Texas had the week off, while fellow unbeatens Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Indiana all rolled. But it was a big week for some of the other blue bloods of college football. Some, like Ohio State and Alabama, asserted themselves in dominant wins over conference foes. Others, like Florida, had their hot starts to the season ended abruptly. With the meat of the conference season ahead, there will be no more hiding.
Stats courtesy of ESPN Research.
All times ET.
Previous ranking: 1
2026 record: 4-0
Last week’s result: Did not play
What’s next: Oct. 10 vs. Oklahoma, 3:30 p.m.
Previous ranking: 2
2026 record: 5-0
Last week’s result: Defeated Vanderbilt 38-14
Stat to know: Georgia has 53 straight wins against AP unranked teams, the longest active streak in FBS.
What’s next: Saturday at Alabama, 7:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 3
2026 record: 5-0
Last week’s result: Defeated North Carolina 37-26
Stat to know: Notre Dame has won 15 consecutive games, all by double digits.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Stanford, 3:30 p.m., NBC
Previous ranking: 4
2026 record: 5-0
Last week’s result: Defeated Clemson 41-13
Stat to know: Miami is 5-0 for the third straight sesason.
What’s next: Oct. 17 vs. Florida State
Previous ranking: 5
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Defeated Iowa 31-14
Stat to know: Ohio State scored more touchdowns against Iowa (4) than all other Iowa opponents this season combined (3).
What’s next: Saturday vs. Maryland, 4:15 p.m., Big Ten Network
Previous ranking: 7
2026 record: 5-0
Last week’s result: Defeated Mississippi State 56-23
Stat to know: Alabama is 5-0 for the first time since 2022.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Georgia, 7:30 p.m., ABC
Previous ranking: 6
2026 record: 5-0
Last week’s result: Defeated Rutgers 47-15
Stat to know: Indiana has won 21 straight games, the longest active streak in FBS.
What’s next: Saturday at Nebraska, noon, Fox
Previous ranking: 10
2026 record: 4-0
Last week’s result: Defeated TCU 17-10
Stat to know: BYU has won consecutive games against TCU for the first time since 2006-07.
What’s next: Friday vs. Iowa State, 10:15 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 9
2026 record: 3-1
Last week’s result: Did not play
What’s next: Saturday at Vanderbilt, 3:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 11
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Defeated McNeese 63-14
Stat to know: LSU has won 41 consecutive games against in-state opponents.
What’s next: Saturday at Kentucky, 7 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 12
2026 record: 5-0
Last week’s result: Defeated Colorado 29-7
Stat to know: Texas Tech has started 5-0 in consecutive seasons for the first time in program history.
What’s next: Oct. 17 vs. Arizona State
Previous ranking: 13
2026 record: 4-0
Last week’s result: Did not play
What’s next: Saturday vs. Kansas, 10:15 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 15
2026 record: 3-1
Last week’s result: Did not play
What’s next: Saturday vs. UCLA, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Previous ranking: 25
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Defeated Florida 45-17
Stat to know: Missouri’s 28-point win over Florida was its largest against an AP Top 10 team in program history.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Texas A&M, noon, ABC
Previous ranking: 17
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Defeated Auburn 24-14
Stat to know: Tennessee is 28-1 at home against unranked teams under Josh Heupel.
What’s next: Saturday at Arkansas, 4:15 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 8
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Lost to Missouri 45-17
Stat to know: Florida scored just 17 points against Missouri after averaging 53.5 points per game entering the matchup.
What’s next: Saturday vs. South Carolina, 12:45 p.m., SEC Network
Previous ranking: 16
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Lost to Alabama, 56-23
Stat to know: Mississippi State is 11-45-1 all-time in AP-ranked matchups, the worst record among schools with at least 10 ranked matchups.
What’s next: Oct. 17 at LSU
Previous ranking: 19
2026 record: 3-1
Last week’s result: Did not play
What’s next: Saturday vs. UCF, noon, ESPN2
Previous ranking: 18
2026 record: 5-1
Last week’s result: Defeated Washington 25-21
Stat to know: USC trailed by 11 in the second half before coming back to win.
What’s next: Saturday at Penn State, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Previous ranking: 14
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Lost to Ohio State 31-14
Stat to know: The loss to Ohio State was Iowa’s eighth loss by 17 or more points as a ranked team over the last 10 seasons.
What’s next: Friday at Washington, 9 p.m., Fox/FS1
Previous ranking: 23
2026 record: 4-0
Last week’s result: Did not play
What’s next: Saturday at Oregon, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Previous ranking: 20
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Defeated UCF 27-17
Stat to know: Houston came back to defeat UCF after trailing 17-0 in the third quarter.
What’s next: Saturday at Kansas State, 3:30 p.m., Fox
Previous ranking: 22
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Defeated Utah State 37-18
Stat to know: Boise State has won 22 of its last 23 games against Utah State dating back to 1988.
What’s next: Saturday at Fresno State, 10:30 p.m., CW
Previous ranking: 21
2026 record: 4-1
Last week’s result: Defeated Boston College 25-16
Stat to know: SMU is 16-3 in conference play since joining the ACC. That’s the best win percentage in the ACC over that span.
What’s next: Oct. 17 vs. Virginia
Previous ranking: NR
2026 record: 5-0
Last week’s result: Defeated Virginia Tech 35-33
Stat to know: The win against Virginia Tech was Pitt’s first conference win on the road when facing a 14-point deficit since 2002.
What’s next: Saturday vs. North Carolina, noon, ESPN
