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AP Top 25 Poll Prediction After Ranked Matchups Shuffle Perception

The No. 20 Oregon Ducks were one of a few teams to picked up a ranked win in week 4.
Charlie Viehl|
Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning (left) shakes hands with USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley after the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum.
Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; Oregon Ducks head coach Dan Lanning (left) shakes hands with USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley after the game at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

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Oregon DucksUSC TrojansTexas LonghornsTennessee VolunteersOle Miss RebelsFlorida GatorsIowa HawkeyesMichigan Wolverines

Los Angeles — The No. 20 Oregon Ducks picked up an emotional win over the No. 12 USC Trojans on the road and without quarterback Dante Moore for a majority of the game, and Oregon's win over USC should help reverse at least part of the Ducks' tumble down the AP Top 25 Poll rankings.

How far voters move Oregon up, as well as other winners from the weekend like No. 17 Iowa, No. 21 Florida, and No. 24 Mississippi State, remains to be seen. Still, the Ducks could expect to be ranked inside the top 15 when the latest AP Poll is released on Sunday. As for some for the weekend's biggest losers, like No. 13 Penn State, No. 16 Louisville, No. 18. Michigan, and No. 19 Missouri, can expect to see their ranking shift in the opposite direction.

oregon ducks ap top 25 poll rankings prediction usc trojans dan lanning lincoln riley dante moore hit florida iowa ole miss
Iowa head coach Kirk Ferentz next to wide receiver Reece Vander Zee (2) get ready to handshake after 20-19 win over Michigan at Michigan Stadium in Ann Arbor on Saturday, Sept. 26, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Will Oregon make the biggest leap on Sunday? No. 4 Ole Miss is likely to drop after falling to Florida on the road on Saturday, but the Rebels have one of the more impressive wins in the country after beating LSU in a rivalry matchup during week 3.

Meanwhile, No. 1 Texas has likely stamped itself as the top team in the country thanks to the Longhorns' already having wins over No. 7 Ohio State and No. 14 Tennessee already under their belt. The Buckeyes are expected to keep climbing slightly back up the polls after the Texas loss, but the Volunteers have yet to see their ranking impacted by their first loss of the season.

AP Top 25 Poll Prediction Week 4

1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Miami
5. Indiana
6. Ohio State
7. Alabama
8. BYU
9. Ole Miss
10. LSU
11. Texas Tech
12. Utah
13. Oregon
14. Iowa
15. Tennessee
16. Florida
17. USC
18. SMU
19. Missouri
20. Mississippi State
21. SMU
22. Penn State
23. Kentucky
24. Houston
25. Oklahoma State

oregon ducks ap top 25 poll rankings prediction usc trojans dan lanning lincoln riley dante moore hit florida iowa ole miss
Oregon quarterback Dylan Raiola celebrates a touchdown by Oregon running back Dierre Hill Jr. as the Oregon Ducks face the USC Trojans on Sept. 26, 2026, at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum in Los Angeles, California. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Biggest AP Top 25 Poll Questions

Ole Miss should fall out of the top five after giving up over 50 points to Florida, but will the Rebels fall all the way behind LSU? The Tigers dominated then-ranked No. 23 Texas A&M, yet the Tigers' only loss of the season so far has come at the hands of Ole Miss.

Where will Oregon and USC end up, respectively, ranked after the West Coast rivalry matchup? Will voters take the injury to Ducks quarterback Dante Moore into account when ranking Oregon coach Dan Lanning and the Ducks? And will the Trojans stay within the top 20 after losing their first game of the season?

Lastly, will there be any new teams ranked inside the AP Top 25 Poll after Saturday's results? Oregon fans are likely curious to see if Oklahoma State will be ranked, and the Cowboys could be close after improving to 3-1 with a road win over West Virginia. The Washington Huskies were on the verge of cracking the top 25, but a loss to Minnesota likely kills most of Washington's momentum in the rankings.

This article will be updated when the latest AP Top 25 Poll is revealed on Sunday.

oregon ducks ap top 25 poll rankings prediction usc trojans dan lanning lincoln riley dante moore hit florida iowa ole miss
Sep 26, 2026; Morgantown, West Virginia, USA; Oklahoma State Cowboys quarterback Drew Mestemaker (17) rolls out for a pass during the fourth quarter against the West Virginia Mountaineers at Milan Puskar Stadium. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

AP Top 25 Poll Week 3

1. Texas
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Ole Miss
5. Indiana
6. Miami
7. Ohio State
8. Alabama
9. BYU
10. LSU
11. Texas Tech
12. USC
13. Penn State
14. Tennessee
15. Utah
16. Louisville
17. Iowa
18. Michigan
19. Missouri
20. Oregon
21. Florida
22. SMU
23. Texas A&M
24. Mississippi State
25. Houston

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Published
Charlie Viehl
CHARLIE VIEHL

Charlie Viehl is the deputy editor for the Oregon Ducks, Colorado Buffaloes, and USC Trojans on SI. He has written hundreds of articles for SI and has covered events like the Big Ten Championship and College Football Playoff Quarterfinals at the Rose Bowl. While pursuing a career in sports journalism, he is also a lifelong musician, holding a degree in Music and Philosophy from Boston College. A native of Pasadena, California, he covered sports across Los Angeles while at Loyola High School and edited the Gabelli Presidential Scholars Program’s magazine at BC. He is excited to bring his passion for storytelling and sports to fans of college athletics.

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