College football connoisseur Simon Clancy rounds up the Week 4 NCAA action before previewing one of the biggest games of the season so far…

LEAD OFF
Last week’s column led with unranked BYU beating #6 Wisconsin in the shock of the season so far. Well, on Saturday, FBS Old Dominion – who’d started the campaign 0-3, including a 52-10 defeat to Liberty – beat 13th ranked Virginia Tech by two touchdowns in perhaps the shock of the last four decades…

The upset comfortably eclipsed Appalachian State’s defeat of Michigan in the Big House in 2007, and we’ll get to the madness in Norfolk shortly, as it was a weekend where much of the top ten rolled along unencumbered by their opponents.

Elsewhere, Boston College crashed just as they were taking off; The U might finally have found a quarterback; the Pony Express got a dramatic first win of the season; Nebraska may never win again; and Alabama finally played a close game. For a quarter. Mississippi State had their season blow up in their faces, and Oregon threw away what looked like certain victory and what could have been a bold Heisman statement for QB Justin Herbert.

But there’s only one place to start: Foreman Field, home of the Old Dominion Monarchs, who’d lost to the powerhouses of Liberty, FIU and Charlotte so far this season and were on a nine-game losing streak. They were 28.5-point underdogs against a feisty-looking Virginia Tech side and had decided to bench their starting QB for a lightly-recruited 5’10” junior called Blake LaRussa, who’d never thrown for more than 161 yards in his career. And, when I say ‘lightly-recruited’, I mean that he was offered one gig out of high school – with the Elizabeth City State University Vikings of the CIAA…

All LaRussa did was put up 495 yards through the air along with five touchdowns, leading his school to a truly stunning 49-35 win over the Hokies, their first ever over a FBS team. “We just made history,” said head coach Bobby Wilder after the game. “This is one of the biggest moments in sports history. Arguably the biggest moment in Old Dominion history.” Last week, it was the Big 10 that suffered, this week the ACC held their beer with six defeats for Atlantic Coast teams. But nothing will be more shocking for the conference than this loss and the nature of it.

THIS AND THAT
The game of the weekend was on the west coast and, for 59 minutes, it looked as if Oregon were back on the national stage with a very big bang, taking down number seven Stanford after a stunning performance from future first round pick QB Justin Herbert. Even after the Cardinal had mounted an unlikely comeback from what looked like an insurmountable position, Oregon moved away again and were 60 seconds from victory when, instead of taking a knee, running back CJ Verdell fumbled to give David Shaw’s men one final chance.

It should have all been over when Jaylon Redd ‘scored’ late in the third to put the Ducks up 31-7, but he was ruled out at the half yard line and the overturned decision started a catalogue of events that led to Stanford’s incredible 38-31 win. Credit QB KJ Costello and the play-calling that targeted the Cardinal’s mammoth receiving corps, who stood (very) tall down the stretch and made play after play. But Oregon will be kicking themselves because they should have won this one comfortably…

Another team kicking themselves will be Army, who had #5 Oklahoma on the ropes and blew it when it mattered most. The Black Knights caught the Sooners hopping with their punishing option ground game, piling up 339 yards rushing on 78 attempts, keeping the ball for a stunning 44:41 in regulation. In the end, Kyler Murray had just about enough to win it in overtime and, although Lincoln Riley’s men live to fight another day, Murray’s Heisman chances might have faded, and serious questions will need to be asked about their run defense…

Three weeks ago, we were set to fire Texas coach Tom Herman in this column after defeat to Maryland. Since then, the Longhorns have gone 3-0, knocking off USC and then TCU into the bargain. Now they’re right back in the Big 12 title race… Looking for catch of the season? Collin Johnson’s diving touchdown grab in that game will take some beating, laying out in the end zone for six…

Speaking of USC, they rallied in the fourth quarter to beat Washington State on Friday night in a game that was marred by a sickening hit to the head by Trojan LB Porter Gustin on Wazzu passer Gardner Minshew that should have resulted in his second ejection in two weeks…

Ranked in the top 25 for the first time in a decade, things were looking bright for unbeaten Boston College. On Saturday, however, they laid a large egg all over the field at Purdue as they crashed to a 30-13 defeat that wasn’t that close. AJ Dillon’s 3.1 yards per carry also extinguished his Heisman hopes… One Heisman hopeful for the future will unquestionably be Purdue’s Rondale Moore, who turned in his best Tyreek Hill impersonation in that game. The true freshman is one of the most electrifying players in all of college football…

It was a better week for the state of Florida. The Seminoles limped past Northern Illinois, but are back to .500, while Florida beat down Tennessee to give Dan Mullen his first SEC win as Gators’ coach, and Mark Richt, frustrated with the play of QB Malik Rosier, inserted redshirt freshman N’Kosi Perry – much to the delight of the Hurricanes fans – and was rewarded as he turned in a dazzling performance. Whether he keeps the job remains to be seen. But he should…

The battle for the Jim Thorpe Award for the nation’s best defensive back will likely be between a pair of SEC cornerbacks, LSU’s Greedy Williams and Georgia’s Deandre Baker. Both will be high draft picks when they declare, but the Bulldog shone on Saturday, locking down Missouri’s excellent Emanuel Hall and holding him without a catch…

Wake Forest lined up for a field goal on Saturday without their kicker, who’d missed his special teams unit running on the field whilst he stood on the sideline against Notre Dame… The Irish, meanwhile, are flying under the radar and they got a terrific performance from Ian Book on Saturday. He’ll be tested in one of the games of the week this Saturday but, for now, he looks like the perfect fit for Brian Kelly’s team…

Speaking of quarterbacks making an impression, Buffalo’s Tyree Jackson could be an NFL X-factor. At 6’7” and 245lbs, he has a rocket for an arm and good ability with his feet. His talents forced the very exciting Drew Anderson to transfer to Murray State. Jackson and receiver Anthony Johnson are one of the best partnerships in all of college ball. Plus, his Bulls are 4-0…

Kudos to Kentucky, who look to be the second-best team in the SEC East after pounding previously unbeaten Mississippi State, who were ranked 14th. Benny Snell continues to impress, rushing for 165 yards and four touchdowns – and don’t look now but, all of a sudden, Mark Stoops’ Wildcats are 4-0 and ranked for the first time since 2007!

Trevor Lawrence threw four touchdowns for Clemson in their comfortable win over Georgia Tech. Surely it’s only a matter of time till he gets the job full time…

Nebraska trailed Michigan 39-0 at half time on Saturday and, whilst Scott Frost will get time to turn the programme around, the faithful won’t put up with too many more performances like that…

Central Florida’s McKenzie Milton leapt into the Heisman race with six touchdowns against Florida Atlantic. He might be the best dual threat QB in the country… Replacing Saquon Barkley was never going to be easy, but Miles Sanders’ 22 carries for 200 yards in a three-touchdown performance will soften the blow for Nittany Lion fans… One of the best performances of the weekend came from Arizona’s JJ Taylor, who gashed Oregon State for 284 yards, rushing at a massive 10.5 yards per carry… The last word goes to Massachusetts linebacker Bryton Barr who, in his seventh year of eligibility thanks to a number of health issues, recorded 21 tackles, a sack and four TFL in a victory over Charlotte.

GAME OF THE WEEK
There’s so much to love about the match-up between #4 Ohio State and #9 Penn State on Saturday night in a battle of the unbeatens in the Big 10. The Buckeyes start as four-point favourites, but the Lions have scored 63+ points the last two weeks and their explosive offense, led by Trace McSorley, will give the Buckeyes their biggest test of the season. Penn State leads the conference in scoring average at 55.5 points per game, while OSU is right behind at 55.4.

TCU was a big test for redshirt sophomore QB Dwayne Haskins but, if he can overcome James Franklin’s defense and use his unerring accuracy to move the chains, then the Buckeyes should win a close one. Regardless, the atmosphere in Happy Valley should be one for the ages and there should be a lot of points scored.

BACK-UP GAME OF THE WEEK
4-0 Syracuse will perhaps test Clemson for a while, but my number two match-up this weekend will be #7 Stanford against #8 Notre Dame. As I mentioned, Ian Book looks the real deal for the Irish and he’ll have seen plenty to like in the way that Oregon ripped up the Cardinal defense last Saturday night. Expect to see Brandon Wimbush run some Wildcat too, especially given how Stanford struggled to stop the read option against the Ducks. The Pac-12 leaders rarely panicked against Oregon, even when down by 20+ points, adopting the mentality of coach David Shaw, while quarterback KJ Costello seemed to come of age in the din of Autzen Stadium. Question is, can he win the big one on the road for the second straight game?

NFL WATCH
It seems apposite to mention, given that we probably won’t hear from Old Dominion again this season, but the Monarchs have a legitimate NFL talent in defensive end Oshane Ximines, who was huge against the Hokies. Last season, as a junior, he had 44 tackles and led the team with 8.5 sacks and 14 tackles for loss, while adding four forced fumbles, three pass break-ups and seven quarterback hurries. He might be the most technically sound edge rusher in the draft not named Nick Bosa and possesses lightning fast hands and a tremendous first step.

The tight end class is led by Iowa’s Noah Fant, but redshirt sophomore Albert Okwuegbunam of Missouri has a chance to become a very good NFL talent down the line – and might already be the best at his position in the SEC. With the proliferation of spread offenses at the collegiate level having an effect on average offensive line play at the next level, if you find a good one then you keep him.

Washington State LT Andre Dillard showed up big against USC, forcing Porter Gustin to switch to the opposite side to try his luck there, having been shut down by the 6’5”, 305 pounder. He’s fundamentally sound with great hands, smooth feet and a clean set up. Dillard will be tested this week against Utah end Bradlee Anae and his repertoire of pass rush moves, but he should be more than a match.

It’s not a great senior group of safeties, but Kentucky’s Mike Edwards might be the best of them. On Saturday, he goes up against a solid South Carolina attack led by QB Jake Bentley and receiver Deebo Samuel. He won’t pass the eyeball test, but he passes the football test and could end up as a very solid player on Sundays.

HEISMAN FIVE
Much like last week, it’s impossible for us to remove Tua Tagovailoa from the top spot. He is the best quarterback in college football on the best team. In fact, when he threw a third quarter incompletion against the Texas A&M Aggies, social media was full of shocked memes. On the night, he was 22-30 for 387 yards and four touchdowns.

Haskins is right behind him after another five-touchdown performance, throwing just three incompletions, while Will Grier is the only man stopping the pair running away with things as he also threw for five scores and 385 yards in a romp over Kansas State. Kyler Murray falls two spots after the unconvincing performance against Army, albeit in the 15 minutes that Oklahoma had the ball for. That means that Memphis runner Darrell Henderson moves up a spot, as he went off for another 188 yards and two scores, giving him 633 in the last three games alone.

1. Tua Tagovailoa – Alabama (1)
2. Dwayne Haskins – Ohio State (2)
3. Will Grier – West Virginia (4)
4. Darrell Henderson – Memphis (5)
5. Kyler Murray – Oklahoma (3)

Wildcard: Justin Herbert – Oregon (-)
Dropping out: N/A

ESPN Player is your home of NCAA College Football here in the UK – sign up today and watch more than 700 College Football games this season live & on-demand, including 35 Bowl Games and the College Football Playoff. PLUS three ESPN U.S. TV channels 24/7 and complete access to award winning ESPN Films at the touch of a button! ESPN Player is available on a number of devices including desktop, mobile and iPad.