Top 25 teams advance and relegate in week 4

Despite what some fans who have looked at the schedule in advance might think, there is usually no such thing as a “boring weekend” in college football, as teams are always fighting for a spot in the top 25, and this week’s events were no exception, with several teams declaring they are or aren’t ranked.

While we didn’t see any major upsets from the teams ranked in the top 25 of the AP poll (though Georgia faced a tougher challenge than expected in Kentucky), the results in the ACC and Big 12 could impact the poll this week, and one Group of Five school made a big statement on the road.

Promotion: Oregon

Sure, Oregon may not have much wiggle room with most of the AP top 10 already in good form this week, but voters could move the Ducks up one spot above idle Penn State.

After falling far short of expectations in their first two games and winning by a combined 13 points, Oregon woke up from their preseason slumber to beat rival Oregon State 49-14.

It looks like we were expecting a bigger threat than we expected in his Big Ten debut season, as Dillon Gabriel threw for 291 yards and two scores on 20-of-24 passing, along with another touchdown and 64 more yards rushing.

Oregon had 546 total yards of offense and held the Beavers scoreless in the second half. Inactivity next week could limit that streak, but at least this team is headed in the right direction.

Promotion: Pittsburgh

The Panthers were overlooked by AP voters last week, but they may get a closer look after a win over West Virginia to improve to 3-0 on the season, a big turnaround for a team that was projected to finish 13th in the ACC.

Now that the conference seems more open and quarterback Eli Holstein is rejuvenating this offense, Pittsburgh has a chance to run a little bit, especially over the next six weeks.

Going Down: Arizona

One of college football’s most prized passing duos gained some yards but couldn’t do much in No. 20 Arizona’s 31-7 loss to Kansas State on Friday night.

Tetairoa McMillan had 138 yards on 11 receptions but no touchdowns and the Wildcats had just 56 yards passing, while Noah Fifita gained less than 7 yards per reception and no touchdowns.

It’s this type of performance that drops a team in the Big 12 rankings and could cause AP voters to remove a team from the rankings altogether this week.

Promotion: Memphis

There is fierce competition at the top of the Group of Five for an automatic berth in the College Football Playoff, and so far the Tigers have stood out.

All the more so since they defeated Florida State 20-12 on the road, which gave the Seminoles a 0-3 record and allowed Memphis to confidently record a 3-0 score.

It wasn’t just Seth Henigan and the offense that were good at it: Memphis dominated the game on defense, recording four sacks and limiting the Noles to 37 yards on 24 attempts, an average of 1.5 yards per carry.

Sure, beating a weak FSU team isn’t as big of an accomplishment as it could be, but it’s always worth noting when a G5 team gets a road win against a Power Conference school, especially in an era of extended playoffs when those victories mean so much more.

Going Down: Boston College

This could spell the end of BC’s rankings just one week after a 6-point road loss to Missouri, although voters may forgive a close score on the road against a highly ranked SEC opponent.

The Eagles started off strong, taking a 14-3 lead in the second quarter, but the defense struggled to contain Mizzou after that, allowing the Eagles to score 23 unanswered points before scoring a late touchdown.

Boston College is ranked 24th and could fall out of the rankings as other teams that received votes last week are playing better and could take its spot this week.

Promotion: Notre Dame

The polls have taken a significant toll on the Irish following last week’s home loss to the MAC, which dropped them 13 spots to 18th, but we should see ND rebound after a very successful road season.

Riley Leonard scored three touchdowns and the Irish quarterbacks added 362 yards and three other touchdowns in a 66-7 landslide victory over Purdue that could save the team’s College Football Playoff hopes.

That may convince pollsters that the Northern Illinois disaster was the exception rather than the rule, as Notre Dame is now 2-0 against the top four teams, both on the road.

More play along those lines, and AP voters and the selection committee might be inclined to forget what happened last week. Or at least put it in a more forgiving context.

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