Four showdowns between ranked teams in Week 4 started to create some separation at the top of the major conferences.
Wisconsin makes B1G statement
Although they came away with a victory against then-No.5 LSU in the first week of the season, the Badgers entered their contest against Michigan State looking to make a statement to prove that the upset of the Tigers was no fluke. They did that and more with a dominant 30-6 victory on the road that catapulted the team to No. 8 in this week's rankings. Wisconsin's defense forced four turnovers and will face an even tougher challenge next week on the road against No. 4 Michigan. The Spartans suffered their first loss of the season and tumbled from No. 8 to No. 17.
SEC picture begins to emerge
With top-ranked Alabama continuing to roll through its opposition, contenders are beginning to emerge as the Crimson Tide's chief competitors. Texas A&M staked its claim as the second-best team in the SEC with a 45-24 victory against then-No.17 Arkansas to rise to No. 9. Quarterback Trevor Knight led the way for the Aggies with 382 yards of total offense and four touchdowns.
In the SEC East, Tennessee snapped an 11-year losing streak to Florida with a 38-28 come-from-behind win. The Volunteers trailed 21-0 in the first half, but quarterback Joshua Dobbs finished with five second-half touchdowns to keep his team undefeated on the season and move Tennessee to No. 11 in this week's rankings. Georgia was not as lucky, as the Bulldogs fell behind 31-0 and could not recover in a 45-14 loss to Ole Miss. Georgia dropped to No. 25 in this week's rankings, while the Rebels climbed to No. 16.
The SEC will get more clarity in the coming weeks as Tennessee, Texas A&M and Alabama will all face each other in October.
Pac-12 contenders survive major tests
Thanks to late-game heroics, both No. 7 Stanford and No. 10 Washington will enter next week's showdown in Seattle undefeated. The Cardinal trailed for much of the second half against UCLA, but put together a 10-play, 70-yard drive that ended with a game-winning touchdown pass from quarterback Ryan Burns with 24 seconds remaining. Things were not much easier for the Huskies, who were taken to overtime in their conference opener against Arizona. Washington failed to capitalize on numerous scoring opportunities throughout the game, but came away with a 35-28 victory when quarterback Jake Browning found Dante Pettis for a four-yard touchdown pass in the extra session.
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