Projected AP Top 25 college football rankings after Week 4: No. 15-11
15. North Carolina Tar Heels
Playing at Pitt has often been a problem spot for UNC, but Drake Maye and the Tar Heels made a big statement on the road to move to 4-0 on the season. Maye accounted for three touchdowns (one passing, two rushing) but the North Carolina defense really stepped up after a shaky start, forcing two turnovers and pushing UNC to a big ACC victory.
14. LSU Tigers
Through four games, if someone tells you they have a good read on this LSU team, they are absolutely lying. Playing at home against a seemingly struggling Arkansas team in Week 4, LSU found itself fighting for its life late in the game. The Tigers ultimately kicked the game-winning field goal with five seconds left for a 34-31 win, but it’s anything but confidence-inspiring given what we’d seen from the Razorbacks to this point.
13. Washington State Cougars
It’s time to stop underrating Washington State. They moved into the Top 25 with a pretty dominant win over Wisconsin a couple of weeks ago, but Saturday night in Pullman was even bigger. In a matchup of contrasting styles against Oregon State, Wazzu built a big lead and then was able to hold on at home for the win. Now 4-0 with two ranked wins, the Cougars should be making a big jump up in the rankings.
12. Alabama Crimson Tide
After weeks of eulogizing the Alabama Crimson Tide, it seems fitting that the boisterous Lane Kiffin would be the victim of a pseudo-get-right game. Jalen Milroe took back over as the starter and wasn’t perfect. The same is true of Bama’s O-line. But the Tide’s defense dominated this game, especially in the second half, which made life easier for Milroe and the offense. It was a needed confidence booster for Alabama and a good ranked win.
11. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
In no world should it be a long drop in the college football rankings for Notre Dame. They had the win all but locked up until Ohio State put together an improbable two-minute drive that featured the game-winning touchdown with just one second remaining on the clock. The Irish still proved they can hang with a legitimate playoff contender, though, and this team is going to be tough against quite literally everyone on its schedule.