Tom Fornelli's College Football Power Ratings: Georgia, Penn State on the rise amid dominant starts

While neither the Bulldogs or Nittany Lions have been tested yet, it's hard to ignore the results

Sep 22, 2026 at 9:35 am ET • 6 min read

I've been covering college football on the internet for two decades now, so believe me when I tell you I've seen a lot of stupid stuff in my time. I've certainly contributed plenty of stupid myself, and I hope to keep doing so for a long time.

Stupidity is one of my areas of expertise, and I was in awe of some of the stupidity I saw following Oregon's 84-0 win over Portland State this weekend. It drew multiple columns, some national and some local, about how offensive it all was. Seriously, The Wall Street Journal wrote about it, as did The Oregonian. The Oregonian even used the word "cringey" in the headline in what I can only assume is a last-ditch effort to teach Gen Z how to read.

So, if you're keeping score, when Oregon barely beats Boise State to start the season, that's bad, and Oregon should feel bad. When Oregon gets upset and loses on the road to Oklahoma State, that's bad too, and Oregon should feel worse. And now, when Oregon wins, but wins by too much, that too is bad.

So, Dan Lanning, if you're reading this, I hope you now understand that your team is only allowed to win by 17 points. That's a respectable number. A 14-point win is a failure. A 20-point win? Well, that's just downright indecent of you.

17 points only, got it?

Title odds via DraftKings

Fornelli Power Ratings

1	Ohio State
As I expected last week, I received plenty of angry messages about leaving Ohio State at No. 1 despite their loss to Texas. I survived them all, not because I'm a hero or stronger than everybody else, but because they were just messages, not physical assaults. Still, while I won't call myself a hero, you're free to do so. As for Ohio State, the Buckeyes decimated an overwhelmed Kent State team to take out their frustrations from the loss, but they should face a tougher test this week against Illinois. How much tougher remains to be seen. Last Week: 1 | Title Odds: +520
2	Georgia
People will fight back against Georgia moving up to No. 2 by pointing out that the Bulldogs haven't played anyone. It's true. The schedule has been soft to start the year, but it's important that we don't get too caught up in who teams have played. How teams play is generally far more important, and Georgia has been playing about as well as can be imagined through three games. Nobody is mentioning Gunner Stockton as a Heisman campaign, but go compare his numbers to all the guys they are mentioning instead. They look pretty similar, don't they! Last Week: 4 | Title Odds: +650
3	Notre Dame
If we're in the Trust Tree here, I'll admit I'm getting a little concerned about the Fighting Irish. They've played two Power Four opponents, and while they won both, they didn't look overwhelming in either game. The defense is phenomenal. The offense? Well, all I'll say is there are two Power Four programs in the country without at least one rush of 20 yards or more this season, and Notre Dame is one of them. The other is Arkansas, and any time you're being mentioned in a sentence with Arkansas right now, and it's not about how you beat Arkansas by 50, that's not a good thing. Last Week: 2 | Title Odds: +650
4	Texas
The Longhorns drop a spot this week, but it's not so much about them as it is Georgia jumping past them. I know Texas fans won't want to hear it because they're already mad at me for having them behind Ohio State, but the reality is that none of the teams in my top seven are separated by much right now. It doesn't take much to shuffle these teams around. That said, the offense wasn't overly impressive against UTSA. I get that it was a sandwich spot, though, so I'm not overly concerned. Last Week: 3 | Title Odds: +620
5	Indiana
Indiana hasn't allowed a point since Week 1. It posted its second consecutive shutout this past weekend, beating Western Kentucky 38-0. The performance was fine. Everything Indiana has done is what it should be doing given the level of competition it's facing. However, the reason I haven't bumped them up is that, while I trust the team as a whole, I won't trust Josh Hoover to continue playing like this against good teams until I see him do so. Last Week: 5 | Title Odds: +950
6	Miami (Fla.)
So, do we have any concerns about the Miami defense? I do. The unit has suffered some injuries in the secondary, and stud defensive lineman Ahmad Moten left the Wake Forest game for a while before returning with a brace on his arm. We aren't setting off any sirens here, but it's a situation worth monitoring going forward. Last Week: 6 | Title Odds: +850
7	Oregon
The 84-0 win does nothing to alleviate concerns about the Ducks stemming from their first two games of the season, but I hope it helped everyone in the program work out some demons. The Ducks have a massive game this weekend on the road against USC. If they win, everybody feels pretty good about them again, and they may start climbing back up these rankings. If they lose? Well then, it's panic time in Eugene. Last Week: 7 | Title Odds: +2200
8	Alabama
The novice could look at Alabama allowing 36 points to a Florida State team that managed only 34 against New Mexico State and wonder whether they should freak out about the Alabama defense. An expert such as myself, though, understands that Florida State coach Mike Norvell has a blood feud against the Tide after Alabama was chosen over his team for the College Football Playoff in 2023. That man saves everything he has for Alabama. Is it wise? Probably not, but it's been pretty effective. So, no, I'm not worried about the Alabama defense just yet. Especially if they score 50 points every week on offense. Last Week: 9 | Title Odds: +2500
9	Ole Miss
I mentioned earlier how closely packed the teams are in these ratings, and boy, was I relieved when I saw Ole Miss jump past LSU by 0.1 points after I finished doing the math. I really didn't want to have to deal with another week of being yelled at about how "results have to matter!!!!11!!" As for Ole Miss, your QB matters a lot in my ratings, but there is no team in the country whose strength is as dependent on Ole Miss. I have them at No. 9 right now. If Trinidad Chambliss announced his retirement right now, the Rebels would be closer to 25th than 10th. Last Week: 10 | Title Odds: +1500
10	LSU
The Tigers came up short against Ole Miss, but I was genuinely impressed by how they fought their way back into the game. Sam Leavitt was clearly overwhelmed by the atmosphere early, but he didn't let it snowball, nor did his teammates. They composed themselves and made a game of it. That bodes well for them down the line, though things don't get any easier this week. They're playing a Texas A&M team that just lost at home to Kentucky in what feels like an absolute must-win for both sides. Last Week: 8 | Title Odds: +1600
11	USC
Believe me, even I'm annoyed that USC climbs a spot after its performance against Rutgers. The Trojans won, but being locked in a close, back-and-forth affair with a Rutgers team that has lost to UMass and Boston College is extremely unbecoming. The old fears about this team being all offense and no defense immediately return, but we have to remember that the offense is really good, and there aren't many elite defenses out there. Last Week: 12 | Title Odds: +3300
12	Penn State
Another case of it's not just who you've played, but how you've played. The Nittany Lions ain't played nobody, but they've played 'em all extremely well. If you're a Penn State fan, you have to be happy with what you've seen from the new regime so far, but life starts to become more difficult this week against Wisconsin. Last Week: NR | Title Odds: +5500