The AP Poll was released Sunday afternoon, and, as in Week 3, the rankings saw a lot of movement after Week 4. In a week in which eight ranked teams lost, the highlight came from Florida, as the then-No. 21 Gators upset the then-No. 4 Ole Miss 52-28.
Along with Florida’s blowout win, then-No. 13 Penn State and then-No. 16 Louisville suffered crushing home losses as the Nittany Lions fell to unranked Wisconsin and the Cardinals were upset by unranked Wake Forest. After Week 4’s slate, some teams boosted their resumes and kept their College Football Playoff hopes alive, while others now have an uphill climb to make it there. With about a third of the season gone, here are the biggest takeaways from the Week 4 AP Poll.
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Week 4 AP Poll Reaction
1. The Florida Gators Are Back
After years of irrelevance and struggles in Billy Napier’s tenure, the Florida Gators told the college football world they are back and ready to contend after blowing out an Ole Miss team that is one of the best in the country.
Despite being the favorites heading into the game, questions remained about whether the Gators deserved to be favored over the Rebels, as they hadn’t proven much in their first three wins of the season, unlike Ole Miss, who had beaten two ranked opponents heading into this game. The Gators put up a performance to remember, dominating the Rebels on both sides of the ball as they moved up 13 spots in the Week 4 AP Poll to No.8.
A big reason for their dominant win was their running game, which rushed for 302 yards and scored six touchdowns. Running back Jadan Baugh showed why he is not only one of the best running backs in the country but also a Heisman Trophy contender, rushing for 142 yards on 29 carries and scoring three touchdowns. The defense also contained a dangerous Ole Miss offense, forcing two turnovers and limiting the Rebels’ run game to 128 yards despite giving up 28 points.
The Gators’ rebuild is way ahead of schedule after this win. First-year head coach Jon Sumrall has completely transformed this team; they look dangerous on both sides of the ball and have playmakers. While the defense has shown vulnerabilities, the offense’s explosiveness, which has averaged 53.5 points per game, can offset it. Even though the Gators’ schedule doesn’t get easier from here, they made a huge statement on Saturday. They should now be considered not only a legitimate College Football Playoff contender but also a potential sleeper to win the SEC and national championship.
2. Penn State’s Hopes To Make College Football Playoff Are Over
After three wins to start the season, Penn State hit its first speed bump in the Matt Campbell era when unranked Wisconsin upset it at home in its Big Ten opener.
The then-No. 13 Nittany Lions looked on track for a dominant victory over the Badgers as they held a 17-0 lead with two minutes left in the second quarter. Everything fell apart from there as Wisconsin outscored Penn State 24-3, despite three turnovers that gave the Nittany Lions 14 points. Penn State’s biggest reason for the collapse was a terrible offensive performance.
The offense struggled to build on the defense’s great performance, generating only 233 yards. Quarterback Rocco Becht struggled, throwing for 114 yards on 12 of 29 completions and throwing an interception. He underthrew many throws and threw to only one wide receiver, Chase Sowell, as the offense struggled in Koby Howard’s absence. The running game also struggled again despite a great performance last week against Buffalo, generating 119 yards on 33 rushes and averaging 3.3 yards per carry.
While Wisconsin deserves a lot of credit for its resilience in making the comeback, much of it came from Penn State’s inability to execute offensively. Things got even worse for the Nittany Lions, as USC, Michigan, and Washington, three future Penn State opponents, also suffered their first losses of the season, making it more difficult for Penn State to boost their resume for the College Football Playoff.
This was a disastrous loss for the Nittany Lions, who fell out of the Week 4 AP Top 25 after entering the game ranked No. 13. While their hopes aren’t officially dead, their schedule isn’t strong enough to help them make the Playoff after this loss. This season could unravel quickly for them if the offense doesn’t improve ahead of next week’s Northwestern game.
3. The SEC Will Have Many Teams In The College Football Playoff
After a Big Ten team has won the national championship for the last three years, the SEC has strengthened its claim to break that streak, with 10 teams ranked in the Week 4 AP Top 25 poll, including four in the top 10.
Texas strengthened its case as the No. 1 team in the country by beating then-No. 14 Tennessee on the road, despite committing many penalties. No. 2 Georgia continued its dominance, demolishing Oklahoma at home, 41-13. Alabama moved up to No. 7 after a dominant win over South Carolina and continues to strengthen its resume, while Ole Miss remains one of the best teams in the country despite falling to No. 9 in the Week 4 AP Poll.
Florida has announced itself as a contender after beating Ole Miss. Meanwhile, LSU rebounded from its loss to Ole Miss with a 35-6 win over then-No. 23 Texas A&M. Mississippi State also moved up eight spots to No. 16 after defeating then-No. 19 Missouri, making itself a sleeper in the Playoff race. Lastly, Kentucky is officially ranked, moving from unranked to No. 24 in this week’s poll.
Despite many of these teams still having to face each other this season, they have plenty of opportunities to build their resumes. With so many strong teams in the conference, we should see a lot of SEC teams make the Playoff. We could also see our first SEC national champion since the 2022 season, as Texas and Georgia look to be among the biggest national championship contenders this season.
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