1. You know intuitively that successful teams don’t try to convert fourth downs. But I never recognized the disparity until I researched the story on the Oregon offense that posted Wednesday. The Ducks’ have 23 punts and 14 fourth-down attempts. The latter is more than any other team in the top 25. Of the 21 teams who have as many fourth-down attempts as Oregon, 14 have losing records. It’s another example of Chip Kelly’s unorthodox thinking.

2. Now that Michigan has lost two straight, the Wolverines’ game Saturday at Penn State has taken on a little more meaning than it might have if Rich Rodriguez hadn’t started last season 4-0 and finished 5-7. Why Rodriguez is considered on the edge of endangered remains mystifying. Michigan has improved and 18 starters return next season. Michigan will be favored in three of its final five games. Regardless of the outcome down the stretch, would it really be better to start over again?

3. Derek Dooley of Tennessee and Frank Spaziani of Boston College are taking heat for their young teams groping for leaders. Houston coach Kevin Sumlin, who has lost quarterback Case Keenum and nose tackle Matangi Tonga to injuries, explained: “Some players have to step out of their comfort zone and be leaders in critical situations….(W)e could practice all we want, but [when] you are under fire and there are no coaches around and you’re in those situations, that’s the only experience that will help you.”