No change among the first seven teams in the top 25 after the games of week 4, but both Mississippi State (after beating LSU) and East Carolina (for winning against North Carolina) make their way into the rankings for the first time this season, while Missouri (for losing against Indiana) and Clemson (for losing to Florida State’s backup quarterback) dropped from the rankings.
1. Florida State Seminoles (3-0, 34 First Place Votes): No Jameis Winston made thing difficult, but the Seminoles came through with a 23-17 in overtime to keep them in the top spot.
2. Oregon Ducks (4-0, 12): Not the easiest of wins for the Ducks, but a huge day from Marcus Mariota helped them pull through and beat Washington State 38-31, remaining at second place.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0, 6): Another team that had a more difficult time than expected by came through with a 42-21 win over Florida, remaining at #3.
4. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0, 4): A rough visit for the Sooners to Morgantown, but still managed to pull away from West Virginia in the second half and win 45-33.
5. Auburn Tigers (4-0): Didn’t move from their previous spot after a tough 20-14 road win against Kansas State.
6. Texas A&M Aggies (4-0, 4): Didn’t break a sweat in a 58-6 win over SMU, starting at 4-0 for the first time since 2006.
7. Baylor Bears (3-0): Didn’t play, didn’t move.
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-0): Didn’t play and still moved up one spot.
9. Michigan State Spartans (2-1): A 73-14 win over Eastern Michigan helped the Big Ten champions make a two-spot leap.
10. Ole Miss Rebels (3-0): Didn’t play, didn’t move.
11. UCLA Bruins (3-0): Didn’t play, moved up one spot.
12. Georgia Bulldogs (2-1): A 66-0 win over Troy was a nice way to bounce back from a loss, helping them move up one spot.
13. South Carolina Gamecocks (3-1): A 48-34 win over Vanderbilt, scoring the final 48 points, helped South Carolina move up one spot.
14. Mississippi State (4-0): The big winners of this week, bursting into the rankings (a 13 spot rise) after beating LSU for the first time since 1999 (34-29).
15. Arizona State Sun Devils (3-0): Didn’t play, didn’t move.
16. Stanford Cardinal (2-1): Didn’t play, didn’t move.
17. LSU Tigers (3-1): Lost to Ole Miss 34-29 at home, which meant a nine-spot fall in the rankings.
18. USC Trojans (2-1): Didn’t play, fell one spot.
19. Wisconsin Badgers (2-1): Beat Bowling Green 68-17 while setting a new rushing record in the Big Ten (644 rushing yards) but didn’t move a spot.
20. BYU Cougars (4-0): Moved up one spot after a 41-33 win over Virginia.
21. Nebraska (4-0): A 41-31 win over Miami during a great non-conference week for the Big Ten lifted them up three spots.
22. Ohio State Buckeyes (2-1): Didn’t play, moved up one spot.
23. East Carolina Pirates (3-1): A huge 70-41 win for the Pirates over North Carolina meant they are in the rankings for the first time this season, climbing eight spots. They haven’t been ranked since 2008.
24. Oklahoma State Cowboys (2-1): Moved up one spot, didn’t play.
25. Kansas State Wildcats (2-1): Fell five spots after losing for the first time this season, 20-14 at home to Auburn.
Dropped from rankings: Missouri, Clemson.