Last weekend, for the first time in a while, college football was invariably disappointing. Although there were several matchups between heated in-conference rivals, the top 25 produced only one real upset — and even that came in disappointing fashion. But things look to turn around this week, and I mean in a big way, with huge playoff implications on the line. Without further ado, here are college football’s biggest upsets and top performances from week 4, along with my pick for the Lato’s Lens ‘Game of the Week.’
Biggest Upsets
No. 19 Indiana 63, No. 9 Illinois 10
Head coach Curt Cignetti is the real deal.
Within two years at the helm of a once struggling program, Cignetti has turned the Indiana Hoosiers into a perennial playoff contender, making the 2024-25 College Football Playoffs and an 11-2 record.
The No. 19 Hoosiers failed to disappoint once again on Saturday night, walloping Big Ten rival No. 9 Ilinois in 63-10 blowout fashion. Leading the charge for the Hoosiers was University of California transfer quarterback Fernando Mendoza. Though I spoke poorly of Mendoza in an earlier edition of my column, the signal caller completed 21 of his 23 passes for 267 yards and five touchdowns. His top receiver, Elijah Sarratt, hauled in two touchdown passes in the Hoosiers’’ upset victory.
Tulsa 19, Oklahoma State 12
This isn’t much of an upset, but I’m still stunned by the results of this game, nonetheless.
The historically struggling Tulsa Golden Hurricanes held on to a 16-3 halftime lead to stun Oklahoma State at their own stadium. This was Tulsa’s first victory over the Cowboys since 1998. Running back Dominic Richardson carried the offensive load for the Golden Hurricanes, rushing for 146 yards on 31 carries. Additionally, kicker Seth Morgan accounted for 13 total points with his four field goals and one extra point.
Following the loss, longtime Oklahoma State head coach Mike Gundy, who spent 21 years with the program, was fired. Things aren’t looking too good in Stillwater.
Syracuse 34, Clemson 21
While Syracuse entered the game with a record of 2-1 and Clemson 1-2, the Orange’s 34-21 victory over the Tigers in Death Valley is still an upset by all means.
Under the reign of head coach Dabo Swinney, the Tigers have been one of the crown jewels of the ACC and college football as a whole. Meanwhile, Syracuse historically is more of a basketball school — and even that can be disputed nowadays.
But headed by Notre Dame transfer quarterback Steve Angeli, the Orange are a monster. Angeli completed 18 of 31 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns through the air. Despite leaving the game early due to a season-ending injury, his performance gave the Orange enough momentum to seal a much-needed road victory.
Now former three-star and LSU transfer quarterback Rickie Collins will step into the role of starter for the Orange. I’m excited to see how he leads the Orange in the ever-so competitive ACC as the season progresses.
Top Performances
Arch Manning, QB (Texas)
Manning, after weeks of nationwide scrutiny, finally got his swagger back after completing 18 of 21 passes for 309 yards and three touchdowns through the air, including two on the ground in No. 10 Texas’ 55-0 victory over Sam Houston State.
Bryun Parham, LB (UConn)
In UConn’s 31-25 home victory over Ball State, the senior linebacker recorded a team-high 11 total tackles, helping the Huskies snap a two-game losing streak.
Trinidad Chambliss, QB (Mississippi)
Chambliss, who transferred from Division 2 power Ferris State, accounted for three passing touchdowns and 419 all-purpose yards (307 passing, 112 rushing) in No. 13 Ole Miss’ 45-10 victory over Tulane.
Cam Edwards, RB (UConn)
Edwards’ 19 carries, 194 yards and two second-half touchdowns sealed the Huskies’ second victory of the season against Ball State.
Lato’s Lens Game of the Week
No. 6 Oregon at No. 3 Penn State – Saturday 7:30 p.m. at Beaver Stadium (University Park, Pa.)
When I saw who No. 3 Penn State had slated for their annual ‘White-Out’ game, a tear rolled down my face when I found out it was the No. 6 Oregon Ducks.
Since leaving the Pac-12 for the Big 10, Oregon has nonetheless dominated, posting an undefeated regular season record in their inaugural 2024 season and defeating Penn State in the conference championship game. Despite losing quarterback Dillon Gabriel to the NFL, head coach Dan Lanning still has the train rolling with a 4-0 record.
On the other hand, Penn State has the same cast of characters as last year. Quarterback Drew Allar returns for his senior year, backed by possibly the best running back tandem in college football with star backs Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen. The question is: could head coach James Franklin win a big game?
Nonetheless, this rematch of the 2024 Big 10 Championship looks to be one for the ages, rightfully earning its spot as ‘Game of the Week!’
Prediction: Penn State