The Marty McFly College Football Rankings Week 4: Rocky Top tops the list after holding off Florida

Praise be to the college football gods who provided me with enough undefeated, resurgent programs to continue to populate this list. Of the seven teams to have curried Michael J. Fox’s favor, three of them have two losses. Miami, Florida, and Texas all lost again Saturday, and only one of them to a ranked opponent.

The Hurricanes didn’t only lose to Middle Tennessee State, they got broken Bane style and sent off to The Pit to rehab that broken back until they can climb out free of a tether. A week and a half ago, Tyler van Dyke was being lauded as the type of quarterback the U has been missing, and yet he went missing by his coach’s decision, getting benched in the second half of the 45-31 loss.

The Longhorns fell to Texas Tech’s backup QB, and it was only fair that the Red Raiders evened the playing field as Texas also was starting its second stringer. After doubling up Tech, 70-35, a year ago, Texas lost the turnover battle (2-0), the time of possession tug of war (36 minutes to 24), the total offense output (479 to 426), and the game (37-34).

They needed a Bert Auburn 48-yard-field goal to send it to OT, where Bijan Robinson coughed up the football on the first carry of the extra period. Perhaps Steve Sarkisian knew something we didn’t because he was hesitant to give his star running back the ball in regulation despite Robinson’s 15 carries for 101 yards and two scores during that time. He helped his team earn a 31-17 lead late in the third quarter, and only touched the ball five more times all game.

I would write about Florida’s loss to Tennessee in the intro, but they’re No. 5 in this ranking, and I’ll try to explain away the confusion right now I guess.

At 2-2, the Gators and Billy Napier are as close to being back as Gainesville is to Shanghai. Florida used to be the token SEC title game team from the East division, and it’ll need serious luck to get back to Atlanta with three ranked squads — Kentucky, Tennessee, and Georgia — all ahead of them, and losses to two of them.

So why is Florida No. 5 on this list when they’re not even in the top 25 anymore? Well, I had to pick someone, and it’s not like they got blasted by the Vols. Quarterback Anthony Richardson had his best passing game ever, tallying 453 yards in the air and his first and second passing TDs of the season.

The game was a new-fashioned shootout until Richardson fumbled at the start of the fourth, but even then the Gators were on the field with a chance to win it on a Hail Mary following a late TD and an onside kick recovery.

They didn’t, and we’ll get to Tennessee’s legitimacy in a moment or two.

After surviving Louisville without QB Jordan Travis for the second half in Week 3, Florida State was able to breathe easy against Boston College. Running back Trey Benson took the opening kickoff to the house, and a punt- and pick-filled first half for the Eagles’ offense led to a 31-0 deficit at the half. Travis finished the game 16 of 26 for 321 and a score, and hopefully, that arm stays loose.

The ’Noles face their first ranked opponent of the season Saturday, and after watching No. 22 Wake Forest give Clemson everything they could handle, Tallahassee could be the site of more ACC fireworks this weekend. The over-under is currently at 66, and hopefully, weather permits another shootout. Hurricane Ian is expected to make landfall on the Gulf Coast side/south of FSU’s campus as early as Wednesday, and there are some showers forecast for early Saturday. Hopefully, it’s an uneventful storm leading up to the game, and teams can play and fans can watch without a natural disaster on their minds.

The Huskies followed up their beatdown of Michigan State with a drubbing of Stanford. Former Hoosier QB Michael Penix continues to excel in his new system (12-1 TD-Int ratio on a 64 percent completion rate), and running back Wayne Taulapapa has been a nice complementary piece, averaging about 6.5 yards per touch.

They leaped Florida State because they handled every opponent with ease thus far, and technically Sparty was a top 15 team when the two met. That win looked better before Minnesota went into East Lansing and pummeled Michigan State, 34-7, but this is a recency-biased list, and recently Florida State could’ve lost to Louisville. Washington has… washed everyone they’ve faced.

This weekend’s visit to the Rose Bowl to take on an undefeated and untested UCLA team should provide more of a litmus test than the rest of the slate thus far. Usually, a 4-0 mark would earn a top 25 ranking, and the Bruins’ omission speaks to just how much of a cakewalk their non-conference schedule has been. Still, if the stats follow suit, that’ll be a game with more than 1,000 yards of combined offense.

If not for a pristine turnover ratio and a clutch-as-can-be late touchdown drive at Oregon State, the Trojans would’ve fallen from the ranks of the unbeaten. The Beavers didn’t even play all that great, and still came a stop away from upsetting the now No. 6 team in the country. Either by human nature, or drugging the Trojans’ water supply, Corvallis hasn’t been the easiest place to get a W for USC.

In fact, quarterback Caleb Williams looked like he was high up until the final drive, and this has happened to him before. In back-to-back weeks against Iowa State and Baylor last year, Williams went a combined 17 of 36 for 229 yards, a touchdown, and three picks. He’s obviously shown more flashes than flaws and has yet to commit a turnover this season. There are outings when he doesn’t have it though, and clearly, USC is extremely vulnerable when he has an off night.

It probably won’t matter this weekend because Arizona State doesn’t have a head coach at the moment. Honestly, save for a few games, the Trojans’ entire schedule is a trap game, and they’ll have to stay focused in the lead-up to No. 12 Utah in two-plus weeks before having to stay focused for Notre Dame at season’s end. They may get their No. 1 spot atop the McFly list back before then because Tennessee has a brutal schedule, but hopefully, it’s earned as opposed to by default.

The Vols deserve some acclaim for beating rival Florida before the rigors of the SEC do away with any memory of last weekend. Tennessee has the best wins of anyone on this list — at No. 24 Pitt and formerly ranked Florida — and they’ll get many more opportunities to improve upon those W’s. Following a well-deserved bye week, they visit LSU, host No. 2 Alabama, UT Martin (homecoming), and No. 7 Kentucky, and then take a trip to Athens to try to knock off No. 1 Georgia.

I absolutely love the way QB Hendon Hooker takes over a game. He can do it with his arm and legs, and that was on full display against Florida, accounting for 349 yards in the air, another 112 on the ground, and three scores total. What I worry about with him is his health. It’s not sustainable to put the Vols on his back every week, and coach Josh Heupel has to figure out a way to ice games with a rushing attack that’s not led by Hooker.

When healthy, he’s good enough to compete against anyone. It’s when he’s dinged up that Heupel’s offense appears mortal. And the way the defense was gashed by an inconsistent Florida unit to the tune of 594 yards, immortal is the standard for Hooker.