Rankings · by Who's Starting Staff · Sept 14, 2026
Why WS has Texas Longhorns at No. 1: Week 3 power rankings, the movers, and the why
WS's Week 3 power rankings: the top 10, who moved and why, and the game behind every jump.
As of 2026-09-14T21:49:52.651Z, built from 755 completed games this season. Full 138-team list and methodology: How it's calculated.
Who moved up
No. 4 Alabama Crimson Tide rose from No. 11 last week, after it beat Kentucky 45-17 on the road. No. 3 Texas A&M Aggies rose from No. 8 last week, after it beat Arizona State 48-20. No. 1 Texas Longhorns rose from No. 4 last week, after it beat Ohio State 24-23.
Who moved down
No. 12 Oregon Ducks fell from No. 7 last week, after it lost to Oklahoma State 31-39 on the road. No. 5 Georgia Bulldogs fell from No. 1 last week, after it beat Western Kentucky 70-20. No. 7 Notre Dame Fighting Irish fell from No. 3 last week, after it beat Rice 52-0.
Why the top is where it is
WS's model has Texas Longhorns (OVR 96) at No. 1, matching the AP's own top spot this week. No. 2 Ohio State Buckeyes sits 1 OVR points back.
About the ties
Several teams in this list rate the same OVR this week (Ohio State and Texas A&M; Alabama, Georgia, LSU and Notre Dame; Indiana and Tennessee). WS rank breaks a tie like this using each team's season résumé and a head-to-head pass, not alphabetical order.
**Correction (October 5, 2026):** when this article was first published, the numbered positions above were assigned by raw rating with ties listed alphabetically, which is not how the live WS rankings board orders teams. The ratings (OVR) and the game results quoted here are accurate, but the exact numbered positions may differ from the board as it stood that week. The current board is always on the WS Power Rankings page.
Where this comes from
The full 25 and the 138-team table live on WS Power Rankings. Every team's own rating breakdown is one tap from its page: see why Texas Longhorns rates where it does.
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