4 college football teams that deserve more respect through four weeks

Four weeks have gone by in the 2024 college football season and we are starting to get an idea of where teams really stand. While some, such as Florida State, have disappointed so far, there are also several teams who have exceeded expectations.

Here are 4 teams who have impressed so far and deserve more respect through four weeks of the college football season. 

Undefeated No. 19 Illinois Fighting Illini should be talked about more

The Fighting Illini are off to their first 4-0 start since 2011 and have done so in impressive fashion with two ranked wins. In Week 2 they defeated No. 19 Kansas and last week pulled out a statement win on the road against No. 22 Nebraska. 

Coming into Nebraska all the talk was centered around the Cornhuskers and the possibility of them entering a Week 9 game at Ohio State undefeated. Illinois was having none of that and shocked many in the college football world.

Now the Illini are the ones who are undefeated and entering a colossal matchup for their program at Penn State on Saturday.

Indiana Hoosiers showing grit in 2024

Indiana may not just be a basketball school anymore as the Hoosiers have looked great so far in their first year under head coach Curt Cignetti who has done nothing but win during his time as a head coach. 

While winning is one thing they have also done it in dominant fashion outsourcing their opponents 202-37. Their biggest win came in a 42-13 welcome to the Big Ten whomping at UCLA. 

With an easier schedule, the Hoosiers may not really be tested until later in the year, but so far this does not look like your typical Indiana football team.

Washington State Cougars don't care if they are in a power conference

After all that Washington State has been through in the past year, the Cougars starting 4-0 is one of the biggest surprises to me thus far. After losing almost all of their production on offense in 2023 with star QB Cam Ward and leading receiver Josh Kelly transferring, their offense has not missed a beat average 46.2 points per game.

On top of all that the program was put in a tough situation after being left in the remnants of the PAC-12.

They got a huge win in the Apple Cup against rival Washignton and another power conference victory against Texas Tech. They are led by dual threat QB John Mateer who already has over 1,500 yards of offense and is electric to watch. 

The Cougars got off to a hot 4-0 start last year before dropping six straight and finishing the year 5-7. No matter what happens head coach Jake Dickert deserves some major respect for where he has this program and don’t be surprised to see his name thrown around for some big time head coaching positions in the near future. 

No. 10 Utah Utes not ready to takeover the Big 12

I know it’s weird to say a top-10 ranked team deserves more respect, but it seems like no one is talking about Utah. The Utes have gotten off to a strong start and have done so mostly without starting QB Cam Rising who left in the 2nd quarter of Week 2 with a hand injury. 

Last week they got one of the most impressive wins of the season at Oklahoma State without Rising and one of their best players on the defensive side of the ball in linebacker Karene Reid. 

Through the four quarters that Rising has played in this season he has thrown for 346 yards, 7 touchdowns, and 0 interceptions. If they can get and keep him healthy the Utes could be a serious national championship contender.