Week 4

Hey there sports fans! Week 4 was a great one for football! Let's take a look, shall we.

Auburn

• Last week's loss to Clemson doesn't look so bad as Dabo and company knocked off Florida State in impressive fashion (excluding Tajh Boyd's ugly INT).
• That being said, this week's win is absolutely nothing to get excited about. I wouldn't have put much stock into a blowout win, but the struggles we saw this week were real.
• Florida Atlantic does not yet have 500 yards on offense for the season. Auburn gave them over 300. Do the math- that's not a good percentage.
• The offense couldn't do anything well, except kick field goals. (Aside- Cody Parkey has been phenomenal to go along with Steven Clark's solid punting work). Barrett Trotter looks as though he is getting worse as the season goes on, and the offensive line isn't helping him out. Gus Malzahn has got to find a way to get the ball in his playmakers hands (read Dyer, McCalebb, Reed,  Blake, Stallworth) in space. In order to do so, the offensive line and perimeter blocking are going to have to improve. The run game opens up the passing game, but when you can't seal running lanes or hold back a pass rush, there's trouble a-brewin.
• Corey Lemonier was much improved this week, but the defensive line still isn't getting much push in the pass rush. Ted Roof is going to have to get creative to get some pressure on the quarterback.
• Tackling is still an issue, and it has little to nothing to do with the youth.
• If Auburn wins one game out of the next four, I will be thrilled. This stretch is brutal, featuring four top 20 teams. If the Tigers lose 2 or 3 pretty handily, don't be surprised to see much more Kiehl Frazier and much less Barrett Trotter. Same might go for the young offensive linemen (Westerman, Robinson, Slade).

SEC

• Houston Nutt's seat is hotter than Lucifer's bedroom. If he has a job in the SEC next year, I will be mind blown.
• Mark Richt has a chance to save his job with the Bulldogs' upcoming stretch. Wins over Mississippi State, Tennessee, Vandy, and Florida in the next month would likely buy him at least one more year. 
• LSU is legit. When Jordan Jefferson and Russell Shepherd were suspended, I didn't dream the Bayou Tigers would be anywhere near this good. After a blowout win against West Virginia in Morgantown on Saturday, I'm a believer. The offense still doesn't really scare me, but it is sufficient to complement the phenomenal Tiger defense.
• Alabama's defense is amazing. I still have no idea what the story is with their offense, but like LSU, it might not matter. The Tide dismantled Arkansas with touchdowns on a fake field goal, punt return, and interception, and Trent Richardson did his normal thing. The Tide take on Florida this week in the Swamp before a fairly easy stretch leading into LSU.
• It was nice while it lasted for Vandy. South Carolina ended the dream with a 21-3 stifling of the Dores. Vandy had more penalty yards (79) than offensive yards (77). Stephen Garcia threw his usual 4 picks and South Carolina still won. That won't happen when they play legit teams. Luckily for Spurrier and the Cocks, Bama and LSU are both absent from the schedule this season, so Arkansas and Florida are as close at they'll get.
• Really Mississippi State? OT to beat La Tech? Maybe the talk of getting over the proverbial hump was a bit premature.

National

• As mentioned above, another impressive victory for Clemson. Dabo's got the boys doing things, and an ACC Championship berth may be in the Tigers' future.
• Georgia Tech might have something to say about that.
• Temple is doing some things. Maryland is not. Forcing Ralph Friedgen out is looking like a bit of a mistake.
• Boston College finally won a game. Unfortunately for the Eagles, it was against UMass and may be one of the few they get all season.
• Robert Griffin III is playing out of his mind. His Baylor Bears tore up Rice, and Griffin currently has more touchdown passes than incompletions on the season.
• After a phenomenal comeback against Texas A&M, Oklahoma State is poised to make their matchup against the Sooners in December one that could have huge national implications. The Cowboys have all the pieces necessary to make a pretty clean run through the Big __.
• Wisconsin looks legit, but many of you have thought that every year for the last 6 or so. Each year, I have cautioned you. This season, I will refrain from bashing, as I believe this is the best Badger team in a long time. A title contender, however, they are not.
• South Florida is undefeated again, but whenever I get my hopes up for the bulls, they always seem to blow it. I'll reserve judgment until after the Pitt, UConn, and Cincinnati games in the next 3 weeks.

Feel free to post your thoughts in the comments.