Forde-Yard Dash: The SEC Is Back on Top of College Football’s Power Rankings

Forty names, games, teams and minutiae making news in college football, where a poorly executed intentional safety/squib kick sequence can get you beat (with the help of a 50-yard field goal).

Second Quarter: We Have a New Leader in the Conference Power Ratings

The Big Ten has had the bragging rights, with three straight national championships by three different schools. But here in mid-September, there has been a power shift. It may shift back later, but with most of nonconference play already in the books, the Southeastern Conference has regained the throne.

(Reminder: Notre Dame counts as a Power 4 opponent here.)

1. SEC (11)

Overall record against outside competition: 28–2. The league has taken care of business with authority. Its only loss as a favorite was Oklahoma at Michigan.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 8–2.

Record against the rest of FBS: 12–0.

Record against FCS: 8–0.

Crowning achievement to date: Texas’s rally to defeat No. 1 Ohio State. The Longhorns’ closing 21–0 run is all the more remarkable when you consider what wasn’t part of it: no turnovers from the Buckeyes, and almost no chunk plays by the Horns. Their three touchdown drives consisted of 40 plays, and only one of them was for longer than 20 yards (a 22-yard pass from Arch Manning to tight end Emaree Winston). Ohio State’s defense made Texas execute to earn its points and Texas did so, averaging 5.1 yards per play on those drives. Not much was given to the Horns. They took it.

Early surprise: Mississippi State. The Bulldogs’ forceful road beatdown of Minnesota gave the SEC a 2–1 record head-to-head against the Big Ten on Saturday. Rushing yardage in that game: Mississippi State 252, Minnesota 13.

Don’t mention: Arkansas. This figured to be a long rebuilding project for the Razorbacks, and that was reinforced by their 43–10 wipeout at Utah.

Current Dash playoff teams: Texas, LSU, Texas A&M, Mississippi, Mississippi State.

Nonconference games this week: UTSA at Texas, Florida State at Alabama, New Mexico at Oklahoma, Kennesaw State at Tennessee, North Carolina State at Vanderbilt, Troy at Missouri.

2. Big Ten (12)

Overall record against outside competition: 26–8. Not a great start for a league that wants to dispel the suspicion that it is top heavy and has questionable depth. Home losses by Minnesota (see above), Illinois and Purdue on Saturday didn’t help, nor did Michigan’s specious win over Western Michigan.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 3–7.

Record against the rest of FBS: 18–1.

Record against FCS: 5–0.

Michigan safety Chris Bracy celebrates with wide receiver JJ Buchanan against Oklahoma. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Crowning achievement to date: Michigan’s bounce-back upset of Oklahoma. If the league had gone 0–3 against the SEC it would be a bad look. The Wolverines clearly have an excellent defense, producing a game-clinching interception when it looked like things were getting away from them. New offensive coordinator Jason Beck appears committed to using quarterback Bryce Underwood as a legitimate dual threat as needed. And don’t forget punter Cam Brown, whose ability to drop lob-wedge kicks inside the 5-yard line was big.

Early surprise: UCLA is a salty 2–0, outscoring California and San Diego State 42–10 in the fourth quarter. The Bruins are +3 turnover margin in the fourth so far, and they’ve been finishing games with an authoritative ground game.

Don’t mention: Rutgers. Ever again.

Current Dash playoff teams: Ohio State.

Nonconference games this week: Kent State at Ohio State, Western Kentucky at Indiana, Portland State at Oregon, UTEP at Michigan, Buffalo at Penn State, Eastern Washington at Washington, Northern Iowa at Iowa, North Dakota at Nebraska, Akron at Minnesota, Southern Illinois at Illinois, Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin, Colorado at Northwestern, Virginia Tech at Maryland, Michigan State at Notre Dame.

3. ACC (13)

Overall record against outside competition: 20–6. Other than Clemson’s debacle against LSU, there hasn't been anything bad on the ACC’s ledger yet. Tobacco Roadies Duke, North Carolina and Wake Forest have contributed some good wins away from home. This is the one conference that still has a lot of big nonconference games left, both against Notre Dame and in rivalry games against SEC opponents at the end of the season.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 4–6.

Record against the rest of FBS: 8–0.

Record against FCS: 8–0.

Crowning achievement to date: North Carolina beating TCU in Ireland with the whole sport watching in Week Zero was a nice start, momentarily stopping the negative headlines about the Tar Heels’ off-field operation.

Early surprise: Duke’s 2–0 start, after losing star QB Darian Mensah at the last minute in the transfer portal window, has been impressive. The Blue Devils shut down Tulane, 17–3, then outscored Illinois on the road, 31–27. Running back Nate Sheppard leads the nation in rushing at 187 yards per game and also has a pair of touchdown receptions.

Don’t mention: Florida State. The Seminoles’ lone loss was a league game against SMU, but it came after an embarrassing power outage delayed the Labor Day centerpiece game for 100 minutes and before the school fired its athletic director, Michael Alford, on Monday.

Current Dash playoff teams: Miami, Louisville.

Nonconference games this week: Mercer at Georgia Tech, NC State at Vanderbilt, Maine at Boston College, Florida State at Alabama, Wagner at California, West Virginia vs. Virginia in Charlotte, Virginia Tech at Maryland.

4. Big 12 (14)

Overall record against outside competition: 24–7. Some nice wins, highlighted by the shocker in Stillwater, Okla., on Saturday, and also Colorado’s road win over Georgia Tech. But Oklahoma State counterbalanced its upset of Oregon with a loss to Tulsa. No league has piled up more early wins over FCS opponents than the Big 12.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 4–6.

Record against the rest of FBS: 4–1.

Record against FCS: 15–0.

Crowning achievement to date: Theta Pond at Oklahoma State was once used for watering college work animals before becoming a campus landmark. Now it’s known as the place where students dumped the goalpost they tore down after stunning the Ducks, the program’s first notable victory in years.

Early surprise: Colorado’s road win over Georgia Tech got the Buffaloes off to a great start after a dismal finish to the 2025 season. Monmouth transfer Lamont Lester Jr. has made an instant impact at defensive end, recording four sacks and five tackles for loss in two games. Under new offensive coordinator Brennan Marion, Colorado looks committed to running the ball and picking its spots in the passing game with touted QB Julian Lewis.

Don’t mention: Kansas’s institutional attempt to associate rival Missouri with slavery, via social media posts from its athletic director and football account. The rivalry does indeed have Civil War roots, but the school making it a “right side of history” issue in 2026 is a cheap shot. The Jayhawks didn’t do much to back it up on the field, losing by 17 points at home.

Current Dash playoff teams: Utah.

Nonconference games this week: Tulane at Kansas State, Bowling Green at Iowa State, Utah State at Utah, Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati, Louisiana Tech at Baylor, Georgia State at Central Florida, Murray State at Oklahoma State, BYU at Colorado State, West Virginia vs. Virginia in Charlotte, Colorado at Northwestern, Arkansas State at TCU, Northern Illinois at Arizona.

5. American (15)

Overall record against outside competition: 14–11. The league might have lost a Group of 6 playoff contender when Memphis was thumped by Boise State, but it still has a strong one at the moment in Tulsa. The top teams could all beat each other up (Army and Navy have both already lost in league play, to South Florida and Florida Atlantic, respectively), but the American champion should at least be in the conversation for the CFP.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 1–8.

Record against the rest of FBS: 8–2.

Record against FCS: 5–1.

Crowning achievement to date: Tulsa’s victory over Oklahoma State is the lone P4 trophy in the American’s cabinet, and it gained considerable extra luster when the Cowboys upset Oregon. Tulsa avoided a hangover upset of its own Saturday against Sam Houston to start 2–0 for the first time since 2015.

Early surprise: Keep an eye on North Texas, which lost its coach and much of its talent to Oklahoma State. In their debut under Neal Brown, the Mean Green got waxed by Indiana, but bounced back to rout UNLV in Week 2. The Hoosiers under Curt Cignetti have made a lot of teams look bad that ended up being pretty good, and UNT might be the next one.

Don’t mention: Charlotte is 0–2 with a loss to FCS program Citadel and has now lost 11 games in a row.

Current Dash playoff teams: Tulsa.

Nonconference games this week: Tulane at Kansas State, North Texas at Texas State, Temple at Toledo, East Carolina at Old Dominion, Florida International at Florida Atlantic, Charlotte at Appalachian State, UT Martin at Memphis, Western Michigan at Rice, Delaware State at South Florida, UTSA at Texas, East Texas A&M at Tulsa, UAB at Louisiana.

6. Mountain West (16)

Overall record against outside competition: 11–8. Mountain West teams unwisely scheduled both of the FCS championship game participants from last season, and lost to both—Montana State beat Nevada and Illinois State beat Northern Illinois. The addition of former FCS power North Dakota State (3–0) is already paying immediate dividends though.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 0–4.

Record against the rest of FBS: 5–2.

Record against FCS: 6–2.

Crowning achievement to date: New Mexico losing its starting quarterback shortly before the season and still starting 2–0, both blowout wins, is further testament to the coaching chops of Jason Eck. The Lobos haven’t yet turned the ball over and have eight takeaways.

Early surprise: It’s not a good one. UNLV is 1–2, losing at home to Memphis to open the season and then getting thumped at North Texas on Saturday. Dan Mullen is the latest coach to find out that landing former five-star QB Jackson Arnold doesn’t necessarily lead to great success.

Don’t mention: Northern Illinois was a weird addition to the league, and it has paid no early dividends. The Huskies are 0–2 and heading to Arizona on Saturday.

Current Dash playoff teams: None.

Nonconference games this week: Wyoming at Central Michigan, UTEP at Michigan, Nevada at Middle Tennessee, New Mexico at Oklahoma, Northern Illinois at Arizona, North Dakota State at Sacramento State, Fresno State at San Jose State.

7. Pac-12 (17)

Overall record against outside competition: 5–11.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 0–9.

Record against the rest of FBS: 3–1.

Record against FCS: 2–1.

Crowning achievement to date: Boise State roaring back from a 17–3 deficit against Memphis, outscoring the Tigers 35–3 the rest of the way for what could be an important victory in the G6 playoff race. The Broncos also played Oregon close in Eugene, Ore., although that lost some luster when the Ducks then lost to Oklahoma State.

Colorado State coach Jim Mora has the Rams at 2–0 for the first time in 15 years. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Early surprise: Under new coach Jim Mora, Colorado State is 2–0 for the first time in 15 years. The Rams easily handled ancient rival Wyoming in the first Pac 12 vs. Mountain West game, then followed that up by routing Southern Utah. CSU is a +7 turnover margin, which was a staple of Mora’s better teams at Connecticut.

Don’t mention: Utah State lost its opener to FCS program Idaho State by 12 points. A valiant effort in Week 2 against Washington still ended in defeat as well.

Current Dash playoff teams: None.

Nonconference games this week: North Texas at Texas State, Utah State at Utah, Duquesne at Washington State, BYU at Colorado State, James Madison at San Diego State, South Dakota at Boise State, Montana at Oregon State, Fresno State at San José State

8. Sun Belt (18)

Overall record against outside competition: 17–11. The Sun Belt has established two things pretty clearly—it can beat FCS and Conference USA opponents (16–0), and it cannot beat the American or Power 4 opponents (1–11). Whether that puts the league above or below the Mountain West, Pac-12 and MAC is open to interpretation. For now, The Dash will slot them here.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 0–7.

Record against the rest of FBS: 5–4.

Record against FCS: 12–0.

Crowning achievement to date: Appalachian State beating East Carolina on the road, leading for almost the entire final three quarters. Former Arkansas and Purdue quarterback Malachi Singleton is off to a nice start for new App State coach Dowell Loggains.

Early surprise: Georgia State was 1–11 last year and brought a nine-game losing streak into 2026, but the Panthers are 2–0 after beating 2025 CUSA champion Kennesaw State by two touchdowns Saturday.

Don’t mention: Poor Louisiana-Monroe (0–2) had a 10-point lead before giving up the final 16 points to UAB on Saturday, losing an upset bid in Birmingham.

Current Dash playoff teams: None.

Nonconference games this week: Coastal Carolina at Delaware, Louisiana Tech at Baylor, Southeastern Louisiana at Louisiana-Monroe, East Carolina at Old Dominion, Charlotte at Appalachian State, Marshall at Missouri State, Troy at Missouri, Georgia State at UCF, Connecticut at Southern Mississippi, Ohio at South Alabama, Georgia Southern at Jacksonville State, Arkansas State at TCU, UAB at Louisiana, James Madison at San Diego State.

9. Mid-American (19)

Overall record against outside competition: 12–14. Some real highs—Massachusetts routing Rutgers, the first 60 minutes of Western Michigan–Michigan—but not much else beyond that. Ohio eking out an overtime win over Jacksonville State at home, the only league win against the rest of FBS to date.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 1–9.

Record against the rest of FBS: 1–4.

Record against FCS: 10–1.

Crowning achievement to date: Western Michigan’s performance in Ann Arbor, Mich., was inspired, reinforcing the Broncos’ commitment to retaining key personnel after winning the MAC title last year. No matter what the final score said, that showing should resonate in the G6 playoff race.

Michigan wide receiver JJ Buchanan catches a 47-yard touchdown on a Hail Mary against Western Michigan in Week 1. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Early surprise: UMass is not just no longer terrible, the Minutemen actually look good. They’re 2–0 for the first time in 15 years—since the program was at the FCS level. They’re averaging 37 points per game, with Virginia Tech transfer quarterback Pop Watson off to a strong start.

Don’t mention: The clock in the Big House.

Current Dash playoff teams: Western Michigan.

Nonconference games this week: Kent State at Ohio State, Buffalo at Penn State, Bowling Green at Iowa State, Akron at Minnesota, Eastern Michigan at Wisconsin, Wyoming at Central Michigan, Temple at Toledo, Miami (Ohio) at Cincinnati, Stonehill at UMass, Ball State at Liberty, Western Michigan at Rice, Ohio at South Alabama, North Dakota State at Sacramento State.

10. Conference USA (20)

Overall record against outside competition: 8–14.

Record against Power 4 opponents: 0–4.

Record against the rest of FBS: 1–10.

Record against FCS: 7–0.

Crowning achievement to date: Florida International’s victory over Buffalo marks the league’s only one to date against an FBS program. FIU was also very competitive against South Florida in the opener, as the program continues to make strides under second-year coach Willie Simmons.

Early surprise: After four consecutive nine-win seasons, Jacksonville State is 1–2 with losses to North Dakota State and Ohio and a victory over FCS program Eastern Kentucky. After back-to-back CUSA title game appearances, a third straight looks difficult to attain.

Don’t mention: Western Kentucky. The formerly competitive Hilltoppers are 0–2 and have been outscored 119–34. Getting crushed by Georgia is understandable; getting crushed by Nevada is not. Next up: Indiana, Yikes.

Current Dash playoff teams: None.

Nonconference games this week: Coastal Carolina at Delaware, Western Kentucky at Indiana, Ball State at Liberty, FIU at FAU, Marshall at Missouri State, Nevada at Middle Tennessee, Georgia Southern at Jacksonville State, Nicholls at Sam Houston. Kennesaw State at Tennessee.

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