Each week, the Sports editorial team selects its Top 25 FBS college football teams.
The Post Sports will break down its ballot each week. This first week of conference play in the Power Four reminded fans why we love this game. Ole Miss came off a huge win over LSU but was no match for Florida in Gainesville, Texas handled a frisky Tennessee team in a down-to-the-wire game in Knoxville, Mississippi State stayed hot and Iowa beat Michigan in the final seconds in Ann Arbor to remain undefeated.
Read on for the Top 25 after week four, plus the top candidates to represent the Group of Six in this year's CFP, including Boise State, who is knocking on the door of the rankings after a blowout win against Western Michigan
Top 5
1. Georgia (4-0)
The Southeastern Conference runs through Athens, and the Bulldogs proved it again on Saturday afternoon. Georgia was up 28-0 on Oklahoma at halftime, with two rushing scores, a touchdown pass from quarterback Gunner Stockton and a scoop-and-score. The road does not get easier, no matter who you are in the SEC, but Kirby Smart's group looks like the title favorite right now after making a statement against the Sooners.
2. Texas (4-0)
It has been a fun season so far in Austin. Texas looks ready to challenge Georgia for the SEC crown, and Saturday against Tennessee was a very positive sign, with the Longhorns securing a major road win. Quarterback Arch Manning threw an interception, but Texas played a clean game defensively and shut the door late in this 20-17 win in Knoxville.
3. Indiana (4-0)
Northwestern came to Bloomington and brought 60 minutes of tough-nosed football to Curt Cignetti’s team. Indiana needed someone to step up, and running back Lee Beebe Jr. did just that, running for 203 yards and a touchdown to help the Hoosiers hold off the Wildcats in the 29-23 win.
4. Miami (FL) (4-0)
Outside of the SEC, the most dominant team in college football has been the Hurricanes, and they showed up again in their 52-3 win against Central Michigan. Quarterback Darian Mensah threw three touchdowns, adding to great week as he continues building his Heisman campaign.
5. Notre Dame (4-0)
The Fighting Irish have had a light schedule in 2026 to this point, but quarterback CJ Carr has looked great. He had four total touchdowns against Purdue on Saturday as Notre Dame tries to build its resume and get back to the playoff this year.
Added: 19 Iowa, 20 Oklahoma State, 22 SMU, 23 Nebraska and 24 Kentucky
The Hawkeyes got some revenge for the college football world against Michigan on Saturday afternoon. With two seconds left to play, quarterback Hank Brown stepped back and fired to the left sideline for receiver Reece Vander Zee, who came down with it. This had a very similar feeling to the finish between the Wolverines and Western Michigan in week one, and many fans rejoiced around the country with the upset by undefeated Iowa.
Oklahoma State, SMU and Kentucky all have taken an early-season loss, but with a lot of losing around the country in week four, they jumped into the polls. The Mustangs are the strangest case because on paper, they look like an ACC contender, but may need to find another gear to challenge Miami. The Cowboys lost in week one to Tulsa and have bounced back with three straight wins, including one over Oregon.
The Wildcats have the best win of the group, beating Texas A&M in week three and staying hot in week four with a 45-21 win over South Alabama to vault them up.
Nebraska looks poised to compete again this year, but can it put together a full season? Through four weeks, the Cornhuskers have looked strong, but their schedule will ramp up against Big 10 foes, and they look to put down another one in week five, Maryland.
The Rest of the Top 25
6. Ohio State (3-1)
7. Alabama (4-0)
8. Florida (4-0)
9. BYU (3-0)
10. Texas Tech (4-0)
11. Ole Miss (3-1)
12. Oregon (3-1)
13. Utah (4-0)
14. LSU (3-1)
15. Mississippi State (4-0)
16. UCLA (4-0)
17. Pittsburgh (4-0)
18. USC (4-1)
19. Iowa (4-0)
20. Oklahoma State (3-1)
21. Virginia Tech (4-0)
22. SMU (3-1)
23. Nebraska (4-0)
24. Kentucky (3-1)
25. Missouri (3-1)
Dropped: Tennessee, Penn State, Louisville, Michigan and Oklahoma
All five of those programs took a loss in week four. The Volunteers fell to Texas in a huge clash that came down to an onside kick, but the Longhorns prevailed. Tennessee looked strong on its home field, but it still feels like Josh Heupel’s group won’t be able to get to the top of the mountain again this year.
Penn State and Louisville took bad losses at home. Wisconsin came into Happy Valley and came back from down 17-0 to stun the Nittany Lions, handing Matt Campbell his first loss as head coach at Penn State. Louisville fell to Wake Forest. Both teams battled all afternoon, but Louisville quarterback Lincoln Kienholz was not enough this time, falling 30-27
Oklahoma and Michigan had bad weeks. As mentioned, Iowa beat Michigan as the clock expired. That could have easily been the second loss for the Wolverines and finishing games needs to be on the radar for them through the rest of 2026. The Sooners, on the other hand, were dominated by Georgia for start to finish, falling 41-13, in another poor performance from quarterback John Mateer.
Best of the Group of Six: 27 Boise State, 33 South Florida, 39 James Madison, 41 New Mexico and 46 North Dakota State
I normally highlight all five teams in this group, but let’s zone in on the Broncos. Boise State dropped its week one game against Oregon but has bounced back with three straight wins. The biggest win so far came this weekend in a 32-7 blowout in Kalamazoo. Western Michigan was held scoreless by the Broncos until the final two minutes, cementing Boise State as the CFP favorite out of the Group of Six.
