Mr. CFB What We Learned, Week 4. Buckle Up Because This Is Going To Be A Wild, Wild Season

Here are five things we learned about college football on Week 4.

1—Georgia is good. Alabama is good. We think Oregon is good. After that, we don’t have a clue.

To quote the great Slim Pickens: “What in the wild, wild world of sports is going on here?"

All of these teams we thought were going to be good...well....aren't.

Clemson suddenly can’t move the ball and lost in double overtime 27-21 to N.C. State. After six straight trips to the College Football Playoffs, the Tigers (2-2) may be done. Actually, they are done,

Oklahoma needed a field goal at the buzzer to beat West Virginia at home (16-13). The Sooners, behind quarterback Spencer Rattler, were held to just 313 yards of total offense.

Texas A&M, considered to be a legit contender to Alabama in the SEC West, was manhandled up front in a 20-10 loss to Arkansas. Now the Aggies have to run the table, which includes an Oct. 9 visit by Alabama, to be in the playoff discussion.

And this list goes on. Iowa State and North Carolina, both preseason Top 10, are now 2-2. Buckle up because it is going to be a wild ride that gets even wilder on Nov. 2, when the first set of CFP rankings are revealed.

2—Brothers and sisters, we have us a quarterback situation at Auburn.

It’s pretty simple. With Bo Nix at quarterback Auburn could not move the ball consistently against Georgia State and were in real danger of losing the game, trailing 24-19 late. Head Coach Bryan Harsin took a chance and replaced Nix with backup TJ Finley, a transfer from LSU. Finley led Auburn on a 98-yard drive that ended with a 10-yard touchdown pass. After a successful two-point conversion and a pick six Auburn somehow won the game 34-24.

Nix completed less than 50 percent of his passes (13 of 27 for 158 yards). Finley completed 9 of 16.

So what happens Saturday when Auburn plays its first SEC game of the season at LSU?

3—There is no mystery about the Arkansas Razorbacks. They are a damned good football team that is very well coached.

The Arkansas defense held Texas A&M to only 272 total yards while the Hogs had 441 yards and 276 in the air against the No. 1 passing defense in the country. Arkansas’s 20-10 win over Texas A&M snapped the Hogs’ nine-game losing streak against the Aggies. Texas A&M saw its 11-game winning streak come to an end.

Arkansas was the tougher football team on Saturday and their quarterback, K.J. Jefferson, is playing with a lot of confidence

Suddenly their game at No. 2 Georgia on Saturday looks HUGE!!!!  ESPN’s College Game Day will be there.

4—All of us armchair quarterbacks were wrong about Emory Jones.

I thought that after last week’s slug-fest with Alabama, Florida would be flat against Tennessee.

But the Gators won 38-14 because Emory Jones did some very special things. He became the first Florida quarterback since Tim Tebow in 2009 to pass for over 200 yards and run for over 100 yards in a game. Jones completed 21 of 27 passes for 209 yards. He ran 15 times for 144 yards, including a long run of 49 yards.

The college football intelligentsia (your humble correspondent included) was convinced that Florida had to have backup quarterback Anthony Richardson, who sat out the second straight game with a tweaked hamstring. Richardson will still be a factor for the Gators but now it is clear that Coach Dan Mullen and, more importantly, the other Florida players, have confidence in Jones.

“They are confident in me and trust me and believe in me,” Jones told reporters after the game.

“I’m definitely just warming up, honestly.”

5—We’re getting ready to find out the truth about LSU.

 After its opener to UCLA (a 38-27 loss), LSU (3-1) has rolled off three straight wins against McNeese State (34-7), Central Michigan (49-21), and Mississippi State (28-25).

The Tigers had an opportunity to put Mississippi State away, leading 28-10 with 11:32 remaining in the game. But instead of closing out the game, LSU watched Mississippi State rally to within a field goal. The Bulldogs had an onside kick attempt that, if successful, would have given them a chance to win or tie the game. It was not successful and LSU held on.

“It was a good team win,” said Orgeron, which is what you say when nobody plays particularly well.

But now things are going to get real for LSU. Auburn, which was clearly looking ahead against Georgia State, comes to Baton Rouge on Saturday. Then it is at Kentucky, Florida at home and at Ole Miss. After an open date on Oct. 30 LSU plays Alabama, Arkansas and Texas A&M in the month of November. Brutal.