Upset-Filled Saturday Sets Stage for New Teams in AP Top 25 Rankings

With a number of upsets over the weekend, the No. 25 USC Trojans, No. 20 Vanderbilt Commodores, and No. 18 Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets entered the AP Top 25 Poll while Clemson and South Carolina are now unranked.

Dec 27, 2024; Las Vegas, NV, USA; Texas A&M Aggies head coach Mike Elko reacts against the Southern California Trojans in the second half at Allegiant Stadium. | Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Week 3 of the college football season was filled with exciting matchups, and Notre Dame, South Carolina, Clemson all suffered upset losses. Previously No. 12 Clemson and No. 11 South Carolina fell out of the top-25 completely while No. 24 Notre Dame is still ranked at 0-2.

The No. 25 USC Trojans are among some of the new teams in the AP Top 25 Poll as the Trojans have started the season 3-0. No. 20 Vanderbilt and No. 18 Georgia Tech are also new additions to the rankings.

Sep 13, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets quarterback Haynes King (10) scrambles against the Clemson Tigers in the third quarter at Bobby Dodd Stadium at Hyundai Field. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

AP Top 25 Poll Week 4

1. Ohio State Buckeyes
2. Penn State Nittany Lions
3. LSU Tigers
4. Miami Hurricanes
5. Georgia Bulldogs
6. Oregon Ducks
7. Florida State Seminoles
8. Texas Longhorns
9. Illinois Fighting Illini
10. Texas A&M Aggies
11. Oklahoma Sooners
12. Iowa State Cyclones
13. Ole Miss Rebels
14. Alabama Crimson Tide
15. Tennessee Volunteers
16. Utah Utes
17. Texas Tech Red Raiders
18. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets
19. Indiana Hoosiers
20. Vanderbilt Commodores
21. Michigan Wolverines
22. Auburn Tigers
23. Missouri Tigers
24. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
25. USC Trojans

Upset-Filled Weekend

Early AP Top 25 Polls can have some volatility as everyone is still figuring out the quality of teams and coaches and how they perform in different environments.

Then-No. 18 USF lost to then-No. 5 Miami as the Hurricanes ran away with a ranked with, while then-No. 15 Tennessee lost to then-No. 6 Georgia at home in overtime after failing to convert a game-winning field goal attempt. Both Georgia and Miami moved up in ther rankings while Tennessee stayed put. USF fell out of the poll completely after falling to Miami.

Sep 13, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Hurricanes head coach Mario Cristobal looks on against the South Florida Bulls during the second quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. | Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

The No. 7 Texas Longhorns' offense struggled against UTEP, scoring 27 points in the win, and Texas was dropped one spot by AP voters as Florida State climbed up to No. 7.

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USC Trojans' Case For Top-25 Ranking

In the Big Ten, No. 1 Ohio State, No. 2 Penn State, No. 6 Oregon, and No. 9 Illinois all took care of business. The conference also has No. 19 Indiana and No. 21 Michigan ranked, while the Trojans look to join them towards the back half of the top-25.

The final score of USC's win over Purdue might not resemble the blowouts handed out by the Trojans in weeks 1 and 2, but a win's a win. More importantly, the Trojans dealt with a three-hour lightning delay on the road, but Riley and company were able to leave West Lafayett, Indiana, with a win.

Oct 14, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley and Notre Dame Fighting Irish head coach Marcus Freeman chat before the game at Notre Dame Stadium. | Matt Cashore-Imagn Images

In one of the best plays of the weekend, USC defensive lineman Jamaal Jarrett intercepted a deflected pass from Purdue quarterback Ryan Browne, and Jarrett returned the interception for a 70-yard touchdown.

Trojans safety Bishop Fitzgerald had two interceptions of his own while linebacker Eric Gentry also turned heads with two sacks and three tackles for loss. USC's opportunistic defense ended multiple drives for Purdue that were in threatening field position, and the Trojans offense scored 17 points off of the extra possessions.

USC running back Waymond Jordan led all Trojans rushers with 77 yards and a touchdown while quarterback Jayden Maiava completed 61 percent of his passes for 282 yards with a rushing touchdown of his own.

In the end, it was enough for USC to be ranked No. 25, though the Trojans still sit behind the No. 24 Notre Dame Fighting Irish who lost to No. 10 Texas A&M by one point on Saturday night.