Fox News Digital Sports' college football winners and losers: Week 4

Week 4 of the college football season was filled with close games.

Michigan battled USC, Utah hung on to Oklahoma State, Missouri needed overtime to beat Vanderbilt, Tennessee beat Oklahoma on the road and Colorado pulled off some heroics to win.

But there were a few teams and players that stood out the most over the past week.

Read below for this week's list of winners and losers.

Award Winners

Michigan: It's unclear what USC's defense was doing in the second half, but they couldn't stop the Wolverines' rushing attack. Michigan struggled with quarterback Alex Orji, gaining only 32 yards, but the Wolverines played great defense and sent the Trojans home with a tough loss, especially considering we all witnessed what Texas did to this team a few weeks ago.

Josh Heupel: The former national champion Oklahoma quarterback returned home to Norman on Saturday, and his team did not disappoint on defense. Heupel may be considered an offensive guru, but he also has one of the best defenses in college football and could lead his team to victory in the College Football Playoffs. This game was very important for Oklahoma because their head coach had been fired by the University of Oklahoma 10 years ago. On Saturday night, his football team showed his former team a special favor by handing him the game ball after the win.

Utah: Not having Cam Rising at quarterback didn't hurt Utah in Saturday's game against Oklahoma State, where Micah Bernard rushed for 182 yards in a 22-19 victory. This was a huge win for Utah in Big 12 contention, and quarterback Isaac Wilson did enough to carry his team to the finish line. The Cowboys' excitement seems to have died down, and Utah is hurtling toward the College Football Playoff, but Cam Rising isn't even playing. Watch out for Utah. This team is coming together, and they'll be even more excited, especially with Rising back.

Alex Orji: He had to wait his turn, but Alex Orji finally made his first start at Michigan. It was a special day for the junior, as he led the school to a 27-24 win over USC in its first conference game. Orji was shaded this week by Tom Brady's persevering journey at Michigan.

Shedul Sanders: The classic game in Boulder came thanks to Sanders' magic on the final play of the game against Baylor University. Sanders threw a Hail Mary pass to LaJontae Wester in a rainstorm for a touchdown and sent the game into overtime after the extra point. Sanders didn't have the best passing percentage, but he completed 25 of 41 passes for 341 yards, two passing touchdowns and one rushing touchdown himself. The Buffaloes are 3-1 this year, which is a great start for Coach Prime's Buffaloes.

CLEMSON: At 1-1, Dabo Swinney's team took on the 2-1 North Carolina State Wolfpack. Despite having one unranked opponent against the No. 21 Tigers, Clemson came away with a commanding 59-35 victory. Cade Klubnick was calm under center the entire game, and Clemson has scored 101 points in the first half over its past two games. The Tigers took a 28-0 lead into the game and kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive at 2-1.

Tennessee head coach Josh Heupel (center) and defensive lineman James Pierce Jr. (27) celebrate with their team after defeating Oklahoma State in an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Norman, Oklahoma. (AP Photo/Alonzo Adams)

James Madison: The Dukes came to Tar Heels soil and poured on UNC for 70 points en route to a 70-50 win. Quarterback Alonza Barnett III contributed to the Dukes' seven touchdowns, catching five passes for 388 yards and rushing twice for 99 yards. As a team, 3-0 JMU had 611 yards of offense.

Monmouth: The Hawks stunned Florida International, 45-42, after Florida International forced a goal-line fumble in the closing seconds of the game. Monmouth kicker Michael Culton Jr. booted a 43-yard turnaround field goal. It was Monmouth's first win against an FBS opponent and improved to 2-1 all-time in the Sunshine State.

Gus Johnson's role in Quincy Judkins' transfer to Ohio State

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North Carolina: Are we seeing the last game of the Mack Brown era in college football? It certainly seems like it, considering James Madison collected a huge check and scored 70 points in a 70-50 win over the Tar Heels at North Carolina. This seems like a football program that has lost its direction. The main talking point is Mack Brown's comments after the game suggesting his future may be over sooner than expected. I think Brown is on his way to retirement. The Tar Heels program has taken a big step back in the ACC.

Oklahoma: The Sooners have a quarterback situation. Five-star Jackson Arnold had struggled in his last four games and didn't live up to expectations against Tennessee, leading to him being benched before halftime in the loss to the Vols. Freshman Michael Hawkins entered the game and galvanized Oklahoma's offense to the max against Tennessee's stout defense. One of the most memorable moments came late in the fourth quarter when Hawkins had to take a timeout with an injury, forcing Jackson Arnold to enter the game on a two-point conversion. When he entered, the Oklahoma crowd filled the stadium with boos, giving a sense of how this game was going to play out.

Rutgers University's Ian Strong runs after the catch against Virginia Tech's Jaeden Keller during the second half of an NCAA college football game, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Blacksburg, Virginia. (AP Photo/Robert Simmons)

Baylor: Did the Bears give up a Hail Mary touchdown to Colorado in the final seconds of the game? Yes, they did. It was terrible. Not only did they blow a 31-24 lead, they also allowed Colorado to win in overtime, dropping Deion Sanders to 3-1 this season. This was a bad look for Baylor coach Dave Aranda.

Nebraska: A tough loss to Illinois put a damper on a promising start for Matt Lue and the Cornhuskers. To make matters worse, multiple missed scoring opportunities put Illinois in a bind, but ill-timed plays and poor game management prevented them from making a trip to the Big Ten title game.

Virginia Tech: The Hokies were looking to end an 11-game losing streak in non-conference games and a 12-game losing streak when Rutgers took the field and came away with a 26-23 win on the road. It didn't look close early on as the Scarlet Knights started the game on a 14-0 run.

Kansas State quarterback Avery Johnson hands the ball to running back DJ Giddens during an NCAA football game against Brigham Young University, Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024, in Provo, Utah. (AP Photo/Tyler Tate)

Kansas State: Last week Avery Johnson and the Wildcats showed off their team's rushing attack against Arizona. This week they didn't seem to show it against BYU. The Cougars beat Kansas State 38-9. Cougars quarterback Jake Retzlaff caught two touchdown passes in the win. Johnson threw two interceptions in the loss. At this point, Kansas State is a favorite to win the national title.

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Fox News Digital Sports College Football Winners and Losers were compiled by the Fox News Digital Sports staff and the staff at OutKick.com.