Two primetime battles on Saturday night shook up the college football power rankings as we head into October.
1. Ohio State Buckeyes (4-0) | Last week: 1
Ohio State getting a tricky matchup in Washington was mentioned a couple of times over the past two updates, but they took care of business with a 24-6 victory. The Buckeyes are in a great spot in the Big 10 with Penn State and Michigan the tough matchups to come in November.
2. Oregon Ducks (5-0) | Last week: 4 (+2)
Dante Moore performing in a big spot was really the last question to answer about the Ducks, and he more than answered the call in their 30-24 road win over Penn State in double overtime. After a bye this week, Oregon will get another difficult test as unbeaten Indiana visits.
3. Miami Hurricanes (4-0) | Last week: 5 (+2)
Florida State falls out of the power rankings following a loss last Friday night, but that will only make them more desperate this weekend for a huge clash versus the visiting Canes. While senior quarterback Carson Beck has been sharp, he needs to take care of the ball on Saturday night.
4. Texas Longhorns (3-1) | Last week: 6 (+2)
The Red River Rivalry is a couple of weeks away, and Texas already having a loss should prevent them from overlooking Florida this week. Arch Manning had five total touchdowns last time out and will look to stay hot in October.
5. Texas A&M Aggies (4-0) | Last week: 8 (+3)
Texas A&M didn’t have the offensive fireworks they did in the win over Notre Dame a few weekends ago, but they still escaped with a win against a good Auburn team. The Aggies will be in action every Saturday this month starting with another challenge this weekend versus Mississippi State.
6. Ole Miss (5-0) | Last week: NR
Ole Miss held on to knock off LSU last week, 24-19, and the quarterback situation will be very interesting with Trinidad Chambliss making a case to keep the starting job. After a bye and a game versus Washington State, the Rebels get the two heavy hitters left on the schedule with matchups against Georgia and Oklahoma for the final two weekends in October.
7. Indiana Hoosiers (5-0) | Last week: 10 (+3)
After blowing out Illinois two weeks ago, the Hoosiers showed they can win a slugfest by outlasting Iowa, 20-15, as the offense had more trouble moving the ball. As stated, a looming battle between Indiana and Oregon awaits on October 11.
8. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-1) | Last week: 2 (-6)
Penn State showed resiliency by overcoming a 17-3 deficit to push Oregon to overtime on Saturday night—but James Franklin’s squad again came out on the losing end of a matchup between two top teams. The next opportunity to prove they can truly compete for a championship will come at Ohio State on November 1.
9. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-1) | Last week: NR
Alabama has come a long way since the 31-17 loss to Florida State in the opener—and Kaleb DeBoer almost seems to have put more of a personal stamp on the Tide recently. The next six games are absolutely brutal, though, as South Carolina (who had high preseason expectations) is the lone opponent that is unranked.
10. Georgia Bulldogs (3-1) | Last week: 3 (-7)
The Bulldogs had their 33-game home winning streak snapped against Alabama on Saturday night, but we could see a lot more of Chauncey Bowens (12 carries for 119 yards and a touchdown) moving forward. Talk of Kirby Smart being unable to beat the Tide (1-7 record) is arguably overblown considering he beat them in the 2022 CFP National Championship.