Indiana's close call, Florida's October slate top Week 4 overreactions

A Yahoo Sports column examined five Week 4 fan overreactions, from Indiana's narrow win over Northwestern to unbeaten starts by Cincinnati and UMass.

The first month of the 2026 college football season is in the books, and a Week 4 analysis column distributed by Yahoo Sports and originally published by USA TODAY sorted through five fan overreactions from the weekend. It also called several conclusions settled: Texas A&M and Oklahoma can be written out of the playoff picture, while Southern California, Michigan and Penn State are barely holding on.

Indiana, the defending national champion, did not put away Northwestern until the game's final possession in Friday night's Big Ten opener, a finish that unsettled some fans. The column urged calm. The Hoosiers are following a 2025 season that produced a national title, a Heisman Trophy winner and an unbeaten record, and even that team had tense moments against Penn State. Because Curt Cignetti's squads have tended to improve as seasons progress, the writer judged it far too early to rule out a third straight playoff berth.

Florida climbed the polls after defeating Ole Miss, which had received its own boost a week earlier. The Gators exit September second nationally in scoring at 53.5 points per game, with 44- and 52-point outings against their first two SEC opponents. Two tests away from home loom against the teams currently atop the polls: a visit to Texas, then the "Cocktail Party" against Georgia, played in Atlanta this season, with an open week in between. The column said Florida has recovered its competitive edge but held off on championship talk.

Notre Dame's 41-13 Week 1 victory over Wisconsin drew little notice at the time, since the Irish were regarded as a top-five team and the Badgers were coming off a disappointing season. Wisconsin's win at Penn State has since increased that result's value. Notre Dame meets a pair of top-10 opponents in the coming weeks, but the rest of its schedule is unlikely to lift its profile, so the column argued that continued Wisconsin wins would give the Irish extra breathing room when the playoff field is set in December.

Three ranked Big 12 teams reached October unbeaten, and Houston just rejoined the Top 25. Cincinnati is also 4-0 after dealing Kansas State its first loss in the Bearcats' conference opener, yet sits well outside the US LBM Coaches Poll. Their record includes a nonconference win over Power Four member Boston College and a narrow Week 3 escape against Miami (Ohio).

Chances to change that perception arrive quickly. Cincinnati closes October by hosting Texas Tech and Utah in back-to-back weeks, then visits Houston, and finishes the regular season at Brigham Young — a stretch that covers all four ranked Big 12 teams on its schedule.

Only three programs outside the power conferences survived September without a loss, and one of them is Massachusetts, which went winless in 2025. The Minutemen opened the year by winning at Rutgers and, back in the MAC this season, improved to 4-0 with a 35-6 victory late Saturday at Sacramento State, which is new to both the league and the FBS level. A bowl berth is now within reach in the second year under coach Joe Harasymiak, though the column drew the line well before any playoff discussion.