College Football: Top 25 Power Rankings Through Week 4

Well ladies and gentleman, we are through four weeks of college pigskin, and let me just say up to this point I was a “little” off in my preseason Top Five rankings. Oh well, I can’t be right 100 percent of the time, so let's get back in the huddle and see where The Chief has teams now!

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1. Ohio State (4-0) - They were my preseason No. 1, and you better believe I am sticking with them! The Buckeyes are on great pace with a convincing win over Miami (FL). OSU’s next actual challenge comes in Week 7 when they take on the Badgers at Camp Randle Stadium.

2. Alabama (4-0) – This is one team I did not think I would be seeing competing for the No. 1 spot. However, the Tide is showing why they are the defending national champions. Alabama had a great come-from-behind win against a strong Arkansas team. With that in my mind, 'Bama should have the Buckeyes sweating a little bit. Next up, the Gators!

3. Florida (4-0) – Yeah, that’s right, I have the Gators this high! I see a younger team maturing and coming into its own, and with a blowout victory over Kentucky in Week 4 (which most people thought was a trap game), I see only sunshine with a chance of Tide in their future—this weekend to be exact.

4. Oregon (4-0) – All I can say right now is, wow, I did not expect to see this kind of offensive firepower from the Ducks! The only problem I see is a little bit of a suspect defense. I guess we will see how good the D is when Andrew Luck and Stanford come to town in Week 5.

5. Stanford (4-0) - Tough to put them here because someone has to lose, right? Well, I am. They are showing great poise and confidence behind the aforementioned QB, junior Andrew Luck. Luck will also be tested this week when, and if, this game against Oregon turns into a shootout.

6. Boise State (4-0) – Finally the Broncos, because I know some of you were thinking it. I am putting Boise here only because their schedule that remains is putrid, with the exception of a team that just cracked the AP Top 25, Nevada, in Week 13.

7. TCU (4-0) – Honestly, I put TCU here because of their performance last weekend against SMU. Yes, I know they won by double digits, 17 to be exact. However, if you watched the whole game (I’m sorry by the way) or heard it, the game was much closer than the final score indicated. TCU’s next challenge, in my opinion, will come in the form of a hard-to-prep-for Air Force team in Week 8.

8. Nebraska (4-0) – Husker fans (particularly the ones in my family), I am sorry, I would have ranked you higher, but that performance in Week 4 was terrible. South Dakota State did everything but score 2 TDs or we might be looking at a Buster Douglas upset. Nebraska will try to turn up the volume this weekend in a game against Kansas State that should be tough.

9. Wisconsin (4-0) – The Badgers, although playing weak competition, have seemed to improve every week. That being said, lets see what the Badgers do against a hyped-up Michigan State team this weekend. If RB John Clay can continue to rush for over 100 yards every game, I do not see this team hitting the wall until they meet the Buckeyes.

10. Oklahoma (4-0) - To scrape by a weaker Cincinnati team is not very good, but to scrape by Utah State is terrible. I guess it is worth mentioning that the man of the hour for Cincy, RB Isaha Pead, was in his first game back since injuring his knee in Week 1. Normally I would say the Red River Rivalry game would be a good way to gauge the remainder of the Sooners season—not so this year as Texas got stomped by UCLA.

11. Auburn (4-0) – The Tigers pulled out a tough win against a great South Carolina team. I would look for them to do more damage. However, their remaining schedule looks a bit rough—Week 7 and Week 8, to be exact—when they take on Arkansas and LSU, respectively.

12. Arkansas (3-1) – Yes, they have one loss, but look who it was to. The Pigs will rebound nicely, even with a tough remaining schedule. I expect to see them possibly back into the Top 10 before it is all said and done. I believe Mallet will learn a ton from the loss to Alabama, thus making Arkansas even that much more of a force to be reckoned with.

13. Utah (4-0) – The Utes are as fired up as ever, and with good reason. Being undefeated after most people counted them out in Week 1 is impressive in itself. Look for the Utes to be either the real deal or exposed when they meet TCU in Week 10.

14. Arizona (4-0) – I probably would have had the Wildcats higher had they played California a little tougher. Cal is a division rival, though, so we will let it slide. The win the Wildcats have over Iowa will carry this team for a while. They just better hope it doesn’t go to their heads too much with a wounded Oregon State team coming to town.

15. USC (4-0) – We all know we can basically chuck the Trojans out of the rankings for a few years. However, for argument's sake, we will leave them here. USC struggled early against a weak Washington State team, and should be tested even more this week when they face Washington and Jake Locker. After a tough test this week look for another one in Stanford the following weekend.

16. LSU (4-0) – To me, the Tigers are the hardest to judge of all 4-0 teams. They played a very close game with a fire-lacking West Virginia Mountaineers team, and should be heavily tested at Florida in Week 6.

17. Michigan (4-0) - Denard Robinson is the sole reason Michigan makes it this high. Robinson has single-handedly helped the Wolverines to a 4-0 start, and with an injury to his knee, Michigan could see an early end to their season when they meet Michigan State Week 6.

18. Miami (FL) (2-1) – A turnover fest at the Horseshoe was a disaster for the 'Canes. Miami seemed to right the ship with a decent win over Pitt last week. Look for Miami’s next real test to be Week 12 against rival Virginia Tech.

19. South Carolina (3-1) – Despite a tough loss to Auburn last week, the Gamecocks have been very impressive. SC takes on Alabama in their next game in what should be a more closely contested game than most will predict. (You heard it here first.)

20. Texas (3-1) – There is not much to say about UCLA rushing all over you, so I won’t. Look for Texas to catch OU in what is now a trap game and can be a quick fix for the Longhorns in turning their season back around.

21. Iowa (3-1) – After a hurtful loss at the hands of Arizona, the Hawkeyes crushed Ball State, but who cares? Look for Iowa to prove their worth in the next few weeks against Penn State and Michigan.

22. North Carolina State (4-0) – The Wolfpack have definitely been prepping for this season and it shows. If NC State can slide by Virginia Tech this weekend the Wolfpack war cry will be loud as ever.

23. Penn State (3-1) – The loss to Alabama was pretty bad considering they couldn’t score. However, beating Iowa this weekend would improve their chances for a dramatic rebound before year’s end.

24. Michigan State (4-0) – Now playing for their coach, as well as their record, look for the Spartans to prepare for glory when they go into a tough matchup against Wisconsin. If the Spartans make it out of the game unscathed against the Badgers, we could be looking at some real fun in the Big Ten.

25. Oklahoma State (3-0) – Getting past Troy was tough for the Cowboys, but hey, that’s a young team’s game. Look for OSU to have their pistols firing a handful of times when they get into a shootout with Texas A&M this weekend. Making it out of this game will solidify the Cowboy’s place in the Top 25, at least for a week.