NCAA Football Rankings 2015: Top Reaction to Week 4 College Polls and Standings

Another dramatic week in college football has led to more major changes to the Top 25 heading into Week 4.

Ole Miss was the big winner this weekend thanks to a 43-37 victory over Alabama that can already be classified as an instant classic. The two sides battled deep into the night with a number of memorable plays, but the Rebels came out with the upset win on the road to help shake up the Top 10.

Elsewhere around the country, losses by USC, Georgia Tech and others will change the way we look at the standings going forward. Although this season is just getting started, here is a look at the latest rankings from the Associated Press, Amway and Bleacher Report.

Rank	Coaches	AP	Bleacher Report
1	Ohio State	Ohio State	Ohio State
2	TCU	Michigan State	Michigan State
3	Michigan State	TCU/Ole Miss (tie)	Ole Miss
4	Baylor	TCU/Ole Miss (tie)	TCU
5	Ole Miss	Baylor	Baylor
6	Georgia	Notre Dame	Notre Dame
7	Florida State	Georgia	Georgia
8	Notre Dame	LSU	LSU
9	LSU	UCLA	Clemson
10	Clemson	Florida State	Alabama
11	UCLA	Clemson	UCLA
12	Alabama	Alabama	Florida State
13	Oregon	Oregon	Texas A&M
14	Oklahoma	Texas A&M	Oregon
15	Texas A&M	Oklahoma	Oklahoma
16	Arizona	Arizona	Arizona
17	Utah	Northwestern	Utah/USC (tie)
18	USC	Utah	Utah/USC (tie)
19	Northwestern	USC	Georgia Tech
20	Georgia Tech	Georgia Tech	Northwestern
21	Wisconsin	Stanford	Wisconsin
22	Oklahoma State	Wisconsin	BYU
23	Missouri	BYU	Oklahoma State
24	Stanford	Oklahoma State	Stanford
25	Auburn	Missouri	West Virginia

By far the most impactful game from Saturday was Ole Miss' road win over Alabama. The Rebels went on the road against the No. 2 team in the nation and scored 43 points, totaling 433 yards from scrimmage, including 341 passing yards from Chad Kelly.

Some fortunate bounces certainly helped Ole Miss pull out this win, such as this crazy touchdown early in the second half:

Despite a little bit of luck, the squad held on for the impressive victory, its second over Alabama in as many years. While the Rebels came into the game as an underdog, head coach Hugh Freeze believes this was more of a statement than a surprise, via Sports Illustrated:

"

We certainly think we're at a point now where it's not a shock. I still say it would be an upset in most people's eyes to do it here. 

I don't think it surprises the people in our locker room. Our pregame was as short as it's ever been. I said, 'You're good enough to win.'

"

Voters seemed to agree it wasn't a fluke, as Ole Miss made some major strides in the polls. In the AP rankings, the SEC team jumped from No. 15 into a tie for third. We are a long way from the College Football Playoff, but this type of victory certainly looks good on a resume.

On the other hand, Alabama headed the other direction after dropping out of the Top 10 in the AP and Amway polls. Teams like the Crimson Tide or Oregon certainly aren't out of the postseason running after a single loss to an elite opponent, but it will be an uphill battle going forward.

Another team that saw a big drop in the polls is USC, which suffered its first loss of the year at the hands of Stanford. The Trojans looked dominant in blowout wins over weaker opponents, with quarterback Cody Kessler making an early case for the Heisman Trophy. Kessler did his job Saturday with 272 passing yards and three touchdowns, but the defense didn't hold up its end of the bargain in a 41-31 loss.

Cardinal quarterback Kevin Hogan was able to match his counterpart step for step and ended with a quarterback rating of 97.7, almost a perfect effort from the veteran passer.

Despite this victory, there is a lot of confusion when it comes to the polls. ESPN's Mike Greenberg explained the problem with the Coaches poll:

It seems voters care more about preseason polls and where teams start rather than considering direct head-to-head battles. Even if USC has more talent and upside than Northwestern, the results on the field tell a different story.

There was also a lot of intrigue at the bottom of the rankings in regards to the teams that made the list. ESPN's Peter Burns questioned a pair of SEC squads in the Top 25:

Auburn was handled on the road by LSU, which usually isn't something to worry about. The problem is that Auburn lacks anything else of substance to be worthy of a ranking. The squad needed overtime to survive FCS program Jacksonville State, and the only other win was over currently 0-3 Louisville. 

Aside from preseason expectations and objective talent, Auburn has little reason to be receiving votes.

Missouri has more of a claim thanks to a 3-0 record, although the 9-6 win over Connecticut isn't really something you would normally see from a Top 25 team. The Tigers also barely defeated Arkansas State the week before, so it's understandable for some to be skeptical of their true ability. 

Of course, all of this can change as quickly as next week with a number of exciting battles. UCLA and Arizona battle in a game that could legitimately decide the Pac-12 South. Oregon will also have a tough conference battle as it hosts Utah.

Considering No. 1 Ohio State only managed a 20-13 win over Northern Illinois last weekend, though, it's clear all teams better be on high alert to avoid an upset. Anything can happen in college football, and things will only get more interesting in the coming weeks of conference play.

Follow Rob Goldberg on Twitter for more year-round sports analysis.