College Football Rankings: Bleacher Report's Week 4 Top 25
Let the shake-up begin.
Defending national champion Ohio State had to hold on to beat a Mid-American Conference team at home. Alabama was dropped on its own field by Ole Miss for its second straight loss to the Rebels, and several other teams that entered Week 3 have now suffered their first loss.
All of that craziness has made for a very different Bleacher Report Top 25, one that has three teams picking up first-place votes.
Seventeen members of our college football staff voted on the Top 25: writers Ben Axelrod, Greg Couch, Justin Ferguson, David Kenyon, Ben Kercheval, Adam Kramer, Brian Leigh, Mike Monaco, Brian Pedersen, David Regimbal, Barrett Sallee, Brad Shepard, Greg Wallace and Christopher Walsh; video expert Michael Felder; and editors Eric Bowman and Eric Yates.
First-place votes were worth 25 points, with each subsequent rank worth one fewer point, all the way down to one for 25th place. The 25 highest vote-getters made our list, with the rest falling into the "others receiving votes" category.
Check out our latest Top 25 and give us your thoughts in the comments section.
Others Receiving Votes
1 of 26
Missouri was 23rd in last week's poll, but after needing to stop a fake field-goal attempt in the final minute to beat Connecticut 9-6 at home, the Tigers lost votes and slipped out of the Top 25.
Here are the rest of the teams that earned votes but not enough to get a ranking this week:
- Missouri (24)
- California (17)
- Arizona State (13)
- Memphis (11)
- Temple (11)
- Tennessee (11)
- Houston (10)
- North Carolina State (9)
- Boise State (8)
- Mississippi State (8)
- Kansas State (6)
- Toledo (4)
- Florida (3)
- Texas Tech (2)
25. West Virginia Mountaineers
2 of 26
Poll points: 28
Last week's ranking: 24th
Week 3 result: Bye
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Maryland
West Virginia (2-0) had the week off, during which time it likely continued to hone a defense that has been stellar so far this season.
In two games the Mountaineers have allowed 17 points and only 596 yards, while quarterback Skyler Howard has completed 72.5 percent of his passes for 622 yards and five touchdowns.
24. Stanford Cardinal
3 of 26
Poll points: 32
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
Week 3 result: Won 41-31 at USC
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 25 at Oregon State
Stanford (2-1, 1-0 Pac-12) climbs back into the rankings after a brief hiatus thanks to its big road win at USC. The Cardinal trailed by 11 midway through the second quarter but then took control.
They got 279 passing yards and two touchdowns from Kevin Hogan, while Christian McCaffrey ran for 115 yards and Remound Wright scored three rushing TDs.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
23. Oklahoma State Cowboys
4 of 26
Poll points: 36
Last week's ranking: Not ranked
Week 3 result: Won 69-14 vs. UTSA
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 at Texas
Oklahoma State (3-0) gained 529 yards, scored two defensive touchdowns and forced seven turnovers in an all-out destruction of UTSA (0-3), leading 17-0 after one quarter and 41-7 after three periods.
Mason Rudolph threw for 280 yards and two TDs on 17-of-23 passing, while Chris Carson ran for 104 yards and two TDs.
The Cowboys got fumble-return scores from Devante Averette and Deric Robertson.
22. BYU Cougars
5 of 26
Poll points: 40
Last week's ranking: 22nd
Week 3 result: Lost 24-23 at UCLA
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 at Michigan
BYU (2-1) fell victim to the same kind of late score that enabled it to win its first two games, allowing host UCLA to score the go-ahead touchdown with just over three minutes left.
Before that, the Cougars had never trailed, taking a 7-0 lead on Adam Hine's seven-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Hine had 149 rushing yards along with his score, while quarterback Tanner Mangum threw for 244 yards and a TD with an interception on 30-of-47 passing.
21. Wisconsin Badgers
6 of 26
Poll points: 73
Last week's ranking: 21st
Week 3 result: Won 28-3 vs. Troy
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Hawaii
Wisconsin (2-1) came close to its second consecutive shutout victory, allowing just a first-quarter field goal while holding Troy (1-2) to 255 yards of total offense.
The Badgers gained 401 yards, with quarterback Joel Stave throwing for 202 yards and a touchdown and adding a rushing score. Dare Ogunbowale and Tanner McEvoy added rushing scores for Wisconsin, which has outscored its last two opponents 86-3 since losing its opener to Alabama.
20. Northwestern Wildcats
7 of 26
Poll points: 99
Last week's ranking: 25th (tie)
Week 3 result: Won 19-10 at Duke
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Ball State
Northwestern (3-0) relied on its defense and a ball-control offense to pull off the road win in a battle of unbeaten schools.
Justin Jackson ran for 120 yards and Warren Long added 59, including a 55-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter for the Wildcats' only offensive TD. Their other one came on a 98-yard kickoff return by Solomon Vault to open the second half.
Northwestern won despite quarterback Clayton Thorson throwing for just 70 yards with two interceptions on 9-of-23 passing, thanks to a defense that held Duke (2-1) to 327 yards.
In three games this season, Northwestern has allowed 16 points.
19. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
8 of 26
Poll points: 120
Last week's ranking: 15th
Week 3 result: Lost 30-22 at Notre Dame
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 at Duke
Georgia Tech (2-1) was held to its lowest rushing output since the end of the 2013 season and had just one touchdown in the first 59-plus minutes before trying to mount a late rally.
Patrick Skov scored three touchdowns for the Yellow Jackets, including on a pair of TD passes from Justin Thomas in the final minute of the game. Tech wasn't able to recover an onside kick with 22 seconds left after Skov's second TD catch.
Thomas threw for 121 yards but completed only eight of 24 passes. He was forced to throw nearly twice as many times as in Tech's first two games because Notre Dame (3-0) held the triple-option run game to 216 yards on 47 carries.
17. (tie) Utah Utes
9 of 26
Poll points: 132
Last week's ranking: 20th
Week 3 result: Won 45-24 at Fresno State
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 at Oregon
Utah (3-0) used a big rushing night from Devontae Booker and a pair of long special teams touchdowns to easily win on the road.
Booker ran for 156 yards and two TDs on 31 carries, part of 380 yards of total offense for the Utes. Kendal Thompson threw for 159 yards and a TD, and Utah got a 98-yard kickoff-return TD from Cory Butler-Byrd and a 77-yard punt-return score from Britain Covey.
17 (tie). USC Trojans
10 of 26
Poll points: 132
Last week's ranking: 6th
Week 3 result: Lost 41-31 vs. Stanford
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 at Arizona State
USC (2-1, 0-1) was the preseason favorite to win the Pac-12 title, but after dropping its conference opener at home, the questions of whether the Trojans can live up to their hype have resurfaced again.
The Trojans allowed a struggling Stanford offense to move up and down the field at will, as Stanford (2-1, 1-0) gained 474 yards with 26 first downs and battled back from an 11-point deficit in the second quarter. USC had 427 yards but spent much of the game playing from behind and didn't have the same explosive offensive play that helped it to 114 points in its first two games.
Cody Kessler had 272 yards and three touchdowns on 25-of-32 passing, with JuJu Smith-Schuster catching eight passes for 153 yards and a TD.
16. Arizona Wildcats
11 of 26
Poll points: 156
Last week's ranking: 19th
Week 3 result: Won 77-13 vs. Northern Arizona
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. UCLA
Arizona (3-0) set school records for points, total offense and rushing yards in a blowout of FCS school and in-state foe Northern Arizona.
The Wildcats gained 792 yards, including 499 on the ground, with seven rushing scores from five different players. Nick Wilson had 143 yards and two TDs on 19 carries, while backup quarterback Jerrard Randall had two long TD runs to net 149 yards on just three attempts.
Anu Solomon added 285 passing yards and four TDs along with a rushing score as Arizona improved to 3-0 for the fourth straight year under Rich Rodriguez.
15. Oklahoma Sooners
12 of 26
Poll points: 193
Last week's ranking: 17th
Week 3 result: Won 52-38 vs. Tulsa
Week 4 matchup: Bye
If Oklahoma (3-0) wasn't already Baker Mayfield's team, it certainly is after his dominant performance against Tulsa (2-1).
Mayfield had 572 yards of total offense and six total touchdowns, which gives the Texas Tech transfer 14 total TDs in three games.
"We took advantage of the quick opportunities to get it out, and then when they dropped back into coverage, I took advantage of that, too," Mayfield said, per Ryan Gerbosi of the Dallas Morning News.
Mayfield completed 32 of 38 passes for 487 yards and four TDs and ran for 85 yards and two scores. The Sooners gained 773 yards, with Samaje Perine rushing for 152 yards and a TD, offsetting a poor defensive performance that saw Oklahoma allow 603 yards.
14. Oregon Ducks
13 of 26
Poll points: 233
Last week's ranking: 12th
Week 3 result: Won 61-28 vs. Georgia State
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Utah
Oregon (2-1) played without its starting quarterback, but that made little difference in another explosive offensive effort for the Ducks.
Jeff Lockie threw for 228 yards and two touchdowns on 23-of-31 passing, starting in place of Vernon Adams Jr., who sat out with a broken finger on his throwing hand. Lockie connected with 11 different receivers, throwing TD passes to Dwayne Stanford and Johnny Mundt.
The Ducks ran for 311 yards and three TDs, one each by Royce Freeman, Taj Griffin and Taylor Alie. The latter's lone carry went for an 87-yard score.
Oregon forced Georgia State into (1-2) four turnovers and converted two into TDs, one on Tyree Robinson's 41-yard interception return just over a minute into the game and the other on Joe Walker's 52-yard fumble-return score.
13. Texas A&M Aggies
14 of 26
Poll points: 238
Last week's ranking: 14th
Week 3 result: Won 44-27 vs. Nevada
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Arkansas (in Arlington, Texas)
Texas A&M (3-0) put up 535 yards of offense to knock off a Nevada team that didn't want to go away after falling behind by 21 points early in the second half.
The Aggies got 325 yards of total offense and five total touchdowns from quarterback Kyle Allen, who threw four TD passes and ran for another. Josh Reynolds caught two TD passes, while Christian Kirk had six catches for 120 yards.
Nevada (1-2) gained 359 yards, but quarterback Tyler Stewart was sacked five times, and the Wolf Pack were taken down for a loss on 16 of 75 offensive plays.
12. Florida State Seminoles
15 of 26
Poll points: 253
Last week's ranking: 13th
Week 3 result: Won 14-0 at Boston College
Week 4 matchup: Bye
Florida State (3-0, 1-0 ACC) sliced through Boston College's strong defense on the first drive of the game and then struggled to do so for the rest of the night, but thanks to its own stellar defensive effort, it won its 25th consecutive conference game.
"If they don't score, you're not going to lose," FSU coach Jimbo Fisher said, per the Associated Press via ESPN.com.
The Seminoles finished with 217 yards on offense, their first game with fewer than 300 yards since November 2013 and their fewest since gaining just 95 in a 21-7 win over Florida in November 2011. Everett Golson threw for 119 yards and a first-quarter touchdown pass to Travis Rudolph, while Dalvin Cook was held to 54 yards after going for 422 in his previous two games.
Jalen Ramsey's 36-yard fumble-return TD with 12:20 left in the fourth quarter iced the win for FSU, which held Boston College (2-1, 0-1) to 195 yards a week after the Eagles scored 76 points against FCS school Howard.
11. UCLA Bruins
16 of 26
Poll points: 257
Last week's ranking: 9th
Week 3 result: Won 24-23 vs. BYU
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 at Arizona
UCLA (3-0) needed a little late magic of its own to hold off a BYU team that came in with a perfect record thanks to a pair of last-second scores.
Nate Starks scored on a three-yard run with 3:21 left, helping the Bruins rally from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter. Starks ran for 81 yards, while Paul Perkins had 219 rushing yards and a TD to help UCLA deal with an off night from freshman quarterback Josh Rosen.
Rosen threw three interceptions and completed just 11 of 23 passes for 106 yards and a TD.
10. Alabama Crimson Tide
17 of 26
Poll points: 268
Last week's ranking: 2nd
Week 3 result: Lost 43-37 vs. Ole Miss
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Louisiana-Monroe
Alabama (2-1, 0-1 SEC) has no one to blame but itself after it turned the ball over five times in falling at home to Ole Miss for the first time since 1988.
The Crimson Tide outgained the Rebels, 503-433, but because of three interceptions (two by Jake Coker, one by Cooper Bateman, who got the start) and two lost fumbles on kickoffs, they gave Ole Miss far too many short fields. Combine that with allowing Chad Kelly to throw for 341 yards and three touchdowns—including two on a pair of freak plays—and Nick Saban has fallen to 18-3 in so-called "revenge" games against teams that he's lost to the previous season while coaching at Alabama or LSU.
Coker took over for Bateman and threw for 201 yards and three TDs and ran for 58 yards and a score, twice leading the Tide back from large deficits. The Tide trailed 24-10 and 43-24 only to get within a score each time, but on two final drives to try to take the lead at the end, Coker was picked off on one and threw four incompletions on the other.
Derrick Henry added 127 rushing yards and a TD in the loss.
9. Clemson Tigers
18 of 26
Poll points: 271
Last week's ranking: 7th
Week 3 result: Won 20-17 at Louisville
Week 4 matchup: Bye
Clemson (3-0, 1-0 ACC) opened conference play with an uneven road win Thursday, looking very much like a team playing on short rest. This was particularly the case with quarterback Deshaun Watson, who had the first two-interception game of his career.
But Watson also threw for 199 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner to Jordan Leggett in the third quarter. After that it was a matter of Clemson's defense holding Louisville (0-3, 0-1) down, which it did via five sacks and two picks of Kyle Bolin, including one by Jadar Johnson just short of the end zone on the final play of the game.
Wayne Gallman was Clemson's most effective weapon, rushing for 139 yards on 24 carries.
8. LSU Tigers
19 of 26
Poll points: 272
Last week's ranking: 16th
Week 3 result: Won 45-21 vs. Auburn
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 at Syracuse
LSU (2-0, 2-0 SEC) answered two major questions in its blowout win over Auburn: Brandon Harris can handle being a game manager at quarterback, and the Tigers will be quite fine if he rarely ever throws.
That's because Leonard Fournette is proving to be unstoppable in his sophomore year.
A week after going for 159 yards and three touchdowns in a road win over Mississippi State, Fournette absolutely demolished Auburn's defense to the tune of 228 yards and three more scores on just 19 carries. Many of those runs and TDs involved numerous broken tackles, with Auburn players literally bouncing off Fournette on his way down the field or to the end zone.
"It wasn't just the numbers that stood out," Bleacher Report's Barrett Sallee wrote. "Fournette dominated the game from the opening play from scrimmage, when he went 71 yards, to his final play, when he elevated across the goal line for his third touchdown."
Fournette's 228 yards spearheaded a 411-yard team rushing effort—LSU's first time over the 400-yard mark since 1997. Harris added 66 yards and two TDs on the ground to go with 74 passing yards and a score.
7. Georgia Bulldogs
20 of 26
Poll points: 329
Last week's ranking: 10th
Week 3 result: Won 52-20 vs. South Carolina
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Southern
Georgia (3-0, 2-0 SEC) got a record-setting performance from its quarterback in a runaway home win over one of its biggest nemeses in the East Division, keeping the game from ever being close.
Greyson Lambert, the Virginia transfer who beat out Brice Ramsey for the starting QB job during training camp, completed 24 of 25 passes for 330 yards and three touchdowns. According to Marc Weiszer of the Athens Banner-Herald, Lambert's 96 percent completion rate is a FBS single-game record.
Two of Lambert's TD passes went to Sony Michel, who also had a rushing score, while Nick Chubb ran for 159 yards and two scores for his 11th consecutive 100-yard game.
The Bulldogs held South Carolina (1-2, 0-2) to 258 yards of total offense, compared to 576 for Georgia.
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
21 of 26
Poll points: 333
Last week's ranking: 8th
Week 3 result: Won 30-22 vs. Georgia Tech
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Massachusetts
Notre Dame (3-0) masterfully handled Georgia Tech's strong rushing attack, while its own offense was productive and efficient in redshirt freshman quarterback DeShone Kizer's first career start.
Kizer threw for 242 yards with a touchdown and an interception on 21-of-30 passing, hitting Will Fuller on a 46-yard TD pass midway through the first quarter. Then it became the C.J. Prosise show, with the junior rushing for 198 yards and three TDs, including a 91-yard scoring run that gave the Fighting Irish a 30-7 lead in the fourth.
Prosise had the most yards by a Notre Dame rusher since Julius Jones ran for 218 against Stanford in 2003, per B/R Insights.
Notre Dame nearly let a big lead slip away at the end, as Georgia Tech (2-1) scored twice in the final 48 seconds, but the Irish prevented a bigger comeback by recovering an onside kick with 22 seconds remaining.
5. Baylor Bears
22 of 26
Poll points: 351
Last week's ranking: 5th
Week 3 result: Bye
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Rice
Baylor (2-0) got the first of its two off weeks in the middle of a homestand that started last week with a blowout of FCS Lamar and will continue with a visit from old Southwest Conference foe Rice.
The Bears have averaged 61 points and 754 yards per game to this point, with a strong balance of passing and running. The defense has been leaky in the first half and stout after halftime, yielding just 10 second-half points this season.
4. TCU Horned Frogs
23 of 26
Poll points: 360
Last week's ranking: 3rd (tie)
Week 3 result: Won 56-37 vs. SMU
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 at Texas Tech
TCU's injury-riddled defense was pushed to the limit against a much-improved SMU team, but the Horned Frogs (3-0) had too much of their own firepower.
Trevone Boykin had 504 yards of total offense and six total touchdowns, throwing for 454 yards with five TDs and adding 50 rushing yards and a score. Aaron Green added 164 rushing yards and two TDs, while Josh Doctson had two TD catches among his five receptions for 171 yards.
The Frogs gained 720 yards but also yielded 508 yards, with SMU (1-2) getting 392 yards of total offense from quarterback Matt Davis. The Mustangs trailed 42-17 midway through the third quarter before scoring 20 straight points to get within five, but then TCU put the game away with a Boykin TD pass to Doctson and Green's second scoring run.
TCU has lost several players on defense to season-ending injuries, and this game saw defensive back Ranthony Texada hurt his knee. After the game, TCU coach Gary Patterson confirmed Texada is out for the rest of the season, per ESPN's Jake Trotter.
3. Ole Miss Rebels
24 of 26
Poll points: 381 (two first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 11th
Week 3 result: Won 43-37 at Alabama
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Vanderbilt
Ole Miss (3-0, 1-0 SEC) earned its first win in Tuscaloosa since 1988 and has posted back-to-back victories over the Crimson Tide for the first time ever. In doing so, the Rebels have altered the balance of power in the SEC West.
"Hugh Freeze joins [Les] Miles and [Steve] Spurrier as only SEC coaches to beat Saban in consecutive years," CBS Sports' Jon Solomon tweeted.
The Rebels got 341 passing yards and three touchdowns from quarterback Chad Kelly, with two of those TDs coming on wild plays. One, a desperation toss in the air to avoid a sack, bounced into the hands of Quincy Adeboyejo, and he took it to the house for 66 yards to give Ole Miss a 24-10 lead early in the third quarter. The other came after the Crimson Tide (2-1, 0-1) had pulled within 30-24 early in the fourth, with Kelly hitting Cody Core for a 73-yard score.
Ole Miss had to hold on twice at the end, with Tony Bridges hauling in an interception—the Rebels' fifth takeaway of the game—with less than four minutes left and then the defense forcing four straight incompletions from Jake Coker in the final minute.
Ole Miss finished with 433 yards of total offense, with Kelly adding a rushing score to his passing numbers.
2. Michigan State Spartans
25 of 26
Poll points: 393 (four first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 3rd (tie)
Week 3 result: Won 35-21 vs. Air Force
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Central Michigan
Michigan State (3-0) built a 28-7 halftime lead and then eased off the gas to post a comfortable home win over previously unbeaten Air Force.
Quarterback Connor Cook threw four touchdown passes, with three to Aaron Burbridge, who had eight catches for 156 yards. Josiah Price also had a TD catch for the Spartans, who had to do their damage through the air because the run game wasn't working.
MSU ran for just 77 yards on 42 carries, and the Spartans were outgained 428-324 but were never in danger of losing thanks to three forced turnovers.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes
26 of 26
Poll points: 405 (11 first-place votes)
Last week's ranking: 1st
Week 3 result: Won 20-13 vs. Northern Illinois
Week 4 matchup: Sept. 26 vs. Western Michigan
Ohio State (3-0) won its 16th consecutive game, but it was by no means a sure thing. The Buckeyes trailed in the first half and had to thwart two fourth-quarter drives by Northern Illinois (2-1) in order to remain undefeated. The rough outing led to a loss in first-place votes as well as some credibility on a national scale.
"Our annual reminder that everyone's mortal in college football," Fox Sports' Stewart Mandel tweeted. "Will be interesting to see how Urban Meyer handles the aftermath."
Ohio State gained only 298 yards, with quarterback Cardale Jones getting benched after throwing for 36 yards and two interceptions on 4-of-9 passing. J.T. Barrett came in and threw for 97 yards and a TD along with a pick, while Ezekiel Elliott ran for 108 yards.
The Buckeyes were aided by a 41-yard interception-return TD from Darron Lee, and they held the Huskies to 190 yards.
All stats from CFBStats.com.
All slides written by Brian J. Pedersen. Follow the author on Twitter at @realBJP.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
