As Week 4 has come and gone, we check out some shocking performances and the place change might be wanted.
Clemson is off to a 1-3 begin, Missouri and Texas Tech are making early statements and Ole Miss has a shocking star at backup quarterback.
What modifications may Clemson coach Dabo Swinney must make within the offseason? What’s forward for Missouri and Texas Tech as they enters convention play and what do they should do to push themselves into School Soccer Playoff conversations? Will Lane Kiffin must make a giant resolution on his QB1 sooner or later?
Our school soccer specialists break down key takeaways from Week 4 performances.
Soar to:
Clemson modifications | Do not overlook Missouri
Texas Tech delivers | Shocking star at Ole Miss
Miami’s protection | Indiana’s success
How good may USC be?
Clemson must reevaluate its personnel this offseason
Dabo Swinney’s job shouldn’t be in jeopardy — and any notion of that’s absurd, even following the worst begin of his profession as Clemson coach. However it’s on him to repair the Tigers, and that might imply a coordinator change, a deeper dive into the switch portal or each. Following the house loss to Syracuse, Swinney lamented a number of instances that Clemson can not seem to put all of it collectively. Why? It is a staff that returned extra manufacturing than every other within the FBS — from a season that included an ACC title and CFP look. Clemson’s protection was an issue towards the Orange beneath Tom Allen, however he simply obtained there. The problems begin on offense, with coordinator Garrett Riley, who leads a gaggle that has been principally underwhelming beneath his watch:
-
Clemson’s pink zone landing share over the previous three seasons is No. 92 within the FBS (ranked third beneath earlier OC Tony Elliott).
-
The Tigers common lower than one 50-yard play each two video games beneath Riley; they averaged practically one per recreation in seven seasons beneath Elliott.
-
The Tigers are No. 33 in offensive effectivity over the previous three seasons; they have been fourth within the FBS with Elliott on workers.
Clemson’s season is now not about profitable the ACC or contending for the CFP — it is about ending with a good document and making the perfect selections for 2026. — Heather Dinich
Mizzou retains purring alongside
Missouri is proving that it should not be neglected in a wide-open SEC.
The Tigers produced their second high quality victory this season Saturday with a 29-20 win over LaNorris Sellers and South Carolina. Missouri defeated rival Kansas two weeks in the past.
A pair of backfield transfers proceed to prepared the ground.
Quarterback Beau Pribula, who arrived after backing up Drew Allar at Penn State final 12 months, ranks twelfth nationally with a QBR of 83.8. He is finishing 72% of his passes on the season and rushed for one more 72 yards towards the Gamecocks.
Ahmad Hardy, who joined Missouri after starring for UL Monroe as a freshman in 2024, has totaled at the very least 100 yards in all 4 video games for the Tigers. For the reason that starting of the 2024 season, he has rushed for 1,951 yards, greater than every other energetic school operating again. Hardy already has 270 speeding yards after contact this season, tied for fourth most nationally.
Hardy, Pribula and the Tigers may have a chance to make one other assertion Oct. 11 when Alabama visits Columbia. Win that recreation, and Missouri may start to issue into playoff conversations. — Jake Trotter
Texas Tech the staff to beat within the Huge 12
Coming into the season, Texas Tech was probably the most fascinating groups in school soccer. In Could, ESPN.com ranked 2025’s prime newcomer courses — a mix of highschool recruits and arrivals through the switch portal — and Texas Tech got here in at No. 5. This was primarily due to its work within the portal, the place it introduced in a number of high-profile gamers anticipated to make a direct influence. When the primary switch portal window closed, there had been greater than $10 million invested into including gamers to the roster.
The whole roster worth by the primary recreation is tough to estimate, however it’s safely among the many highest in school soccer. All of it led to an fascinating query about what an instantaneous money infusion can do for a program that hasn’t gained an outright convention title since 1955. In a 34-10 win towards Utah on Saturday, the reply was clear: It could construct a staff that must be thought-about the favourite to win the Huge 12 and attain the School Soccer Playoff. — Kyle Bonagura
Chambliss rising as shock star for Ole Miss
Again in April, Ferris State quarterback Trinidad Chambliss entered his identify within the switch portal with the hopes that he may have the ability to make a transfer up. He put up absurd numbers in 2024 whereas main the Bulldogs to a Division II nationwide title, throwing for two,925 yards and 26 TDs and speeding for 1,019 yards and 25 extra scores.
Temple, Western Kentucky and Marshall rapidly prolonged scholarship gives to the GLIAC Participant of the 12 months. A few Energy 4 faculties reached out. After which, immediately, Ole Miss entered the image. The Rebels have been looking for an skilled No. 2 QB to again up Austin Simmons. They could have stumbled upon a star.
Chambliss has been distinctive within the two video games Simmons has missed with an ankle damage: 660 passing yards, 174 speeding yards, 5 complete TDs, zero turnovers and the seventh-best QBR (88.5) within the nation. The Rebels’ 45-10 win over unbeaten Tulane, probably the greatest groups within the Group of 5, was nothing in need of dominant.
Simmons getting two weeks to get well earlier than Ole Miss takes on LSU was invaluable, however Lane Kiffin may face fairly a dilemma this week if Simmons is not 100% able to go. Chambliss is making this Rebels offense powerful to cease and simply may give the staff its finest shot towards the No. 4 staff within the nation. — Max Olson
Miami protection and “ESV”
Do you keep in mind when the Miami protection basically value the Hurricanes a spot within the ACC championship recreation final 12 months in a loss to Syracuse to shut out the common season? Blowing a 21-0 lead and dropping was the final straw for coach Mario Cristobal, who made an enormous defensive overhaul within the offseason.
The outcome? A dominant, dingy, bodily group that has Miami in a a lot better place to compete for championships. Following an intensive 26-7 dismantling of Florida on Saturday night time, Cristobal as soon as once more raved about his defensive unit taking part in “off the charts” beneath first-year coordinator Corey Hetherman. The duty for Hetherman within the offseason was to take an undisciplined unit and make it into an attacking, aggressive group constructed on physicality up entrance — the best way Cristobal has constructed his offensive line.
Hetherman needed his gamers to recollect three keys: Taking part in with pleasure, swarming to the ball and taking part in with violence. Day by day “ESV” exhibits up on the whiteboard within the defensive assembly rooms. To date so good on the sphere. Miami held Florida to 141 yards of complete offense, sacked quarterback DJ Lagway 4 instances, had seven tackles for loss and didn’t enable the Gators to transform a third-down conversion (0-for-13).
Defensive finish Rueben Bain Jr. has set the tone a 12 months after an early damage restricted him for a lot of the season, main the staff with 22 tackles, together with 3.5 for loss and two sacks. He and Akheem Mesidor have teamed to type maybe the perfect 1-2 defensive finish duo within the convention. The 2 mixed for 19 pressures on Lagway.
“Actually, you sort of may see some panic,” Bain stated about attending to Lagway. “Aside from that, simply flying round, taking part in soccer. I really feel like that is any quarterback, they’ll have some sort of fear while you’ve all the time obtained anyone in entrance of your face.”
On his Instagram tales after the Florida recreation, Bain posted an image of a cooked Gator with the caption “Swamping.” — Andrea Adelson
Indiana’s offseason set it up for extra on-field excellence
The interval between the 2023 and 2024 seasons will all the time go down as probably the most vital in Indiana soccer historical past. That is when the college employed Curt Cignetti, probably the most impactful coach for a traditionally weaker program in latest reminiscence. Cignetti then introduced his prime assistant coaches and lots of of his prime gamers with him from James Madison to Indiana. The remainder, in fact, is historical past.
However what Indiana did after making the School Soccer Playoff is nearly as vital. The Hoosiers had one other glorious offseason, constructing on their success with the dedication to make sure no slippage. Cignetti obtained a brand new contract, and Indiana swatted away suitors for defensive coordinator Bryant Haines and others on the workers. IU misplaced just one on-field assistant, Tino Sunseri, who left to change into offensive coordinator at UCLA. The Hoosiers then retained a lot of their finest gamers from 2024, together with All-Huge Ten cornerback D’Angelo Ponds, who opened the scoring in Saturday’s 63-10 win towards Illinois with a punt block and a scoop-and-score.
IU additionally retained large receiver Elijah Sarratt, a third-team All-Huge Ten choice who had 9 receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns within the Illinois win. The Hoosiers have been additionally aggressive within the portal, including Cal quarterback Fernando Mendoza, who had 5 landing passes and two incompletions towards the Illini. IU additionally bolstered its offensive line, a gaggle uncovered in losses to Ohio State and Notre Dame final season. The O-line stored Mendoza clear and bullied Illinois.
Standing on the sideline late Saturday night time, athletic director Scott Dolson and college president Pamela Whitten jogged my memory that Indiana has one of many largest alumni bases on this planet. Due to Cignetti, IU is harnessing that help and committing to success in soccer not like ever earlier than and is exhibiting no real interest in vacating the nationwide stage. — Adam Rittenberg
We’re about to learn the way good USC actually is
After quietly coming into the season beneath the radar, the Trojans have dispatched inferior opponents with relative ease of their first 4 video games. The excellent news is that Lincoln Riley’s offense is buzzing on all cylinders and is the highest unit within the nation in yards per recreation and yards per play in addition to top-5 in SP+.
In his second season with USC and first full marketing campaign as a starter, Jayden Maiava has regarded the a part of probably the most dynamic quarterbacks within the sport. By means of 4 video games, Maiava has been practically flawless, finishing 71% of his passes for greater than 1,000 yards, six touchdowns and nil interceptions. Oh yeah, he additionally has 4 speeding touchdowns.
The not-so-good information is that the protection appears to be exhibiting indicators of regression from final 12 months, each in the best way they’ve racked up penalties (USC has 32 as a staff) and allowed large performs, particularly within the secondary. Whereas there stays so much to sharpen up, the Trojans enter one of many hardest stretches of their season. They will head to a still-ranked Illinois subsequent week to face an Illini staff coming off an embarrassing loss to Indiana earlier than internet hosting a Michigan squad that appears stronger by the week after which touring to South Bend to take care of Notre Dame.
In different phrases, the warmup is over. For the Trojans to be thought-about a contender within the Huge Ten, the following three weeks may both break them or make them. — Paolo Uggetti
TCU is feeling ’22
The 2022 Horned Frogs have been one of many Cinderella tales of the School Soccer Playoff period, with first-year coach Sonny Dykes beginning 12-0, then handing Jim Harbaugh his ultimate school soccer loss within the Fiesta Bowl within the CFP semis. After strolling a tightrope all 12 months (TCU went 6-1 in one-score video games), the Frogs bumped into the Georgia buzzsaw and the magic evaporated in that 65-7 catastrophe, however completed No. 2 after not ending the ballot till Week 5. A longtime developmental program, TCU’s finest gamers on that staff have been highschool recruits augmented with unheralded transfers who gained the Thorpe Award (CB Josh Newton, UL Monroe) together with LB Johnny Hodges from Navy, who was the Huge 12 Defensive Newcomer after TCU was his solely portal provide.
Following the season, the Frogs misplaced a school-record eight gamers to the NFL draft and Dykes chased transfers from name-brand applications, together with three from Alabama and others from LSU, Ole Miss and Florida. Someplace in there, TCU misplaced its method. In 2023, they have been shellshocked by Colorado in Coach Prime’s first recreation and completed 5-7, and regarded like they’d reverted to this system that went 23-24 in Gary Patterson’s ultimate 4 years. Final 12 months, throughout a 3-3 begin, TCU obtained blown out 66-42 by SMU and misplaced to 4-8 Houston, which completed 133rd in complete offense. Then, a swap flipped. The Frogs beat Utah, Texas Tech and completed on a 6-1 run with a 3-point loss to Baylor.
Throughout Saturday’s 35-24 win over SMU, there have been visions of ’22. QB Josh Hoover threw for 379 yards and 5 TDs, with 254 yards and three of these scores to Eric McAlister (a part of a deep receiving corps that has been led by transfers from Idaho, Houston and Boise State of their first three video games). These Frogs held SMU to 94 yards speeding and 4 of 13 on third down. TCU, as all the time, will go so far as its protection takes it (to proceed the theme, two of its three main tacklers arrived from Cal and Iowa Western Group School). On Friday, the Frogs, who entered the AP ballot this week at No. 24, will get a benchmark with a highway journey to Tempe to face final 12 months’s Huge 12 champs, Arizona State, to see if they will begin one other run. — Dave Wilson