There were no major upsets in college football last week but some teams did cement their status as contenders. Here are my national power rankings heading into Week 4.
I will do a top-25 college football power rankings every Tuesday for the regular season. These power rankings will be based on where every team stands at the current moment, not a prediction of where these teams will be at the end of the season. The team’s ranking from the week prior will be in parenthesis next to their current ranking.
#1- Georgia (1)
The Bulldogs survived a scare against Kentucky last week and that got them bumped out of No. 1 in the AP Top 25. I am not willing to move Georgia out of that top spot unless it loses a game. The Bulldogs tend to have a game or two like that every season and it ends up just being a blip on the radar. Georgia has a bye week coming up and then faces Alabama, so there will be no doubt about where it stands after that game, win or lose.
#2- Texas (2)
The Longhorns remain at No. 2 after their dominant win over UTSA. The Quinn Ewers/Arch Manning situation has added a layer of intrigue to this Texas team as Manning is expected to be the starter for at least one game while Ewers recovers from an injury. Texas is a real national title contender but its schedule doesn’t get really tough until later in the season, so it should stay up toward the top of the power rankings for a long time.
#3- Ohio State (3)
Ohio State still won’t face a Power Four opponent for a couple more weeks so it will be hard to judge how good it really is but on paper, this is one of the best rosters in all of college football. The Buckeyes looked especially dominant against Western Michigan and will look for a similar performance against Marshall this weekend.
#4- Alabama (6)
After an unchanged top three, the Crimson Tide are the first team to jump up in the rankings as they come in at No. 4. Alabama had arguably the most impressive win of the weekend as it absolutely dominated Wisconsin on the road. Wisconsin might not be a great team, but it is a really tough place to play and Alabama dominated the Badgers in every facet of the game from start to finish. All eyes are now on that Week 5 matchup between Alabama and Georgia.
#5- Tennessee (4)
The Volunteers dropped one spot just because their level of competition last week was really weak compared to Alabama’s. That being said, it was another dominant performance by Nico Iamaleava and Tennessee. This weekend the Vols face Oklahoma in its first SEC game, so Tennessee has the chance to jump back up a spot or two if it takes care of business in Norman.
#6- Ole Miss (5)
Ole Miss is another team, similar to Tennessee, that keeps dominating but has yet to face any real competition. The Rebels finally get into SEC play in two weeks but even then, their first couple of SEC games are against weaker conference opponents. The real ceiling of this team still won’t be known for a long time. However, if they keep dominating, the Rebels aren’t going anywhere in the power rankings.
#7- Miami (9)
Miami QB Cam Ward is now the Heisman favorite and the Hurricanes have a clear path to an undefeated season, ACC Championship and the College Football Playoff. Louisville is the only team on their schedule that is currently in the top 25 so it could be smooth sailing for Miami if it stays focused every week.
#8- Oregon (8)
Oregon played its best game of the season so far against Oregon State last week. The Ducks looked dominant on both sides of the ball but they will need to do it consistently and against better competition to move any higher up in the rankings.
#9- Missouri (11)
Missouri picked up a top-25 win against Boston College on Saturday. It was a pretty close game but Missouri was in control for most of the fourth quarter. The win was enough to move the Tigers up a couple of spots but they didn’t look as good moving up a level in competition. In SEC play, things will only get tougher, so time will tell how far Missouri can go.
#10- Penn State (7)
Penn State dropped a couple of spots during its bye week, but this team can contend for the Big Ten this season. The Nittany Lions have an easy game against Kent State this weekend and then face their first ranked opponent of the season, Illinois, in two weeks. Everything is in front of Penn State if it just keeps taking care of business.
#11- USC (10)
USC also had an early bye week last week but faces one of its toughest opponents of the season this weekend. USC travels to Michigan to take on the defending national champions on Saturday. Earlier this season, Texas went to Michigan and beat the Wolverines handily, so USC is definitely capable of doing that as well with the offensive firepower it has shown. However, despite Michigan having a down season compared to the last couple of years, going to the Big House and getting a win is still a tall task.
#12- Utah (12)
Utah has been the height of consistency this season. It has been at No. 12 for every power rankings I have written so far. However, the Utes have their first real test of the season as they head to Oklahoma State in a tough Big 12 road matchup. QB Cam Rising was a bit banged up and missed last week’s game but is expected to be good to go against Oklahoma State.
#13- Kansas State (15)
Kansas State was another that picked up a ranked win last weekend and jumped up a couple of spots for it. Avery Johnson started to show flashes of what he is capable of and the Kansas State defense looked really solid. This team heads into conference play this week and is a serious contender to win the Big 12.
#14- Oklahoma State (13)
Oklahoma State has a huge matchup ahead with Utah, as mentioned earlier. These two teams are so close in the rankings and the game could easily go either way. The winner of that game will surely move several spots up in the rankings. Oklahoma State has looked great offensively but struggled on defense against Arkansas, the only Power Four opponent it’s faced so far.
#15- Iowa State (14)
The Utah, Kansas State, Oklahoma State and Iowa State group have been lumped together all season. Iowa State picked up a big win over Iowa before its bye week and now has a run of winnable conference games ahead. The real difficult part of the Cyclones’ schedule isn’t until the last couple of weeks of the season, so they have a chance to go on a good run.
#16- Clemson (17)
After its opening loss to Georgia, Clemson looked great against Appalachian State and then had a bye week last week. This week the Tigers begin ACC play against an NC State team that has struggled so far this season. Clemson will likely be the favorite in every game it plays the rest of the regular season, so it could go on a serious run in conference play if it maintains the level of play it had against App State.
#17- Louisville (18)
Louisville appears to be the only other threat in the ACC outside of Miami and Clemson. The Cardinals play both Clemson and Miami later this season so they will control their own destiny to make the ACC Championship Game and the College Football Playoff. They have yet to face any high-level competition but they travel to Notre Dame in two weeks for their first big test.
#18- Nebraska (19)
The Cornhuskers picked up an FCS win over Northern Iowa after beating Colorado the week prior. However, Nebraska plays in one of the biggest games of the weekend when it faces Illinois on Friday night. The ‘Huskers have a chance to cement themselves as the real deal if they can beat a ranked conference opponent and move to 4-0 on the season.
#19- Oklahoma (23)
Oklahoma picked up a solid win over Tulane last week. Its defense looks to be the real deal but Jackson Arnold still doesn’t look great throwing the football. This weekend it faces a massive test with Tennessee coming to town. If the Sooners win that game, they will skyrocket up the power rankings, but even a close loss would be a respectable result.
#20- LSU (20)
LSU survived its first SEC game against South Carolina thanks to some self-inflicted wounds from the Gamecocks and some questionable officiating decisions. LSU seems to have some real issues on the defensive side of the ball but it should be fine for the next couple of weeks. LSU hosts Ole Miss in early October, which will be the real measuring stick for where this team falls in the national picture.
#21- Boise State (21)
Boise State had a bye week following its close loss to Oregon and stayed put at No. 21. It faces an FCS opponent this week and RB Ashton Jeanty will get the chance to rack up some more ridiculous numbers.
#22- Memphis (NR)
Despite what Florida State has looked like so far this season, Memphis knocking the Seminoles off on the road on Saturday was still a huge win for the team. When the debate comes over which Group of Five team should make the College Football Playoff, the Tigers will get to say they beat Florida State on the road. This offense is awesome but the defense showed a lot of character and discipline in the win over FSU.
#23- Illinois (NR)
Illinois has taken care of business so far this season, including knocking off Kansas, but it faces its toughest test of the season this weekend. If the Illini can beat Nebraska, they might just be the real deal. If not, they will likely drop out of the top 25 next week.
#24- UCF (NR)
UCF picked up a huge conference win over TCU last weekend to remain undefeated. UCF has a bye week this week before hosting Colorado next week in what should be an incredibly exciting Big 12 matchup. UCF has the best rushing team in all of college football and that should be a great matchup against Colorado’s passing attack.
#25- UNLV (NR)
UNLV joins Boise State and Memphis in the power rankings following its big win over Kansas. The Rebels have an incredibly exciting offense and a very improved defense. They seem to be on a collision course with Boise State for the Mountain West title. This weekend they have a bye week before hosting Fresno State for a huge conference game the following week.
Teams that dropped out after Week 3: Arizona (16), Northern Illinois (22), Michigan (24), Boston College (25)
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