College football is unpredictable and delightful, so we live for what happens on Saturdays. And the Fourth Saturday of the 2024 season did not disappoint, from a thrilling finish in the Big House to the most insane safety I’ve ever seen at Lane Stadium. (Seriously. You have to see it to believe it..)

Every Sunday I’ll be posting my biggest takeaways from college football weekend. I’ll highlight the most interesting storylines, track College Football Playoff contenders, and specifically call out individual and team performances that deserve the spotlight.

These are my key insights from week 4:

1. The redistricting has given us some monster matchups.

On Saturday alone, we got Michigan-USC, Oklahoma-Tennessee, and Utah-Oklahoma State — three top-25 showdowns that double as conference games. These are the kinds of matchups we used to see every now and then, if the schools were willing to play each other … 10 years from now. And while there are obvious downsides to the latest round of redistricting — increased travel, loss of regional rivalries, etc. — what we saw on Saturday was the reason everyone made the choices they did. Big brands collided in Ann Arbor, with Michigan and USC going back-and-forth in the Trojans’ Big Ten debut. Tennessee and Oklahoma met in the Sooners’ first SEC game, one Oklahoma might like to forget but a result the Vols will surely use to boost a potential CFP-caliber resume. And Utah and Oklahoma State duked it out in a game that should have major implications for the Big 12 race.

2. Michigan appears to be content with the win without actually throwing the ball.

I don’t think this is a great strategy if you want to win meaningful college football games on a regular basis. But this is what Michigan likes to do with its personnel, and there aren’t many other options for this team right now. Quarterback Alex Orjiwho was making his first career start, completed 7 of 12 passes for 32 total yards in the Wolverines’ wild home win over USC. Michigan’s 32 passing yards today were the fewest in a game since Oct. 31, 1987. And Sherrone Moore was happy about it! He said he was thrilled to win this way — a sentiment I truly believe. And Michigan can probably win most games with a reliable run game (led by Kalel Mullingswho is clearly the best running back) and a frugal defense. But I don’t think the Wolverines will make it to a Big Ten championship or the College Football Playoff without some semblance of a passing attack.

3. USC deserves some praise.

The Trojans are definitely better than they were last year on defense. They’re healthier and more disciplined, and can actually tackle in space. They really played well in the second half against Michigan … until the final minutes when they gave up a 63-yard run by Mullings that helped set up the eventual game-winning touchdown (also by Mullings). Despite that miscue and the loss, I still come out of that game rooting for USC. The Trojans looked completely outmatched on both the offensive and defensive lines in the first half — we were all making the same “Welcome to the Big Ten” jokes — but they came out of halftime and basically shut down Michigan’s offense … well, until the very end.

4. Oklahoma will not enjoy its first season in the SEC.

Texas will do just fine in its first year in the new league. The Sooners might not, as evidenced by a brutal loss to Tennessee at home on Saturday. Oklahoma has a good defense, thanks to Brent Venables. But the offense is a mess, and it’s never a good sign when you have to bench your starting quarterback before the end of the first half of a big game. I just don’t have confidence in either sophomore Jackson Arnold or real freshmen Michael Hawkins Jr. to win a lot of SEC games with this offense. Can the offensive line hold up? Can this team sustain drives? Or do the Sooners just wish they were back in the Big 12?

5. Reports of Clemson’s death may have been premature.

One of the greatest joys and greatest risks of the early part of the college football season is the fact that it’s all too easy to overreact to a small sample size. And we (as a collective college football viewing community) did just that when we wrote Clemson off after their blowout loss to Georgia in Week 1. While I believe the Tigers are no longer in the upper echelons of college football — where the ‘Dawgs are — I do believe this is a team that can compete for an ACC title or, at the very least, a CFP at-large bid. Dabo Swinney and his players seem to agree, as they’ve taken out all of their frustrations on us (the collective college football viewing community) in their last few games. Poor North Carolina State got the worst of it this weekend, losing 59-35. But Appalachian State felt it two weeks ago, too, losing by 46 points. And hey, maybe Clemson has a point there. There’s a productive offense in there somewhere, and maybe that Week 1 showing was more of a compliment to Georgia than a death blow to Clemson.

6. James Madison joins in on the Group of Five fun.

The Dukes beat North Carolina 70-50 in a football game. It’s important to point that out, because it sounds like a basketball score. But…no. JMU scored on offense, defense and special teams. Quarterback Alonza Barnett good for nearly 500 total yards of offense and seven touchdowns. It was, quite literally, the most points the Dukes have ever scored against an FBS opponent. And it was a disastrous day for North Carolina, whose head coach was so distraught and emotional that he had to clarify that he had no intention of resigning. The win is a major boost for both JMU and its conference in the first year of the 12-team Playoff, which guarantees passage to the top-ranked G5 champion. Other leagues have had their moments in the sun — from the MAC to the Mountain West to the AAC — and now the Sun Belt gets its time to shine.

7. Colorado remains a must-see TV show.

On any given play, Buffs quarterback Shedeur Sanders could get sacked…or he could throw a long touchdown pass. You never know with that offensive line! For a team that isn’t very good and won’t be playing in a meaningful way in the conference race, Colorado is somehow incredibly fascinating. Even though the Buffs trailed Baylor by a touchdown, I couldn’t resist tuning in to see Sanders and/or two-way star Travis Hunter in action to see what they could do. Sanders threw a touchdown that would have tied the game, but it was dropped before he threw a Hail Mary that tied the game and sent it to overtime — where the Buffs won. I think I’ll be watching every Colorado game, even if there’s no real stakes, for the rest of the season. I wouldn’t want to miss a single unbelievable-but-somehow-possible moment.

And a look at the other top Heisman candidates heading into Week 4.

8. Utah has established itself as the leading contender in the Big 12 — with or without Cam Rising.

The Utes are a typical Kyle Whittingham team. They are physical. They control the game. They can win with or without a starting quarterback. Ridge riseswho warmed up but didn’t play because of a hand injury. And that’s why I predicted them in preseason to win the Big 12 in their first season in the league — and why that belief hasn’t changed, even with Rising’s injury. Utah still has Brant Kuithewho scored two touchdowns in a relatively low-scoring game, and a freshman quarterback who can do just enough to make up for his own mistakes and keep his team in the game. This is a conference with a lot of teams that seem capable of beating each other on any given week, so I might regret this one. But for now, with so much to watch from Iowa State, Kansas State, and others, I’d favor the Utes.

9. Arch Manning is still learning, and that’s okay.

Of course we all hope that Quinn Ewers sooner rather than later — and that he comes back fully healthy. But this really isn’t a bad time to be out, considering Texas faced UL Monroe this weekend and opens SEC play next week against a bad Mississippi State team. It’s actually a great time to break in a new starting quarterback Bow Manning. Against the Warhawks, Manning threw for 258 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in a 51-3 victory. One of those picks came early, and the other came when the outcome of the game was not in doubt. But they’re still good teaching moments for a young quarterback with a very famous last name. The redshirt freshman completed 15 of his 29 pass attempts, and he got plenty of help from both the Longhorn defense and the run game. That’s perfectly fine! A first start doesn’t have to be a masterpiece. And Texas coach Steve Sarkisian has said that’s Ewers’ job when he returns.

10. Can Georgia-Alabama start now?

No offense to Oklahoma-Tennessee (which turned out to be a bit of a quibble), but we’ve been waiting for a major SEC showdown, and we’ll finally get it next Saturday when the ‘Dawgs travel to Tuscaloosa to take on the Crimson Tide. It’ll be both a great look at Alabama under Kalen DeBoer and an evaluation of Georgia as a national title contender beyond Kentucky. Of course, in the era of the 12-team CFP, this isn’t necessarily a game that eliminates the loser from playoff contention. But it will still be important in the league’s race. It will still lead to plenty of #takes. And it will still be the best possible way to understand two of the best teams in the country.