College football scores, rankings, highlights: Oregon, Oklahoma survive unexpected scares

It was an edge-of-your-seat kind of day around college football in an eventful Week 4

Both No. 3 Oregon and No. 4 Oklahoma received tough tests at home against unranked conference foes on Saturday night, but managed to escape with victories on a day full of upsets and close calls for ranked teams. Oregon defeated Arizona 41-19, but only after the Wildcats pulled within 24-19 late in the third quarter. Timely interceptions helped the Ducks improve to 4-0 as they picked off Arizona quarterback Jordan McCloud five times. Two of the interceptions came in the red zone, and another one was returned for a touchdown by Bennett Williams in the fourth quarter to put the game out of reach.

Earlier in the evening, Kicker Gabe Brkic drilled a 30-yard field goal as time expired to lift the Sooners to 4-0 with a 16-13 victory over a West Virginia team that gave QB Spencer Rattler and Co. fits all night with a stingy defense. When it mattered most, though, Rattler engineered a 72-yard drive to set up the game-winning kick, redeeming an otherwise underwhelming performance for the redshirt sophomore.

The tight games for both Oklahoma and Oregon demonstrated how few truly elite teams there appear to be at this point in the season. They were fortunate to avoid the same fate as fellow top-10 teams like No. 7 Texas A&M and No. 9 Clemson, both of which took losses Saturday as chaos enveloped the sport for much of the day.

CBS Sports was here every step of the way to update you with the latest scores, highlights and storylines throughout the night.

College football scores, schedule: Week 4

Boise State 27, Utah State 3 -- Highlights
No. 12 Notre Dame 41, No. 18 Wisconsin 13 -- Takeaways, highlights
LSU 28, Mississippi State 25 -- Recap
Texas 70, Texas Tech 35 -- Recap
No. 2 Georgia 62, Vanderbilt 0 -- Recap
No. 16 Arkansas 20, No. 7 Texas A&M 10 -- Takeaways, highlights
NC State 27, No. 9 Clemson 21 (2OT) -- Takeaways
No. 19 Michigan 20, Rutgers 13 -- Recap
No. 20 Michigan State 23, Nebraska 20 (OT) -- Recap
No. 11 Florida 38, Tennessee 14 -- Takeaways, highlights
No. 1 Alabama 63, Southern Miss 14 -- Recap
No. 4 Oklahoma 16, West Virginia 13 -- Recap
No. 3 Oregon 41, Arizona 19 -- Recap

Check out the entire Week 4 scoreboard

Check these out ...

• Tomorrow's Top 25 Today: Notre Dame rises, Clemson tumbles
• Winners, losers & overreactions: Arkansas is a top-10 team
• What happened? Ohio State LB walks out in middle of game
• No. 1 for Notre Dame: Brian Kelly passes Knute Rockne as winningest coach

[Sep 26, 2021 at 2:28 am ET · Ben Kercheval]

Oregon State cruises past USC

Final: Oregon State 45, USC 27

As usual, the Trojans made it just interesting enough in the final eight minutes or so, but ultimately fell well short against Oregon State 45-27. A late interception from Beavers QB Chance Nolan gave USC some life, but the gap was ultimately too much to make up. The struggle for USC post-Clay Helton continues, but Oregon State is quietly 3-1 and won its first game in L.A. in more than 60 years. 

[Sep 26, 2021 at 1:36 am ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

USC facing historic loss

Start 4Q: Oregon State 42, USC 17

USC is minutes away from suffering one of the worst losses in program history in the second week since firing Clay Helton. The Trojans are losing by four scores against Oregon State and are 15 minutes away from losing to the Beavers in Los Angeles for the first time since 1960. Oregon State has only beaten USC five times in the past 61 years and not since 2010. Unfortunately, it seems like USC's interim coaching magic might be coming to an end. The 25-point loss to an unranked opponent would be the worst home loss since Nov. 9, 1957. 

[Sep 26, 2021 at 1:23 am ET · David Cobb]

BYU survives USF comeback

BYU led USF 28-6 at halftime, but all of the sudden the Bulls got within 35-27 after a 19 play (!!!) scoring drive capped off with 5:41 remaining. Really impressive stuff from a team that hasn't been very good this season. BYU turned out the lights from there, but this one gets an honorary Pac-12 After Dark label.

[Sep 26, 2021 at 1:08 am ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

Arizona charging against No. 3 Oregon

Late 3Q: No. 3 Oregon 24, Arizona 19

Don't look now but Arizona is moving at will against Oregon's defense. The Wildcats forced a safety and converted it into another touchdown to cut a two-touchdown lead down to just five points. Quarterback Jordan McCloud has done a better job of taking care of the ball and leads Arizona with 194 yards passing and 67 yards rushing. It's going to be a photo finish. 

[Sep 26, 2021 at 12:48 am ET · David Cobb]

Verone McKinley III INT

With Arizona driving and looking two cut into a 24-10 deficit, Verone McKinley III comes down with a pick in the end zone. That's the second Arizona drive that has ended with an interception in the end zone. If not for those turnovers, the Ducks would be on upset alert. As it is, they are looking underwhelming against the Wildcats.

[Sep 26, 2021 at 12:16 am ET · David Cobb]

Oregon looks shaky

Half: No. 3 Oregon 24, Arizona 10

The Ducks are fortunate to be up 14 against lowly Arizona. Anthony Brown had a pass tipped on the final play of the first half and an Arizona defensive lineman nearly came down with it. He could have housed the thing if he'd caught it, but it fell to the turf. Arizona moved the ball surprisingly well in that half. Doesn't feel like the Ducks are in danger of losing. But like many of the other supposed contenders today, Oregon doesn't look elite, either.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 11:55 pm ET · David Cobb]

BYU up big

Half: No. 15 BYU 28, USF 6

If you're waiting for the BYU dropoff, just keep waiting. The Cougars are following up three consecutive wins vs. Pac-12 teams with an impressive showing vs. South Florida. Despite being without starting QB Jaren Hall, BYU's passing is not missing a beat.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 11:30 pm ET · David Cobb]

Oregon, BYU rolling early

The Ducks just stopped a surprisingly plucky Arizona squad in the red zone with a nice INT by Mykael Wright in the end zone. Put a stop to an otherwise impressive drive by the Wildcats and preserved a 17-7 lead early in 2Q. BYU is cruising vs. USF thanks to some big plays in the pass game with Baylor Romney filling in at QB for the injured Jaren Hall. That one also in the second quarter.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 11:07 pm ET · David Cobb]

Ohio State covers

Final: No. 10 Ohio State 59, Akron 7

The Buckeyes get Kyle McCord and Jack Miller plenty of QB reps with C.J. Stroud out tonight and romp vs. one of the worst FBS teams. Akron led 7-0 but never scored again. 622 total yards for the Buckeyes, who imposed their will through the air and on the ground with a flurry of big plays against an overmatched foe. Game at Rutgers is up next for this team.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 11:04 pm ET · David Cobb]

Georgia Tech makes a statement

No other way to say it…that's a statement victory for Geoff Collins and a Yellow Jackets team that looked bad in a season-opening loss to North Carolina. GT outscores UNC 32-15 in the second half while exposing UNC's flaws. Jeff Sims runs for 128 yards and finds something in the air as well with a 10-of-13 passing performance. EIGHT sacks for the Georgia Tech defense, which is the MVP of the night for containing a UNC attack that torched UVA last week.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 10:56 pm ET · David Cobb]

Oklahoma survives

Final: No. 4 Oklahoma 16, West Virginia 13

Everyone thought Oklahoma would be 4-0, but no one thought the Sooners would look this vulnerable. Gabe Brkic delivers the victory with a 30-yard field goal, but OU was lucky to get the dub. A botched shotgun snap by West Virginia zapped the Mountaineers' potential go-ahead drive late and set up Spencer Rattler to save some face. He directed the game-winning drive to conclude an otherwise underwhelming performance. A trip to Kansas State is up next for Oklahoma.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 10:50 pm ET · David Cobb]

Alabama cruises 

Final: No. 1 Alabama 63, Southern Miss 14

No drama from top-ranked Crimson Tide. They rack up 608 yards of offense and even get Bear Bryant's great-grandson some time at QB. Nice tune-up ahead of a huge showdown with Ole Miss next week. Sure that Nick Saban will find some things he didn't like, but the offense was explosive and Bryce Young was laser sharp, going 20-of-22 for 313 yards, 5 TDs and 1 INT. Here's how it started.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 10:41 pm ET · David Cobb]

Michigan State in OT!

Final: No. 20 Michigan State 23, Nebraska 20

Well, Michigan State's rushing attack was contained for much of the night. But Kenneth Walker's 23-yard run sets up the Spartans to win it on a 21-yard FG vs. Nebraska in OT after an interception by the Cornhuskers on their turn. Yet another crushing loss for Scott Frost and Adrian Martinez. Nebraska falls to 2-3. The Spartans are 4-0 and one of the country's top surprise teams under second-year coach Mel Tucker.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 10:31 pm ET · David Cobb]

Dramatic finish in East Lansing

What a day!

To recap: No. 9 Clemson has lost, No. 4 Oklahoma is tied in a battle with West Virginia in the fourth quarter, No. 21 UNC is in deep fourth quarter trouble at Georgia Tech, Ohio State had a player quit in the middle of the game (Buckeyes are fine vs. Akron though), No. 14 Iowa State lost at Baylor, No. 5 Iowa struggled with Colorado State before winning, No. 23 Auburn needed late-game heroics vs. Georgia State, No. 19 Michigan squeaked one out vs. Rutgers. The chaos we've yearned for is here. Now, we've got potential overtime in East Lansing between Nebraska and No. 20 Michigan State.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 10:20 pm ET · David Cobb]

UNC officially in deep trouble

Jeff Sims just found Malachi Carter for a 27-yard TD with 13:52 left and the Jackets get a two-point conversion to make it 35-14. Suddenly, Georgia Tech has a passing attack. How about this roller-coaster for Geoff Collins' squad? You go from losing to Northern Illinois in the opener to nearly beating Clemson and now blowing out the preseason favorite to win the Coastal. Sheesh, the ACC is nuts.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 10:10 pm ET · David Cobb]

Nebraska surges ahead

Adrian Martinez finds the end zone with his legs to put the Cornhuskers ahead 20-13 on Michigan State with 7:29 left.  The most impressive part of this performance for Nebraska so far has been run defense though. MSU's Kenneth Walker III had been shredding everyone, but he's been bottled up tonight. Would be a much-needed victory for Scott Frost if the Cornhuskers can hold on.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 10:09 pm ET · David Cobb]

Oklahoma in trouble

West Virginia 13, No. 4 Oklahoma 10

The Oklahoma offense is an absolute disaster, and the Sooners are in danger of dropping a game to West Virginia. Even if the Sooners pull this one out, they have a long, long way to go before they look like a CFP team. With Iowa State losing today and Texas looking great, do I dare say it? Is Texas back? The Big 12, ACC and Big Ten look absolutely wide open, which no one would have thought entering the season.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 9:45 pm ET · David Cobb]

Georgia Tech takes two score lead

The Yellow Jackets have cracked the code to stopping North Carolina's offensive attack by shutting down the Tar Heels' run game. Offensively, the Yellow Jackets are doing just enough to get by and to take advantage of UNC turnovers and miscues. Jackets just went ahead 20-7 on a Jeff Sims TD run with 10:53 to play in the third.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 9:43 pm ET · David Cobb]

OK State holding on, Oklahoma scuffling

OK State is holding on to a 31-20 lead versus a Kansas State team showing some life late in the third. Florida has created some separation from Tennessee. Best game in the evening window may be WVU and Oklahoma. The Sooners' offense can't get anything going and they are deadlocked 10-10. Would be quite a shock to the system if Oklahoma and Clemson both went down vs. unranked foes on the same day.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 9:12 pm ET · David Cobb]

DTR plays through pain for UCLA win

A week after losing to Fresno State with a QB in Jake Haener who played through obvious pain, Dorian Thompson-Robinson did it for UCLA. The senior QB just came off the bench late in the fourth quarter to throw a TD pass that puts the Bruins ahead 35-24 with 2:30 left. He's gutting through obvious pain and literally getting hugs from his teammates on the sideline as UCLA closes out a league win.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 9:09 pm ET · Shehan Jeyarajah]

Sooners trail at half

HALF: No. 4 Oklahoma 7, West Virginia 7

The Mountaineers kicked a late field goal as time expired against Oklahoma to take a three-point lead into halftime in Norman. WVU has dominated the game by holding the ball for more than 20 minutes and leading with 43 plays to 21 Sooners plays through 30 minutes. Some fans have started chanting for Oklahoma to bench starting quarterback Spencer Rattler. The Sooners have not beaten an FBS opponent by more than one score this season. 

[Sep 25, 2021 at 9:01 pm ET · David Cobb]

Oklahoma's offense sputtering again

Late 2Q: No. 4 Oklahoma 7, West Virginia 7

It's hard to make sense of why the Oklahoma isn't already elite. The season is young, but there is so much talent up and down the 2-deep on that side of the ball for Lincoln Riley. But late in the second quarter, they still haven't reached 100 total yards and can't run the ball against WVU. Spencer Rattler has been picked once, and fortunately for the Sooners the Mountaineers couldn't capitalize.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 8:58 pm ET · David Cobb]

Georgia Tech's defense

Late 2Q: GT 13 No. 21 UNC 7,

It's looking strong again as the Yellow Jackets have mostly stymied the North Carolina attack so far. The Tar Heels appeared to have gotten things going against Georgia State and Virginia with big games. But they can't run it vs. Ga. Tech. A week after taking Clemson down to the wire, Georgia Tech is again messing with a ranked team.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 8:52 pm ET · David Cobb]

Let's check in on Alabama

Four Alabama receivers have catches for 20 yards or longer. The explosiveness has returned to the Crimson Tide's attack against an overmatched foe. Bryce Young has hit on 9-of-10 for 176 with three TDs. Roydell Wiliams and Jase McClellan also have runs of 25+. Just a big play festival for the No. 1 team so far. Southern Miss did just add a score to make it 35-7 late in the first half. But this is the type of dominant outing you'd expect from a Bama squad with these weapons. There was this little kick return, too.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 8:42 pm ET · David Cobb]

Stanford ties it up

No. 24 UCLA is in a bounce-back spot after losing to Fresno State and trying to handle a Stanford team that has a win over USC under its belt. Cardinal have tied it at 21 early in the fourth quarter. Stanford just reached 100 total yards yet but has managed to hang around after falling behind 21-7 early. David Shaw's squad is plucky and looks bound to exceed a preseason win total that was set at 4.5 in some places.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 8:31 pm ET · David Cobb]

Universe returning to order

Alright, take a deep breath. Florida is back ahead of Tennessee late in the second quarter, Ohio State put a couple quick TDs on Akron to take an early 2Q lead and Oklahoma is tied up with West Virginia. The one ranked team in this window that is REALLY struggling is Kansas State. Playing without Skylar Thompson, the Wildcats have been suffocated by OK State's defense and trail 31-10 late in the second quarter. It's been ugly, but the Cowboys are on the cusp of 4-0.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 8:02 pm ET · David Cobb]

More craziness in the evening 

After a wild afternoon, the underdogs are thriving again in the evening. West Virginia strikes first against No. 4 Oklahoma, and Tennessee has taken a 14-10 lead at No. 11 Florida. Neither of those scores is as shocking as this one, however: Akron, a 49-point underdog, is up 7-0 at Ohio State in the first quarter. Long way to go in all those games, but the chaos may not be over. No. 1 Alabama is handling Southern Miss with no problem so far, in case you were worried.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 7:31 pm ET · David Cobb]

Auburn survives

Final: No. 23 Auburn 34, Georgia State 24

Don't led the 10-point spread fool you. Auburn needed a borderline miracle to escape an upset loss as a 27-point favorite against Georgia State. Backup quarterback T.J. Finley, in for the ineffective Bo Nix, found Shedrick Jackson for a 10-yard score on fourth down to put the Tigers ahead with 45 seconds left. Then a Smoke Monday pick-six cemented the outcome. The Tigers were outplayed for much of this game after their emotional loss at Penn State. Somehow, they survive.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 7:23 pm ET · David Cobb]

Down goes Clemson!

Facing a fourth-and-5 down 27-21, Clemson can't convert in second OT. That means NC State has a signature win, and it means Clemson is essentially eliminated from the College Football Playoff. Wow. What a game, and what a moment in Raleigh. NC State took the lead on a 22-yard strike from Devin Leary to Devin Carter to put NC State ahead 27-21. New OT rule requires every team go for two starting in the second OT and the Wolfpack did not convert. That meant the door was open for Clemson to win it. But they couldn't do it. Now, the fans are rushing the field. Stunning result in the ACC as the Tigers' 36-game win streak vs. unranked opponents comes to an end. Another dismal offensive effort for Clemson, which finishes the game totaling just 214 yards.

[Sep 25, 2021 at 7:20 pm ET · David Cobb]

NC State takes the lead

22-yard strike from Devin Leary to Devin Carter puts NC State ahead 27-21. New OT rule requires every team go for two starting in the second OT and the Wolfpack did not convert. That means the door is open for Clemson to win it.