Through four weeks of the season, a handful of teams have risen or fallen, surprising many across the sport. Let’s look at the College Football Stock Market. 

With Ohio State having what Ryan Day would call “Improvement Week,” I was able to really sit and watch more College Football this past weekend and find out who the surprising teams and most disappointing teams are so far this season.

We have now reached the first quarter of the college football season, so you may see a few surprises along the way. Teams are rising up the ranks and some are falling off a cliff. I am going to give you two teams that have surprised and two teams that we expected to be at the top but have completely fallen off.

Two Teams on the Rise:

Vanderbilt (4-0)

Vanderbilt has defeated every team on the schedule by multiple possessions each game including a 31-7 road game against conference foe South Carolina.

We know Diego Pavia is a veteran leader at quarterback. Knocking off Alabama really put him on the map. However in his second season as Vanderbilt’s quarterback, Pavia leads the Commodores in passing with 890 yards passing 8 touchdowns and 2 interceptions. He also leads the team in rushing with 215 yards and 1 touchdown. His main target is All-SEC tight end Eli Stowers with 16 receptions 233 yards and 1 touchdown

The season is still young but the Commodores feel like they can compete in the thick of the SEC. They currently sit at 4-0.

Florida State (3-0)

The Seminoles are having a huge bounce-back season after last season falling to 2-10. After hitting the portal after that disappointing season head coach Mike Norvell had a huge week 1 upset over No. 8 Alabama. Florida State has also capped off that win with huge blowout victories over Kent State and East Texas A&M.

Florida State might have one of the most exciting players in the country in Tommy Castellanos. Castellanos may not have the stats compared to the other top quarterbacks in the country due to the blowout victories but he has surely sparked the Noles nation to come out of their shell after the 2024 season.

Currently, Florida State is eyeing its arch rival Miami (FL) at the top of the ACC but they are making a case for possibly two teams out of the ACC getting in the 12-team playoff. Currently, the Seminoles are undefeated at 3-0 with a monster clash with Miami looming in two weeks.

Two teams that have Disappointed:

Clemson (1-3)

The Tigers were looked at as one of the preseason’s picks to win the National Championship. Clemson is currently with a week 1 loss to LSU, and upset losses to Syracuse and Georgia Tech.

Clemson is off to their worst start at 1-3 since 2004 and this after being ranked in the preseason top 4. As disappointing as it is the Tigers have to climb back up to Howard’s Rock to turn the season around. Senior Quarterback Cade Klubnik has not been very good. A guy who once had Heisman status is currently sitting at 6 touchdowns with 4 interceptions with completing only 60% of his passes. With still a long season ahead Cade Klubnik has to be the focal point to help turn the Tigers’ season around.

Kansas State (1-3)

Kansas State was a lot of people’s favorite to win the Big 12. However, the Wildcats are sitting in a terrible spot just like Clemson. Kansas State suffered with loss in Dublin, Ireland on Week 0 against Iowa State but they also own a home loss to Army and a road loss to Big 12 foe Arizona. Kansas State has found itself in a deep hole.

Avery Johnson has been a little bit of a spark for the Wildcats with 6 touchdowns and 1 interception in the throwing game but it has been the lack of running game that has found the Wildcats in a bad way. Joe Jackson is the leading rusher for Kansas State with only 134 rushing yards on the season. The offense has struggled and things are not looking up in Manhattan, Kansas.

What’s Ahead:

As we head into late September and into October conference play is starting for most conferences such as the Big Ten. This is the time of the year when we find out who the pretenders and contenders are. More big games as the season goes on. We are now in the heart of the best time of the year.