Ranking the unranked, unbeaten P4 teams: Kansas State, UCLA are College Football Playoff sleepers
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Ranking the unranked, unbeaten P4 teams: Kansas State, UCLA are College Football Playoff sleepers originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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There are 35 unbeaten teams left in the FBS heading into Week 4. That includes 17 teams in the AP Top 25 and seven unranked Group of 6 teams.
Who is left after that? There are 11 unranked, unbeaten Power 4 schools worth monitoring heading into the final week of September. We're trying to gauge which ones will still be in that picture in November and those that will fade away.
Sporting News takes a closer look at those teams in reverse order of who might still be in that playoff picture the longest.
MORE: College Football Playoff forecast entering Week 4
Ranking unranked, unbeaten Power 4 teams
11. Northwestern (2-0)
Up next: at No. 5 Indiana (Friday)
The Wildcats smoked Colorado 41-7 in Week 3, and Aidan Chiles has shown development with offensive coordinator Chip Kelly and quarterbacks coach Jerry Neuheisel. Northwestern coach David Braun is building off an eight-win season, but Northwestern faces five ranked teams in their next seven games starting with the Hoosiers, and they also have to travel to No. 20 Oregon (Oct. 31) and No. 7 Ohio State (No. 14).
10. Cincinnati (3-0)
Up next: vs. Kansas State
The Bearcats edged Miami (Ohio) 35-31 in Week 3 to maintain a perfect record behind Georgia Southern transfer JC French, who has a 76.5% completion percentage with five TDs and no interceptions. Remember, this is the school Brendan Sorsby left to go to Texas Tech. It's an encouraging start knowing Cincinnati committed just one turnover against a light non-conference schedule, but the Bearcats are 6.5-point home underdogs against unbeaten Kansas State on Saturday. The Big 12 schedule is brutal, too.
9. Vanderbilt (3-0)
Up next: at Auburn
The Commodores would have to admit they are lucky to be here after a 35-31 victory against NC State that was set up by an all-time blunder in Week 3. Five-star freshman Jared Curtis will continue to grow into the starting role, and he has shown early promise in the down-field passing game with an average of 15.1 yards per attempt on passes of 20 yards or more, according to PFF.com. The bad news? Vanderbilt plays Auburn, No. 2 Georgia and No. 4 Ole Miss the next three weeks.
8. Nebraska (3-0)
Up next: at Michigan State
The Huskers have a chance for their first 4-0 start since 2016 this week, and Jamal Rule (329 yards, 5 TDs) averages 8.7 yards per carry. UNLV transfer quarterback Anthony Colandrea ranks ninth in the Big Ten with a 176.1 passer rating. It's an encouraging start under fourth-year coach Matt Rhule after back-to-back 7-6 seasons. Can the Huskers take the next step? If Nebraska beats Michigan State and Maryland the next two weeks, then the home matchup against Indiana (Oct. 10) becomes another chance to score one of those program-changing victories.
MORE: Picks against the spread for Week 4's Top 25 games
7. Washington (3-0)
Up next: vs. Minnesota
The Huskies are just outside the AP Top 25 after being ranked to start the season. The offensive line is still progressing around quarterback Demond Williams, who has 890 passing yards with five TDs and one interception. He also leads the Huskies with 150 rushing yards. The defensive line is nasty around senior safety Alex McLaughlin, who has three tackles for loss and two interceptions. Washington will play five ranked teams on the Big Ten schedule – and we'll know more after an Oct. 3 trip to No. 12 USC. There still is a lot to prove.
Brian Bishop-Imagn Images
6. Virginia Tech (3-0)
Up next: at Boston College
The Hokies open ACC play under first-year coach James Franklin with an offense that ranks fourth in the FBS with 50.7 points per game. Penn State transfer quarterback Ethan Grunkemeyer has 865 yards with seven TDs and no interceptions, and Franklin's patented two-back system is at work with Jeffrey Overton (200 yards, 3 TDs) and Marcellous Hawkins Jr. (285 yards, 4 TDs). Tight end Luke Reynolds (265 yards, 4 TDs) has two 100-yard games. The Hokies do have to play at Clemson (Oct. 24), No. 22 SMU (Nov. 6) and at No. 6 Miami (Nov. 21), and the Week 5 matchup with our next team should be fun.
5. Pitt (3-0)
Up next: vs. Bucknell
The Panthers continue to grind out victories under coach Pat Narduzzi and quarterback Mason Heintschel, who had seven TD passes in the opener against Miami (Ohio). The offense hasn’t been overly explosive since the opener, but the defense is allowing 11 points per game. That Friday night road trip against Virginia Tech should be heated. It's a huge game for the Panthers, who also have road trips to Miami (Oct. 24) and No. 16 Louisville (Nov. 21).
MORE: Three ACC coaches had the heat turned up this week
4. West Virginia (3-0)
Up next: vs. Oklahoma State
The Mountaineers made a statement with a 38-27 victory against Virginia in Week 3 – and Rich Rodriguez has something in the combination of quarterback Michael Hawkins Jr. (322 yards, 6 TDs) and running back Cam Cook (317 yards, 3 TDs). West Virginia is the only FBS team with two players with 300-plus rushing yards. Rich Rod has made that work before. West Virginia is flirting with a top-25 ranking, and that could stick for a while. November, however, features matchups against No. 11 Texas Tech (Nov. 7), No. 25 Houston (Nov. 21) and No. 15 Utah (Nov. 27).
3. UCLA (3-0)
Up next: at Maryland
The hype around first-year coach Bob Chesney is legit so far. The Bruins average 41.7 points per game and rank fifth in the FBS with 286.7 rushing yards per game. Quarterback Nico Iamaleava has limited turnovers behind running backs Wayne Knight (345 yards, 8 TDs) and Utah transfer Anthony Woods (228 yards, 3 TDs). Linebacker Samuel Omosigho has three sacks. Chesney took James Madison to the CFP with the same formula last season. With a win against the Terps, the Bruins could be ranked after a bye week for the Oct. 10 matchup at No. 20 Oregon. The last two games at No. 18 Michigan (Nov. 21) and home finale against USC (Nov. 28) could have meaning in the Big Ten and perhaps the CFP race.
2. Duke (3-0)
Up next: vs. William & Mary
Remember, the Blue Devils are the defending ACC champions – and coach Manny Diaz is proving that wasn't a fluke. Duke might be in the mix for a return to Charlotte, too. Look at the schedule. With the exception of the Nov. 14 matchup at Miami and former Duke quarterback Darian Mensah, the Blue Devils could be favored in every game. Running back Nate Sheppard leads the FBS with 528 rushing yards, but San Jose State transfer quarterback Walker Eget will be pressed to do more. The defense allows 12 points per game.
1. Kansas State (3-0)
Up next: at Cincinnati
The early returns are great with first-year coach Collin Klein, especially with quarterback Avery Johnson. The senior quarterback has 618 passing yards, six TDs and two interceptions and leads the Wildcats with 253 rushing yards on 10.5 yards per carry. Defensive end Wendell Gregory leads the Big 12 with 6.5 tackles for loss, and the Wildcats rank second in the FBS in total defense (182.7 yards per game). No. 9 BYU, Texas Tech and Utah aren’t on the schedule either – so the next two weeks against the Bearcats and No. 25 Houston are huge. Kansas State is definitely a Big 12 sleeper with upside.
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