One month into the 2026 college football season, the preseason noise is starting to fade and the real picture is coming into focus. The Week 5 AP Top 25 still has a few teams sitting in spots that don’t quite match what they’ve done on the field, and four weeks in is enough time to start sorting out who’s earned the hype and who’s riding it.
A quick look around the country shows how uneven the early resume test has been. After four weeks, only five teams have multiple wins over Power Four opponents: Auburn, Florida, Mississippi State, Oklahoma State and Texas. Plenty of unbeaten teams still have work to do against better competition, and that picture will sharpen in Week 5 and beyond.
Florida is one of the clearest early risers. The Gators entered the season unranked and now sit at No. 8, and the buzz around Gainesville has only grown louder.
Under Jon Sumrall, the offense is scoring at a school record-setting pace, and offensive coordinator Buster Faulkner looks like an early frontrunner for the Broyles Award as the nation’s top assistant. Sumrall has also changed the feel of the program quickly, giving Florida a kind of leadership it has lacked even when the roster talent was there.
The national breakout moment came with Saturday’s convincing win over Ole Miss, but the groundwork had already been laid. People around the SEC were talking up Florida’s potential before the opener, especially with the players still on the roster after Billy Napier’s exit.
The Gators started proving it with nearly 500 yards of total offense at Auburn, then locked in even more belief in Week 4. Jadan Baugh has now strung together four straight 100-yard games, and Duke Clark gives Florida another talented back behind him.
Miami has also forced its way into the conversation, though the Hurricanes are still being treated a little too lightly compared with what they’ve done. They got just one first-place vote over the summer, but after a first month that included complete domination of all four opponents, they’ve climbed to No.
- That road win at Wake Forest should only look better as the season goes on.
Darian Mensah has been sensational, with 14 touchdown passes and only 12 incompletions. Miami also hasn’t blinked despite losing several defensive starters, including first-round pass rush specialist Rueben Bain Jr. and Akheem Mesidor.
The defense is still elite, too: No. 1 nationally against the run, No. 2 in total defense and No. 4 in scoring defense. This is already looking like the same caliber of team as last year’s group, which won three playoff games and reached the National Championship.
Even with the AP poll movement so far, there’s still room for Miami to keep climbing.
UCLA is another team that finally got the ranking bump it deserved. The Bruins came into the year unranked and are now No. 23, with first-year coach Bob Chesney steering the momentum.
The wake-up call may have been a blowout of hapless Maryland and Mike Locksley’s deteriorating tenure, but the underlying numbers are real. No Power Four team has forced more turnovers than UCLA’s 12, and its plus-8 turnover margin ranks third nationally behind New Mexico and fellow unbeaten UMass.
Wayne Knight has been a difference-maker out of the backfield, averaging 9.1 yards per carry. UCLA has also been ruthless after halftime, outscoring opponents 111-34 in the second half so far. That’s the profile of a team that adjusts well and finishes games with force.
On the other end of the spectrum, Texas Tech still looks like a team poll voters are leaning on more than the results justify. The Red Raiders are sitting exactly where they started, at No. 12, but four wins haven’t exactly produced a convincing case. The offense has lost some of its punch on the ground, and Will Hammond has had issues making decisions through the air.
There is one reason Texas Tech hasn’t fallen further: the rest of the schedule. The Red Raiders only have one more currently ranked opponent left to play, which gives them a path to stay relevant.
But for now, there are at least a couple of other ranked Big 12 teams - and maybe three if you count Oklahoma State - that look more appealing as conference frontrunner picks. This could still end the way too many seasons have for Texas Tech: a conference title, then another playoff disappointment.
Missouri is also hanging around the rankings without doing enough to fully earn the spot. The Tigers are No. 25 after opening the season with wins over Arkansas-Pine Bluff, Kansas and Troy, and that’s apparently been enough for voters to keep them in the conversation.
But Saturday night told a different story. Missouri led ranked Mississippi State 24-17 entering the fourth quarter before giving up two touchdown drives from Kamario Taylor and losing the game.
The larger pattern is hard to ignore. Eli Drinkwitz has lost nine straight games against top-25 teams dating back to the 2024 season, and he is 0-16 at Missouri against SEC teams that finished the season with a winning record.
That’s a brutal trend for a program that keeps getting the benefit of the doubt. Defensively, the Tigers have already allowed 51 plays of 10 or more yards, which ranks last in the SEC and ties for 90th nationally.
In Other News...
Florida May Have Made A Huge Impression On Elite WR Target
Easton Royals trip to Gainesville came at a good time for Florida, and the No. 1 thing the Gators could show him was the kind of offense that can sell itself. The five-star wide receiver was on campus for Floridas game against Ole Miss, a 52-28 win that gave him a front-row look at an attack that is putting up points and, just as importantly for a receiver, helping its quarterback develop.
Royal has already been committed to Texas, but he is still weighing his options with the Early Signing Period approaching, and Florida clearly left an impression. His interest in the Gators appears tied to the kind of production and quarterback growth he saw in person, with LSU also staying in the mix as the chase for one of the nations top pass catchers continues. [Read more 🡒]
Florida Heads Into Missouri With Undefeated Start Suddenly Under Pressure
Floridas undefeated start has earned it a spot among the early national talking points, but the mood around the program changes a little as it heads to No. 25 Missouri for an Oct. 3 matchup at Faurot Field. The No. 8 Gators are 4-0 after a 52-28 win over Ole Miss, a result that kept them rolling and added another layer of confidence to a schedule that now starts to sharpen.
Jon Sumralls injury updates offered a reminder that even a strong start comes with moving parts, especially this time of year when depth and availability can shape a road game as much as rankings do. Florida has already banked a few encouraging results, and the next stretch will tell a lot about whether this opening run is the beginning of something bigger or just a fast start that still has plenty to prove. [Read more 🡒]
Trinidad Chambliss Had Fans Talking After This Classy Postgame Moment
After Floridas 52-28 win over Ole Miss, one of the nights most talked-about moments came long after the final whistle. Trinidad Chambliss, who put together a strong outing of his own with 298 passing yards and three total touchdowns, stayed on the field and waited respectfully while Florida coach Jon Sumrall finished a live postgame interview before stepping in to offer a handshake and congratulations.
It was a small gesture, but the kind that tends to travel fast because it says something about a players presence beyond the box score. Ole Miss is 3-1 and heading into a bye week before turning its attention to Vanderbilt, and Chambliss has already drawn praise from coach Pete Golding for his leadership and character, which only made the postgame scene resonate even more with fans watching closely. [Read more 🡒]