Week 4 College Football Rankings: Evaluating Top 25 Teams After Week 3

Week 3 of the 2026 college football season delivered one massive upset, with top-10 Texas A&M going down at home against Kentucky while 12th-ranked USC Trojans narrowly escaped with a victory at Rutgers. On a weekend that also featured several ranked-versus-ranked matchups, we’ve got some shakeup in the top 25.

Let’s dive into our Week 4 college football rankings. We’ve included both evaluations on the 25 best college football teams right now and included their next opponent.

Related: Winners, Losers from College Football Week 3

1. Texas Longhorns (Previously: 1)

After a disappointing showing from Cam Coleman last week versus Ohio State, it’s great to see Arch Manning use Saturday night to keep building that rapport with his No. 1 receiver. The Texas Longhorns weren’t flawless in Austin during Saturday night’s win over UTSA, but they avoided falling into the proverbial trap game after that huge win over the Buckeyes. A trip to Neyland Stadium is up next and the Manning-Coleman combo should be very eager to face Tennessee’s defense.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 @ Tennessee (12:00 PM ET on ABC)

2. Georgia Bulldogs (Previously: 4)

We are a bit lower on the Georgia Bulldogs than the AP Top 25 college football rankings (second), but Saturday’s road trip to Arkansas erased that gap given how Notre Dame and Indiana fared at home. What concerns us, particularly in the first half, was that the Bulldogs offensive line got a bit exposed and offensive play-caller Mike Bobo effectively had to limit how often he’d let Gunner Stockton drop back and pass as a result (6 first-half pass attempts). That’s a bit worrisome entering a Week 4 matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners defense, especially amid continued lapses in coverage by the Bulldogs’ secondary, even if we still think Georgia wins next week.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Oklahoma (3:30 PM ET)

3. Ole Miss Rebels (Previously: 7)

The team with the better quarterback won. Things started to feel a bit worrisome for the Ole Miss Rebels after Kewan Lacy exited with an injury and then LSU turned a 17-point deficit into a tie game early in the fourth quarter. Trinidad Chambliss answered, engineering a 74-yard touchdown drive. Again, Mississippi asked its quarterback to step up again after its defense gave the touchdown right back. In what feels like the biggest game in his career, Chambliss came through once more.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 @ Florida (3:30 PM ET)

4. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (Previously: 2)

We’re dropping the Notre Dame Fighting Irish in our college football rankings largely due to concerns with the run game. It’s the little things that matter when facing the best teams in college football, and if you can’t maintain an effective rushing attack, you’re more likely to lose the time of possession battle and see a higher frequency of three-and-outs. Notre Dame’s defense is excellent, and the CJ Carr-Micah Gilbert connection was outstanding on Saturday night. We just really need to see Notre Dame find something on the ground, and maybe it’s Nolan James Jr.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 @ Purdue (2:00 PM ET on Peacock)

5. Indiana Hoosiers (Previously: 3)

Curt Cignetti will have plenty to point to in the film room this week coming out of Saturday’s home win over Western Kentucky. Indiana missed a field goal on its opening drive, turned it over on downs in the second quarter and only made it a 14-0 game before halftime because the defense handed the football back to the Hoosiers offense at Western Kentucky’s 3-yard line. That’s now twice this season that Indiana really hasn’t looked like the reigning national champs for the majority of the game. Thankfully for Cignetti, the Hoosiers schedule until the middle of October allows plenty of chances for this program to struggle early and still win by multiple scores. Speaking of that schedule, Indiana doesn’t have its first road game until Oct. 3.

• Next Opponent: Friday, Sept. 25 vs Northwestern (8:00 PM ET on FOX)

6. Miami Hurricanes (Previously: 5)

It’s absurd how efficient quarterback Darian Mensah has been through his first three games. The Miami Hurricanes quarterback has more passing touchdowns (11) than incompletions (eight) on 79 attempts and he’s averaged 11.1 yards per attempt with just 1 sack taken in that three-game span. Mensah is everything Miami hoped for and more, now this Hurricanes defense just needs to clean up some of its mistakes from the Wake Forest game (312 passing yards allowed). Fortunately, Miami’s upcoming schedule should allow it to keep coasting to victories.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Central Michigan (6:30 PM ET on CW)

7. Ohio State Buckeyes (Previously: 6)

Congrats to Jeremiah Smith for breaking the Ohio State Buckeyes‘ all-time receiving yardage record, a mark that he should hold for quite a long time given we’re still just three games into his junior season. The Buckeyes’ passing game looked flawless in Saturday’s one-sided thrashing of Kent State and it should hopefully be a confidence builder for quarterback Julian Sayin. Ohio State’s talent is more than good enough to beat the likes of Illinois, Iowa and Maryland, but Sayin puts a ceiling on this team and that could get exposed on Oct. 17 at Indiana.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Illinois (12:00 PM ET on FOX)

8. LSU Tigers (Previously: 9)

Lane Kiffin brought a ton of talent and coaches with him to the LSU Tigers, but he couldn’t convince the one guy he needed the most to join him. The difference in this game was quarterback play, with Chambliss easily outperforming Sam Leavitt and stepping up in clutch moments and when pressured, whereas Leavitt didn’t. Losing to Ole Miss certainly doesn’t knock LSU out of the College Football Playoff mix, but tonight’s game does suggest they might not have the caliber of QB needed to win it all.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Texas A&M (7:30 PM ET on ABC)

9. BYU Cougars (Previously: 10)

The Bear Bachmeier-LJ Martin show conntinues for the BYU Cougars. It was all about explosive plays in the first half on Saturday night at Colorado State, with Bachmeier hitting three different receivers for explosive plays and putting up nearly 170 on his first six completions while Martin turned his first 12 touches into 115 yards and three scores. Up next, an early bye week for BYU.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Oct. 3 @ TCU

10. Texas Tech Red Raiders (Previously: 16)

Not only did the Texas Tech Red Raiders beat Houston on Friday night, but they did it despite losing both the turnover battle and time of possession to the Cougars. It’s clear that the Red Raiders defense (60% third-down conversion rate and 458 total yards allowed) isn’t nearly as good as the units that made this one of the best college football teams in 2025. We also wouldn’t advise Texas Tech to keep giving Thomas Castellanos opportunities to throw the football in big games. Still, it’s a 3-0 start for the Red Raiders and now they have a pretty clear path to a 5-0 record before their schedule picks up again in terms of intensity.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Sam Houston State (12:00 PM ET on TNT)

11. Alabama Crimson Tide (Previously: 12)

How bad was the Alabama Crimson Tide defense in Week 3? It marked the first time since facing the historic 2019 LSU Tigers offense that Alabama allowed 35-plus points at home. Keelon Russell saved the day, putting up a 50-burger to help the Crimson Tide avoid an embarrassing upset at the hands of Florida State. There’s a ton for Alabama to clean up defensively, but the young signal-caller stepped up tonight, and it appears the Crimson Tide might have something in running back Trae’Shawn Brown (86 yards on 12 carries).

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs South Carolina (7:00 PM ET on ESPN)

12. Penn State Nittany Lions (Previously: 13)

The Matt Campbell era with the Penn State Nittany Lions is off to a promising start. Rocco Becht wasn’t phenomenal on Saturday afternoon in Happy Valley, but he didn’t need to be thanks to Penn State’s ground game and defense. We still haven’t really seen the Nittany Lions challenged this season, as evidenced by their three victories all coming by 18-plus points, but that first gauge of how good this team is arrives next Saturday against the Wisconsin Badgers.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Wisconsin (5:00 PM ET on Peacock)

13. USC Trojans (Previously: 12)

What is it with the USC Trojans on the road? We understand there was cross-country travel from Southern California to New Jersey, but it required a 99-yard pick-six to win 42-35 over a Rutgers program that had previously lost to UMass and Boston College. That is dumbfounding and raises serious concerns about this program’s ability to go on the road and beat ranked teams. One thing is for certain, next week’s Oregon vs. USC matchup at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum has lost a lot of its luster.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Oregon (7:30 PM ET on NBC)

14. Tennessee Volunteers (Previously: 15)

It wasn’t exactly an inspiring performance at home on Saturday night against Kennesaw State, but it ended in a victory, and every game is more reps for true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon. What is very clear, however, is that the Tennessee Volunteers offensive line isn’t nearly as good as anticipated coming into the season, and Jim Knowles’ secondary is a bit of a mixed bag. The 3-0 start is nice, but both of those glaring weak links will probably get exposed in a big way next Saturday against Texas.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Texas (12:00 PM ET on ABC)

15. Utah Utes (Previously: 17)

Far more impressive than the 3-0 start for the Utah Utes this season is that they have put up 30-plus and 400-plus total yards in each of those victories. Devon Dampier is becoming the star quarterback this program has needed, and offensive coordinator Kevin McGiven is orchestrating a passing game that’s both explosive and efficient right now. If the Utes defense is as advertised, which we’ll get a better indication of in Week 4, it might soon be time to start pondering if Utah is a top-12 team.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 @ Iowa State (3:30 PM ET on FOX)

16. Michigan Wolverines (Previously: 17)

Things didn’t look good early at Michigan Stadium. A strip-sack of Bryce Underwood was soon followed by a UTEP touchdown, and before the Michigan Wolverines knew it, they trailed 14-7 in Ann Arbor. Underwood locked in after that, leading the Wolverines offense on five consecutive scoring drives before Tommy Carr came in and made it a 50-burger for Michigan. With Iowa coming to town in Week 4, this is exactly the version of Underwood fans were hoping to see.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Iowa (3:30 PM ET on CBS)

17. Louisville Cardinals (Previously: 23)

The Louisville Cardinals now have multiple ways they can win shootouts and that should worry the rest of the ACC. Even more concerning for the conference, running back Isaac Brown might finally be waking up right ahead of the strength of schedule moving forward getting much weaker for Louisville. Let’s not forget that the Cardinals nearly beat Ole Miss in Week 1 and now they have a ranked victory over SMU by two scores. Winning out and finishing 11-1 is squarely on the table, which would get Louisville into the ACC Championship Game with a shot at the College Football Playoff.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Wake Forst (12:00 PM ET)

18. Oregon Ducks (Previously: 14)

Needless to say, Dan Lanning and the Oregon Ducks felt they had to let out some of their frustrations in Week 3. Hosting Portland State on Friday night, it got so one-sided that both quarterback Dylan Raiola (11-for-11 with 124 passing yards and 3 touchdowns), Akili Smith Jr. (2-for-4 for 31 yards) and Brock Thomas (3-for-5 for 18 yards) got to see the field. Evidently, the Ducks needed the confidence boost and routing the Vikings 84-0 accomplished that. Still, given the issues Oregon showed in the previous two games this season, it’s hard to have any confidence in the Ducks winning at USC next Saturday night.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 @ USC Trojans (7:30 PM ET on NBC)

19. Iowa Hawkeyes (Previously: Unranked)

A theme in the late-afternoon window in Week 3 seemed to be top-25 teams struggling against unranked opponents. That wasn’t the case for the Iowa Hawkeyes. Xavier Williams (119 scrimmage yards and 2 touchdowns) and Hank Brown (12-for-12, 153 passing yards and 2 touchdowns) dominated Northern Iowa in the first half, allowing for the Hawkeyes’ backups to get extended playing time. If the Hawkeyes offense can find those explosive plays again next weekend in Ann Arbor, a 4-0 start thanks to a win over Michigan can cap off a perfect September.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 23 @ Michigan (3:30 PM ET on CBS)

20. Missouri Tigers (Previously: 21)

Already without running back Ahmad Hardy, the Missouri Tigers offense became one-dimensional on Saturday night with quarterback Austin Simmons (91 passing yards on 19 attempts) unable to get anything going through the air against Troy. Fortunately, Tigers running back Jamal Robert (128 yards and 1 touchdown) and some stellar defense in the second half spared Mizzou from the upset. The 3-0 record is ultimately all that matters, but Missouri needs to clean things up to beat Mississippi State on the road next week.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 25 @ Mississippi State (7:45 PM ET on SEC Network)

21. Florida Gators (Previously: Unranked)

The Florida Gators are 3-0 for the first time since 2019, a season that ended with an 11-2 record and a victory in the Orange Bowl. Are this year’s Gators capable of replicating that? Probably, but running back Jadan Baugh did just show why he’s one of the best ball-carriers in college football, and sophomore Vernell Brown III keeps making splash plays for a passing game that needs it. Going on the road and winning at Jordan-Hare Stadium under the lights on Saturday night is a big enough win for Florida to finally crack the top 25 college football rankings.Unfortunately for the Gators, it now has to face Ole Miss.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Ole Miss (3:30 PM ET).

22. Mississippi State Bulldogs (Previously: Unranked)

The Mississippi State Bulldogs trailed 16-0 at South Carolina in the second quarter. How did quarterback Kamari Taylor and running back Fluff Bothwell respond? By outscoring the Gamecocks 41-7 until late in the fourth quarter, silencing the crowd at Williams-Brice Stadium by snatching victory from the jaws of defeat. The 3-0 record speaks for itself at this point and with the way Taylor is performing, maybe we shouldn’t rule out Mississippi State winning at home against Missouri.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Missouri (7:45 PM ET on SEC Network)

23. Texas A&M Aggies (Previously: 8)

There is the Texas A&M Aggies that the college football world has come to know and love. Don’t let the 31-21 final score fool you, Kentucky looked even better than that at Kyle Field. Mike Elko’s defense was abysmal, and when the Aggies needed to try and answer back, quarterback Marcel Reed either threw it way off target or got picked off. There is no time for Texas A&M to recover with a trip to Death Valley to face LSU. Quite frankly, that game could get ugly, so this might be the last time for a long while that the Aggies are in the top 25 rankings this season.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 @ LSU (7:30 PM ET on ABC)

24. West Virgina Mountaineers (Previously: Unranked)

Don’t look now, but Rich Rodriguez is leading a 3-0 West Virginia Mountaineers program with a dual-threat quarterback who used to be at Oklahoma. West Virginia rightfully didn’t get much attention nationally after wins over Coastal Carolina and UT Martin, but putting up 35 points and over 400 total yards on No. 25-ranked Virginia does earn a spot. We’re excited to see if Hawkins and the Mountaineers can keep the good times rolling next Saturday at home in a likely shootout versus Oklahoma State.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 vs Oklahoma State (7:00 PM ET on Fox Sports 1)

25. Houston Cougars (Previously: 22)

The Houston Cougars came oh so close to a monumental win for the program on the road at Texas Tech. Conner Weigman (338 total yards and 3 touchdowns) played about as well as head coach Willie Fritz could ask for and running back Makhi Hughes continues to look good back in this system. The Cougars (2-1) should be able to rebound with three straight wins against Georgia Southern, Central Florida and Kansas State.

• Next Opponent: Saturday, Sept. 26 @ Georgia Southern