Three weeks into the 2026 college football season, the AP Top 25 is beginning to tell us considerably more than the preseason rankings did.
Texas remains No. 1 after its dramatic victory over Ohio State. Georgia continues to look like one of the most complete teams in the country. Ole Miss suddenly owns one of the best early-season résumés in college football. And Ohio State presents perhaps the clearest example of why a power ranking should not simply duplicate the national polls.
The latest AP poll has Texas, Georgia, Notre Dame, Ole Miss and Indiana occupying the top five, followed by Miami, Ohio State, Alabama, BYU and LSU. The SEC leads the country with 10 ranked teams, while the Big Ten has seven. (AP News)
Our power rankings take a different approach.
Rather than asking which teams deserve the highest poll position based primarily on wins and losses, these rankings attempt to answer a slightly different question:
Who are the best college football teams in the country right now?
Results and strength of schedule matter heavily, but so do opponent-adjusted performance, the quality of a team’s offense and defense, star-level talent, the circumstances surrounding losses and whether recent performances appear sustainable.
Here is our Power 25 entering Week 4.
1. Texas
AP ranking: No. 1
Texas stays No. 1 because no team owns a better individual win than its 24-23 comeback victory over Ohio State.
The Longhorns followed that with a comfortable 30-6 win over UTSA. Georgia may look more dominant overall, but Texas currently has the best trump card.
2. Georgia
AP ranking: No. 2
Georgia may be the most complete team in the country.
The Bulldogs crushed Arkansas 45-17 on the road, piling up 464 yards while averaging 7.4 yards per play without committing a turnover. Texas has the better marquee win, but Georgia has looked more consistently dominant.
3. Ole Miss
AP ranking: No. 4
Ole Miss already owns wins over Louisville and LSU, giving the Rebels one of the strongest early résumés in the country.
Quarterback Trinidad Chambliss has emerged as one of the season’s breakout stars, and the 32-24 win over LSU moved Ole Miss into the AP top five. Chambliss has also surged into the Heisman discussion. (AP News)
4. Ohio State
AP ranking: No. 7
This is where the power rankings separate most from the AP poll.
Ohio State’s only loss came 24-23 at No. 1 Texas after leading 23-3. The Buckeyes still look like one of the country’s elite teams and responded by crushing Kent State 59-3.
5. Notre Dame
AP ranking: No. 3
Notre Dame has handled its business, beating Wisconsin 41-13 and Michigan State 27-10.
The Fighting Irish drop slightly here only because Texas, Georgia, Ole Miss and Ohio State have given us more evidence against high-level competition.
6. Indiana
AP ranking: No. 5
Indiana has been nearly flawless, including a 38-0 shutout of Western Kentucky.
The only thing holding the defending national champions outside the top five is schedule strength. Their Big Ten schedule should soon provide a better measure of just how good this team is.
7. Alabama
AP ranking: No. 8
Alabama is rising quickly after beating Kentucky 45-17 and Florida State 50-36.
Freshman quarterback Keelon Russell threw for 320 yards and three touchdowns against Florida State as Alabama produced 567 total yards. The defense remains a question, but the offensive ceiling is enormous.
8. Miami
AP ranking: No. 6
Miami’s Darian Mensah–Malachi Toney connection remains one of the biggest stories in college football.
Mensah completed 30 of 34 passes with three touchdowns against Wake Forest while setting ACC completion records, and Toney again topped 100 receiving yards. Both remain prominent names in the early Heisman conversation, giving Miami one of the country’s most dangerous offensive pairings. (ESPN.com)
9. BYU
AP ranking: No. 9
BYU has quietly built a 3-0 start, including wins over Arizona and Colorado State.
The Cougars haven’t produced a signature victory yet, but they also haven’t shown any major weaknesses. For now, No. 9 fits.
10. LSU
AP ranking: No. 10
LSU’s 32-24 loss at Ole Miss knocks the Tigers down, but it doesn’t erase an impressive 51-10 opening win over Clemson.
The bigger concern is offensive consistency after LSU managed only 330 yards against Ole Miss. The Tigers still look like a top-10 team, but not yet a top-five one.
11. Texas Tech
AP ranking: No. 11
Texas Tech remains unbeaten after surviving Houston 28-26.
The Red Raiders haven’t done enough to crack the top 10, but winning close conference games matters. Houston gave them a legitimate test, and Texas Tech found a way through it.
12. Tennessee
AP ranking: No. 14
Tennessee continues to impress offensively after beating Georgia Tech 45-24 and Kennesaw State 42-9.
Now comes the real test: No. 1 Texas visits Knoxville this weekend. A win would dramatically reshape the top of these rankings.
13. Penn State
AP ranking: No. 13
Penn State has dominated lesser competition, beating Marshall, Temple and Buffalo by comfortable margins.
The Nittany Lions look talented enough to move higher, but they still need a meaningful Big Ten victory before making that jump.
14. Utah
AP ranking: No. 15
Utah has been dominant defensively, beating Arkansas 43-10 and Utah State 33-0.
The Utes have allowed only 10 points over their past two games. A road trip to Iowa State should provide a much stronger test of their ceiling.
15. Louisville
AP ranking: No. 16
Louisville’s 41-38 loss to Ole Miss looks better every week.
The Cardinals then backed it up by beating ranked SMU 41-31, helping Louisville make one of the largest jumps in the latest AP poll. Their 2-1 record undersells how dangerous this team appears. (AP News)
16. Iowa
AP ranking: No. 17
Iowa’s defense remains its identity, but the offense has shown signs of life.
The Hawkeyes beat Iowa State 16-13 and then crushed Northern Iowa 55-0. This week’s trip to Michigan should reveal considerably more.
17. Michigan
AP ranking: No. 18
Michigan owns an important 17-10 win over Oklahoma and remains unbeaten.
The defense looks legitimate, while quarterback Bryce Underwood gives the offense considerable upside despite some inconsistency. Iowa provides another meaningful test this week.
18. USC
AP ranking: No. 12
USC is 4-0, but its defense keeps the Trojans lower here than in the AP poll.
Allowing 35 points to Rutgers raises questions about how USC will fare against elite opponents. Oregon’s visit this weekend provides an immediate opportunity to answer them.
19. Oregon
AP ranking: No. 20
Oregon still has top-10 talent, but the 39-31 loss to Oklahoma State is difficult to ignore.
The Ducks responded by destroying Portland State 84-0. A win at USC would go a long way toward repairing the résumé.
20. Missouri
AP ranking: No. 19
Missouri remains unbeaten after victories over Kansas and Troy.
The Tigers haven’t done enough to climb much higher yet, but a ranked SEC matchup at Mississippi State gives them an opportunity to change that this weekend.
21. Florida
AP ranking: No. 21
Florida is 3-0 for the first time since 2019 after winning 44-39 at Auburn, a result that pushed the Gators into the AP Top 25. (AP News)
Now comes No. 4 Ole Miss. Few teams in the bottom portion of these rankings have a better opportunity to make a major one-week jump.
22. SMU
AP ranking: No. 22
SMU’s road win over Florida State still carries value, but the 41-31 loss to Louisville exposed defensive concerns.
There is plenty of talent here, but Louisville clearly earned the higher position when the teams met.
23. Mississippi State
AP ranking: No. 24
Mississippi State rallied past South Carolina 41-34 and has become one of the SEC’s more interesting early surprises.
The Bulldogs are ranked for the first time since 2022, and a win over Missouri would give them another reason to climb. (AP News)
24. Houston
AP ranking: No. 25
Houston’s 28-26 road loss to Texas Tech was more encouraging than damaging.
The Cougars came within two points of knocking off a highly ranked Big 12 opponent and showed they can compete with the conference’s better teams.
25. Texas A&M
AP ranking: No. 23
Texas A&M took the biggest hit this week after losing 31-21 at home to Kentucky.
Kentucky averaged 7.6 yards per play and led 28-7 after three quarters. The Aggies fell 14 spots in the AP poll, and their current performance puts them at the bottom of our Power 25. (AP News)
The Power Five
Five teams have separated themselves from the rest of the field:
Texas. Georgia. Ole Miss. Ohio State. Notre Dame.
Texas owns the best win. Georgia may be the most complete. Ole Miss has built an elite résumé. Ohio State remains far more dangerous than its 2-1 record suggests. Notre Dame has been consistently strong.
The next group—Indiana, Alabama, Miami, BYU and LSU—is close enough that one major result could change the entire top 10.
Miami may have the most intriguing upside. If Darian Mensah and Malachi Toney continue playing at a Heisman-caliber level against stronger competition, the Hurricanes could rise quickly.
For now, though, Texas remains No. 1.
