NCAA Football Rankings 2014: Week 4 Standings and Analysis for Latest Polls
Not much changed atop the Associated Press Top 25 after the third Saturday in the 2014 college football season. However, a few teams with dreams of rising to the status of the elite hit major speed bumps.
Both the USC Trojans and the Georgia Bulldogs saw their hopes of an undefeated season go by the boards. The Trojans and Bulldogs weren't the only teams bitten by the upset bug. The Louisville Cardinals and Virginia Tech Hokies were toppled by Virginia and East Carolina, respectively.
The losses bounced both teams from the Top 25.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
If this trend continues, it's going to be a wild and fun season. Here's a look at the most recent poll, per ESPN.com.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points |
| 1 | Florida State (37) | 2-0 | 1,466 |
| 2 | Oregon (17) | 3-0 | 1,424 |
| 3 | Alabama (1) | 3-0 | 1,346 |
| 4 | Oklahoma (2) | 3-0 | 1,325 |
| 5 | Auburn | 2-0 | 1,252 |
| 6 | Texas A&M (3) | 3-0 | 1,195 |
| 7 | Baylor | 3-0 | 1,134 |
| 8 | LSU | 3-0 | 1,114 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 3-0 | 917 |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 840 |
| 11 | Michigan State | 1-1 | 832 |
| 12 | UCLA | 3-0 | 807 |
| 13 | Georgia | 1-1 | 729 |
| 14 | South Carolina | 2-1 | 718 |
| 15 | Arizona State | 3-0 | 680 |
| 16 | Stanford | 2-1 | 560 |
| 17 | USC | 2-1 | 459 |
| 18 | Missouri | 3-0 | 446 |
| 19 | Wisconsin | 1-1 | 414 |
| 20 | Kansas State | 2-0 | 326 |
| 21 | BYU | 3-0 | 246 |
| 22 | Clemson | 1-1 | 209 |
| 23 | Ohio State | 2-1 | 204 |
| 24 | Nebraska | 3-0 | 172 |
| 25 | Oklahoma State | 2-1 | 126 |
Biggest Losers
Georgia
After looking sharp in its season opener, Georgia fell to the South Carolina Gamecocks by the smallest of margins. It wasn't just the three-point deficit in the 38-35 loss that we're referring to.
Late in the fourth quarter the Bulldogs couldn't find the end zone despite a 1st-and-goal situation on the Gamecocks' 4-yard line.
Matters became worse when Marshall Morgan missed a 28-yard field goal that would have tied it.
The Bulldogs subsequently couldn't stop the Gamecocks from converting a clutch fourth down on the next drive, and South Carolina got the win.
Clearly the Gamecocks defense isn't as bad as some believed after it was lit up by the Texas A&M Aggies in Week 1.
While it did surrender 35 points to Todd Gurley and the Bulldogs offense, the Gamecocks defense stiffened when it needed to. The loss leaves Georgia in a rough position. This was not a gimme, but most would have expected the Bulldogs to win this one.
With games against Missouri and Auburn still on the schedule, it's going to be difficult for the Bulldogs to escape the dreaded second loss of the season. The way things are shaping up, another loss could leave Georgia outside of the four-team playoff at the end of the season.
USC Trojans
Fresh off a huge win over the rival Stanford Cardinal, the Trojans did exactly what they didn't want to do on Saturday: have a letdown.
Facing an unranked Boston College Eagles team that most would have expected USC would handle easily, Steve Sarkisian's squad suddenly couldn't stop the run or find its own success on the ground.
Led by dual-threat quarterback Tyler Murphy, the Eagles racked up 452 yards rushing and limited the Trojans to just 20 on the ground. That's a far cry from the performance on both sides of the ball against the Cardinal.
In Week 2, USC held Stanford to just 3.4 yards per carry. The Trojans' feature back, Javorius Allen, punished the Cardinal for 154 yards on the ground.
This loss showed the Trojans' immaturity on defense and lack dominance on the offensive line. You'll be hard-pressed to find anyone who sees USC beating UCLA or Oregon head to head after this one.
Biggest Winners
South Carolina
Despite the fact that the Gamecocks didn't look especially good in Week 1 vs. Texas A&M or in Week 2 against East Carolina, the win over the then No.6-ranked Bulldogs put the Gamecocks in a new light.
Having lost Jadeveon Clowney to the NFL draft, most didn't see the Gamecocks as having a solid defense. The 52 points it allowed to the Aggies in Week 1 seemed to support that notion.
Allowing 35 points can't be considered shutting a team down, but South Carolina's defense proved it was clutch. The win keeps the team at just one loss for the season with three more major tests on the horizon.
Missouri, Auburn and in-state rival Clemson will all represent a significant threat. While running the table from here on out might be a stretch, the Gamecocks could still wind up with a favorable bowl selection outside of the college football playoff.
Texas A&M
The Aggies' schedule is brutal after Oct. 4. Four of their last six games are against teams currently ranked in the top 10. All Texas A&M did in Week 3 was beat a Rice team 38-10 that everyone expected it should defeat handily.
That win isn't what helped to move the needle. The Aggies became big winners this week because of the aforementioned Gamecocks win.
As of right now, the only big win Texas A&M has came over South Carolina in Week 1. With the Gamecocks beating the Bulldogs, it makes the Aggies' season-opening win look more impressive.
The final story will be told once Texas A&M gets into the heart of its SEC schedule, but for now, the team is looking really good.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
