College football winners, losers in Week 4: Iowa emerges as Big Ten title threat, John Mateer struggles again

Week 4 marks the formal start of conference play across college football, and the big-time matchups are delivering. No. 17 Iowa pulled a stunner against No. 18 Michigan to win at Michigan Stadium for the first time since 2010 on the last play. 

But while there's been plenty of highs, a few high-profile players struggled in big moments. Trinidad Chambliss was unable to keep up the magic against Florida, while Oklahoma's John Mateer collapsed against Georgia. The ACC race also took a wild turn after Wake Forest upset Louisville. 

There are still several high-profile matchups left on the board. No. 10 LSU hopes to get back on track against No. 23 Texas A&M in Baton Rouge. No. 20 Oregon and No. 12 USC play with control of the Big Ten title race on the line. Here are the biggest winners and losers of Week 4. 

Winner: Iowa

Iowa's win against No. 18 Michigan to stay undefeated was a perfect Kirk Ferentz football game. The Hawkeyes puttered about for the first 40 minutes of play, only staying within striking distance because of a 99-yard kickoff return for a touchdown. And then, Hank Brown came to life. 

The Hawkeyes got one of the great plays in program history, a game-winning touchdown with no time left on the clock by Brown to Reece Vander Zee for an unbelievable touchdown. The win was the first for Iowa in Michigan Stadium since 2010. More importantly, it seriously launched the No. 17 Hawkeyes into the Big Ten title and postseason conversation. With conference frontrunners Ohio State and Oregon already possessing losses, Iowa could easily crash the party. 

Loser: QB John Mateer, Oklahoma

Playing Georgia is never a recipe for success, but Oklahoma's QB1 put together one of the most stunningly poor performances of the season. After going down 14-0 in the second quarter, Mateer dropped one of the worst fumbles you'll ever see that turned third-and-goal into a Georgia defensive touchdown. He threw another interception, and then dropped the ball yet again to set up a short 11-yard touchdown drive for Georgia. 

By the time the dust settled, Oklahoma was trailing 28-0 at halftime, part of a 41-13 loss against the Bulldogs in Athens. Statistically, Mateer was able to fight back in garbage time to finish with a respectable stat line, but the damage was done. 

Oklahoma coach Brent Venables acknowledged that he considered making a change at halftime, but backup Whitt Newbauer has never played real snaps. There's no real answer on this Sooners roster, and Mateer is the face of the dysfunction. 

CHRIS COLE HOUSE CALL 🏠 📺: ESPN pic.twitter.com/wNOacZCjqI

— Georgia Football (@GeorgiaFootball) September 26, 2026

Winner: Florida

The Gators announced their return to major college football under Jon Sumrall on Saturday, finishing off an emphatic 52-28 win over No. 4 Ole Miss. The Gators obliterated the Rebels behind a combined 268 yards and four touchdowns rushing from Jadan Baugh and Duke Clark, finishing with more than 300 yards on the ground as a team. 

While an emotional letdown was expected for the Rebels after the dramatic win over Lane Kiffin and LSU last weekend, Florida looks the part of a serious national contender for the first time in years. The Gators still have No. 1 Texas and No. 2 Georgia on the schedule, but the Florida team we saw in Week 4 can hang with anyone. 

Loser: Louisville

The Cardinals can't make anything easy. One week after taking control of the ACC championship race with a win over SMU, Louisville lost a stunner against a streaking Wake Forest squad 30-27. With the loss, the Cardinals are no longer an at-large contender for the College Football Playoff field with two early losses. SMU still has a shot, and there are a few loose undefeated ACC teams left, but Louisville looked like the top competition to Miami. Now, things are much more complicated. 

Winner: Boise State

Boise State officially took their place as kings of the Group of Six race after obliterating Western Michigan 32-7 in a marquee matchup. The Broncos were fantastic in the win, holding WMU to 3.8 yards per pass attempt and 2 of 11 on third down, while getting an efficient 204 yards and three touchdowns from Maddux Madsen. With wins over Memphis and Western Michigan, Boise State becomes the heavy favorite to reach the College Football Playoff -- if it can survive a stacked Pac-12. 

Loser: QB Will Hammond, Texas Tech

Texas Tech put a lot of faith in Hammond coming off of an ACL tear, but the redshirt sophomore has struggled to meet the moment after taking over as the starter. Hammond threw three interceptions in the first half against Sam Houston and looked out of sorts as the Bearkats pulled within 21-14 at the half. 

Hammond managed to get back on track in the second half, but it's been multiple games of inconsistent play for a team that hoped to contend for the Big 12 title. The running game got going in the second half, but teams just don't trust Hammond's downfield passing, and it's making life harder. The talent is there, but the consistency has to come soon with the heart of Big 12 play on the horizon. 

Winner: WR Jeremiah Smith, Ohio State

There's really not much reason to point out that Jeremiah Smith is good at football every week, but we'll make an exception for the second week in a row. Smith was absolutely silly in a 42-19 win against Illinois, catching 12 passes for 217 yards and four touchdowns, one of the most magnificent receiver games in Ohio State history. The four touchdowns tie for the best game in program history, while the catches and yardage are tied with David Boston for sixth in a game. We're watching greatness at work.