Welcome to Glass Slipper! A goodbye to David Bell. Your fight against Pittsburgh will be remembered by us Reds fans for eternity; please enjoy the show.

- Jacob Rhee

Here are my 10 biggest takeaways from Week 4 of the college football season.

1. Illinois is good!

I don’t think I’ll ever get used to watching a Bret Bielema team run a no-huddle spread attack. That man was three yards and a cloud of dust throughout my entire childhood, and suddenly he wants to sling it around. Good on him for being willing to adapt to modern times.

Luke Altmeyer was a big recruit back in the day, and he finally looks comfortable. There is a zero percent chance that he makes it to New York for the Heisman ceremony, but his play through four games is at least deserving of some buzz.

2. James Madison’s statement.

Drop 70 on an undefeated ACC squad, and you’ve earned our attention.

Since 2014, the Dukes have an overall record of 110-23. I know they only arrived in the FBS a few years ago, but this program is real; a playoff berth is well within the realm of possibility.

3. Unimpressive Buckeyes.

Box scores can be pretty deceptive, and this is a perfect example. Glance at the final, and you’d think Ohio State just rolled against Marshall. If you actually watched it, you know that it was a pathetic showing from the Bucks. They let the Thundering Herd march up and down the field, smashed three straight kickoffs into the sideline, and were bailed out after muffing a punt. Don’t forget about Caden Curry getting himself tossed after delivering a foolish hit on the quarterback. That was not the third-best team in the country out there. I know one reason why Ryan Day’s guys looked so flat…

4. Wake up, Columbus.

I think that was the quietest Ohio State crowd I’ve ever heard. In a sense, I understand. The Buckeyes haven’t accomplished a single one of their three annual goals since 2020, and just watched Michigan hang a banner; the fan base isn’t the most compelled to get loud for a matchup with an unranked Group of Five opponent. But come on. These are 19-year-olds, who feed off of your energy. Make a little noise.

5. The Central Ohio man.

For obvious reasons, a portion of my audience hails from Columbus, Ohio. Those folks will enjoy this little section. Navy topped Memphis in a shootout, and its QB finished with 416 total yards, 6 total touchdowns, and just three incompletions. His name is Blake Horvath, and he played high school ball at… Hilliard Darby.

Let’s get these Midshipmen into the AP poll.

6. Michigan isn’t done.

Sherrone Moore may love to delete texts, but I’ll give it to him. That guy makes some gutsy decisions. He went for it on fourth down deep in his own territory on the Wolverines’ opening possession, then correctly stuck with the run on the game-winning touchdown late. The quarterback issue will keep Michigan out of true contention, but Mr. Melodramatic deserves some credit here.

7. Utah flexes its muscles.

I told you guys on Saturday morning that we would get a weird-looking final score in Stillwater, and I’d say that 22-19 qualifies as such.

Zach Wilson’s true freshman younger brother had to start in place of Cam Rising, and the Utes still went on the road and beat a top-15 conference foe. That’s how you know that this running game and defense are special. I can count on one hand the number of teams that are tough enough to take down a fully-healthy Utah squad on a neutral field at the moment.

8. Orange Crush.

I don’t even think Tennessee brought its A+ stuff, yet the Vols recorded the most impressive victory of the weekend. They’ll now enter a three-team round robin with Georgia and Alabama, which obviously has massive SEC and CFP implications.

On the other side, Oklahoma is faced with a decision. Jackson Arnold was seeing ghosts before Michael Hawkins came in and looked way more comfortable. I thought it was Texas that would be dealing with a QB controversy ahead of Red River; now the Sooners seem to have one.

9. The game of the year.

You know which contest I’m referring to. Unbelievable. Media members can spend their airtime trashing Colorado, but we were all glued to the TV watching two unranked programs on a Saturday night for a reason. The Buffs are pure entertainment, and their two superstars pulled off an absolute miracle.

On a related note, what was Dave Aranda doing? Those incredibly safe play calls while trying to seal the win. Having nine defenders within 20 yards of the line of scrimmage on a de facto Hail Mary attempt. I even thought Aranda made a mistake by giving Colorado the ball first in overtime; I get that it’s common protocol, but you can’t send Shedeur back onto the field with the crowd still buzzing like that.

Baylor’s head man won a Big 12 title in Year 2, but it feels like his tenure in Waco should be over.

10. Time to peek ahead.

Look, there are some fun games next weekend. Oklahoma State and Kansas State will clash. Louisville travels to South Bend. Penn State hosts a confident Illinois group. But only one matchup really matters. Georgia and Alabama, in Tuscaloosa. It’s here.

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“Can I Kick It?” by A Tribe Called Quest. Happy birthday, Dad. Love you!