Week 4 of the college football campaign delivered its fair share of eye-opening performances and surprises from each corner of the country. With conference play ramping up across the nation, several teams, like Tennessee and Michigan, made bold statements, while others, like USC, Oklahoma, and Kansas State, stumbled. Here are a few takeaways from an action-packed weekend slate.
Travis Hunter Should Be The Heisman Favorite
Ultimately, Hunter’s Heisman candidacy signals a potential shift in how we evaluate prominence in college football. In a sport where players are often pigeonholed into specific roles, Hunter is redefining what it means to be a flat-out star. His ability to dominate both sides of the ball harkens back to legends like Charles Woodson—the last primarily defensive player to win the Heisman in 1997—yet Woodson’s offensive success pales in comparison to what Hunter has done since arriving at Colorado. For context, Woodson totaled 21 career receptions in his three years at Michigan. For Hunter, he recorded 17 catches for 242 yards and three scores in his first TWO games this fall.
On offense, Hunter is arguably the top pass-catcher in the country. On defense, it’s the same conversation. While the Heisman will likely be awarded to a headlining athlete on a team that qualifies for the CFP, there is none more deserved than Hunter at this point in time.
The 2025 WR Class Continues To Elevate
Heading into the fall, the focus remained on the aforementioned Hunter, Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan, and Missouri’s Luther Burden III. While each of those pass-catchers has remained highly productive thus far, it’s been the likes of Maryland’s Tai Felton and Ole Miss’ Tre Harris, among others, that have forced attention to their respective skill sets. The class as a whole will continue to evolve as the weeks progress, making it an awfully intriguing positional group to follow as we get deeper into the pre-draft process.
Tennessee Is For Real
Led by QB Nico Iamaleava, the Volunteers look every bit of a title contender through four weeks. A 10-point win at Oklahoma in Week 3 won’t sway box score scouts, but Tennessee dominated the Sooners from start to finish. Head coach Josh Heupel’s offense remains one of the nation’s fastest and most efficient, while the defense, led by projected first-rounder James Pearce Jr., flies to the football at all three levels.
So Is Utah…
You always know what you’re going to get from a Kyle Whittingham-led program: Toughness, grit, fundamentally elite. The Utes once again should be in a spot to compete for a conference title. Albeit this time, it’s a Big 12 championship instead of a Pac-12 trophy. From linebacker Lander Barton to pass-rushers Connor O’Toole and Van Fillinger, Utah suffocates offenses in both facets. If the program can get veteran quarterback Cam Rising back healthy, they absolutely could make a run in the new-look CFP.
Iowa RB Kaleb Johnson Deserves More Attention
Another name to become familiar with in what projects to be a historic pool of talent at RB, Kaleb Johnson has been everything for the Iowa offense. A physical and well-built athlete, Johnson currently leads the country in rushing through four weeks (685 yards) and is tied with Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty—a headliner in the class—with nine touchdowns. Johnson is averaging a gaudy 8.5 yards per carry on 82 attempts (third in CFB) and is an athlete whose spotlight will continue to expand with a matchup at Ohio State following the bye week.
