CFP Playoff Bracket, Scenarios and Bowl Projections After 2025-26 Week 4 AP Rankings
The middle of the AP Top 25 received a significant shakeup after Week 3.
The teams ranked from 10th to 14th, led by the No. 10 Texas A&M Aggies, all experienced multi-spot jumps.
Two other programs moved into the Top 20 from outside the Top 25. The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets, a contender in the ACC now, were the highest entrant at No. 18.
Texas A&M and Georgia Tech made the biggest impacts on the College Football Playoff in Week 3 with their wins over the Notre Dame Fighting Irish and Clemson Tigers, two teams that were penciled into the 12-team playoff field in preseason.
Plenty of changes will happen between now and December, but the true contenders for playoff spots have changed, especially among the teams in the middle of the Top 25.
Texas A&M Jumps into Top 10, CFB Playoff Picture
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Texas A&M's road win over Notre Dame earned it a six-spot jump in Sunday's AP poll.
The Aggies are now a top-10 team and one of four SEC programs inside the top 10.
A&M will have a week off before it enters its SEC gauntlet, which begins with the Auburn Tigers on September 27.
Mike Elko's team also has to face the LSU Tigers, Missouri Tigers, South Carolina Gamecocks and Texas Longhorns.
A&M's playoff status is far from secured, but the win over Notre Dame at least serves as a strong foundation for what could be a big season for the Aggies.
ACC Looks More Wide Open After Georgia Tech's Upset over Clemson
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The Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets upended the preseason narrative in the ACC that the Clemson Tigers would be the team to beat.
Clemson's first ACC loss, and second overall, to Georgia Tech on Saturday busted the ACC title race wide open.
The Miami Hurricanes are the top ACC team after Week 3, but they are in the middle of an early-season gauntlet. They play the Florida Gators and Florida State Seminoles in their next two games.
Georgia Tech, who entered the AP poll at No. 18 on Sunday, does not play Miami or Florida State in ACC play and none of its in-conference road trips look too dangerous on paper.
If Tech runs the table, or only has one loss in ACC play, it could play in the biggest rivalry game with the Georgia Bulldogs in a long time.
For now, Georgia Tech appears to be in a comfortable position to keep climbing the rankings and enter itself into the CFB Playoff conversation.
South Florida Still in Good Spot Despite Miami Loss
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The South Florida Bulls became the darling of the college football universe with their wins over the Boise State Broncos and Florida Gators.
USF ran out of gas at the end of its opening stretch in a blowout loss to Miami in Week 3.
The loss dropped the Bulls out of the AP Top 25, but they are still in a good spot to land the Group of Five bid to the CFB Playoff.
No G5 teams are ranked going into Week 4 and no team in the G5 ranks has the resume that compares to USF.
It's still early, but USF could face the Tulane Green Wave in the American Athletic Conference title game for a playoff spot.
Tulane and USF are the only G5 teams in the remaining votes column of the AP poll with more than 30 votes.
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