UNLV is 4-0 despite QB Matt Sluka leaving after 3 games due to an NIL dispute.
The new College Football season is a third of the way done and 19 teams remain undefeated through at least four games. There are plenty of surprises among those teams including Indiana, Duke, James Madison, and UNLV. In fact, the Rebels have more wins against Power 5 teams (2) than Ohio State (1). In a truly bizarre twist, Eastern Michigan currently holds the best record in the MAC (4-1) and for the first time in Pool Poll history, finds itself on the waiting list for the Top 25
Things are looking rough in Tallahassee.
There have also been plenty of disappointing outcomes this season. Michigan is 4-1 despite not having a quarterback, Notre Dame lost to Northern Illinois, and Florida State is 1-4 to start the season, including a loss to Mike Norvell's former employer, Memphis. Kent State, UTEP, and Kennesaw State (in their first FBS season) are currently the three winless teams in the country.
The new conference realignment is difficult to get used to as Miami travels to Cal for an ACC showdown, while Minnesota faces new Big Ten foe USC. The realignment isn't done yet as the PAC-12 raided the Mountain West, taking Boise State, Utah State, Colorado State, Fresno State, and San Diego State starting in 2026. Heck, they are even luring Gonzaga from the WCC in college basketball.
The SEC leads the way in the first Conference Power Index
Before the rankings, it's time to take a look at the first Conference Power Index which ranks the strength of a conference taking the number of teams in the Top 50 and subtracting teams ranked 100-134. Here's where each conference ranks:
SEC (+8) Top 50: Alabama, Texas, Tennessee, Missouri, LSU, Texas A&M, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Georgia, and South Carolina Bottom: Auburn and Mississippi State
ACC (+8) Top 50: Miami, Duke, Pitt, Boston College, SMU, Clemson, Louisville, Syracuse, Virginia, and Cal Bottom: Wake Forest and Florida State
Big Ten (+6) Top 50: Penn State, Oregon, Ohio State, Indiana, Rutgers, Michigan, Illinois, Nebraska, and USC
Big 12 (+5) Top 50: BYU, Iowa State, Texas Tech, Kansas State, Colorado, Utah, Arizona State, Arizona, and UCF Bottom: Baylor, Houston, and Kansas
AAC (-1) Top 50: Navy, Army, North Texas, and Memphis Bottom: Charlotte, UTSA, UAB, Temple, and Rice
Sun Belt (-1) Top 50: James Madison Bottom: Southern Miss and Troy
MWC/PAC-12 (-2) Top 50: UNLV, Washington State, and Bosie State Bottom: San Diego State, Utah State, Air Force, Wyoming, New Mexico and New Mexico
CUSA (-4) Top 50: Liberty and Sam Houston St Bottom: Jacksonville St, Louisiana Tech, Middle Tennessee State, New Mexico State, Kennesaw State, and UTEP
MAC (-5) Top 50: Eastern Michigan Bottom: Miami, Western Michigan, Ball State, Bowling Green, Akron, and Kent State
Here's a look at the first Top 25 Poll since the Preseason Poll (Reminder AWP is the average rank of their opponents they've defeated and ALP is the rank of teams they've lost to):
The Crimson Tide haven't skipped a beat in the Kalen DeBoer era.
Preseason Rank: 6
What's Going On: The SEC always schedules a weak game in November, but the Crimson Tide made up for it with four games against teams that are projected to participate in bowls this season. It started with wins over Western Kentucky and South Florida before a visit to Madison and a win over Wisconsin. They now have a Top 5 win over Georgia to snap the Bulldogs' lengthy regular season SEC win streak.
Up Next: Vanderbilt (2-2, 82)
2. Penn State (4-0, 59.3, 0)
PR: 11
WGO: The Nittany Lions opened the year with a thumping of West Virginia, but were then put on upset alert by Bowling Green before sneaking past the Falcons. They followed that with a blowout of Kent State and then rallied late to knock off a surprise Top 25 opponent in Illinois.
Up Next: UCLA (1-3, 105)
3. Texas (5-0, 66.2, 0)
PR: 4
WGO: The Longhorns have been steamrolling their opponents so far, including a win at Michigan to snap the Wolverines' lengthy regular season winning streak. Quinn Ewers's injury hasn't slowed the Longhorns any as Arch Manning has filled in brilliantly to get the herd rolling, they now get a breather before the first-ever SEC edition of the Red River Showdown.
Up Next: Oklahoma (10/12)
4. BYU (5-0, 77.8, 0)
PR: 84
WGO: Wins over SMU, Kansas State, and Baylor have got the Cougars just one win away from being bowl-eligible already. The five wins already match the total wins from last season.
Up Next: Arizona (10/12)
The Volunteers are rolling again in 2024.
5. Tennessee (4-0, 78.3)
PR: 18
WGO: A blowout win over NCST and a tough win over Oklahoma have the Volunteers back in the conversation for a playoff run. They are coming off a bye week to rough up the Razorbacks.
Up Next: Arkansas (3-2, 72)
6. Oregon (4-0, 78.3, 0)
PR: 5
WGO: The Ducks never want to see another team from The Gem State in 2024. It started with a near loss to the Idaho Vandals (FCS) and then they were pressed by Boise State but escaped with a win. They've steamrolled over their former Pac-12 rivals in Oregon State and UCLA, and now it's time to visit one of their new conference mates in Sparty.
Up Next: Michigan State (3-2, 67)
7. Missouri (4-0, 79.8, 0)
PR: 9
WGO: Like the Ducks, the last two weeks for Mizzou have been a rollercoaster. After shutout wins against lowly opponents, they rallied to defeat Boston College and then survived a double overtime showdown with Vanderbilt. They draw a tough task this week.
Up Next: Texas A&M (4-1, 30)
8. Miami, FL (5-0, 81.4, 0)
PR: 28
WGO: The Hurricanes won their first four games by double-digits but their last game was down to the final seconds. Miami survived a Hail Mary attempt by Virginia Tech that was upheld by replay review, though some think the officials got it wrong. Nonetheless, they head out West for a confusing ACC matchup.
Up Next: Cal (3-1, 49)
9. Indiana (5-0, 84.4, 0)
PR: 86
WGO: An admittedly weak schedule that Ohio State would approve of, the Hoosiers are still undefeated overall and in Big Ten play (2-0). Indiana hasn't won five games since the COVID-shortened 2020 season when they went 6-2.
Up Next: Northwestern (2-2, 83)
Iowa State is undefeated despite scoring 21 points or less in three of their four games.
10. Iowa State (4-0, 88.5, 0)
PR: 37
WGO: No real challenges yet, but they did survive a close win over rival Iowa.
Up Next: Baylor (2-3, 100)
11. Rutgers (4-0, 89.8, 0)
PR: 71
WGO: The Scarlet Knights have held on in back-to-back weeks with 3-point wins over Virginia Tech and Washington to remain undefeated.
Up Next: Nebraska (4-1, 33)
12. Ohio State (4-0, 92.8, 0)
PR: 2
WGO: The good news is they're in first place in the MAC and the Big Ten. I can honestly say that I haven't watched them play all year because of how soft their opening schedule is it's been a foregone conclusion that they'll win by 40.
Up Next: Iowa (3-1, 53)
13. Duke (5-0, 93.2, 0)
PR: 57
WGO: Manny Diaz has his team in the fighting spirit as they were three possessions away from being 2-3 on the season. The best win came last week when they rallied late to knock off rival UNC 21-20.
Up Next: Georgia Tech (3-2, 59)
14. UNLV (4-0, 95.8, 0)
PR: 52
WGO: A dispute of $100,000 in NIL money may have lost them their starting QB, but that didn't stop them from obliterating Fresno State last week. They've also nabbed wins over Kansas and Houston and look to make it 3 Power 5 schools this week.
Up Next: Syracuse (3-1, 45)
The Dukes dropped 70 at Chapel Hill.
15. James Madison (4-0, 97.5, 0)
PR: 41
WGO: Curt Cignetti may have gone on to find success at Indiana this season, but the Dukes aren't showing signs of missing him. They embarrassed North Carolina at home by scoring an unheard-of 70 points on the Tar Heels. This is the same team that barely beat Gardner Webb (FCS) 13-6 the week before.
Up Next: Louisiana Monroe (3-1, 55)
16. Navy (4-0, 102, 0)
PR: 103
WGO: The Midshipmen are scoring a fleet of points against their opponents, outscoring them 184-94. Their biggest win came over Memphis right after they beat Florida State.
Up Next: Air Force (1-3, 118)
17. Liberty (4-0, 109, 0)
PR: 13
WGO: The Flames keep taking advantage of a week CUSA to roll out to a 4-0 start. Sadly, their last game was canceled due to the tragic flooding in Boone, NC, as Appalachian State hopes to get their community back to normal.
Up Next: FIU (10/12)
18. Pitt (4-0, 113.5, 0)
PR: 90
WGO: The Panthers earned some gritty comeback wins against rivals Cincinnati and West Virginia to pace themselves to an early 4-0 start. They just scored 73 against Youngstown State (FCS) and their opponent this week has also given up 70 points.
Up Next: North Carolina (3-2, 68)
19. Army (4-0, 121.5, 0)
PR: 87
WGO: The Black Knights haven't had a game closer than 17 points and have scored at least 37 in three of their four games.
Up Next: Tulsa (2-3, 98)
Michigan's run game is carrying the team to victory.
20. Michigan (4-1, 46, 4)
PR: 3
WGO: This team is hard to watch and their lack of QB play is beyond frustrating. Luckily, aside from their beatdown by Texas, they've been able to run the ball well and get timely stops from the defense. They do have a Top 15 win over USC but nearly choked against Minnesota.
Up Next: Washington (3-2, 66)
21. Boston College (4-1, 50.5, 52)
PR: 54
WGO: They got a win over Florida State before it was cool, nearly upset Mizzou on the road, and snuck past Michigan State and Western Kentucky to find themselves atop the ACC.
Up Next: Virginia (3-1, 46)
22. Texas Tech (4-1, 58.3, 77)
PR: 49
WGO: The Red Raiders are lucky to be this high after a near disaster in week 1 when they needed overtime to beat Abilene Christian (FCS) 52-51. They followed that up with a loss to Washington State and have squeaked out wins over UC and Arizona State.
Up Next: Arizona (3-1, 48)
23. Notre Dame (4-1, 58.8, 76)
PR: 10
WGO: What better way to come back from a big win on the road at Texas A&M than to lose in your home opener to (checks notes) Northern Illinois. That's right, the Irish were victims of MACtion and didn't look much better when they faced Miami (OH). They did blow out Purdue and got by Louisville to complete the Jeff Brohm special.
Up Next: Stanford (10/12)
24. Washington State (4-1, 65.3, 68)
PR: 77
WGO: The Cougars nearly lost two weeks ago when they needed double overtime against San Jose State, but they did lose to Boise State to drop out of the undefeated ranks. Wazzu, like Oregon, was able to claim a victory over their in-state rival about two months earlier than usual thanks to conference realignment.
Up Next: Fresno State (10/12)
The Wildcats are hanging on to the last spot in the Top 25.
25. Kansas State (4-1, 65.5, 68)
PR: 19
WGO: The Wildcats recovered nicely from a beatdown by BYU with a resume-building victory over Top 25 Oklahoma State. They have a bye, but they can see plenty of their next opponent's head coach in one of every three commercials on Saturday.
Up Next: Colorado (10/12)
Waiting List: Illinois, Colorado, LSU, Utah, Texas A&M, Sam Houston State, Oklahoma, Nebraska, North Texas, SMU, Memphis, Ole Miss, Eastern Michigan, Clemson, and Arizona State
Bottom Ten:
125. Akron (1-4, 136, 51.8)
126. Mississippi State (1-4, 136, 68.8)
127. Kansas (1-4, 136, 72.8)
128. Troy (1-4, 136, 75)
129. New Mexico State (1-4, 136, 80)
130. UMass (1-4, 136, 91.8)
131. Rice (1-4, 136, 101)
132. Kent State (0-5, 0, 59.4)
133. Kennesaw State (0-4, 0, 77.5)
134. UTEP (0-4, 0, 83)
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