College Football Rankings: Danny Kanell shakes up Top 12 after turbulent Week 4

Following an exciting Week 4 slate, Danny Kanell has overhauled his Top 12 rankings. 12 being the magic number — these programs are the ones who have College Football Playoff potential through four weeks.

Kanell’s rankings this week look a bit different from last week. Although the No. 1 team in his rankings held strong, one team fell out of his top 12 — Iowa State. The Cyclones won last Saturday to improve to 4-0. However, they struggled against Arkansas State, winning 24-16 and were on their bye this week.

This led way for a new team to enter his rankings. Find out who made the list below:

1. Miami (-)

Miami remains atop Kanell’s lists for the second consecutive week. The Hurricanes are 4-0 and haven’t been in a tight game late since Week 1’s 27-24 win over Notre Dame.

Florida kept it close for a while during Week 4, but Miami pulled away in the second half to earn a 26-7 win over its in-state rival. The Hurricanes will enjoy their bye week during Week 5 and will return to face Florida State in a top-10 showdown on the road.

2. Oklahoma (+7)

The Sooners defeated No. 22 Auburn at home on Saturday, kicking off Oklahoma’s SEC slate on a high note. The victory improved the Sooners to 4-0 and have two wins over ranked opponents so far this season.

In response, Oklahoma has skyrocketed up Kanell’s list and saw the most movement of any team in his rankings. Like Miami, the Sooners will enjoy their bye week this coming weekend before returning to action to play Kent State while the Red River Rivalry looms.

3. Oregon (+2)

Oregon hasn’t faced a challenge so far this season. The Ducks have won all four of their games by an average of 41.5 points, including a 69-3 win over Oklahoma State during Week 2. During Week 4, the Ducks beat in-state rival Oregon State 41-7.

That changes on Saturday when they face No. 2 Penn State (who is not on Kanell’s list) on the road. The matchup is the headlining act of an exciting Week 5 slate, and is a rematch of the 2024 Big Ten Championship game.

4. Ohio State (-)

Ohio State remains at No. 4 in Kanell’s poll while the Buckeyes rested this weekend. They kicked the season off with a bang, defeating preseason No. 1 Texas 14-7 during Week 1. The past two games saw Ohio State roll past Grambling and Ohio, putting up a combined score of 107-9 against the pair.

They’ll return to action on the road against a 3-0 Washington team to begin Big Ten action. The Buckeyes still have matchups against Illinois, Penn State and Michigan down the stretch.

5. LSU (-3)

LSU QB Garrett Nussmeier is reportedly dealing with a torso injury, which may have been a contributing factor to the Tigers’ slow start on offense this year. A different story was told against SE Louisiana with him throwing for nearly 300 yards and three touchdowns.

His recovery comes at a perfect time in LSU’s schedule. Four of the Tigers’ next five opponents are currently ranked in the Top 25, so they’ll need Nussmeier to be at full strength.

6. Ole Miss (+5)

Ole Miss may have found a star under center in QB Trinidad Chambliss. He’s 2-0 as a starter and has thrown for over 300 yards in each of those wins.

On Saturday against Tulane, Chambliss contributed 419 yards of total offense having added 114 yards on the ground to go with his passing numbers. In turn, they rolled past Tulane during Week 4, which is considered one of the most formidable Group of Five teams in the country.

7. Georgia (-4)

Georgia fell four spots in Kanell’s rankings this week despite not playing a game. This comes one week after defeating a ranked Tennessee team on the road in overtime.

The Bulldogs have an opportunity to move up his list this weekend when Georgia hosts Alabama on Saturday night. In fact, three of their next four games (Alabama, Auburn, Ole Miss) are against teams ranked in the top 25.

8. Florida State (-1)

Florida State defeated Kent State 66-10 on Saturday. For their effort, Kanell has moved them down one spot. Still, the Seminoles are having a year almost no one had expected.

After defeating Alabama decisively during Week 1, FSU has kept pace against its non-conference opponents. They’ve defeated E Texas A&M and Kent State 143-13 in the two games since. Florida State kicks off ACC play on the road at Virginia this weekend.

9. Vanderbilt (-1)

Vanderbilt, like FSU, moved down a spot in Kanell’s rankings despite a 49-point victory over Georgia State. Last year, Georgia State inched past the Commodores and this season, they wouldn’t have any of it.

The Commodores have one more non-conference game this season, which will be against Utah State on Saturday. After that, they resume SEC play with a bang with the highly-anticipated matchup between Vanderbilt and Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

10. Texas A&M (-)

Texas A&M was one of the few teams that didn’t find themselves moved around after Saturday’s slate of games. On their bye this week, the Aggies’ road win over Notre Dame has helped keep them steady on the back end of Kanell’s list.

Looking ahead, the Aggies have the Auburn Tigers at home fresh off a loss to Oklahoma on the road. It’ll be another opportunity to prove why they deserve to be higher on Kanell’s list.

11. Texas Tech (NR)

A lot has been made of the money Texas Tech spent this offseason. Now 4-0 to begin the season, it’s seemingly paying off for the Red Raiders early on this season.

After blowing out their competition for the first three weeks of the season, Texas Tech was awarded with a spot in last week’s AP Top 25 poll ahead of their ranked matchup against Utah. The Red Raiders dispatched of the Utes 34-10 on the road to help prove their worth in the Big 12. The conference may run through Lubbock this year.

12. Georgia Tech (-6)

Georgia Tech was the talk of college football during Week 3 after defeating Clemson 24-21 on a last-second field goal. They followed that up with a 45-24 win over Temple during Week 4.

Still, enough happened around them that Kanell slotted the Yellow Jackets down six spots from last week. They will resume conference play against Wake Forest during Week 5.