With four weeks of regular-season action in the books across college football, and conference play now underway for most teams, it's time to say goodbye to factoring in preseason expectations when ranking teams. At this point in the year, experts across the sport, including those who vote in the CBS Sports 138, finally detach from what a team might be this season and rank them by what they do on the field.
There are teams, for example, that were in the College Football Playoff as recently as last year that started the season with expectations of remaining in contention for the 12-team bracket in 2026. But after a couple of early-season setbacks, they are looking much less exceptional than they did on paper coming into the season. A college football expert can still appreciate some of the talent you get on the roster at Texas A&M or Oklahoma, but after falling short in performance on the field, there is no longer a justification for relying on that talent to support a ranking. The Aggies and Sooners now find themselves not just far from the top-10 range where they started the year in the CBS Sports 138, but now even outside the top 35.
Of course, the same could be pointed out for the top of the rankings, where preseason expectations for Florida having a solid, top-20 caliber squad are now being reevaluated in the wake of a 52-28 win against Ole Miss. The Gators have moved 14 spots in the last two weeks with their 2-0 start to SEC play, now back in the top 10 and closing the gap with conference rivals at the very top of the rankings.
Texas and Georgia remain in the No. 1 and No. 2 positions, with the interesting wrinkle being a new debate for the top spot. The Longhorns carry an average ballot ranking of 1.4, compared down 1.9 for the Bulldogs. There is no consensus across our collection of experts, but there is clearly a tier, and right now those two teams are leading the way in the conversation for No. 1.
Further down in the rankings you will find plenty of newcomers as experts have also shed the preseason expectations for what some teams could do in 2026, elevating teams like UCLA and Oklahoma State in response to their strong starts. For much more on those situations, and other notable moves in the CBS Sports 138, check out the Mover's Report below the top 25 table.
College football experts from CBS Sports and 247Sports contribute ballots each week, which are averaged together for our rankings. You can see the top 25 below and 26-138 on our rankings page.
| Rank | Team | Record | Previous |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Texas | 4-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Georgia | 4-0 | 2 |
| 3 | Miami | 4-0 | 4 |
| 4 | Notre Dame | 4-0 | 5 |
| 5 | Ohio State | 3-1 | 7 |
| 6 | Indiana | 4-0 | 6 |
| 7 | Alabama | 4-0 | 8 |
| 8 | Florida | 4-0 | 16 |
| 9 | BYU | 3-0 | 9 |
| 10 | Ole Miss | 3-1 | 3 |
| 11 | LSU | 3-1 | 10 |
| 12 | Texas Tech | 4-0 | 12 |
| 13 | Iowa | 4-0 | 18 |
| 14 | Utah | 4-0 | 15 |
| 15 | Oregon | 3-1 | 20 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 4-0 | 21 |
| 17 | UCLA | 4-0 | 29 |
| 18 | Tennessee | 3-1 | 13 |
| 19 | USC | 4-1 | 11 |
| 20 | Oklahoma State | 3-1 | 34 |
| 21 | Houston | 3-1 | 24 |
| 22 | Duke | 4-0 | 35 |
| 23 | Wake Forest | 3-1 | 46 |
| 24 | Missouri | 3-1 | 19 |
| 25 | Pittsburgh | 4-0 | 32 |
Biggest movers
- No. 23 Wake Forest (+23): A road win against a top team sets up Wake Forest's big splash inside the top 25 of the CBS Sports 138. The Demon Deacons are 3-1 on the year, with the only loss coming to Miami, and even that 13-point loss marks the toughest game the Hurricanes have played all year. Beating Louisville has put the Deans on the map, and now they get to defend this new status with a stretch of winnable ACC games.
- No. 20 Oklahoma State (+14): The season-opening loss to Tulsa may be a bit of a weight on the Cowboys' ranking for now, but with an Oregon win on the resume and now a solid conference road victory at West Virginia, the voters have changed their tune.
- No. 22 Duke (+13): We are not projecting that a win against William & Mary was what sparked the upward ranking movement, instead acknowledging that the Blue Devils stand out as a 4-0 team with multiple power conference wins. Duke has been buzzing around the top 35 ever since its win at Illinois in Week 2, and now some space has opened up for a move as other teams have taken losses.
- No. 17 UCLA (+12): Saturday's 54-3 blowout win at Maryland got our voters' attention in a big way for its margin and also the quality of play from the Bruins in a cross-country road spot. Bob Chesney's group out-gained the Terps 475-to-180 and allowed just one third-down conversion all game.
- No. 33 Louisville (-16): Just like with Wake Forest's rise, there is a predictable drop for the Cards, who now have two close defeats on a resume that's mostly hurt by its 2-2 record. For Louisville, it's frustrating to note that the team is just a few plays away from being 4-0 and near the top of the rankings if things had gone differently against Ole Miss and Wake Forest, but coming up short on those tight margins doesn't help win debates in this stretch of the rankings.
- No. 39 Texas A&M (-16): The Aggies just haven't looked like the top 10 team that many expected coming into the year. The presence of Marcel Reed and respect for Mike Elko kept Texas A&M in a respectable position in the rankings for a couple of weeks, but back-to-back conference losses have spiked their top-30 status.
- No. 48 Oklahoma (-17): It is truly striking to see Oklahoma down here near the edge of the top 50, keeping pace with some of the lower-rated teams in the SEC. This excellent defense needs to be celebrated even as the offensive execution craters, but in order to win games and move up in the rankings, you have to score points, and that's not happening easily with this group.
- No. 32 Penn State (-18): A fitting tumble for a disappointing collapse after Penn State blew a double-digit lead at home to Wisconsin. The Nittany Lions can bounce back up inside the top 30 and even top 20 by stacking conference wins in the coming weeks, but this was a big opportunity lost to remain at the top of the pack for the Big Ten standings.
Check out the rest of the CBS Sports 138: Teams ranked 26-138
