Top 8 Overreactions after Week 4 of 2026 College Football Season

When we look back at Week 4 months from now, we will remember it as the Saturday that started it all.

From emerging College Football Playoff contenders to unexpected, Herculean player performances to seismic hot seat changes on the coaching, this weekend overloaded us with important intel that will prove useful in the weeks to come.

Some were positive, many were not. Either way, it's the most telling week of CFB to date.

On paper, it looked like a mammoth weekend of college football. Thankfully, it delivered and then some. It also provided us with plenty to overreact to.

The Deion Sanders Experiment Has Failed at Colorado

It hasn't been boring. That's for certain.

And the highs Sanders brought to Boulder courtesy of his son Shedeur along with Heisman winner Travis Hunter were sensational. For a while, the trajectory at Colorado felt tangible. Those moments were very real.

But as we sit here on the brink of October, with the Buffaloes sitting at 2-2 with three difficult games—Texas Tech, Utah and Oklahoma State—on deck, it's hard not to accept where we are.

In his last 16 games against Power Four teams, Sanders is 3-13. Perhaps more glaring of all, the level of play seems to be rapidly deteriorating. After ugly losses to Northwestern and Baylor this is where we are.

In fact, Sanders is lucky not to be 1-3.

To be clear, this is a difficult job. It's hard to win at Colorado, and Sanders' presence provided this program with a jolt of energy it needed.

But we've seen at schools such as Indiana and UCLA what can be done in a short period of time, and it just doesn't feel like this momentum will change anytime soon.

We know where this is headed unless something changes drastically. The next few weeks likely won't help.

Shane Beamer Will Be Out of a Job Before Thanksgiving

On the topic of coaching turmoil, enter Shane Beamer.

To say the optics of South Carolina's loss to Alabama were less than ideal would be an understatement.

The Gamecocks lost 49-18, although the game actually felt worse than the score indicated. The score was 35-3 before halftime.

Beyond the blowout, which won't sit well with the fanbase, is the exchange Beamer shared with Dylan Stewart, the team's star defensive player. In the exchange , Beamer can be seen yelling at Stewart, although the player doesn't exactly seem engaged in the spirited pep talk.

If we wanted to dedicate a section on how much Stewart hurt his draft stock this week, we could do that as well.

For Beamer, who is coaching for his job, a miracle might be needed. South Carolina plays Kentucky, Florida, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Texas A&M, Arkansas, Georgia and Clemson the rest of the way.

Can he win four of these games to (maybe) save his job? We shall see.

We need some positivity, and Luke Fickell has plenty of it heading into Week 5. That's not exactly something we've said a lot over the past few years, although the progress this season is evident.

In desperate need of, well, anything, Fickell's team delivered a massive comeback win over Penn State in Happy Valley. The team fell behind 17-0 in the first half, and things looked bleak.

With his first-string QB healthy, the Wisconsin offense has some spunk. And while Colton Joseph needs to limit the turnovers, he's provided this team with an edge it has severely lacked.

As for the program, few coaches entered the year on thinner ice. The Badgers chose to keep Fickell and spend around him rather than pay for the buyout.

The team's lone loss came to Notre Dame, and the team battled valiantly early. As for the rest of the schedule, it's suddenly manageable. Games against UCLA, USC and Iowa won't be easy, although the last month has plenty of winnable games.

A nine-win season is within reach, and that should be enough. The importance of what happened against Penn State cannot be overstated. Massive win.

Jeremiah Smith is the Best Player in College Football, and It's Not Close

No debate. No further conversation needed. We could end this section here and move on.

But let's celebrate Smith's Saturday to fully capture what we're witnessing. The Ohio State wide receiver caught 12 passes for 217 yards and four—yes, four—touchdowns against Illinois.

The routes were diabolical, and his hands were insanely strong (per usual). He was the best player on the field. Let's be honest, he's always the best player on the field.

Through four games, Smith has 33 catches for 617 yards and seven touchdowns. He leads the nation in receiving yards, and he's tied for first in touchdowns despite everyone in the stadium knowing he's getting the ball.

In the year of the quarterback, with so much talent at the position, Smith stands alone. Perhaps the more interesting debate at this point, with plenty of games still to play in his CFB career, is where he stacks up against the best wideouts to ever play.

We'll save those declarations for another day. But needless to say, he's entered the conversation.

Dylan Raiola Will Still Be a College Football Superstar

First and foremost, we hope Dante Moore is OK. Oregon's starting QB took a scary hit against USC, and we want him healthy and fully recovered.

As a result of that hit, however, Dylan Raiola, a former 5-star recruit, was thrown into action. The former Nebraska QB didn't just play well; he guided Oregon to a season-saving win on the road against a very capable opponent.

Raiola completed 19 of his 25 throws for 289 yards and two scores. He looked both confident and comfortable. He was smooth under pressure. He was everything the Ducks needed and more.

Coming off a season-ending injury, the thought was that Raiola would sit behind Moore, play during lopsided games here and there, and then be the team's starting QB in 2027.

While Moore's immediate availability remains unknown, it doesn't change how we feel about Raiola. He's immensely talented, and he landed in a situation that seems to suit him well.

Whether he flourishes this year or next, it's a matter of time.

Let's make something abundantly clear. The days of Clemson winning national championships are long gone. The program that conquered Nick Saban and won multiple national championships is no more.

Still, let's give Dabio Swinney some credit. The last six quarters of football have drastically changed the outlook (and vibe) surrounding the program.

In Week 3, the Tigers were in trouble against North Carolina. A prolonged weather delay allowed Clemson to reset, and Swinney's team ultimately prevailed.

On Friday night, Clemson easily handled Cal and one of the most exciting young quarterbacks in college football. The offense remains a work in progress, although the defense seems to be finding its form.

Well, it better be. Clemson plays Miami in Week 5, and the Tigers are an enormous home underdog. While very few expect Clemson to even compete in this game, a solid showing could go a long way.

The good news? After Miami, the schedule eases up quite a bit. If Swinney can keep his team competitive and the offense can find a rhythm, the uneasiness that hovered over this program for weeks could slowly dissipate.

Just think about how ridiculous this would have sounded just a few years ago. The fact that we're doubting Indiana's college football dominance speaks to how unbelievable Curt Cignetti's team has been over the past two years.

Once the doormat of college football, we're now poking holes in the Hoosiers' unbeaten season.

The reality, however, is Indiana's lackluster out-of-conference slate of games has not offered much for us to judge. Against Northwestern in Week 4, the first real test of any kind, the Hoosiers didn't exactly thrive.

Maybe Northwestern is better than we think; maybe Indiana has taken a step back. Maybe, and this feels most likely, both are a bit true.

When you consider how much Indiana lost to the NFL, how could it not take a step back? It wasn't just the departure of Fernando Mendoza, last season's Heisman winner. Cignetti lost impact players on both sides of the ball.

The fact that Indiana is still in this position, ranked in the top 10, speaks to his brilliance.

Still, Indiana isn't the team it once was. That much is clear after this weekend.

That doesn't mean it can't do spectacular things moving forward, although doing so will be significantly more difficult than it once was.

Georgia is the Best Team in College Football

Sure, the schedule has been underwhelming. (Sorry, Oklahoma fans. But this part is true.)

Despite the lack of marquee wins one month into the season, Georgia has that look about it. It's a familiar look, although it's not one we've truly seen for a few seasons.

Through four games, the Bulldogs have outscored opponents 223 to 53. They currently have the No. 1 ranked scoring offense in college football and a defense that ranks in the top 20.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton remains one of the most underappreciated players in the country, and the offense has a sudden abundance of players contributing.

Indeed, other teams vying for CFB's top spot have done more and played better competition. There's no denying that. Even still, the Bulldogs have a roster seemingly constructed for a deep playoff run.

Plus, there will be plenty of time to prove their worth. Games against Alabama, Florida and Ole Miss are on the schedule. Before the regular season is complete, the Bulldogs will have multiple opportunities to showcase just how good they are.