Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers: Week 4

Week 4 of the college football season was filled with close games.

Michigan battled against USC, Utah hung on against Oklahoma State, Missouri needed overtime to get past Vanderbilt, Tennessee hung on to top Oklahoma on the road, and Colorado's heroics helped them to a win as well.

But there were a few teams and players that stood out the most over the course of the week.

Read below for the list of winners and losers this week.

Winners

Michigan quarterback Alex Orji throws against Southern California in the first half of an NCAA college football game in Ann Arbor, Mich., Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya)

Michigan: It’s unclear what the USC defense was doing in the second half, but they could not stop the Wolverines' rushing attack. Even though Michigan didn't get a stellar performance from Alex Orji at quarterback, finishing with just 32 yards, the Wolverines were fantastic on defense, sending the Trojans home with a rough loss, especially when we all witnessed what Texas did to this same team just a few weeks ago.

Josh Heupel: The former national championship-winning quarterback for Oklahoma went home to Norman on Saturday, and his Vols did not disappoint on defense. You might think of Heupel as the offensive guru, but he's got one of the best defenses in college football, which could help lead them to a run in the college football playoffs. This was a massive game for the Vols, given that their head coach was fired by Oklahoma just over 10 years ago. On Saturday night, his football team made sure to take care of his former team, giving him the game ball after the win. 

Utah: Not having Cam Rising at quarterback did not hurt the Utes on Saturday at Oklahoma State, winning 22-19 behind 182 yards rushing from Micah Bernard. This was a very big win for the Utes in the Big 12 race, and QB Isaac Wilson did enough to push his team over the finish line at the end. The hype around the Cowboys has seemingly disappeared, while Utah is making a run toward the College Football Playoff, and Cam Rising didn’t even play. Watch out for the Utes. This team is coming together, especially when Rising returns.

Alex Orji: He had to wait his turn, but Alex Orji finally made his first start for Michigan. It came on a special day for the junior in the program's first-ever conference game against USC with a 27-24 win. Shades of Tom Brady's patient journey at Michigan were cast over Orji this week.

Shedeur Sanders: A classic in Boulder unfolded thanks to some Sanders magic on the last play of the game against Baylor, where he launched a Hail Mary to LaJohntay Wester through a rainstorm for the touchdown to force overtime after the extra point. Sanders didn't have the best completion percentage, going 25-for-41 passing, but he had 341 yards with two passing touchdowns while rushing for one himself. The Buffaloes are 3-1 on the year, which is a terrific start for Coach Prime's Buffs.

Clemson: At 1-1, Dabo Swinney's crew was hosting the 2-1 Wolfpack from NC State, and while it was one unranked opponent against the No. 21 Tigers, they're a winner because of how convincing of a win it was at 59-35. Cade Klubnik looked poised under center throughout the game, and Clemson now has 101 first-half points over its last two games played. The Tigers went up 28-0 in this one and moved to 2-1 to keep their College Football Playoff hopes alive.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel, center, and defensive lineman James Pearce Jr. (27) celebrate with their team after defeating Oklahoma during an NCAA college football game on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Norman, Okla. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

James Madison: The Dukes went into Tar Heels country and dropped 70 points on UNC in the 70-50 win. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III was responsible for seven touchdowns for the Dukes, throwing for five scores and 388 yards while rushing for two for 99 yards on the ground. As a team, 3-0 JMU had 611 yards of offense.

Monmouth: The Hawks shocked Florida International on the road with a 45-42 victory. FIU fumbled at the goal line in the final seconds. Monmouth kicker Michael Calton Jr. hit a 43-yard go-ahead field goal. It was Monmouth’s first-ever victory against an FBS opponent, and they improved to 2-1 all-time in games played in the Sunshine State.

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Losers

North Carolina: Are we seeing the final games of the Mack Brown era in college football? It sure looks like it after James Madison collected a massive check and then hung 70 points on the Tarheels in the 70-50 win at North Carolina. This looks like a football program that has lost its way, and the postgame comments from Mack Brown hinting that his future might be coming to a close sooner than some expected is the main talking point. I think we are headed towards retirement for Brown, and the Tarheels program has taken a massive step down in the ACC.

Oklahoma: Well, we have a quarterback situation for the Sooners. After five-star Jackson Arnold failed to deliver against Tennessee while having some rough moments over the past four games, he was benched before halftime in the loss to the Vols. True freshman Michael Hawkins came into the game and sparked the Oklahoma offense as much as possible against a tough Tennessee defense. One of the most telling moments came late in the fourth quarter when Jackson Arnold had to enter the game on a 2-point conversion due to Hawkins having to take an injury timeout. The Oklahoma crowd filled that stadium with boo's once he entered, signaling their thoughts on where this was headed.

Rutgers' Ian Strong runs after the catch against Virginia Tech's Jaden Keller during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Blacksburg, Va. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)

Baylor: Did the Bears really give up a Hail Mary touchdown to Colorado as time expired? Yes, and it was bad, like really bad. Not only did they blow the 31-24 lead, but they allowed Colorado to win the game in overtime, giving coach Deion Sanders a 3-1 record so far this season. This was a bad look for Baylor head coach Dave Aranda.

Nebraska: A crushing loss to Illinois spoiled a promising start for Matt Rhule and the Cornhuskers. What's worse is how, missing countless opportunities to score and keep Illinois on the fringes, but untimely bad plays and poor game management set them back heavily in their pursuit of a trip to the Big Ten title game.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies were hoping to snap a streak of 11 straight non-conference losses. Make it 12. Rutgers came onto their field and pulled off a 26-23 road victory, and it didn't look like it would be close early in the game after the Scarlet Knights began the game 14-0.

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson hands the football off to running back DJ Giddens during an NCAA football game against BYU, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Kansas State: Last week, Avery Johnson and the Wildcats showcased the team’s rushing attack against Arizona. This week, they didn’t appear to show up against BYU. The Cougars destroyed Kansas State, 38-9. Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff had two touchdown passes in the win. Johnson threw two interceptions in the loss. Kansas State would be pretenders for the national title at this juncture.

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The Fox News Digital Sports college football winners and losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the OutKick.com staff.