Especially when it comes to the middle of the rankings, it was a brutal Week 4 for ranked teams. The most recent example: No. 15 Oklahoma State.
Coming off a huge Week 3 win over then-No. 17 Boise State, OSU was expected to handle business against Texas Tech in Stillwater -- oddsmakers had installed them as essentially a 14-point favorite. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, the game is played on the field and not on a betting slip as the Red Raiders stunned the previously-unbeaten OSU in a 41-17 win at Boone Pickens Stadium.
Alan Bowman, the true freshman who passed for 60-plus yards a week ago, was “held” to 397 yards and a pair of touchdowns in the win that pushed the Red Raiders’ record to 3-1. Tech also took advantage of its hosts in the running game as they gouged the Cowboys, who came into the game seventh nationally in run defense at 74 yards per game, for 224 yards and three of its touchdowns; OSU had allowed just one rushing touchdowns in its first three games combined.
Including OSU, five ranked teams lost to unranked teams in Week 4*. In fact, just one of the teams ranked between Nos. 13-17 came out of the week unscathed -- No. 16 UCF. The others? Not nearly as fortunate.
- No. 13 Virginia Tech -- lost 49-35 to Old Dominion.
- No. 14 Mississippi State -- lost 28-7 to Kentucky.
- No. 15 Oklahoma State -- well, ya know.
- No. 17 TCU -- lost 31-16 to Texas.
Throw in a 30-13 loss by No. 23 Boston College to Purdue, and there’s certain to be quite a bit of movement when the Associated Press Top 25 is released Sunday afternoon.
(*No. 10 Washington is currently playing Arizona State and, as of this posting, holds a slim 17-10 lead at halftime.)