Top 25 College Football Rankings: Mike's Week 4 Standings

September 21, 2026

Mike's top 25 college football teams for Week 4 of the 2026 college football season. His complete top 25 rankings, including Ohio State, Oregon, Indiana, and more.

Just when you think that this season can't get any more crazy, we get to see the dumbest smart play in college football history. I've been watching college football for 42 years, and I've never seen anything like the ending of the North Carolina State - Vanderbilt game. It seems fitting with the way the beginning of the 2026 season has gone.

The regular season is already a quarter over, and there are still some teams that we have very little idea about. I'm not going to cater to teams playing the worst of FBS pretending like they are good. You need to have beaten at least one power team to be in my top 25. That's the way it goes.

The 2025 coaching carousel was insane, but we are seeing that most of the schools that fired coaches made the right decisions with their next hires. Some of those teams are in our top 25. Just a quick note that I am choosing to follow the decision of the FBS oversight committee. They won't change the outcome of the game even though they determined that Western Michigan won. I will be considering Michigan's record as 2-1 instead of 3-0. Honestly, it benefits Western Michigan more than it hurts Michigan. The win over Oklahoma is still a big one in the early season.

25. Iowa (3-0)

Previous ranking: 18 (⇓1)

Result: W 55-0 vs. Northern Iowa

This was the highest point total for Iowa since they scored 63 points on Illinois in 2018. Iowa has scored 40 points twice in a season for the first time since 2020. Is the Iowa offense good? That's a terrifying thought.

24. Western Michigan (3-0)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 28-21 at Rice

The FBS Oversight Committee says in a statement that "instant replay protocols were not followed in the contest’s second-to-last play" in the Western Michigan-Michigan game, and "had the protocols been followed, the outcome of the game would have been different."

FBS oversight… https://t.co/QYxMrgHdKc pic.twitter.com/YxrIpSVt1r

— Pete Nakos (@PeteNakos) September 16, 2026

The win over Michigan is a win over a ranked team on the road. If the game against Rice is a true indicator of what this team is, the Michigan game was a massive fluke. The Broncos are solid on defense, but that offense is a disaster outside of Jalen Buckley.

23. Pittsburgh (3-0)

Previous ranking: 23 ⇔

Result: W 27-13 vs. Syracuse

Pitt has struggled in the rain, but at least they are playing decent teams and not the bottom of the FBS barrel. Central Florida and Syracuse aren't good teams, but they are better than Western Kentucky, Marshall, Howard, and the MAC, with the exception of UMass and Western Michigan.

22. Oklahoma State (2-1)

Previous ranking: 22 (⇓1)

Result: W 59-0 vs. Murray State

I don't know what the loss to Tulsa was, but it wasn't a fluke. Tulsa dominated. It is also true that Oklahoma State has improved by leaps and bounds since the first week. The Big 12 is once again going to be the most interesting conference.

Drew Mestemaker just put together a record setting day for Oklahoma State

20/22, 324 PYDS, 5 PTD, 0 INT vs. Murray State

His 90.9% completion rate set an Oklahoma State single game record. pic.twitter.com/WQpkHXtejr

— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) September 20, 2026

21. Tulsa (3-0)

Previous ranking: 20 (⇓1)

Result: W 42-0 vs. East Texas A&M

Tulsa beat the team that beat Oregon. That's more impressive than anything Penn State or Indiana has done. I go only by what has been done on the field this year. Those teams will move up soon enough, but Tulsa still belongs here for now.

20. Tennessee (3-0)

Previous ranking: 16 (⇓4)

Result: W42-9 vs. Kennesaw State

I'm not sure what a road win over Georgia Tech means, but I know that a win over Kennesaw means even less. Faizon Brandon is getting some valuable experience before SEC play, and he has looked good doing it.

19. Utah (3-0)

Previous ranking: 15 (⇓4)

Result: W 33-0 vs. Utah State

Do I think there are 17 teams better than Utah? No, but the Utes still need to go out there and prove it against teams with a pulse.

Braden Pegan is torching his former team today. Has over 100 receiving yards and 2 TDs in the first half for Utah. Ball-winning X who thrives at playing though contact.

Pegan had over 900 yards for Utah State last season, and he’s on pace for over 900 for Utah this season. pic.twitter.com/csniudaK8p

— Bobby Football (@Rob__Paul) September 19, 2026

Arkansas is the worst SEC team, and Utah State is a shadow of what they were last year thanks to poachers such as...Utah. Braden Pegan had a huge game against his former team.

18. Miami (FL) (3-0)

Previous ranking: 14 (⇓4)

Result: W 33-20 at Wake Forest

It's a road win in the ACC. Miami has at least played two power-conference opponents and one on the road. Not all teams can claim that. The bad news is that Wake and Stanford will both likely finish in the bottom half of the ACC.

17. Georgia (3-0)

Previous ranking: 17 ⇔

Result: W 45-17 at Arkansas

A win over Arkansas in Fayetteville doesn't mean what it used to, but Georgia has been dominant all season. I'm not sure how much it's going to mean when they smack Oklahoma next week, either.

Don't worry, the Bulldogs, unlike many other teams, will be tested at some point this season.

16. Florida (3-0)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 44-39 at Auburn

It's a road win in the SEC. That's more impressive than wins over Arkansas or Georgia Tech. It's Week 3. The bar is still low.

It's even kind of low for Florida fans, but the optimism this year is not unfounded. Aaron Philo has looked solid, and Jadan Baugh might be the second-best running back in college football. The foundation is solid.

15. UCLA (3-0)

Previous ranking: 10 (⇓5)

Result: W 52-38 vs. Purdue

I don't think that Purdue is very good again, but UCLA has wins over an ACC team on the road, a Big Ten team, and one of the better non-power-conference teams. That means quite a bit before we get into the teeth of conference play.

14. Notre Dame (3-0)

Previous ranking: 12 (⇓2)

Result: W 27-10 vs. Michigan State

The Irish have two wins over Big Ten teams. That counts for more at this time of the season.

Hey, don't be surprised if Michigan State and Wisconsin are two of the most improved teams in college football this year. Both teams are much better than they were last year.

13. BYU (3-0)

Previous ranking: 6 (⇓7)

Result: W 41-23 at Colorado State

7-7.

Hauss Hejny ➡️ RJ Vick. ?

All square with #11 BYU. pic.twitter.com/ycm4pK4Hmn

— Colorado State Football (@CSUFootball) September 20, 2026

There is a non-zero chance that BYU would have been in an all-game fight had Hauss Hejny not left the game on Colorado State's second drive. The Rams stalled out after that. Hejny had 80 passing yards in less than a quarter. That still led Colorado State in the game.

12. Duke (3-0)

Previous ranking: 8 (⇓4)

Result: W 35-7 vs. Stanford

Yes, Stanford is considered a power team, so any media outlet will tell you that they are better than other conferences. It's simply not true. The bottom of the ACC is just as bad as the middle of any of the so-called "lesser" conferences.

What I will tell you is that Nate Sheppard is the best running back in college football right now, and it's not close. Stanford fans had to believe that they were terrorized by a reincarnated Christian McCaffrey. That's the kind of workload that Sheppard has carried so far in 2026.

Three touchdowns for the ACC's leading rusher ?

Nate Sheppard rushed for 154 yards and two TDs on 23 carries vs. Stanford. He added a third score on a 2-yard reception in the Blue Devils’ 35-7 win.@DukeFOOTBALL | @DukeAthletics | #GoDuke | @DrPepper pic.twitter.com/uRq7HZYMDG

— ACC Digital Network (@theACCDN) September 20, 2026

11. Mississippi State (3-0)

Previous ranking: 11 ⇔

Result: W 41-34 at South Carolina

That's two Power 4 road wins for the Bulldogs. We're not talking about road wins over Rutgers and Stanford. These were road wins over bowl teams. It has been a fun ride watching Mississippi State so far.

By the way, don't listen to all of the noise about where Kamario Taylor will go next year. He's probably not leaving. He loves Jeff Lebby's offense.

10. Kentucky (2-1)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 31-21 at (5) Texas A&M

Kentucky gave Alabama all they could handle for a half, then parlayed that into a win in College Station. This wasn't a fluke. Kentucky's Kenny Minchey outplayed the hyped-up Marcel Reed. This was a very good performance by the Kentucky defense in a hostile environment.

9. Alabama (3-0)

Previous ranking: 7 (⇓2)

Result: W 50-36 vs. Florida State

The win over Kentucky gained a lot of steam this week, but the Tide still struggled with Florida State. We need to take a closer look at all of these lightning delays. In some cases, the sun was shining when games were called. Alabama was down 15 when the first delay came along.

North Carolina was driving for another score when the Clemson game adjourned. When both of these games picked back up, the home team went on a run to win the game.

8. Michigan (2-1)

Previous ranking: 4 (⇓4)

Result: W 52-17 vs. UTEP

Oklahoma isn't doing Michigan any favors. They don't look like a top-10 team. They don't even look like a top-25 team. Lost in this blowout score is the fact that UTEP led this game 14-7 at one point.

7. Texas Tech (3-0)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 28-26 vs. Houston

Texas Tech is 3-0, but they are very lucky that they didn't lose to both Oregon State and Houston. The sad part is that this is the tough part of Texas Tech's schedule.

The win over Houston likely seals a trip to the conference championship game for the Red Raiders. The West Virginia game on November 7 is starting to look interesting. If only it were in Morgantown...

6. West Virginia (3-0)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 38-27 vs. (13) Virginia

Michael Hawkins Jr. is living proof that Pat White could not only succeed in today's game, but he would still thrive. Rich Rodriguez has his quarterback. With a quarterback that runs his system the way that it's intended, the sky is the limit for West Virginia.

Michael Hawkins Jr. SHINED vs. no. 25 Virginia in Charlotte

?190 Passing Yards
?5 TOTAL TDS
?123 Rushing Yards

Highlights?@WVUfootball pic.twitter.com/knYP9PPkkR

— Big 12 Studios (@big12studios) September 20, 2026

5. Louisville (2-1)

Previous ranking: NR

Result: W 41-31 vs. (24) SMU

Here's a list of teams with a win over a ranked team in 2026: Texas, Mississippi (2), Michigan, Kentucky, Oklahoma State, West Virginia, Texas Tech, and Louisville.

Louisville is getting credit for losing on a neutral field to the second-ranked team and for beating an SMU team that they had never beaten before. Take a look at the schedules of West Virginia and Texas Tech and tell me if you think they deserve to be above Louisville.

4. LSU (2-1)

Previous ranking: 9 (⇑5)

Result: L 32-24 vs. (3) Mississippi

LSU went in t0 arguably the most hostile college football environment in generations and stood toe-to-toe with a playoff team. Not only that, but they embarrassed Clemson in the opener.

LSU was down big in Oxford and came back with a chance to win at the end of the game. It was an impressive showing. Losses to good teams mean more than beating up on MAC teams at this point of the season.

3. Ohio State (2-1)

Previous ranking: 3 (⇓1)

Result: W 59-3 vs. Kent State

Ohio State's loss was on the road against the top-ranked team in every poll. Not only that, but the Buckeyes controlled that game for the first 55 minutes. Mississippi only passed them because of wins over two ranked teams.

2. Mississippi (3-0)

Previous ranking: 3 (⇑1)

Result: W 32-24 vs. (9) LSU

Lane Kiffin's return to Oxford went without any major incidents. Ole Miss showed up to play. Many of Lane's old players wanted this game. It came at a cost for both teams.

Mississippi's star RB Kewan Lacy and college football's best TE (LSU's Trey'Dez Green) both left the game with injuries. There is a good chance that neither of them will play this weekend.

1. Texas (3-0)

Previous ranking: 1 ⇔

Result: W 30-6 vs. UTSA

I think we've learned that UTSA is finally one of the top non-power teams. Texas didn't have a letdown after the huge comeback over Ohio State. All of the teams at the top of our rankings have their big wins at home or on neutral sites. Texas still has the best one.

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