My Top 25 (Week 4)

Week 4 was a very entertaining week of college football.  The action started off on Thursday night as the LSU defense dominated the vaunted Mississippi State spread attack, 19-6 in Starkville.  Oklahoma proved they are for real as they took care of business in Tallahassee beating the Florida State Seminoles by a score of 23-13.  Florida State made it interesting in the second half but the Sooners proved to be too much in the end.  Brian Kelly and his fighting Irish of Notre Dame got their first win of the season beating Michigan State in impressive fashion 31-13.  Notre Dame started off the season losing heart breakers to South Florida at home and Michigan in the big house but now have some confidence moving forward after beating a top 20 team.

Teams under the radar to watch out for:

1. The Florida International Golden Panthers are looking much improved in 2011.  They are 3-0 with wins over Louisville and defending Conference USA champion, Central Florida.

 2. The Iowa State Cyclones have started the season in impressive fashion.  They are 3-0 with wins over in-state rival Iowa and Connecticut.

3. The Ohio Bobcats are another team to watch.  They are 3-0 including a blowout 44-7 win over an improved Marshall team Saturday.  Look for the Bobcats to compete for a MAC title in 2011.

4. After the departure of head coach Brady Hoke, there was not much expected out of the San Diego State Aztecs in 2011.  They have exceeded expectations and their high powered offensive attack remains intact with quarterback Ryan Lindley and running back Ronnie Hillman leading the way.  The Aztecs are looking like they will compete at the top of the MWC conference in 2011.  They beat an improved Washington State team 42-24 Saturday.  They will have a big test this week as they meet their former head man Brady Hoke and the Michigan Wolverines in the big house.

5. The Vanderbilt Commodores have not been relevant in the SEC for a while.  The days of Jay Cutler seem long ago.  Things could change in 2011 as the Commodores are off to a 3-0 start.  They have looked solid in wins over Connecticut and Ole Miss.

Here are my top 25 teams heading into week 4:

1. Oklahoma (2-0) Last week @Florida State W 23-13, this week vs. Missouri

2. Alabama (3-0) Last week vs North Texas W 41-0, this week vs. Arkansas

3. Boise State (2-0) Last week @Toledo W 40-15, this week vs. Tulsa

4. LSU (3-0) Last week @Mississippi State W 19-6, this week @West Virginia

5. Stanford (3-0) Last week @Arizona W 37-10, this week vs. UCLA

6. Oregon (2-1), Last week vs Missouri State W 56-7, this week @Arizona

7. Wisconsin (3-0) Last week vs Northern Illinois W 49-7, this week vs South Dakota

8. Oklahoma State (3-0) Last week @Tulsa W 59-33, this week @Texas A&M

9. Texas A&M (2-0) Last week vs Idaho W 37-7, this week vs Oklahoma State

10. Florida State (2-1) Last week vs Oklahoma L 13-23, this week @Clemson

11. Nebraska (3-0) Last week vs Washington W 51-38, this week @Wyoming

12. South Carolina (3-0) Last week vs Navy W 27-24, this week vs Vanderbilt

13. Virginia Tech (3-0) Last week vs Arkansas State W 26-7, this week @Marshall

14. Arkansas (3-0) Last week vs Troy W 38-28, this week @Alabama

15. West Virginia (3-0)  Last week @Maryland W 37-31, this week vs LSU

16. Florida (3-0) Last week vs Tennessee W 33-23, this week @Kentucky

17. South Florida (3-0) Last week vs Florida A&M W 70-17, this week vs UTEP

18. Baylor (2-0) Last week vs Stephen F. Austin W 48-0, this week vs Rice

19. Clemson (3-0) Last week vs Auburn W 38-24, this week vs. Florida State

20. Texas (3-0) Last week @UCLA W 49-20, this week vs Iowa State

21. Houston (3-0) Last week @Louisiana Tech W 35-34, this week vs Georgia State

22. Michigan (3-0) Last week vs Eastern Michigan W 31-3, this week vs San Diego State

23. Illinois (3-0) Last week vs Arizona State W 17-14, this week vs Western Michigan

24. Georgia Tech (3-0) Last week vs Kansas W 66-24, this week vs North Carolina

25. North Carolina (3-0) Last week vs Virginia W 28-17, this week @Georgia Tech

Others receiving votes: Michigan State (2-1), Auburn (2-1), Penn State (2-1), Georgia (1-2), TCU (2-1), Utah (2-1), Mississippi State (1-2), Florida International (3-0), Iowa State (3-0), San Diego State (3-0), Vanderbilt (3-0), Arizona State (2-1), Missouri (2-1), Iowa (2-1), Pittsburgh (2-1), Central Florida (2-1), Miami, Fl (1-1), Texas Tech (2-0), Ohio State (2-1), Ohio (3-0), Air Force (1-1), Temple (2-1), Navy (2-1), Northwestern (2-1), Wake Forest (2-1), North Carolina State (2-1), Notre Dame (1-2), Purdue (2-1)