Week 4 of the college football season brought us some of the wildest games and biggest upsets we’ve seen all year. It featured six ranked matchups, with unranked teams coming ready to play and apparently ending a couple of Blue Bloods’ playoff aspirations, especially in the Big Ten.

The marquee headline belonged to the Swamp, where the unheralded Florida Gators pulled off a monumental statement victory by steamrolling No. 4 Ole Miss.

Meanwhile, the trickle-down effect of this SEC shakeup created a bizarre bottleneck in the upper echelon of the rankings, most notably impacting the LSU Tigers. Despite taking care of business against Mike Elko, the Tigers could actually slide backward in the national standings.

Rankings come down to quality wins and strength of schedule. Because Ole Miss lost to Florida, the Rebels’ win over LSU last week loses some of its value, allowing a rising Florida team to jump ahead. Here is exactly how the top tier settles after one of the most volatile weekends of football we’ve seen all year.

AP Top 25 predictions after Week 4

1) Texas Longhorns (4-0)

Not many would agree on this.

Texas Longhorns (4-0) had to sweat this one out in Week 4, edging No. 14 Tennessee 20-17 on the road. It wasn’t the cleanest performance from the Longhorns, especially on offense, but they found a way to get the job done in a tough environment.

Arch Manning threw for 201 yards, while Raleek Brown added two rushing touchdowns. Tennessee made a late push to make things interesting, since it was on the road in Neyland, and Texas held on to stay unbeaten and keep its grip on the No. 1 spot.

Are the Texas Longhorns the best team in the country? Probably not. But you gotta give credit where it’s due, at least for the time being.

2) Georgia Bulldogs (4-0)

The Bulldogs looked every bit like a team deserving of its spot near the top, taking control against Oklahoma in a 41-13 win.

Kirby Smart’s team jumped out to a 28-0 halftime lead, with their defense forcing four turnovers and turning one of them into an 85-yard touchdown.

Gunner Stockton also had a solid afternoon, throwing for 171 yards and a touchdown, while Talyn Taylor hauled in four catches for 110 yards and a score. Georgia has now scored 40-plus points in all four games this season. By merit, they should be No. 1, though.

3) Notre Dame (4-0)

Notre Dame had no trouble handling Purdue, cruising to a 49-10 win on the road. The Fighting Irish were in control from the start and never really let the Boilermakers get comfortable. CJ Carr threw for 257 yards and two touchdowns, while Notre Dame’s defense made life miserable for Purdue throughout the afternoon.

After another convincing win, the Irish have done little to give anyone a reason to move them down. Perhaps they should schedule a bit harder.

4) Miami Hurricanes (4-0)

Even though they fell into a tiny 3-0 hole early, which was actually the first time they trailed all season, the Hurricanes woke up in the second quarter and completely took over the game.

Darian Mensah was on fire, throwing for 338 yards and three touchdowns while running in another score before the starters got pulled to let the backups get some run.

The defense was equally terrifying, completely suffocating Central Michigan and holding them to just 21 yards rushing on the night. Yes, it might be Central Michigan, but they still are a national contender.

5) Florida Gators (4-0)

Jon Sumrall’s Florida Gators deserved the biggest jump after a 52-28 beatdown on the former No. 4 Rebels. Taking down the best gunslinger in the country, Trinidad Chambliss, was not on many people’s bingo cards.

The Gators ran for 302 yards, with Jadan Baugh putting up 142 yards and three touchdowns, while Duke Clark added 126 yards and another score. This is the closest Gators team we’ve seen since the Kyle Trask and Kadarius Toney era.

6) Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1)

It’s Jeremiah Smith, Julian Sayin, and friends. There’s no deadlier duo than those two at the amateur level.

Ohio State finally put together the kind of offensive performance it had been waiting for, rolling past Illinois 42-19 to open Big Ten play.

Julian Sayin threw for 367 yards and five total touchdowns, while Jeremiah Smith went wild with 217 receiving yards and four touchdowns (somebody’s Power Four QB’s numbers).

After some early-season questions, the Buckeyes looked much more comfortable on Saturday and gave themselves plenty of momentum heading into Iowa City to play boogeyman Kirk Ferentz’s Iowa Hawkeyes.

Mind you, the last time the Buckeyes were there in 2017, they came back down with their heads down.

7) Indiana Hoosiers (4-0)

There’s some question about this year’s Cignetti. On record and based on instinct, this might look like the least powerful Cignetti squad since he took the job three years ago.

Indiana finally got its first real test of the season and had to work for it, holding off Northwestern 29-23 in its Big Ten opener.

It’s certain that Josh Hoover isn’t Mendoza and can’t replicate the season Mendoza had last season.

The Hoosiers dominated the ground game, rushing for 271 yards, with Lee Beebe Jr. stepping up for 203 yards and a touchdown after Turbo Richard went down. It wasn’t a typical Cignetti win. However, they found a way to close it out and extend their winning streak to 20 games.

8) Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0)

This could be the best Alabama squad since Nick Saban’s retirement. Alabama looked like a completely different team from the one that had struggled through some slow starts earlier this season. The Crimson Tide jumped all over South Carolina and cruised to a 49-18 win. Russell threw for 365 yards and four touchdowns while adding another score on the ground. Ryan Coleman-Williams looked back to his form with two touchdowns.

Alabama did have a quiet third quarter, but plenty of the work was done before the first half. Playoffs should be the floor for this squad.

9) BYU Cougars (3-0)

BYU didn’t play this weekend, but the Cougars still made a strong case to stay inside the top 10. They entered the bye week unbeaten after a 41-23 win over Colorado State. With Notre Dame next, it’ll give us clarity on whether Kalani Sitake’s squad is legit or not. There’s a good chance they could end up in the top five next week.

10) Utah Utes (4-0)

No Whittingham, no problem.

Utah might have had one of the most impressive wins of the weekend, going into Ames and beating Iowa State 31-17 in its Big 12 opener. The Utes jumped out to a 24-3 halftime lead and finished with 411 total yards, including 205 on the ground.

Wayshawn Parker was the star, rushing for 174 yards and two touchdowns on 18 carries while adding 65 receiving yards and another score. Devon Dampier also threw for 206 yards and two touchdowns. Iowa State made it interesting in the second half, but Utah’s defense came up with the plays it needed late to preserve the unbeaten start.

11) LSU Tigers (3-1)

LSU bounced back in a big way after the loss to Ole Miss, dominating No. 23 Texas A&M 35-6. Sam Leavitt threw for 312 yards and two touchdowns. The Tigers’ defense questioned Marcel Reed’s identity as QB.

Lane Kiffin’s squad looked much sharper than it did a week ago, but with Florida’s huge win over Ole Miss, the Tigers still slide a spot in these rankings despite the convincing victory, regardless.

This shift completely changes the Playoff picture, giving Florida direct control of its postseason path while leaving LSU with zero margin for error.

12) Mississippi State Bulldogs (4-0)

What a fabulous win over No. 19-ranked Missouri Tigers. Before the game, Nick Saban openly confessed that if he were still coaching, he’d be busy planning to lure Kamario Taylor into the portal. Well, Taylor proved to us why again today with this performance.

360 yards, three touchdowns, and 27 of 38 passing. This has to be the best start to their season since 2014. The Bulldogs put up 499 yards, something they haven’t done lately. Jeff Lebby needs to hold on to Kamario Taylor for dear life this offseason, regardless of how their season goes from here.

13) Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0)

Kirk Ferentz has to be the tax collector of the Big Ten, and surely collected for Western Michigan after stunning No. 18 Michigan Wolverines in a 20-19 win at Ann Arbor.

The Hawkeyes were down late, but Hank Brown led a 91-yard final drive and found Reece Vander Zee for the game-winning touchdown with two seconds left. Brown finished with 227 passing yards and two touchdowns, both to Vander Zee. Beating a ranked Michigan team on the road like that keeps Iowa firmly in the mix at 4-0.

14) Texas Tech (4-0)

Texas Tech keeps rolling, beating Sam Houston 49-14 to move to 4-0. The Red Raiders weren’t exactly perfect early, but their defense completely took over in the second quarter.

Austin Romaine returned two interceptions for touchdowns on back-to-back plays, while Cameron Dickey added two rushing scores. Texas Tech might’ve finished with 470 total yards, but there’s still some doubt lingering about Will Hammond after his three picks today.

15) Ole Miss Rebels (3-1)

Pete Golding’s honeymoon’s over. The Rebels actually had their moments, with Trinidad Chambliss throwing for 298 yards and two touchdowns while adding two more scores on the ground. But Florida’s rushing attack was just too much, and Ole Miss couldn’t slow the Gators down in the second half.

The Rebels conceded 35 points in the second half. This could be the best offense Ole Miss will have for a while, but unfortunately, the defense is still hurting the case.

16) Oregon Ducks (3-1)

No. 20 Oregon might have schooled USC once again, but their 41-27 win was ruined by a scary injury to star quarterback Dante Moore, who had to be carted off the field. Backup Dylan Raiola stepped in perfectly, throwing for 289 yards and two touchdowns to save the day.

Even though the defense gave up over 300 passing yards, they made huge stops on fourth down late in the game to secure the win. The ultimate concern right now is Moore’s health status.

17) Tennessee Volunteers (3-1)

The Vols were a couple of first downs away from pulling off the upset over the No. 1-ranked Texas Longhorns.

After scoring a fourth-quarter touchdown and recovering the onside kick, the Vols’ offense couldn’t close in. Freshman QB Faizon Brandon got sacked 10 times in this game. Despite priding themselves on having the best RB in the SEC, the Vols only rushed for 70 yards.

The Vols desperately need to fix their pass protection before hosting Auburn next weekend.

18) USC Trojans (3-1)

The Trojans just extended their losing streak to five losses. However, they were going neck and neck until they fumbled the game.

While quarterback Jayden Maiava put up big numbers with 326 passing yards and two touchdowns, the team struggled heavily where it mattered most, going a dismal 2-for-11 on third downs and failing to convert critical fourth downs late in the game. Head coach Lincoln Riley’s defense remains the core issue. There’s no way SoCal’s getting a natty out of Lincoln Riley.

19) Houston Cougars (3-1)

After losing a game by an inch against Texas Tech last week, the Cougars didn’t wait long to take care of business.

Conner Weigman showed us a glimpse of his five-star attributes in the 42-28 win over Georgia Southern. The 6’3″ QB accounted for six touchdowns, including four in the air.

The Cougars’ offense scored touchdowns on each of their first six possessions to avoid a real letdown against a pesky Sun Belt opponent. However, letting a G5 program put 289 yards through the air is really concerning.

20) SMU Mustangs (3-1)

It wasn’t completely smooth sailing for Rhett Lashlee’s squad the entire game. The Mustangs dug themselves into an early 10-0 hole against Missouri State after an interception was returned 60 yards for a touchdown by the Bears. However, quarterback Kevin Jennings put on a masterclass as SMU ended up with a 34-24 win.

Jennings threw for 464 passing yards and three touchdowns, breaking several SMU school records. He found elite chemistry with Yamir Knight, who racked up about 164 yards and a score on 11 catches.

21) Oklahoma State (3-1)

The Oklahoma State Cowboys rolled into Morgantown and walked out with a loud 41-24 comeback win over West Virginia, finally snapping a brutal 19-game conference winless drought. The Cowboys fell behind 14-3 early, but quarterback Drew Mestemaker caught absolute fire. He carved up the Mountaineers for 389 passing yards and three touchdowns, while running back Caleb Hawkins turned into a human wrecking ball with 180 yards on the ground.

Once the offense got rolling, they piled up a massive 609 total yards and completely outclassed West Virginia in a 28-10 second-half avalanche.

22) Missouri Tigers (3-1)

Mizzou dug themselves an immediate 14-0 hole in the first quarter as the defense got completely gashed by big plays. They showed a ton of grit by fighting back, eventually tying the game at 24-24 in the fourth quarter behind backup quarterback Austin Simmons, who threw for 295 yards and three touchdowns in relief.

However, Mississippi State quarterback Kamario Taylor answered right back, hitting Sanfrisco Magee for a game-winning 24-yard touchdown pass with just under four minutes left on the clock.

23) Kentucky Wildcats (3-1)

Coming off an emotional upset over Texas A&M last week, the Wildcats looked a little sleepy early on against South Alabama and found themselves locked in a tight 24-21 battle at halftime. However, their ground game absolutely exploded in the second half. Kentucky ran for a staggering 390 total yards, powered by a rare trio of 100-yard rushers: C.J. Baxter (149 yards), Jason Patterson (137 yards, 3 TDs), and Jovantae Barnes (100 yards). They ended the game with a 45-21 scoreline.

24) Wisconsin Badgers (3-1)

After years of atrocities and -500 seasons, the Badgers deserve their flowers for beating a ranked team. Luke Fickell rose back from a dead-in-the-water 17-0 deficit to stun No. 13-ranked Matt Campbell’s Penn State 20-14 on their own turf.

Down ten in the fourth, Joseph turned into a magician, tossing two touchdowns in the final four minutes, including a spectacular 72-yard game-winning launch to Jacob Harris that completely silenced Happy Valley.

25) Boise State (3-1)

Boise State continues to make its mark in the biggest Group of Six matchups this season. After another strong performance, the Broncos once again walked away with a double-digit win, beating Western Michigan 32-7.

This time, it was Western Michigan that fell victim. The reigning MAC champions couldn’t keep up with Spencer Danielson’s team.