

Wayshawn Parker went 54 yards for a touchdown on Utah’s first play at Iowa State. He was still the player the Utes needed when their 24-3 halftime lead shrank to 24-17.

Parker caught the 13-yard touchdown that restored a two-score cushion, finishing with 239 yards from scrimmage and three scores in the 31-17 win. He led Utah in rushing and receiving.

Iowa State had spent much of the second half getting back into the game, only to be beaten again by the player who hurt it on the opening snap.

13. Indiana (4-0)

Northwestern brought extra defenders up to stop the run. Indiana rushed for 271 yards anyway.

That running game got the Hoosiers through a 29-23 win. After Northwestern cut the lead to 22-20, Lee Beebe Jr. broke a 70-yard run to set up the touchdown Indiana needed.

Getting Aidan Chiles on the ground was another matter. The Northwestern quarterback kept escaping pressure, and Indiana’s tackling deteriorated as the game went on. Curt Cignetti’s team is unbeaten, but its defense made a game it had controlled at halftime unnecessarily tense, so I’m putting them at 13.

14. Oklahoma State (3-1)

Oklahoma State had lost 18 straight Big 12 games before Saturday. It ended that run with 609 yards of offense in a 41-24 win at West Virginia.

Drew Mestemaker threw for 274 yards in the second half alone. The Cowboys had fallen behind 14-3, then began hitting the big passes that changed the game. West Virginia couldn’t keep up after the break.

Oklahoma State’s win over Oregon looks better after the Ducks won at USC. With both teams 3-1, I’m keeping the Cowboys ahead.

15. Oregon (3-1)

Dylan Raiola entered under circumstances no backup wants, after Dante Moore was taken from the field in an ambulance following a targeting hit.

Raiola threw for 289 yards and two touchdowns, helping Oregon win 41-27 at USC. When the Trojans tied it at 27 in the fourth quarter, he led another touchdown drive. Oregon scored the game’s final 14 points.

His experience as Nebraska’s starter helped the Ducks through a frightening night.

Oregon now has a bye before UCLA visits.

16. Texas Tech (4-0)

The 49-14 final leaves out an important detail: Texas Tech led Sam Houston by only seven at halftime, despite getting two interception-return touchdowns from Austin Romaine.

Will Hammond threw three interceptions late in the first half. Tech pulled away after the break, but the slow starts and mistakes have become a habit.

17. BYU (3-0)

BYU had the weekend off after LJ Martin ran for three first-quarter touchdowns at Colorado State. He finished with 176 yards on 15 carries in the 41-23 win.

Arizona is the Cougars’ best win so far.

18. Tennessee (3-1)

Faizon Brandon found Mike Matthews for a touchdown with 1:22 left against Texas. Then Arion Carter recovered the onside kick. A game that looked nearly gone suddenly offered Tennessee a chance to win.

The last pass fell incomplete, leaving the Vols with a 20-17 loss. Their defense had six sacks and kept them in it. The protection on the other side has to improve.

Giving up 10 sacks leaves a freshman quarterback trying to recover lost yardage far too often. Tennessee almost escaped that problem Saturday, but it’s a difficult way to get through an SEC schedule.

19. UCLA (4-0)

UCLA allowed Purdue 38 points a week ago, so holding Maryland to three was a welcome change. The Bruins won 54-3, with Ta’Shawn James and Scooter Jackson both returning interceptions for touchdowns in the third quarter.

Bob Chesney’s team has already won twice in the Big Ten. I want to see it against stronger opposition before moving it much higher, but winning by 51 on the road is a good way to get noticed.

20. Houston (3-1)

Houston never punted at Georgia Southern. Conner Weigman threw four touchdown passes and ran for two scores in the 42-28 win, answering after the Eagles drew level at 14.

The Cougars narrowly get the last spot over USC, with their only defeat coming by two points at Texas Tech. Weigman also has a reliable target in Amare Thomas, whose fourth-quarter touchdown extended his scoring streak to nine games.

Thomas will try to make it 10 against UCF on Saturday.