ESPN Staff Oct 1, 2023, 1:26am ET3 Minute Read
Georgia has the pick to secure the win over Auburn
Payton Thorne is substituted on fourth down, securing Georgia’s 27-20 win over Auburn.
On the last Saturday in September, the country’s No. 1 team was terrified.
Georgia fell behind 10-0 at Auburn and didn’t control the game until the final 90 seconds of a 27-20 victory. Tight end Brock Bowers made the difference for the Bulldogs, scoring a 40-yard touchdown with 2:52 to play. Bowers had six catches for 148 yards and a touchdown in the fourth quarter and finished the game with eight catches and 157 total yards.
After taking a 34-14 halftime lead, USC had to contend with coach Deion Sanders and Colorado. The Trojans got six touchdown passes from quarterback Caleb Williams in the 48-41 win. Williams became only the second USC player with six touchdown passes and more than 400 yards in a game, joining Matt Barkley in 2011.
Michigan only needed quarterback JJ McCarthy for three quarters and had four different QB passes in a 45-7 win at Nebraska. Michigan has scored more than 30 points and allowed 7 or fewer points in all five games this season. It was Nebraska’s fourth-worst home loss since 2000.
Texas racked up 661 yards on offense in a surprisingly smooth win over league leader Kansas, even though the Jayhawks were missing quarterback Jalon Daniels. Overall, Texas gained the most yards in a Big 12 game. The 26-point win was Texas’ largest against an AP-ranked team since 2009.
Washington focused on its ground game in the first half against Arizona, scoring touchdowns from Dillon Johnson, Will Nixon and Germie Bernard. Johnson would add another score in the third quarter for a 31-24 win.
Playoff contenders Florida State and Ohio State had the week off.
With that in mind, here’s a look at how our ESPN college football writers ranked their top four this week.
Andrea Adelson: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Florida State 4. Washington
Blake Baumgartner: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Florida State 4. Texas
Kyle Bonagura: 1. Georgia 2. Washington 3. Michigan 4. Texas
Bill Connelly: 1. Michigan 2. Washington 3. Georgia 4. Texas
Heather Dinich: 1. Florida State 2. Texas 3. Georgia 4. Washington
David Hale: 1. Georgia 2. Florida State 3. Texas 4. Ohio State
Chris Low: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Florida State 4. Texas
Harry Lyles Jr.: 1. Georgia 2. Washington 3. Michigan 4. Texas
Adam Rittenberg: 1. Michigan 2. Georgia 3. Texas 4. Washington
Alex Scarborough: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Florida State 4. Texas
Paolo Uggetti: 1. Michigan 2. Washington 3. Georgia 4. Texas
Tom VanHaaren: 1. Georgia 2. Michigan 3. Texas 4. Florida State
Dave Wilson: 1. Georgia 2. Washington 3. Michigan 4. Texas