"Survive and advance" never meant more than it did for several top teams on an otherwise sleepy Saturday.
1. Georgia: No. 1 until proven otherwise, though these first half performances are testing the "until proven otherwise" part of the equation.
2. Washington: The Huskies are one of the few teams to play to a standard this season, at home and on the road.
3. Michigan: Might it be true that Michigan's only true test until their Nov. 11 trip to State College comes against... Rutgers? Probably not, but it's fun to think about.
4. Florida State: The Seminoles did their best to give that game away, but Boston College did even better to give it back. Also, the 'Noles win over LSU has aged better (so far) than Texas's win over Alabama.
5. Texas: Who knew it was so difficult to throw for 100 yards on Wyoming? In all seriousness, Texas's opponents are a combined 6-0 when not facing the Longhorns. That counts for something at this juncture of the season.
6. USC: On a Saturday when few top teams looked great, it was a good weekend for USC to take off.
7. Notre Dame: Through four games, I can't recall a more explosive Notre Dame offense.
8. Ohio State: Ohio State scored more points on Western Kentucky than it did on Indiana and Youngstown State combined. It seems naming Kyle McCord the starter was the right move by Ryan Day heading into the trip to South Bend.
9. Penn State: Not only did Penn State beat West Virginia to open the season, the Nittany Lions claimed a transitive property win over Pitt with WVU's Backyard Brawl victory on Saturday night.
10. Oregon: It certainly looks like the Ducks are about to open up a can on Colorado on Saturday.
11. Duke: Again, Duke just keeps winning. Riley Leonard racked up 316 yards on 33 touches in a 38-14 trouncing of Northwestern.
12. Utah: The win over Florida gained value with the Gators' defeat of Tennessee.
13. Oklahoma: The schedule has been Charmin-soft, but OU has out-scored that Charmin-soft schedule 167-28 through three games. That counts for something.
14. Oregon State: A workman-like win over San Diego State on Saturday.
15. Colorado: Is this the week the magic runs out? The 3-0 Buffaloes get Oregon and USC in their next two games.
16. Ole Miss: Lane Kiffin has the biggest game of his coaching life coming up on Saturday.