NCAA Football Rankings 2016: Predicting the Top 25 After Week 4

During the first window of games, blowouts dominated Week 4 of the 2016 college football season. Once the second wave started, wild finishes took the spotlight.

Tennessee rattled off a 21-point comeback to snap an 11-year losing streak to Florida, Stanford engineered a game-winning drive to avoid an upset against UCLA and Texas A&M pulled away late to earn a thrilling win over Arkansas.

Otherwise, most of the nation's best programs backed up their billing with convincing victories in Week 4.

Just one ranked team outside of the four matchups between Top 25 squads lost, so the rankings will avoid an overhaul. Still, several notable programs will enjoy noteworthy rises or suffer disappointing falls in the new poll.

Rank	Team	Previous	Record	Week 3 Result
1	Alabama	1	4-0	Won 48-0 vs. Kent State
2	Ohio State	2	3-0	IDLE
3	Louisville	3	4-0	Won 59-28 at Marshall
4	Michigan	4	4-0	Won 49-10 vs. Penn State
5	Clemson	5	4-0	Won 26-7 at Georgia Tech
6	Houston	6	4-0	Won 64-3 at Texas State
7	Stanford	7	3-0	Won 22-13 at UCLA
8	Texas A&M	10	4-0	Won 45-24 vs. Arkansas
9	Wisconsin	11	4-0	Won 30-6 at Michigan State
10	Washington	9	4-0	Won 35-28 (OT) at Arizona
11	Florida State	13	3-1	Won 55-35 at USF
12	Tennessee	14	4-0	Won 38-28 vs. Florida
13	Michigan State	8	2-1	Lost 30-6 vs. Wisconsin
14	Baylor	16	4-0	Won 35-24 vs. Oklahoma State
15	Miami	15	3-0	IDLE
16	Nebraska	20	4-0	Won 24-13 at Northwestern
17	Ole Miss	23	2-2	Won 45-14 vs. Georgia
18	Utah	24	4-0	Won 31-27 vs. USC
19	Texas	21	2-1	IDLE
20	San Diego State	22	3-0	IDLE
21	Arkansas	17	3-1	Lost 45-24 vs. Texas A&M
22	TCU	NR	3-1	Won 33-3 at SMU
23	North Carolina	NR	3-1	Won 37-36 vs. Pitt
24	Oklahoma	25	1-2	IDLE
25	Iowa	NR	3-1	Won 14-7 at Rutgers

Moving Up

Texas A&M

Along with Wisconsin, Texas A&M has a persuasive argument to hop Washington in the polls because of a win over a ranked team.

Trevor Knight guided the Aggies to a 45-24 stomping of No. 17 Arkansas. He tallied 225 yards and two touchdowns through the air, also scampering for a pair of 40-plus-yard scores and 157 total.

Knight and first-year offensive coordinator Noel Mazzone have been a perfect match, and there's no more evidence needed than the records. The Aggies improved to 2-0 versus ranked teams, 2-0 in the SEC and 4-0 overall.

Texas A&M heads to South Carolina before facing a two-game stretch against Tennessee and Alabama. Kevin Sumlin's team will have the chance to assert itself as legitimate championship contenders.

Wisconsin

Last week, Paul Chryst's team dropped two spots in the poll after a close call at home to Georgia State—and deservedly so. The dreadful outing caused serious doubts about Wisconsin's potential.

Things changed dramatically against No. 8 Michigan State.

Leo Musso provided the game-changing play, returning a fumble 66 yards for a touchdown to give the Badgers a 20-6 lead early in the third quarter. Wisconsin added a field goal before MSU punter Jake Hartbarger dropped a snap at the 5-yard line.

Heading into the season, it appeared a brutal slate in September and October would doom the Badgers. However, they've navigated the first month at 4-0 with victories over LSU and the Spartans.

Wisconsin's next three contests are at Michigan, home to Ohio State and at Iowa. Chryst's team has no choice but to continue trying to make statement wins. But so far, so good.

Utah

Victories over Southern Utah, BYU and San Jose State were good enough to get Utah in the picture. Thanks to a 31-27 comeback win against USC, though, the Utes have earned extra attention.

Not only is defeating USC an excellent win because of brand power, Utah—which was ranked 24th—only railed No. 21 Texas by 32 points. Both the Longhorns and San Diego State were idle in Week 4, so the Utes should leap them both.

Additionally, losses by Nos. 17-19 (Arkansas, LSU and Florida) will further boost Kyle Whittingham's team in the polls. Sometimes, the timing of a win is more impactful than the actual win.

Utah's upcoming slate includes Cal, Arizona and Oregon State, so don't be surprised if the program slowly rises for another month at least until traveling to UCLA on Oct. 22.

Moving Down

Georgia

Rogelio V. Solis/Associated Press

Perhaps for no other reason than attrition, Georgia climbed to No. 12 in the polls. But after a sluggish victory over Nicholls and a last-second win at Missouri, it was clear the Bulldogs have problems.

Ole Miss exposed a shaky offense and completely overpowered Georgia's defense, building a 31-0 advantage at halftime. The Rebels ultimately earned a 45-14 triumph.

While Jacob Eason completed just 16-of-36 attempts for 137 yards and one interception, Bulldogs receivers also didn't provide much help. They dropped at least six passes, directly contributing to the offense's dismal 4-of-16 mark on third down.

On the bright side for Georgia, the team could still contend in the SEC East Division if it defeats Tennessee in Week 5. The problem, however, is the last three weekends weren't very encouraging.

The Bulldogs might manage to earn a ranking in the 20s, but falling out completely is also reasonable.

LSU

Following an 18-13 defeat at Auburn, Les Miles must be feeling warm. His job is likely in serious jeopardy.

LSU initially thought it had stolen a victory when Danny Etling connected with D.J. Chark for a 15-yard touchdown as time expired. However, after a review, the officials correctly determined the Bayou Bengals had not snapped the ball in time.

Miles' squad has struggled throughout September. LSU lost to Wisconsin, changed its quarterback against Jacksonville State and nearly collapsed versus Mississippi State before losing to Auburn.

After falling to 2-2, LSU will drop out of the rankings for the first time since Week 14 of the 2014 season. And in the near future, Miles might be seeking a new program to coach.

Florida

At least for Florida, it's a shame football games don't last 30 minutes. The Gators took a 21-3 lead into the locker room and appeared headed for a 12th straight win over Tennessee.

But then the second half happened.

Florida surrendered 35 unanswered points, watching the Vols record the third-largest comeback in school history, per ESPN Stats & Info. The Austin Appleby-led offense went three-and-out or committed a turnover on six-straight possessions after halftime.

The Gators will plunge from No. 19 in the country out of the rankings, but at 3-1, the season is far from over. Florida will need some assistance with tiebreakers, though.

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All recruiting information via 247Sports. Stats from cfbstats.com or B/R research. Quotes obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow Bleacher Report CFB Writer David Kenyon on Twitter @Kenyon19_BR.