{"id":863711,"date":"2026-09-28T16:36:41","date_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:36:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/863711\/"},"modified":"2026-09-28T16:36:41","modified_gmt":"2026-09-28T16:36:41","slug":"college-football-power-rankings-mississippi-state-iowa-among-risers-amid-massive-shakeup","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/863711\/","title":{"rendered":"College Football Power Rankings: Mississippi State, Iowa among risers amid massive shakeup"},"content":{"rendered":"

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<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"<\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Sep 28, 2026<\/p>\n

at<\/p>\n

12:03 pm ET<\/p>\n

\u2022<\/p>\n

1 min read<\/p>\n

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.<\/p>\n

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. \u00a0<\/p>\n

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<\/a>, Penn State<\/a> and USC<\/a> \u2013 the first time three ranked Big Ten teams lost at home in the same week.<\/p>\n

No finish was as exciting as the hush the Hawkeyes put over the Big House. Iowa<\/a>‘s Hank Brown<\/a> hit Reece Vander Zee<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere, Florida<\/a> demolished Ole Miss<\/a> after the Rebels’ emotional win against LSU<\/a> and Lane Kiffin a week ago. Mississippi State<\/a> rose quickly in the CBS Sports Power Rankings with a ranked-on-ranked win against Missouri<\/a>, its third win against a Power Four opponent, strengthening a resume that includes two road wins.<\/p>\n

Texas<\/a> also solidified its No. 1 ranking with a 20-17 win in a 10-sack performance at Tennessee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

We enter October with six new teams in the CBS Sports Power Rankings.<\/p>\n

\n Biggest Movers\n <\/p>\n

Rk<\/p>\n

Teams<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

Chg<\/p>\n

Rcrd<\/p>\n

1
\n \"team
\n Texas
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

2
\n \"team
\n Georgia
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

3
\n \"team
\n Ohio State
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

3-1<\/p>\n

4
\n \"team
\n Miami (Fla.)
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

5
\n \"team
\n Notre Dame
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

6
\n \"team
\n Alabama
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

7
\n \"team
\n Florida
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

9<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

8
\n \"team
\n Indiana
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

9
\n \"team
\n LSU
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

—<\/p>\n

3-1<\/p>\n

10
\n \"team
\n Tennessee
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

3-1<\/p>\n

11
\n \"team
\n Miss. State
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

12<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

12
\n \"team
\n UCLA
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

NR<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

13
\n \"team
\n Oregon
\n <\/a>
\n 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?<\/p>\n

4<\/p>\n

3-1<\/p>\n

14
\n \"team
\n Utah
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

8<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

15
\n \"team
\n Ole Miss
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

10<\/p>\n

3-1<\/p>\n

16
\n \"team
\n Iowa
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

2<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

17
\n \"team
\n Texas Tech
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

5<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

18
\n \"team
\n BYU
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

1<\/p>\n

3-0<\/p>\n

19
\n \"team
\n Nebraska
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

NR<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

20
\n \"team
\n Virginia Tech
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

NR<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

21
\n \"team
\n Pittsburgh
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

NR<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

22
\n \"team
\n Duke
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

NR<\/p>\n

4-0<\/p>\n

23
\n \"team
\n USC
\n <\/a>
\n 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.<\/p>\n

13<\/p>\n

4-1<\/p>\n

24
\n \"team
\n Missouri
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

10<\/p>\n

3-1<\/p>\n

25
\n \"team
\n Oklahoma State
\n <\/a>
\n 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. <\/p>\n

NR<\/p>\n

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