CFI Week 4

Week 4 // 2023

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

“They call it the ‘Brawl’ for a reason. That wasn’t a thing of beauty. Regardless of what it was, it was a win for West Virginia.”

West Virginia Head Coach Neal Brown after a 17-6 Backyard Brawl win over Pittsburgh

FLORIDA TEAM OF THE WEEK

No. 25 Florida edged its way into the AP Top 25 for the first time this season after a rowdy 29-16 upset over previously-ranked No. 11 Tennessee in Gainesville.

TEAM TO WATCH WASHINGTON

Maintaining its Top 10 spot in the AP Poll for the last three weeks, Washington collected its first road win of the season at Michigan State. The Huskies walloped the Spartans, 41-7, shutting them out the first two quarters and ending the first half with a five-touchdown lead. Washington, a future member of the Big Ten starting in 2024, gave a preview with its dominant performance at Spartan Stadium, including a record-breaking 713 total offensive yards – the most ever given up by MSU.

Michael Penix Jr., a Heisman frontrunner, led UW to the 35-0 halftime lead and finished the day completing 27-of-36 passes for 473 yards and four touchdowns, three of which connected to tight end Jack Westover.

The Huskies are one of eight Pac-12 teams in the latest AP rankings. Washington commences Pac-12 play against Cal this Saturday, September 23, in Seattle at 7:30 pm PHX on ESPN.

Despite an uneven season start for the Gators, they proved to be victorious over their SEC rival, knocking the Volunteers down 12 spots in the rankings to No. 23. Florida’s win marked 10 consecutive Tennessee losses in The Swamp and the third-fewest points under Head Coach Josh Heupel. Florida running back Trevor Etienne had 23 carries for 172 yards – both career-highs – and a first-quarter touchdown to kickstart the Gators.

Florida aims to improve to 3-1 as it hosts Charlotte in its third consecutive home game on Saturday, September 23, at 4:00 pm PHX time on ESPN+ and the SEC Network.

GAMES OF THE WEEK

#4 FLORIDA STATE AT CLEMSON

9.23 // 9:00 AM // ABC

#19 COLORADO AT #10 OREGON

9.23 // 12:30 PM // ABC

#15 OLE MISS AT #13 ALABAMA

9.23 // 12:30 PM // CBS

#14 OREGON STATE AT #21 WASHINGTON STATE

9.23 // 4:00 PM // FOX

#24 IOWA AT #7 PENN STATE

9.23 // 4:30 PM // CBS

For a full schedule of Week 4 games, click here. (All times in PHX)

2023 BOWL PREDICTIONS

Vrbo FIESTA BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – Washington vs. Penn State

ESPN Schlabach – Washington vs. Tulane

USA Today – Washington vs. Ohio State

CBS – Washington vs. Tulane College Football Network – Ohio State vs. USC College Football News – Florida State vs. Penn State

AP WEEK 3 RANKINGS

For a full AP Top 25 Rankings, click here.

GAME OF THE WEEK

#6 OHIO STATE AT #9 NOTRE DAME

On the biggest day of the season so far, Ohio State will travel to Notre Dame for the eighth all-time matchup between two of college football’s most prolific programs.

Both teams remain undefeated heading into Week 4 and have notable ties with the Fiesta Bowl, playing each other in 2016 and 2006 – both Buckeyes victories. Ohio State has the most Fiesta Bowl appearances out of any team with a resounding nine, and Notre Dame isn’t far behind with six, the third-most of any team. They’ve each won national championships at the Fiesta Bowl – the Fighting Irish in 1989 and the Buckeyes in 2003. Notre Dame Head Coach Marcus Freeman played in the 2009 Fiesta Bowl as an undergrad at Ohio State against Texas.

Kickoff is at 4:30 pm PHX time on Saturday, September 23, on NBC.

GUARANTEED RATE BOWL

ESPN Bonagura – TCU vs. Illinois

ESPN Schlabach – Kansas vs. Minnesota

USA Today – BYU vs. Nebraska

CBS – BYU vs. Purdue

College Football Network – Kansas State vs. Rutgers Action Network – Texas Tech vs. Rutgers

1. Georgia

2. Michigan

3. Texas

4. Florida State

5. USC

6. Ohio State

7. Penn State

8. Washington

9. Notre Dame

10. Oregon

GABE DAVIS

Davis, in his fourth NFL season, was a major contributor for the Buffalo Bills in their first win of the season, a 38-10 rout of the Las Vegas Raiders.

The wide receiver raked in six receptions for 92 yards and one touchdown, including a 40-yard dart from quarterback Josh Allen. Davis’ 2-yard touchdown late in the third quarter put the Bills up 28-10. The former UCF Knight, who sports the same #13 in the pros as his alma mater, made an impact in the 2019 Fiesta Bowl vs. LSU. Despite a tough loss, Davis accounted for three receptions, 59 yards and one touchdown.

The Bills are on the road this week for a matchup against the Washington Commanders on Sunday, September 24, at 11 am PHX time on CBS.

BIG NEWS

The Guaranteed Rate Bowl will once again feature Bowl Season’s only Big 12 vs. Big Ten matchup. As we eagerly await the Dec. 26 kickoff, we’re bringing you weekly game highlights, player reports and other updates from the two conferences. Here’s the BIG news from Week 4:

BIG TEN BIG 12

• Staying steady at No. 2, Michigan marks its fourth week in the latest AP Poll, accompanied by three other Big Ten squads. Taking two more spots in the Top 10 are No. 6 Ohio State and No. 7 Penn State, followed by No. 24 Iowa.

• Five conference matchups highlight the league’s Week 4 schedule with a Top 25 matchup between No. 24 Iowa and No. 7 Penn State as the headliner.

• Ohio State and Penn State are in the nation’s top 20 teams for both scoring offense and scoring defense. The Buckeyes are No. 2 in scoring defense with 6.7 points per game and No. 20 in scoring offense. The Nittany Lions are No. 13 in scoring defense and No. 14 in scoring offense, averaging 43.7 points per game.

• Big Ten equals big defense with four more teams in the top 25 of scoring defense: No. 1 Michigan, No. 7 Rutgers, No. 18 Iowa and No. 21 Maryland.

• Five Big 12 teams remain undefeated after Week 3: BYU, UCF, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. The five unbeaten teams have a cumulative scoring margin of +25.2.

• Twelve of the 14 Big 12 teams open conference play this weekend while Houston and TCU wrap up their final non-conference contests after playing each other last Saturday.

• The Big 12 is 28-12 (.700) in non-conference matchups as it approaches the final two contests between TCU and SMU, and Houston and Sam Houston this Saturday.

• No. 3 Texas and No. 16 Oklahoma are the Big 12’s two top 25 teams in the AP Poll. Kansas State, TCU. Kansas, BYU and UCF are receiving votes.

MORE THAN A GAME

FOOTBALL FEATURE: 1994 FIESTA BOWL CHARITY SPOTLIGHT

The 1993-94 University of Arizona football team was led by their Desert Swarm defense, which featured future NFL players Tedy Bruschi, Rob Waldrop, Tony Bouie, Brant Boyer and Brandon Sanders. Arizona’s defense only allowed 13.4 points per game and barely 30 rushing yards per game.

The Desert Swarm became the hallmark for Arizona’s first 10-win season and on January 1, 1994, the Wildcats brought their dominant defense north to Tempe where they notched the first shutout in Fiesta Bowl history, 29-0, against Miami.

PALO VERDE FIESTA BOWL CHARITIES WISHES FOR TEACHERS

Arizona’s largest annual teacher financial support initiative will increase its impact by 25%, as the Palo Verde Fiesta Bowl Charities Wishes for Teachers program will donate more money than ever to Arizona teachers for use in their classrooms. Now in its eighth year, the program will provide grants to 500 teachers, for a total of $1.25 million in donations.

Applications are now open for all Arizona K-12 public and charter school teachers through next Friday, September 29, at 5 p.m. Teachers simply fill out the online application at www.WishesForTeachers.org, detailing the teacher’s school or classroom need and how the $2,500 grant would be implemented.

Click here to learn more about the 1993-94 Arizona team coming up on the 30-year anniversary of their dominant Fiesta Bowl performance.