Look, Texas has the best win in the sport — against a top-5 Ohio State at home. On Saturday, the Longhorns added another victory — against undefeated AP Top 25-ranked Tennessee. Given that Texas remains undefeated with two of the most impressive wins in the sport, there is no good and reasonable argument for ranking the Longhorns anywhere other than No. 1.
However.
This sport is irrational and runs on emotion and vibes.
And my vibe is: If maleficent Martians had a death laser pointed at the Earth with a crusty gnarled finger on a button ready to press it unless one of the top-25 teams on this list could beat a hypothetical otherworldly college football squad, and I am tasked with selecting that team, I’m choosing Georgia. I’m selecting Kirby Smart and the Dawgs because, despite having played little (Tennessee State) and (a new) nobody (Oklahoma), that feels like the most complete and devastating team in the sport through Week 4.
Put aside that Oklahoma has become the kind of team that turns college football fans into productive members of society on Saturdays. Then ask yourself which one of the teams ranked below you’d pick to beat a team that has crushed every other team it’s played by 28 points or more this season? If it ain’t Georgia, let’s hope the Martians make it quick because you’d be wrong.
With that, here are my top-25 rankings after a thrilling Week 4.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 21
Quarterback Bryce Underwood Iowa defenders in Michigan’s first loss of the season in Week 4. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 20-19 loss vs. Iowa
Week 5 game: At Minnesota
Despite one loss on paper — and two for those of us who watched the end of regulation in Michigan’s home-opener against Western Michigan — the Wolverines are a mere one (OK, two) second(s) from being 4-0. And their only loss is to an undefeated and top 25-ranked Iowa.
Record: 4-1
Previous ranking: 12
Receiver Kayden Dixon-Wyatt runs against Oregon in USC’s Week 4 loss. (Photo by Ben Liebenberg/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 47-21 loss vs. Oregon
Week 5 game: Washington
Even with a College Football Hall of Fame defensive play-caller in Gary Patterson, the Trojans defense remains a glaring weakness for Lincoln Riley’s team. (However, a new defensive coordinator doesn’t mean this is a new problem for Riley.) This season the Trojans have allowed four of their five opponents to score at least 26 points and at least 35 in their last two games.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: NR
Running back Re’Shaun Sanford had 120 rushing yards against Georgia Southern in Week 4. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 42-28 win vs. Georgia Southern
Week 5 game: UCF
Quarterback Connor Weigman accounted for six total touchdowns in a rout of a program Houston’s Willie Fritz coached from 2013 to 2015. Welcome back, Cougars.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: NR
Quarterback Drew Mestemaker threw for 389 yards and three touchdowns against West Virginia. (Photo by Brian Bahr/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 41-24 win vs. West Virginia
Week 5 game: Bye
The Cowboys took down previously unbeaten West Virginia with more than 600 yards of offense, a 300-yard passer (Drew Mestemaker), 180-yard rusher (Caleb Hawkins) and 190-yard receiver (Wyatt Young) with a third-straight game of scoring 39 points or more. And after Oregon’s win against formerly undefeated USC, Oklahoma State’s win against the Ducks looks rather impressive.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 25
Wide receiver Davion Brown is a Virginia Tech freshman averaging 12.8 yards per catch this season. (Photo by Lee Coleman/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 21-14 win vs. Boston College
Week 5 game: Pitt
James Franklin’s Hokies got this win done in the midst of a nor’easter storm — wind gusts of more than 40 miles per hour and heavy rain — to remain unbeaten and a trendy pick to earn a chance to play for the ACC championship.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 22
North Dakota State football coach Tim Polasek earlier this month. (Photo courtesy of North Dakota State)
Week 4 game: Bye
Week 5 game: Wyoming
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 14
Quarterback Austin Simmons looks to pass against Mississippi State during Missouri’s win in Week 4. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 31-24 loss vs. Mississippi State
Week 5 game: Florida
Despite taking a one-score lead into the fourth quarter, the Missouri defense couldn’t hold the line — giving up 14 points in the final 15 minutes — and the offense couldn’t score. Quarterback Austin Simmons hit 59% of his passes for 295 yards with three passing touchdowns in the loss.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: NR
Linebacker Drew Spinogatti had four tackles against Maryland in UCLA’s Week 4 win. (Photo by Greg Fiore/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 54-3 win vs. Maryland
Week 5 game: Bye
The Bruins continued their undefeated start to the Bob Chesney era with a 51-point demolition of (not-so) longtime Big Ten member Maryland. UCLA allowed just 39 rushing yards and created five Terrapins turnovers.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 23
Receiver Reece Vander Zee catches Iowa’s game-winning touchdown against Michigan in Week 4. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 20-19 win vs. Michigan
Week 5 game: Ohio State
In a karmic win for many college football fans, Hawkeyes quarterback Hank Brown hit receiver Reece Vander Zee for a touchdown as time expired at the Big House to keep Iowa undefeated. In a twist, the Hawkeyes passing offense (227 yards), led by Brown, out-gained the Hawkeyes rushing attack (59 yards) while playing turnover-free football.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 20
Quarterback Faizon Brandon runs against Texas in Tennessee’s three-point loss to Texas. (Photo by Roger Wimmer/ISI Photos/ISI Photos via Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 20-17 loss vs. Texas
Week 5 game: Auburn
Despite being gifted 155 yards in penalties and an outstanding effort from the Vols defense, we learned — the hard way — that Tennessee will only be as good as true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon can be. Against the Longhorns, he wasn’t great with 17 completions on 29 attempts for 145 yards with a touchdown. And he was sacked 10 times.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 19
Tight end Noah Bennee is tackled in Utah’s Week 4 win vs. Iowa State. (Photo by David Purdy Photography)
Week 4 game: 31-17 win vs. Iowa State
Week 5 game: Bye
Utah opened Big 12 play with a workmanlike win against the Cyclones with nearly identical passing (206) and rushing (205) yards and absolutely no turnovers.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 6
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss looks on during the Week 4 Florida-Ole Miss game. (Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 52-28 loss vs. Florida
Week 5 game: Bye
Pete Golding’s defense gave up 302 rushing yards and 498 total yards to a Florida team that set about breaking the Rebels’ will early. Heisman Trophy candidate Trinidad Chambliss accounted for 342 total yards with three total touchdowns and two turnovers.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 24
Quarterback Kamario Taylor looks to pass against Missouri in Mississippi State’s win in Week 4. (Photo by Justin Ford/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 31-24 win vs. Missouri
Week 5 game: Alabama
Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor engineered a 14-point fourth quarter to earn the Bulldogs their first ranked win and against an undefeated foe. If you’re looking for the 2026 version of 2025 Vanderbilt, it’s playing ball in Starkville, Mississippi, this year.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 13
Wide receiver Jamari Johnson hurdles USC cornerback Jontez Williams in Oregon’s Week 4 win. (Photo by Ben Liebenberg/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 41-27 win vs. USC
Week 5 game: Bye
With starting quarterback Dante Moore knocked out of the game early, former Nebraska quarterback Dylan Raiola stepped in and took charge with a brilliant performance. Saturday against USC — the last team he played against as a Husker, and broke his leg — Raiola completed 19 of 25 passes for 289 yards with two touchdowns.
Record: 3-0
Previous ranking: 11
Head coach Kalani Sitake on the slideline during BYU’s Week 3 win vs. Colorado State. (Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: Bye
Week 5 game: At TCU
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 10
Wide receiver Jackson Harris catches a touchdown in LSU’s comfortable Week 4 win against Texas A&M. (Photo by Tyler Kaufman/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 35-6 win vs. Texas A&M
Week 5 game: McNeese
The Tigers bounced back from their emotional loss to Ole Miss by absolutely crushing a Texas A&M team that had no business being ranked in the AP Top 25 this week. (Aggies haven’t been on my list for two weeks now.) Before leaving the game due to injury, quarterback Sam Leavitt completed 17 of 23 passes for 312 yards with two touchdowns.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 9
Linebacker Austin Romaine returns an interception for a touchdown against Sam Houston. (Photo by John E. Moore III/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 49-14 win vs. Sam Houston
Week 5 game: At Colorado
In one of the wildest two-play sequences, linebacker Austin Romaine picked off two different Sam Houston quarterbacks, in back-to-back plays, and returned both interceptions for touchdowns.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 8
Quarterback Keelon Russell stretches the ball across the goal line in Alabama’s Week 4 win against South Carolina. (Photo by Jason Clark/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 49-18 win vs. South Carolina
Week 5 game: At Mississippi State
The Crimson Tide have a burgeoning star in quarterback Keelon Russell, who completed 21 of 27 passes for 365 yards with four passing touchdowns in a demolition of a South Carolina team many NFL Draftniks believe possesses a future first-rounder at quarterback in LaNorris Sellers. Alabama might beg to differ after holding Sellers to just 185 passing yards and one touchdown, plus intercepting him once.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 16
Running back London Montgomery celebrates during Florida’s upset over Ole Miss in Week 4. (Photo by Dustin Markland/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 52-28 win vs. Ole Miss
Week 5 game: At Missouri
Jon Sumrall’s Gators have scored at least 40 points in every game they’ve played this season, and they hung 52 on the AP No. 4-ranked team in the country, Ole Miss, which had wins against top-ranked opponents LSU and Louisville before Florida crushed its dream of an undefeated season.
Record: 3-1
Previous ranking: 7
Receiver Jeremiah Smith catches a touchdown pass against Illinois in a record-breaking Week 4 outing for Ohio State. (Photo by Kirk Irwin/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 42-19 win vs. Illinois
Week 5 game: At Iowa
Buckeyes wide receiver Jeremiah Smith notched a career-high for receiving yards in a game with 12 catches for 217 yards with four receiving touchdowns. That performance will keep Smith at the front of the Heisman Trophy conversation.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 2
Quarterback Josh Hoover celebrates after scoring a late touchdown to seal Indiana’s Week 4 win over Northwestern. (Photo by Michael Hickey/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 29-23 win vs. Northwestern
Week 5 game: At Rutgers
Following a win against Western Kentucky last weekend that did not look as convincing on the field as on the scoreboard, Curt Cignetti chastised Hoosier fans. “Don’t bitch about a 38-0 win.” What about a 29-23 win where your Hoosiers blew a double-digit lead against a Northwestern team that gave up a safety in its first play from scrimmage?
What about a 29-23 win that was under threat until the last 40 seconds of the game?
Yes, Indiana remains undefeated. But instead of asking if this team is dominant, we’re left asking: How long can it keep its winning streak going if it insists on playing down to its competition?
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Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 5
Quarterback Darian Mensah scores a touchdown against Central Michigan in a dominant Week 4 win. (Al Diaz/Miami Herald/Tribune News Service via Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 52-3 win vs. Central Michigan
Week 5 game: At Clemson
The Hurricanes are simply crushing every team they play so far, with quarterback Darian Mensah throwing for 338 yards on 23 of 27 passing with three touchdowns before being pulled from the game. Wide receiver Malachi Toney added six catches for 120 yards with a touchdown too. This team, like the next one, looks flawless.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 4
Running back Aneyas Williams hurdles a Purdue defender during Notre Dame’s Week 4 blowout. (Photo by Bobby Goddin/Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 49-10 win vs. Purdue
Week 5 game: At North Carolina
In what most consider a ho-hum 39-point win for the Fighting Irish against a Big Ten cellar-dweller, Notre Dame accomplished a first: Finished the month of September undefeated in the Marcus Freeman era. Perhaps that’s a harbinger of a national title to come?
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 3
Defensive lineman Jordan Hall and defensive back KJ Bolden celebrate a key stop against Oklahoma in Georgia’s Week 4 victory. (Photo by Jeffrey Vest/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 41-13 win vs. Oklahoma
Week 5 game: Vanderbilt
It’s less like Georgia defeated Oklahoma, and it’s more like Oklahoma never gave Georgia a chance to beat the Sooners worse than the Sooners could be themselves. Didn’t matter, though. No. 2 Georgia beat Oklahoma (41-13) by the same margin that it beat Arkansas (45-17) last week: 28 points.
Record: 4-0
Previous ranking: 1
Receiver Ryan Wingo runs after a reception against Tennessee defensive back TJ Metcalf during Texas’ Week 4 win. (Photo by Joe Robbins/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
Week 4 game: 20-17 win vs. Tennessee
Week 5 game: Bye
The Longhorns defense bullied the Volunteers, and true freshman quarterback Faizon Brandon became the most popular piñata in the city of Knoxville for three hours. Brandon was sacked 10 times with five coming at the hands of defensive end Colin Simmons, who — despite a stupid, notable penalty — fell just short of setting the single-game record for sacks against what once was a top-15 team in the AP rankings and a top-20 one here.
