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JD PicKell: Nothing But Ball Top 10 after Week 4 of College Football

PeterWarrenPhoto2by: Peter Warren09/24/23thepeterwarren
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The 2023 college football season continues to be action-packed and drama-filled as the first month of the season wrapped up this weekend with some thrilling games, including multiple top-10 matchups coming down to the wire.

But there are some teams that have separated themselves in the eyes of On3’s J.D. PicKell.

Every week, PicKell ranks his top 10 teams based purely on the eye test in his Nothing But Ball rankings. Analytics don’t matter in this top 10. It’s just purely how the team and its players look on the field.

Here’s his top 10 after Week 4 of the college football season.

1. Georgia

Georgia Bulldogs linebacker Xavian Sorey Jr. and linebacker Troy Bowles celebrate
(Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports)

Georgia allowed 21 points to UAB but the Bulldogs still keep on rolling through their schedule. Tight end Brock Bowers had his best game of the year with nine catches for 121 yards and two touchdowns.

“Carson Beck threw for over 300,” PicKell said. “Offense scored 49 points. As a whole, it was definitive in a lot of ways. And so I think, for me, if there’s a reason to drop Georgia, I haven’t seen it yet. I don’t think anybody can in good conscience say there’s a team that’s better than Georgia at this point in time.”

2. Florida State

Jordan Travis, Florida State Seminoles quarterback
(Ken Ruinard / USA TODAY Sports)

Florida State is back. For the first time since they last made the College Football Playoff, the Seminoles defeated Clemson this Saturday. They did so in thrilling fashion with a 31-24 overtime victory.

“Arguably the two best wins in America with the LSU win and now beating Clemson on the road,” PicKell said. “That place was absolutely electric. Also they won only running for 22 yards. So that tells me they have multiple ways they can win football games. Jordan Travis played a gritty performance. I think that their best game is still out there.”

3. Michigan

Michigan Wolverines players take the field
(Kirthmon F. Dozier / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Michigan got Jim Harbaugh back for its game versus Rutgers and continued on like its usual self. The Wolverines never seem to rack up the score to an astronomical amount but instead just beat you to a pulp to finish with a modest scoreline.

“Michigan down a spot just because they got passed up by a Florida State team at two but Michigan still looks good,” PicKell said. “Didn’t look as clean as you want against Rutgers. Harbaugh’s back. I think they’re gonna have an edge the rest of the way.”

4. Ohio State

Ohio State Buckeyes defensive end JT Tuimoloau celebrates after beating Notre Dame
(Kyle Robertson/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Ohio State jumps into the top four after one of the impressive victories of the college football season. The Buckeyes went into South Bend, Ind., and stole the win in the final seconds of the game away from Notre Dame.

“Ohio State found a way to get it done, up two spots,” PicKell said. “Top-10 win on the road. Gritty performance. It wasn’t like the Ohio State of old where they’re just scoring 50 and winning track meets. The defense stepped up huge and a really tough Ohio State outfit. Gonna need more from Kyle McCord down the stretch here, but I thought they looked great.”

5. Texas

(Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports)

Texas slogged its way to a Week 3 win over Wyoming but came out much better against Baylor. The Bears were held to just two first-half field goals as the Longhorns finished with 503 yards. Jonathon Brooks had 106 yards and two touchdowns on the ground.

“Nothing really too impressive to report here,” PicKell said. “Beat Baylor with 38-6. Good road win, in the sense that you avoided a letdown, hangover round two from what happened last week against Wyoming. Kind of got back on track. You like to see that.”

6. Penn State

Penn State Nittany Lions wide receiver KeAndre Lambert-Smith celebrates after scoring a touchdown
(Matthew O’Haren-USA TODAY Sports)

The Iowa offense is a known college football quantity at this point but Penn State still shutout the ranked Hawkeyes as it moved to 4-0. Iowa managed just 76 total yards of offense and four first downs in the game. The Nittany Lions had 387 yards and 28 first downs.

“Penn State throttled dinged-up, ranked Iowa,” PicKell said. Anytime you beat a top-25 team, 31-0, that makes a bit of a statement. They’re up a spot from last week.”

7. USC

USC Trojans wide receiver Brenden Rice celebrates his touchdown catch with wide receiver Tahj Washington
(Rob Schumacher-Arizona Republic)

USC faced some trouble with Arizona State but Caleb Williams and Marshawn Lloyd are one dynamic backfield duo. Williams threw for 322 yards and three touchdowns in a 42-28 win while Lloyd ran the ball 14 times for 154 yards.

“They look pretty ehhagainst Arizona State,” PicKell said. “That’s all right. I’m not overly concerned about that. Still have the best player in college football playing quarterback for them. There’s some good faith baked in there for USC because their resume isn’t super stacked at this point in time, but we’re kind of trusting the talent level on this team.”

8. Oregon

tracking-oregons-true-freshman-through-week-4-of-2023-season
(Ben Lonergan/The Register-Guard / USA TODAY NETWORK)

Oregon wanted to make a statement to the college football world against Colorado, and it did so. The Ducks beat down on the Buffaloes to the tune of a 42-6 victory. Colorado finished with only 199 yards of offense.

“I think that they are extremely well rounded,” PicKell said. “I love what they have on the line of scrimmage. I think there’s multiple ways for them to win football games. I don’t think they’re a one-trick pony. Love Bo Nix. Love what they have on the line of scrimmage. For that reason, I think they’re gonna be dangerous — not just in the Pac-12, but if you got into the playoff, they could play with a lot of different teams.”

9. Washington

Washington Huskies wide receiver JaLynn Polk (2) celebrates with tight end Devin Culp (83), offensive lineman Geirean Hatchett (56) and quarterback Michael Penix Jr. (9)
(Joe Nicholson-USA TODAY Sports)

The Washington offense might just be the best in the country. They dropped 45 points on Cal in the first half as Michael Penix Jr. finished with 304 yards and four touchdowns.

“They just continue to throttle, thought they looked great,” PicKell said. “You don’t love seeing Cal score 30 points but, I mean, you scored 59 so hard to be too upset with that. They have just an absolute freak show cast of characters playing receiver for them. They’re gonna be a problem. The reason I don’t have them higher is they’re gonna have a resume that gets boosted towards the back end of their schedule.”

10. Utah

Utah Utes safety Cole Bishop encourages the fans to cheer during a third down
(Rob Gray-USA TODAY Sports)

Utah slides its way into the top 10 after defeating UCLA without star quarterback Cam Rising. Nate Johnson has played very well for the Utes over the last month but the team will need Rising to have a chance at the College Football Playoff.

“At number 10, we got Utah,” PicKell said. “They are a new entry into the top 10. Beat a ranked UCLA team. Undefeated currently. Like the way they look and once they get Cam Rising, that operation could reach new heights.”

There’s a lot of interesting matchups coming next week as well on the slate. Could we see another shakeup in the top 10?