Rundown of the New AP Top 25 Poll

Rundown of the New AP Top 25 Poll

#1 - Texas Longhorns (-)

The Longhorns are coming off of a 30-6 win over UTSA last week, and a crucial home win against the formerly #1 ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Arch Manning is at the top of his game, and is finally living up to his Heisman contender expectations. The Longhorns rightfully stand atop them all entering week 4. However, while they rule college football for now, they face the Tennessee Volunteers this week to kick off their 2026 SEC season. The question is: will the Longhorns remain on top for long?

#2 - Georgia Bulldogs (-)

Georgia has been quietly going off as of late, and after sneaking into the #2 spot after Oregon's scare against Boise State in week 2, they still have yet to let off the gas. Coming off of a landslide 45-17 victory against Arkansas, the Bulldogs have their first true test of strength against Oklahoma and John Mateer this week.

#3 - Notre Dame Fighting Irish (-)

Notre Dame had somewhat of a scare in week 3 against Michigan State; while Notre Dame won this game by 17, it was a one possession game at halftime. The Fighting Irish currently are in the "coasting" process of their season, as they face Purdue this week, North Carolina in week 5, Stanford in week 6, and a bye week in week 7 before having their first true test of the season against BYU in week 8. Safe to say, it's likely you'll be seeing Notre Dame up here for a little while longer.

#4 - Ole Miss Rebels (+4)

Following a spectacular home win against LSU last week, Ole Miss moves up into the top 5 for the first time in the regular season since 2015. Rebels quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has looked elite this season, and Ole Miss fans sure are glad he didn't declare for last year's NFL Draft. Following the Rebels' game against Louisville in the Liberty Mutual Music City Kickoff, people discovered what kind of team the Rebels were going to be following the departure of head coach Lane Kiffin. A relentless one. Their recent matchup against LSU and former head coach Kiffin showed that even when they went head to head with some of the toughest competition in the SEC, the Rebs could pull away and set the tone. The only major cause for concern going into the matchup against Florida is the defense when Ole Miss is up. Ole Miss led the Tigers 24-7 at halftime, but with 11:21 to go in the game, LSU had come all the way back and tied it at 24 a piece, with no answer from the Rebels until there were just over 6 minutes to go. While that touchdown did end up being the saving grace for Ole Miss, it could've ended much worse for them. Just watch out for their next matchup against Florida, because it's gonna be just as fun as LSU was.

#5 - Indiana Hoosiers (-1)

The Hoosiers are fairing pretty well through their 2026 campaign, but granted, their schedule has been pretty easy-going. They haven't faced a power 4 team yet this season, and while they have their first this week against currently undefeated Northwestern, it's likely that this won't exactly be close by any means. Similar to Notre Dame, as long as nothing catastrophic happens, Indiana should be safe up in the top 5 at least until they face Ohio State in week 7.

#6 - Miami (FL) Hurricanes (-1)

Like two of the top 5 teams mentioned previously, the Canes are in a situation where it's likely for them to be in this general area of the top 25 for a while, as they don't play a current top 25 team until week 10 against Notre Dame. And after that, they don't play another currently ranked team the rest of the season. It's likely for them to have potentially frightening matchups against Florida State (week 7) and Pitt (week 8), but they could easily beat both of those teams with the way they're playing right now. Receiver Malachi Toney is having a stellar year, as he's second in receiving yards, tied for second in receptions, and tied for fourth in receiving touchdowns. Not to discredit the offense as a whole; the Hurricanes' offense leads college football in total yards per game with 594.3 yds/g. Watch out for Miami this year, but they'll be here for a while.

#7 - Ohio State Buckeyes (-1)

Ohio State is still recovering from their devastating loss to Texas two weeks ago, but it's clear that nothing fundamental has changed. In the Buckeyes matchup against Kent State in week 3, receiver Jeremiah Smith broke Ohio State's all-time receiving yards record that was previously held by Michael Jenkins. Overall, going into this week's game against Illinois, it's pretty safe to say that Ryan Day and company will be climbing back up into the top 5 sooner rather than later.

#8 - Alabama Crimson Tide (+2)

The Tide has been functioning beyond expectations with true freshman quarterback Keelon Russell at the helm, but there are some fatal flaws with the offense. The primary issue is that Alabama's offense can't seem to find its rhythm until the second half in most of the games the Crimson Tide has played in. For example, against Kentucky, the Tide was down 17-13 at the half, but eventually picked it back up to win 45-17. Likewise, in their week 3 matchup against Florida State, Alabama fell into a 15-point hole against the Seminoles, but by the half, they were leading, and practically never looked back. If the Tide can get the offense going earlier in the matchups to come, they have real potential to be a dangerous playoff team. They will play unranked South Carolina this week.

#9 - BYU Cougars (+2)

BYU's current ranking can be primarily attributed to last year's season finish, along with the amount of players that returned to the Cougars this season. Bear Bachmeier has been playing at the same level he did during BYU's 2025 run, if not better. They have a bye week in week 4, so they can rest and have a recovery week before they face TCU in their second Big 12 game this season.

#10 - LSU Tigers (-3)

While the Bayou Bengals may have had a crucial loss to Ole Miss last week, hope for LSU is not lost. Despite going down 24-7 to the Rebels early, the Tigers fought back and tied it up late at 24. This 2026 team, controversial as they are, is a very resilient group. Not many people thought much of them entering this game, and especially not after going down 17 to Ole Miss. But even still, LSU punched back, and punched hard. Had they lost by more, they would've dropped more. However, this LSU team is not one to write off on, especially since Ole Miss is as good as they are this season. The Tigers have a matchup against a shaky Texas A&M this week, with a chance to redeem themselves and get back on everyone's radar.

#11 - Texas Tech Red Raiders (+2)

For the last two weeks, the matchup between Texas Tech and Houston had been talked about like it was a playoff matchup. When it finally came, it was just as good as we expected. The Red Raiders were down 17-14 at the half, but would get the lead back early in the third quarter, and never looked back. They stopped a crucial 2-point conversion attempt by the Cougars and won the game. Overall, Texas Tech again is in very close competition with BYU for the best team in the Big 12. These two might be the closest there is to perennial conference championship opponents in modern college football. The Red Raiders play the Sam Houston Bearkats this week in a refresher game.

#12 - USC Trojans (-)

Behind the best quarterback in college football entering week 4 in Jaiden Maiava, USC is riding high going into a crucial Big Ten matchup against former Pac 12 rival Oregon. Even though the Trojans had a bit of a scare against Rutgers in week 3, the biggest name team to have never made the CFP knows how big this matchup is. Oregon got rattled from their early season shocker against Oklahoma State, and it's hard to judge whether they've recovered yet, but USC is betting all their chips on not. With one of the five quarterbacks in college football that has over 1,000 yards passing, USC is going all out for this one, and this is gonna be a fun one in Eugene.

#13 - Penn State Nittany Lions (+1)

Penn State has been sneakily good this season, somewhat like it's 2024 CFP Semifinal opponent Notre Dame. Blowing teams like Marshall, Temple, and Buffalo out of the water, the Nittany Lions have their first true test of 2026 against the Wisconsin Badgers. Even so, it's possible that Penn State blows the Badgers straight back to Madison. Either way, we'll see it play out on Saturday.

#14 - Tennessee Volunteers (+1)

Tennessee might actually be one of the best teams in the SEC, and there are a few reasons why. Looking back to week 2, the Volunteers took down former ACC contender Georgia Tech handedly, 45-24. This past week, they blew reigning Conference USA champion Kennesaw State out of the water 42-9. However, they face arguably their toughest opponent all season this week. The Texas Longhorns. For the Vols, they have a slightly higher chance of a win because of venue, as Neyland Stadium will be the site for this match. But despite that, the Vols will have to put together an impeccable game for them to win against the #1 team in college football. Overall, watch out for the Vols, as it may be a smaller gap than you think.

#15 - Utah Utes (+2)

Utah has fallen severely under everyone's radar, but it's honestly not far fetched to assume that they won't be here come season's end. Utah historically hasn't had great success late in the season. But it's possible that ends this year. They've blown out all of their opponents so far, and they play Iowa State this week. Can Utah not only survive, but prove that they're legit?

#16 - Louisville Cardinals (+7)

Whatever Louisville did last week, they need to keep that type of energy for the remainder of the season. While the Cardinals don't play another currently ranked team the rest of the season, the Cards have an unbelievably large chance at an ACC championship appearance, and maybe even a CFP berth at that. They play Wake Forest and Gio Lopez this week, and it's possible the Cardinals of Louisville's hardest games left are Pitt and Kentucky. This team is scary.

#17 - Iowa Hawkeyes (+1)

For the first few weeks of this 2026 college football journey, the Iowa Hawkeyes, a perennially lower-end top 25 team, have gone unnoticed. That all changes here in week 4. Last week, Iowa faced---and beat down---Northern Iowa, with a score of 55-0. This week, the Hawkeyes go to Ann Arbor to play in the Big House against Michigan. Then next week, they play at home against Ohio State. This two week stretch is gonna be a tough one, but if they can make it through, Iowa might just be a Big Ten contender this year.

#18 - Michigan Wolverines (+1)

The Wolverines have been on the biggest rollercoaster of any team in college football, let alone the top 25. They won against Western Michigan 13-12 on a last second hail mary that directly followed the most controversial call of the 2026 season, after which the fans stormed the field at the Big House. Then, after dropping from the top 25, they beat formerly #11 ranked Oklahoma 17-10, in which the fans did not storm the field. Finally, last week the Wolverines had a game where they could coast and recover against UTEP. Another thing to note, Michigan has not played on the road at all in 2026, as their first road game is week 5 against Minnesota. They play Iowa this week, and as previously mentioned, this might truly prove that the Western Michigan game was a fluke, potentially saving the Wolverines chances of a playoff berth.

#19 - Missouri Tigers (+1)

Missouri is one of the more underrated teams in the SEC, but there's no rightful reason for that. They ripped through Kansas and Troy, and beat Arkansas-Pine Bluff 54-14. You could say they haven't faced a "real opponent," but that's about to change with the Tigers' week 4 matchup against the Mississippi State Bulldogs. If Missouri can take down the Bulldogs in Starkville, it'll prove to all of college football that there's another Tiger team on the rise in Columbia.

#20 - Oregon Ducks (+1)

The Ducks weasel their way back into the top 20 after an absolute and utter demolition of Portland State, with Oregon winning 84-0. Shockingly, this isn't even the biggest win margin of a D1 school, nor is it the first 84-point win of an FBS team (James Madison also beat Wagner 87-3) this season. Nonetheless, the Ducks are still suffering from their loss against Oklahoma State, who at the time held the longest winless streak in college football until they stunned the formerly #6 ranked Oregon. Now the Ducks will return home with a huge crowd to support them against the USC Trojans this week, in a game where Oregon could possibly save their playoff chances.

#21 - Florida Gators (NR)

Some might look at this and say, "they won't be here long" but it's possible that they will. The Gators destroyed Florida Atlantic 66-21, and then went into Jordan-Hare against Auburn and dominated. Despite the final score of 44-39, it wasn't nearly that close. The final Auburn touchdown was with 24 seconds left, and Florida was up by 17 early in the fourth quarter. The only reason Florida might not be here next week is because this week, they play Ole Miss. Florida has a tough road ahead, but all it takes is a little perseverance. From now until week 9, they play 3 of the current top 5 teams (Georgia, Ole Miss, and Texas), and one top 20 team in Missouri. Florida just has to remember their strength of schedule and power through with everything they have for this to be a successful season, but right now, they have to focus on their huge matchup against Ole Miss.

#22 - SMU Mustangs (-6)

This is where the high droppers fall to. SMU was previously ranked #16, but after a heartbreaking loss to Louisville, they've fallen this far, barely clinging on to a spot. Though they've been lower before, this loss truly means something. The Louisville game has real potential to be the decider on whether the Mustangs make the ACC championship game, and/or the CFP. They have a relatively easy schedule from here on out, but Notre Dame sits menacingly at the bottom of the schedule for SMU, and they have to be perfect from here on out, maybe even needing to beat Notre Dame. In week 4, they play Missouri State, but maybe the most important game for the Mustangs' survival in the top 25 is the Virginia game in week 7. We'll just have to see how things play out for the 2024 ACC runner-ups.

#23 - Texas A&M Aggies (-14)

The biggest fall in the top 25 this week, A&M is lucky to not have fallen out altogether. The Aggies looked out of sync for a while against Arizona State before rallying late, almost similar to how Oregon looked against Boise State. Then, again in similar fashion as the Ducks, A&M would fall to an unlikely power 4 source, in Kentucky. But, unlike Oregon, Kentucky completely blew the Aggies out. At Kyle Field. One of college football's loudest and most hostile environments for visiting teams fell into ashes by the hands of one Will Stein. A&M now has to try and recover fast from this, as they play LSU in Death Valley this week. It has to be a very quick turnaround, otherwise the Texas A&M Aggies will have gone from top 10 to out of the top 25 completely in just two games.

#24 - Mississippi State Bulldogs (NR)

Isn't this just a historic time we're in? UMass starts 3-0, Western Michigan is one controversial call away from upsetting a ranked Michigan at the Big House, FCS teams are upsetting FBS teams this deep into the season, no one game has the same score, and Mississippi State is ranked. In all reality, this Mississippi State squad is the best we've seen in the last decade. Kamario Taylor is tied for second in passing touchdowns; the offense is firing on all cylinders. And this team knows how to concoct a comeback too. Against South Carolina last week, the Bulldogs were in a 16-point hole to the Gamecocks, before Taylor and his crew got to work. With 8:42 left in the game, the score was 41-23 Bulldogs. This Mississippi State team is definitely scary, and they play a ranked Missouri team in their first real shot at proving themselves to the nation.

#25 - Houston Cougars (-3)

The final team grasping on to the top 25 is nobody else but the Cougars of Houston, Texas. Their week 3 game against Texas Tech was tight to the very end. A faulty two-point conversion sealed the Cougs' fate, but it was a hard fight nonetheless, and that's why they remain here. They might drop soon, playing an easy schedule the rest of the year with the exceptions of Oklahoma State, Utah, and West Virginia. It's hard to judge right now, but if I had to assume, the Cougars probably won't be showing up in this year CFP bracket.

Dropped Out: Oklahoma (24), Virginia (25)

Thank you for sticking to the end, and to all a good week!