Kirk Herbstreit releases latest top five rankings after Week 4 of college football

Kirk Herbstreit is one of the most influential figures in college football. In other words, fans shouldn’t ignore the ESPN College GameDay host’s opinions. On Monday, Herbstreit revealed his updated top five college football rankings.

Only three ranked teams suffered losses in Week 4. However, there was plenty to learn from the action-packed slate of games. Evidently, Herbstreit’s takeaways only confirmed his previous opinions because he didn’t alter his top five whatsoever this week.

Nonetheless, there’s still lots to discuss from the weekend. With five teams full of talent to break down, let’s dive into Herbstreit’s latest rankings.

1. LSU Tigers

LSU handled business in its 56-10 blowout win over SE Louisiana on Saturday. Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier thrived, completing 25-of-his-31 pass attempts for 273 yards and three touchdowns, without throwing an interception.

Nussmeier wasn’t shy to share the love. Three LSU receivers logged over 50 receiving yards in the win. On the other side of the ball, LSU’s defense held SE Louisiana to just 205 total yards of offense. LSU is only allowing 246.3 yards per game this season, the 17th-least in the country.

2. Penn State Nittany Lions

Penn State hasn’t faced a Power Four opponent yet this season. Alas, there’s not much to fault the Nittany Lions on, either. After all, Penn State boasts an average margin of victory of 38.3 points per game.

Most recently, Penn State handed Villanova a 52-6 shellacking in Week 3. In the win, Penn State running backs Kaytron Allen and Nick Singleton combined for 170 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

3. Ohio State Buckeyes

Ohio State didn’t budge from its No. 3 spot in Herbstreit’s rankings despite enjoying a bye this past weekend. In fairness, the Buckeyes gave fans plenty to think about in their last showing. In Week 3, OSU routed Ohio in emphatic 37-9 fashion.

In the win, star wide receiver Jeremiah Smith reeled in nine catches for a team-high 153 yards and a touchdown. Carnell Tate didn’t trail far behind, racking up five catches for 101 yards and a score.

4. Miami Hurricanes

Miami only continues to solidify its claim as the favorite to win the ACC this season. On Saturday, the Hurricanes cruised to a comfortable 26-7 win over Florida. In the triumph, Miami’s defense shined, holding the Gators to 141 total yards of offense.

Miami quarterback Carson Beck had a relatively quiet day, but running back Mark Fletcher Jr.picked up his slack. Fletcher tallied 116 yards and a touchdown in the victory. CharMar Brown didn’t trail far behind, notching 80 rushing yards and two scores.

5. Georgia Bulldogs

Georgia also rested up this week. However, the Bulldogs’ bye was well-earned. In Week 3, Georgia narrowly escaped with a 44-41 win over Tennessee in overtime after the Volunteers’ kicker missed a game-winning field-goal attempt at the end of regulation.

It was a statement performance from UGA quarterback Gunner Stockton, who completed 23-of-his-31 pass attempts for 304 yards and two TDs, without throwing an interception. Additionally, Stockton notched 38 yards and a score in the ground game.