Texas remains No. 1 in the AP Top 25 college football poll after Week 4, but its status could be threatened next week by the winner of a top-four showdown between SEC rivals Georgia and Alabama, both of whom were idle on Saturday.
Though the Longhorns actually gained nine first-place votes this week — and now have 44 — following their win against Louisiana-Monroe in Arch Manning’s first start, the No. 2 Bulldogs and No. 4 Crimson Tide are set for the biggest game of the year thus far, likely attracting No. 1 attention for whomever wins in Tuscaloosa next Saturday night.
The SEC continues to dominate the rankings, owning five of the top six and nine total spots in the AP poll. Tennessee is a newcomer to the top five, moving ahead of Ole Miss after its win at Oklahoma. One SEC team did tumble despite a win, as Missouri fell four spots to No. 11 following its overtime escape against Vanderbilt.
Behind Texas, Georgia received 13 first-place votes and No. 3 Ohio State got the remaining five.
| Rank | Team | Record | Prev. |
|---|---|---|---|
|
1
|
 Texas |
4-0
|
1
|
|
2
|
 Georgia |
3-0
|
2
|
|
3
|
 Ohio State |
3-0
|
3
|
|
4
|
 Alabama |
3-0
|
4
|
|
5
|
 Tennessee |
4-0
|
6
|
|
6
|
 Ole Miss |
4-0
|
5
|
|
7
|
 Miami |
4-0
|
8
|
|
8
|
 Oregon |
3-0
|
9
|
|
9
|
 Penn State |
3-0
|
10
|
|
10
|
 Utah |
4-0
|
12
|
|
11
|
 Missouri |
4-0
|
7
|
|
12
|
 Michigan |
3-1
|
18
|
|
13
|
 USC |
2-1
|
11
|
|
14
|
 LSU |
3-1
|
16
|
|
15
|
 Louisville |
3-0
|
19
|
|
16
|
 Notre Dame |
3-1
|
17
|
|
17
|
 Clemson |
2-1
|
21
|
|
18
|
 Iowa State |
3-0
|
20
|
|
19
|
 Illinois |
4-0
|
24
|
|
20
|
 Oklahoma State |
3-1
|
14
|
|
21
|
 Oklahoma |
3-1
|
15
|
|
22
|
 BYU |
4-0
|
NR
|
|
23
|
 Kansas State |
3-1
|
13
|
|
24
|
 Texas A&M |
3-1
|
25
|
|
25
|
 Boise State |
2-1
|
NR
|
Others receiving votes: Washington State 67, Indiana 63, Boston College 55, UNLV 53, Pittsburgh 37, Nebraska 25, Iowa 24, James Madison 11, South Carolina 7, Liberty 4, Arkansas 3, UCF 3, Arizona 2, SMU 2, Navy 1
How Week 4 impacted the rankings
All seven top-10 teams in action won, but six other ranked teams lost to create plenty of movement in the Top 25.
Michigan made the biggest jump, climbing six spots to No. 12 after its hard-fought win against USC in which it passed for just 32 yards. The Trojans fell two spots to No. 13. No. 15 Louisville and No. 17 Clemson climbed four spots each after double-digit conference wins, and Illinois moved up five spots to No. 19 after beating Nebraska on the road.
The loss was Nebraska’s 25th consecutive defeat to an AP-ranked opponent dating back to 2016. The Huskers joined Northern Illinois (lost to Buffalo) in falling out of the rankings. They were replaced by No. 22 BYU and No. 25 Boise State.
Kansas State plunged 10 spots to No. 23 after its 38-9 loss to BYU while No. 20 Oklahoma State (Utah) and No. 21 Oklahoma (Tennessee) fell six spots each after their losses.
What’s next?
No. 2 Georgia at No. 4 Alabama is the clear headliner in prime time next Saturday. It’s the third top-five matchup between the two in the regular season, joining Alabama’s win in 2020 and Georgia’s win in 1942.
There are three other ranked matchups: No. 19 Illinois visits No. 9 Penn State, No. 15 Louisville visits No. 16 Notre Dame and No. 20 Oklahoma State visits No. 23 Kansas State. There’s also a battle for a spot in the poll between No. 25 Boise State and Washington State, which is the first team out — just two voting points behind the Broncos.
(Photo: Tim Warner / Getty Images)
