Step-tember: College Football Risers, Fallers & Playoff Dark Horses

September is almost over, which means we finally have enough evidence to start wondering who has actually taken a meaningful step forward, who has gone backward, and which teams are still making us wait for a real answer?

We run through a wide range of teams that have changed the conversation around themselves over the first month of the season, including Texas A&M, Wisconsin, Virginia Tech, Kentucky, Iowa, UCLA, West Virginia and Missouri. Some have found new life. Others have made their early optimism much harder to defend. And a few are still sitting in the uncomfortable middle, where one good or bad weekend could change the entire read.

We also catch up on the biggest news we missed after Saturday night, talk through the latest Verballer Top 12, and answer a few listener questions about College Football Playoff dark horses, how much head-to-head results should matter in the polls, and whether offensive continuity still means what it used to in the transfer portal era.

Then, because we somehow forgot them on Saturday night, Dude Alerts return with the standout performances from Week 4. And, as promised, an extended cut of Reverbs for our esteemed Patreon community. Shout out to Shae for putting these together!

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