Rankings · by Who's Starting Staff · Sept 22, 2026
Why WS has Texas Longhorns at No. 1: Week 4 power rankings, the movers, and the why
WS's Week 4 power rankings: the top 10, who moved and why, and the game behind every jump.
As of 2026-09-22T20:36:18.462Z, built from 1065 completed games this season. Full 138-team list and methodology: How it's calculated.
Who moved up
No. 8 Mississippi rose from No. 21 last week, after it beat LSU 32-24. No. 5 Oregon Ducks rose from No. 11 last week, after it beat Portland State 84-0. No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs rose from No. 5 last week, after it beat Arkansas 45-17 on the road.
Who moved down
No. 16 Texas A&M Aggies fell from No. 3 last week, after it lost to Kentucky 21-31. No. 19 USC Trojans fell from No. 12 last week, after it beat Rutgers 42-35 on the road. No. 22 Penn State Nittany Lions fell from No. 15 last week, after it beat Buffalo 55-13.
Why the top is where it is
WS's model has Texas Longhorns (OVR 98) at No. 1, matching the AP's own top spot this week. No. 2 Georgia Bulldogs sits 4 OVR points back.
About the order
Georgia Bulldogs, Notre Dame Fighting Irish, Alabama Crimson Tide all rate the same OVR this week; WS rank breaks a tie like this using each team's season résumé and a head-to-head pass, not alphabetical order. Oregon Ducks, Miami Hurricanes all rate the same OVR this week; WS rank breaks a tie like this using each team's season résumé and a head-to-head pass, not alphabetical order. No. 8 Mississippi, ranked above No. 9 LSU Tigers, despite a lower OVR (91 to 92): WS rank blends OVR with résumé and head-to-head results, not raw rating alone. See the methodology for how it's calculated.
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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