Is it March Madness already? Kansas vs. Duke, Notre Dame vs. North Carolina, Florida vs. Tennessee! Nope, it was just a great Week 4 of college football, and things are starting to shake out. Clemson, Alabama, and Ohio State are at the top of their division standings as usual, and as you will read below, there are some surprising undefeated teams. Week 5 has some great matchups in store, and do not be surprised if four Top 10 teams lose this weekend!  As always, CJ Lang and Britt Sanders will guide you this college football season through all the storylines, player profiles, and game previews you will need. Enjoy!

If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.

Favorite Storylines

Undefeated 1.0 (CJ)

With one-third of the season already over, it’s not a surprise that we still have many undefeated teams. In the entire FBS, there are 21 undefeated teams, but what is surprising are some of the undefeated teams. We will hold this to just the Power 5 conferences for brevity’s sake, but we see you Coastal Carolina and James Madison!

Clemson is, as usual, undefeated in the ACC, but surprisingly enough, three other teams in their division are as well. Syracuse, Florida State, and North Carolina State are all 4-0 on the year. And similarly, in the Big Ten, OSU, Penn State, and Michigan are undefeated, but the Minnesota Golden Gophers are ranked 21 in the nation with an undefeated start. In the SEC, Tennessee, Ole Miss, and Kentucky are off to one of their best recent starts at 4-0. And in the Pac-12, the Huskies, Bruins, and Trojans are all still without a loss. But the biggest surprise so far has to be the undefeated Kansas Jayhawks. It’s their best start since 2009, and since joining the Big 12, it’s only the third time they’ve started 4-0. 

Another crazy aspect about this is the undefeated 21 FBS teams; nine are not ranked. There are currently nine one-loss teams in the AP Top 25 as of week 4, so we’ll give it a couple of weeks to see how many undefeated teams we have left. 

Who, Are, You … No.4? (Britt)

As it stands right now, 11 teams in the Power 5 are undefeated. Of those 11 teams, Georgia, Ohio State, and Alabama are locked into the college football playoffs. This leaves eight teams currently vying for the #4 spot. Since we are as close to a third of the way into the season as we will get, I wanted to look at who has the best current chance at being that fourth team. The way I see it, there are three tiers. 

The first tier has Michigan, USC, and Clemson. All are strong teams, but all have significant flaws. Right now, Michigan (obviously) is the best choice, but J.J. McCarthy will be the engine of Michigan’s future. USC and Clemson both have shown very impressive offenses compared to preseason expectations, but both lack any resemblance of a strong defense. USC could sneak into #4 if they continue their anti-regression turnover ratio up throughout the year. 

The second tier is Kentucky, Tennessee, and Penn State. Kentucky and Tennessee are well-rounded teams but share statement wins over Florida, who seems to be on the right path but not “back” by any means. Penn State is a fun one to pretend about, but to be honest, unless QB Drew Allar transitions flawlessly, they’ll fall out of the conversation. The dark horse here is Tennessee; QB Hendon Hooker is playing out of his mind, and if they can continue that consistency throughout the year Tennessee could make a real push for the CFP.

The third tier is Oklahoma State, Utah, NC State, Washington, and Oregon. These teams allow the imagination to wonder but need colossal failures from the above teams to achieve those dreams. 

Player Spotlights

Quarterbacks

Adrian Martinez (SR – Kansas State) 6-3, 225 lbs.

The former 4-star QB is having a second coming at Kansas State this year. Martinez was the 7th ranked dual-threat quarterback in the 2018 class and committed to the University of Nebraska. After starting there for four straight years, he entered the transfer portal and landed as a graduate transfer at Kansas State. Over his four years at Nebraska, he averaged 2,400 passing yards and 14 TDs, and 600 rushing yards. He also left the Big Ten with the ninth most total yards of all time. So the collapse of Nebraska as a football team was not his fault as he was one of the leading producers on the team. After a rough start to this season, Martinez showed up last week against top-ranked Oklahoma, where he had 234 passing yards, one touchdown, 148 rushing yards, and four rushing touchdowns. This week Kansas State takes on Texas Tech at home. Texas Tech is coming off a huge win against Texas last week. Both teams are riding big wins against conference opponents coming into this matchup. Luckily for Kansas State, Martinez seems to show up in the big games, and if you look at the rest of their schedule, that’s all they have left. So we’ll see if Martinez can increase his draft stock as he hopefully marches Kansas State towards a Big 12 championship. 

DJ Uiagalelei (JR – Clemson) 6-4, 250 lbs

A once front-lining quarterback, he fell out of grace after a very rough sophomore year. Yet this year, DJ Uiagalelei has been making the most out of the least. Having a completion percentage of 64.5-percent and a passer rating of 155.6 on the season brings back memories of his freshman level of play. What is also lovely to see is that Uiagalelei is pushing the ball further down the field with an adjusted yards per attempt of 9.2 and yards per attempt of 8.0. This is all while having a 10:1 touchdown to interception ratio and weapons that lack a true alpha in the receiver room. This week DJU will be facing NC State, who is allowing 4.7 yards per play, a completion percentage of 60.7, and allows a third down conversion rate of 31 percent. This is a big game against an adequate defense and should offer another opportunity for him to redeem himself and his draft capital.

Running Backs

Blake Corum (JR – Michigan) 5-8, 200 lbs

Blake Corum has played Michigan’s running back position exceptionally well this year. After sharing the touches with RBs Hassan Haskins and Donovan Edwards last year, Corum is only sharing touches with Edwards this season. Edwards missed last week’s game due to injury, and Corum capitalized on the opportunity the way talented players should. Rushing 30 times for 243 yards and 2 TDs. Corum has quietly made some noise this season with his dynamic abilities as a runner and his top-end speed to break off big plays. This week, Michigan faces the stout defense of Iowa. You should be excited to see his performance against this team because it will put on tape just how skilled of a runner he is. In draft capital and fantasy value, games like these are what people watch in the off-season studying NFL prospects. A big game for Corum, with or without Edwards, will bode well for him and his draft stock.

Jaydn Ott (FR – California) 6-0, 205 lbs.

Jaydn Ott, the Freshman running back from Cal currently leads the Pac-12 in literally every rushing category except rush attempts, where he ranks third. He is a four-star prospect and the 23rd-ranked running back in the 2022 class. Last week versus Arizona, he had 19 rushes for 274 yards and 3 TDs. He’s also shown skill with catching the ball out of the backfield, getting at least two receptions in every game this season, averaging at least five yards per catch. This week Ott will travel to Pullman to take on the Washington State Cougars, who just missed upsetting Oregon last week. The Golden Bears are 12-4 in their previous 16 games against Washington State, and the Cougs have given up an average of 112 rushing yards per game this season. As long as Cal doesn’t have to abandon the run as they did against Notre Dame, then Ott should get plenty of looks. 

Wide Receivers

Jalen McMillan (JR – Washington) 6-1, 180 lbs

Washington’s offense has taken a true 180-degree turnaround. This is due to new head coach Kellen DeBour’s offensive philosophy and Washington’s new QB Michael Penix Jr. As a result of a competent and functioning offense, Jalen McMillan has been able to showcase his true talents this season. In four games, he has 397 yards off of 21 receptions and 4 TDs. McMillan has 26.9-percent of the team’s receiving yards and 2.55 yards per team pass attempts. McMillan plays UCLA’s defense this week and will have another opportunity to continue his impressive and hopefully breakout campaign. McMillan may not have the collegiate production to be a first-round wide receiver. Still, he should be able to find his way into the day two conversation if he can continue this productive year.

Tyler Scott (JR – Cincinnatti) 5-10, 185 lbs.

This season Tyler Scott has gotten off to a career-best start. He has a combined 304 receiving yards and 4 TDs in his last two games. He is currently top five in all receiving categories in the American Athletic Conference and has the 8th most receiving yards in FBS. This is his second year starting for the Bearcats and last season posted 30 catches for 520 yards and 5 TDs. This season, through four games he already has 25 catches for 423 yards and 5 TDs. He has been one of QB Ben Bryant’s favorite targets and looks well on his way to a 1,000-yard receiving season. A three-star prospect out of Ohio, he was not highly recruited but is making the most out of his opportunities in Cincinnati. This week Scott and the Bearcats travel to Tulsa to try to improve their record to 4-1. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, they don’t have any more ranked opponents on their schedule for the rest of the year and only one more prime-time game scheduled, so another CFP run won’t be in the cards for the Bearcats this year. Still, a conference championship usually doesn’t hurt recruiting. 

Tight Ends

Joel Wilson (JR – Central Michigan) 6-4, 250 lbs.

Joel Wilson is entering his 5th year of play with the Chippewa, but after only catching seven passes in his first three seasons, he had a tremendous breakout season in 2021, where he started 11 games and had 31 catches for 367 yards and 6 TDs. This season he’s off to an even better start. He has 21 receptions for 224 yards and 3 TDs in four games. He currently ranks fifth in receiving yards in FBS among tight ends. And this season, he’s been averaging five catches for 55 yards receiving and a touchdown in every game. Even though Central Michigan is currently 1-3, you have to appreciate that their non-conference scheduling has two of those three losses against ranked opponents in  #9 Oklahoma State and #11 Penn State. Central Michigan will now get into the bulk of their MAC Conference schedule, and if they can still utilize Joel Wilson as much as they have, they still have a shot at a conference championship game. 

Griffin Hebert (SR – Louisiana Tech) 6-3, 229 lbs

The tight end position is always challenging, but Griffin Hebert makes it fun. He is currently ranked 3rd in FBS among tight ends in receiving yards per reception through four games and that is reason to pay attention. Hebert has amassed 327 yards off of 14 receptions and 3 TDs. That efficiency is absurd and unsustainable, given his reception amount. So one of two things must change, his efficiency either finds a more sustainable pace or his opportunities raise to meet his production. Given Louisiana Tech doesn’t have many front liners, I’d be willing to bet on the latter. Next week Hebert will face an exciting team in UTEP who gives up a decent amount of yards. Hebert’s pace for the season will have me tuning into the game to check in on which turn his production takes. 

Games Of The Week

#7 Kentucky vs. #14 Ole Miss (-7)

Get those Hotty Toddies ready, this one will be fun! Talk about the tale of two different offenses. Ole Miss currently has the third-best rushing offense in the nation running for 1,123 yards and 15 TDs, while Kentucky has one of the worst rushing offenses, now ranked 123rd in FBS. But through the air, the Wildcats have the advantage. Kentucky currently ranks 26th in FBS with 1,185 passing yards and 10 TDs, and Ole Miss ranks 97th in that category with only 829 passing yards thrown this season. So if both offenses can move the ball, albeit one way or the other, how do the defenses match up? Well, that’s just the issue. Both defenses have played great. Kentucky’s defense is ranked 17th in the nation, and Ole Miss is ranked 29th. So this is shaping up to be a fairly even matchup. Both teams come in with 4-0 records, but Ole Miss has not had to put up much of a fight in their games, outscoring their non-conference opponents 164-87. Meanwhile, Kentucky went into the Swamp and beat a ranked Gator team three weeks ago and have outscored their last two opponents 62-23. Home-field advantage does help the Rebels, but I think it will be an uphill battle even though they are 7-2 all-time vs. Kentucky at home. Our prediction: Kentucky wins, but Ole Miss covers.

#10 NC State vs. #5 Clemson (-6.5)

This game is a preview of the ACC title game. Clemson has been much better offensively than expected, but the concern is the defense. It has been a bit concerning, most recently allowing Wake Forest to pile up 45 points this last weekend. DJ Uiagalelei has been magnificent, given the weapons at his disposal. While he may not be a tier-one candidate any longer, he is doing enough to be a back-end first-round pick when he declares. The only shining star has been RB Will Shipley, who has, before this last week, been getting a first down on over 30 percent of his touches. Clemson freshman WR Antonio Williams quickly established himself as a primary weapon for DJU and another Clemson WR to keep tabs on is Adam Randall, a premier freshman wideout who lost the season’s early start to a torn ACL. As advertised, NC State QB Devin Leary had been efficient and protective of the ball. He doesn’t have a season that would suggest he will be a first-round draft pick thus far but a could be a day 2 QB, which has been a draft area that’s found recent success in the NFL. This game comes down to whether or not NC State can force enough defensive stops and if Leary and the offense can capitalize.

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If you want to dive deeper into fantasy football, check out our award-winning slate of Fantasy Football Tools as you navigate your season. From our Start/Sit Assistant – which provides your optimal lineup based on accurate consensus projections – to our Waiver Wire Assistant, which allows you to quickly see which available players will improve your team and how much – we’ve got you covered this fantasy football season.