College Football Power Rankings: Mississippi State, Iowa among risers amid massive shakeup
Six new teams enter the top 25 after eight ranked squads fell in Week 4, headlined by Iowa stunning Michigan and Texas proving its No. 1 mettle on the road
• 1 min read
Hold your breath, folks. The first month of the season ended with a bang as eight AP-ranked teams lost in Week 4, and the CBS Sports Power Rankings underwent a massive facelift.
We're also noticing new trends that prompt questions about the divide between the nation's elite and everyone else. AP-ranked teams are 72-6 against unranked opponents this season, the best winning percentage since the turn of the century. Home teams are also winning 77.8% of games by an average margin of 19.4 points, both the highest numbers we've seen since 2000.
Still, despite the trend showing a lack of parity, we had some shakeups Saturday. Two ranked teams were upset at home by unranked foes, and five ranked teams lost at home last week, including Michigan, Penn State and USC – the first time three ranked Big Ten teams lost at home in the same week.
No finish was as exciting as the hush the Hawkeyes put over the Big House. Iowa's Hank Brown hit Reece Vander Zee in the corner of the end zone for a 16-yard touchdown as time expired, handing Iowa its first win at Michigan since 2015 and bringing tears to the eyes of longtime coach Kirk Ferentz.
Elsewhere, Florida demolished Ole Miss after the Rebels' emotional win against LSU and Lane Kiffin a week ago. Mississippi State rose quickly in the CBS Sports Power Rankings with a ranked-on-ranked win against Missouri, its third win against a Power Four opponent, strengthening a resume that includes two road wins.
Texas also solidified its No. 1 ranking with a 20-17 win in a 10-sack performance at Tennessee.
We enter October with six new teams in the CBS Sports Power Rankings.
Biggest Movers
14 UCLA
13 USC
Rk | Teams | Chg | Rcrd | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  | Colin Simmons tied a program record with five sacks, and Texas escaped Tennessee 20-17, its first road win as the AP No. 1 team since 1984. Arch Manning was sacked six times. The defense carried him. | -- | 4-0 |
| 2 |  | Georgia buried Oklahoma 41-13, becoming the third SEC team to win its first four games by 28-plus points. The Bulldogs have beaten 52 straight unranked opponents, the nation's longest active streak. | -- | 4-0 |
| 3 |  | Jeremiah Smith caught four touchdowns, tying a school record, in a 42-19 win over Illinois. He's two TD catches from passing Chris Olave for the program record. Next: a trip to unbeaten Iowa on CBS. | -- | 3-1 |
| 4 |  | Darian Mensah has more touchdown passes (14) than incompletions (12) through four games, a first for an FBS quarterback in 30 years. Miami's 42.8-point average margin is a program best through four games. Next: a road game at Clemson. | -- | 4-0 |
| 5 |  | Notre Dame rolled 49-10 at Purdue, its 19th straight win over an unranked team, all by 14-plus points. CJ Carr tied a career high with four total touchdowns. Marcus Freeman has never started 5-0. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 6 |  | Keelon Russell is on Heisman Watch after accounting for 400 yards and five touchdowns in a 49-18 rout of South Carolina. Alabama has won its first four by 14-plus for the first time since its 2020 title run. The cowbells beckon. | 2 | 4-0 |
| 7 |  | Florida ran for 302 yards, a school record against a top-five foe, in a 52-28 rout of Ole Miss. Are the Gators a sleeping giant? "It's not asleep, but it ain't fully awake yet," Jon Sumrall said. | 9 | 4-0 |
| 8 |  | Indiana wobbled, but Lee Beebe Jr. ran for 203 yards in a 29-23 escape against Northwestern, the Hoosiers' 20th straight win. RB Turbo Richard suffered a high-ankle sprain. | 1 | 4-0 |
| 9 |  | LSU pounded Texas A&M 35-6, snapping a six-game skid against ranked teams. Sam Leavitt threw for 312 yards despite a hamstring injury. Injuries are piling up. LB White Weeks suffered a leg fracture. Good thing McNeese State is next. | -- | 3-1 |
| 10 |  | Faizon Brandon was sacked 10 times, and Tennessee still had a shot at No. 1 Texas before falling 20-17. Josh Heupel said his freshman QB wasn't good enough. He faces his former OC, Alex Golesh, and Auburn next. | 1 | 3-1 |
| 11 |  | The Bulldogs snapped a 14-game losing streak in ranked-on-ranked matchups, the longest in AP poll history, beating Missouri 31-24 in a thriller. Heisman contender Kamario Taylor threw for 360 yards. Undefeated Alabama comes to Starkville next. | 12 | 4-0 |
| 12 |  | Bob Chesney's Bruins are 4-0 for the first time since 2022 after a 54-3 demolition at Maryland, the program's largest margin in a Big Ten game. Wayne Knight has nine rushing touchdowns. A trip to Oregon in two weeks looms. | NR | 4-0 |
| 13 |  | Dante Moore was taken to the hospital by ambulance after a targeted hit. Dylan Raiola replaced him and threw for 289 yards in a 41-27 win at USC, Oregon's school-record fifth straight over the Trojans. Are the Ducks quacking back? | 4 | 3-1 |
| 14 |  | Morgan Scalley is 5-0 as a head coach, all by double digits, after a 31-17 road win at Iowa State. The Utes have won 10 straight, their longest streak since 2007-09. | 8 | 4-0 |
| 15 |  | Ole Miss misses RB Kewan Lacy, but the defense has serious problems. The Rebels allowed 50-plus points for the first time in 59 games as a top-five team. "That was an old-fashioned butt whooping," Pete Golding said. | 10 | 3-1 |
| 16 |  | Hank Brown hit Reece Vander Zee for 16 yards on the final play, capping a 91-yard drive in a 20-19 stunner at Michigan. It was Iowa's first win in Ann Arbor since 2010. Ohio State visits next on CBS. | 2 | 4-0 |
| 17 |  | Austin Romaine returned interceptions for touchdowns on consecutive throws, the first FBS player to do it since 2013. But QB Will Hammond threw three first-half picks in a 49-14 win over Sam Houston State. | 5 | 4-0 |
| 18 |  | BYU sat at home during a bye. The Cougars averaged 6.7 yards per carry over three games, and LJ Martin sits 131 yards shy of 3,000 for his career. TCU is next. | 1 | 3-0 |
| 19 |  | Matt Rhule's Huskers opened Big Ten play with a 31-13 win at Michigan State. Vincent Genatone scored twice, and the defense forced three turnovers. Downtrodden Maryland comes to Lincoln this week. | NR | 4-0 |
| 20 |  | James Franklin is 4-0 in Blacksburg, the Hokies' best start since 2017. Jeffrey Overton Jr. ran for 209 yards in a rain-soaked 21-14 comeback at Boston College. Pitt visits Friday in a battle of unbeatens. | NR | 4-0 |
| 21 |  | Mason Heintschel threw six touchdowns in a 59-0 rout of Bucknell, becoming the first ACC quarterback with two six-TD games in a season. And yet he has not thrown a TD against a power-conference opponent. | NR | 4-0 |
| 22 |  | Manny Diaz lost a pile of talent, including quarterback Darian Mensah to Miami, and is 4-0 anyway after a 62-7 romp over William & Mary. Duke's eight-game streak matches its longest since 1940-41. Diaz is coach of the year material. | NR | 4-0 |
| 23 |  | Lincoln Riley is 5-14 against ranked teams at USC after a 41-27 home loss to Oregon. Linebacker Desman Stephens II, ejected for targeting Dante Moore, was suspended one game over the hit and his celebration. Trojans need a big win. | 13 | 4-1 |
| 24 |  | Missouri led 24-17 in the second half and lost 31-24 at Mississippi State, its ninth straight loss in ranked matchups. Eli Drinkwitz is 0-16 against opponents that finish above .500 in SEC play. Unbeaten Florida visits Saturday. | 10 | 3-1 |
| 25 |  | Eric Morris has 92 new players and the Cowboys already own wins over Oregon and, now, West Virginia. Drew Mestemaker threw for 389 yards in a 41-24 win in Morgantown after trailing 14-3. | NR | 3-1 |
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