NCAAF · 12 hours ago

10 Most Overrated Teams in College Football Going Into Week 4

Grant White

Host · Writer

10. Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers' season got off to a rough start. Sadly, the outlook isn't any more favorable.

Clemson needed a 13-point fourth quarter to squeak past North Carolina over the weekend. The Tigers were outplayed throughout, allowing the Tar Heels to dominate possession and put forth a better-than-expected effort on the road.

The Tigers opened as road chalk versus Cal in Week 4. Don't fall for the trap; Clemson isn't for real.
1. Texas Longhorns
Once again, the Arch Manning-led Texas Longhorns put forth an uninspired effort, somehow retaining their title as the top-ranked team in the country.

While they escaped their matchup with the UTSA Roadrunners, the Longhorns fell short on several fronts. Most notably, Manning completed just 16 of 32 passes for a meager 161 yards and 5.0 yards per pass attempt. Moreover, they gave up six tackles for a loss and didn't come close to covering the -30.5 spread.

Texas isn't playing like a top-ranked team, nor is it deserving of the distinction. It won't be long before their house of cards comes tumbling down.
2. USC Trojans
The USC Trojans prevailed in another high-scoring game. In doing so, they only reinforced the concerns we've highlighted for the past few weeks.

The Trojans have absolved themselves of any defensive responsibility. They gave up 460 yards to a winless Rutgers Scarlet Knights team, outgaining their Big Ten counterparts by one measly yard. Rutgers was in lockstep with USC throughout the contest, with the Trojans' -21.5 spread constantly out of reach.

Everyone wants USC to succeed, but the reality is this team will collapse the next time it has to travel across the country for an intra-conference showdown.
3. Oklahoma Sooners
No team has pulled the wool over college football's eyes better than the Oklahoma Sooners. The still-ranked SEC squad narrowly escaped a Week 3 clash with New Mexico and remains overvalued across the board.

John Mateer is slowly engineering the Sooners' demise. Some people may be willing to give him credit for his 76.0% completion percentage or 238 yards, but we can't shift our focus away from his two interceptions. More concerningly, Oklahoma mustered a paltry 61 rushing yards on 32 carries.

With seven ranked opponents on the horizon, this 14-6 will unfortunately be a high point.
4. Texas Tech Red Raiders
We knew the Big 12 was a level playing field. A handful of teams will be in contention for the Championship game at the end of the season, but it's time to stop overestimating the Texas Tech Red Raiders.

Texas Tech hosted the Houston Cougars in Week 3. Inarguably, the Red Raiders were the worse of the two teams. Houston out-gained, out-possessed. and out-matched the Red Raiders throughout, failing on a two-point conversion to tie the game with less than a minute to go.

This game should have ended very differently. Texas Tech is getting too much credit for the win.
5. SMU Mustangs
The SMU Mustangs opened as favorites over the Louisville Cardinals. By kick-off, the market had adjusted, appropriately shifting the betting price in favor of the Cardinals. Unfortunately, the Mustangs are still overvalued heading into Week 4.

Offense was supposed to be a strength for SMU, but their on-field performances lead us to a very different conclusion. Kevin Jennings threw for just 222 yards against Louisville and collected only 35 rushing yards on nine carries in the loss. Moreover, they're missing a standout wide receiver to separate themselves against opposing secondaries.

This marks the beginning of the end for the Mustangs. They may still believe they have a shot at the ACC Championship Game, but they're not fooling us.
6. Alabama Crimson Tide
On paper, a 50-36 win might seem like a monumental achievement, but the Alabama Crimson Tide looked out of sorts against an inferior FSU squad over the weekend.

Five minutes into the second quarter, Alabama was down 21-6 against the Seminoles. They weathered the storm and mounted a comeback, but FSU gave the Crimson Tide more than they could handle. In the end, Ashton Daniels threw for nearly 400 yards. If it wasn't for his three interceptions, this game could have ended very differently.

The Seminoles beat themselves, but Alabama is getting credit for the win. These types of efforts won't hold up against their SEC brethren.
7. San Diego State Aztecs
It's easy to kick a 1-2 team while they're down. Still, we have a hard time reconciling where the San Diego State Aztecs stand with where they want to be.

For years, the Aztecs have underachieved. This is a team that built a state-of-the-art stadium with the intention of competing. Sadly, they keep moving the goalposts back.

San Diego State was handed another one-sided defeat by James Madison over the weekend. In doing so, they reset expectations for the remainder of the year -- don't suck.
8. North Texas Mean Green
Along the same vein as SDSU, the North Texas Mean Green are moving in the wrong direction.

Keep in mind that this was a team in the playoff conversation partway through last season. Now, we barely expect them to compete against lower-tier Group of 6 teams.

This weekend exacerbated our underlying concerns. The Mean Green gave up 605 yards and 49 points to a formerly winless Texas State squad.

North Texas is obviously favored over Houston Baptist this weekend, but it should be one of the last times the Mean Green are chalk.
9. Florida Gators
Don't look now, but this is exactly when the Florida Gators start to implode.

Florida bested a flawed Auburn squad at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Week 3. However, it took 44 points to do so. The Gators were gouged for 39 points, letting the Tigers score with ease.

Offensively, this Florida team is one of the best. Until they figure out how to play defense, we can't take them seriously.
10. Clemson Tigers
The Clemson Tigers' season got off to a rough start. Sadly, the outlook isn't any more favorable.

Clemson needed a 13-point fourth quarter to squeak past North Carolina over the weekend. The Tigers were outplayed throughout, allowing the Tar Heels to dominate possession and put forth a better-than-expected effort on the road.

The Tigers opened as road chalk versus Cal in Week 4. Don't fall for the trap; Clemson isn't for real.
1. Texas Longhorns
Once again, the Arch Manning-led Texas Longhorns put forth an uninspired effort, somehow retaining their title as the top-ranked team in the country.

While they escaped their matchup with the UTSA Roadrunners, the Longhorns fell short on several fronts. Most notably, Manning completed just 16 of 32 passes for a meager 161 yards and 5.0 yards per pass attempt. Moreover, they gave up six tackles for a loss and didn't come close to covering the -30.5 spread.

Texas isn't playing like a top-ranked team, nor is it deserving of the distinction. It won't be long before their house of cards comes tumbling down.

10 Most Overrated Teams in College Football Going Into Week 4

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