Texas is still sitting on top of the college football world, and the latest AP Top 25 makes that clear after another wild Saturday reshuffled the pack behind the Longhorns.
The No. 1 Longhorns backed up last week’s upset of top-ranked Ohio State with a comfortable 30-6 win over UTSA, keeping their grip on the top spot as the 2026 season rolls into Week 4. But the real movement came just below them, where a pair of top-10 teams got knocked off and the rankings took on a different look.
Ole Miss delivered the headline-grabber of the weekend, beating LSU in Lane Kiffin’s return to Oxford. That result sends the Rebels soaring four places and into the top five at No.
- LSU, meanwhile, slides three spots to No. 10 after the loss.
The other shocker came in a much uglier way for Texas A&M, which fell 31-21 to unranked Kentucky. That defeat cost the Aggies a place in the poll, dropping them to No. 23.
Here’s how the AP Top 25 looks heading into Week 4 of the 2026 season:
- Texas
- Georgia
- Notre Dame
- Ole Miss
- Indiana
- Miami
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- BYU
- LSU
- Texas Tech
- USC
- Penn State
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Louisville
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Oregon
- Florida
- SMU
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi State
- Houston
Also receiving votes: Washington 107, Kentucky 98, West Virginia 93, Oklahoma 91, Oklahoma State 50, Boise State 48, Virginia Tech 46, Western Michigan 27, Duke 20, Tulsa 18, Arizona 12, Pittsburgh 10, UCLA 10, James Madison 7, North Dakota State 6, Kansas State 3, Nebraska 2.
The AP poll still carries more weight than rankings such as the Coaches Poll and FWAA Poll because it factors into the path to the College Football Playoff. The Coaches Poll, which does not count toward the selection committee’s formula for the four teams that will play for the national championship, is voted on by 65 FBS head coaches.
The AP’s college football poll dates back to Oct. 19, 1936, making it the longest-running poll tied to national titles. The preseason version was added in 1950.
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