5 Most Overrated College Football Teams In AP Top 25 Poll After Week 4

There are a few teams who need a reality check in October.

Indiana Head Coach Curt Cignetti during the Indiana versus Northwestern football game at Memorial Stadium on Friday, Sept. 25, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

Week 4 of the 2026 college football season will be remembered as an action-packed weekend that helped shape the early playoff race.

Six more ranked teams went down on Saturday. The surprise of the day was No. 16 Louisville falling at home to Wake Forest. Plus, Iowa and Oregon pulled off top-25 road victories.

Elsewhere, Florida is quickly trending after crushing Ole Miss in Gainesville.

Who are the most overrated teams with the calendar about to flip from September to October?

No. 6 Indiana Hoosiers

Sep 25, 2026; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers head coach Curt Cignetti reacts after a play against the Northwestern Wildcats during the first half at Merchants Bank Field at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Goddin-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Following a joke of a non-conference schedule, Indiana was supposed to take care of business against Northwestern. At home and favored by three touchdowns, the Hoosiers struggled to pull away from the Wildcats.

Northwestern cut the deficit to 15-13 in the fourth quarter, but failed on its two-point attempt. Regardless, the Wildcats kept it a one-score game, falling 29-23.

The Hoosiers did dominate the yardage total and scored on three of their last four possessions. However, Curt Cignetti's squad definitely doesn't look as unbeatable as last season, even if Indiana should be able to take down Rutgers and Nebraska.

The October 17 matchup against Ohio State will be telling.

No. 13 Utah Utes

Sep 26, 2026; Ames, Iowa, USA; Utah Utes running back Wayshawn Parker (1) escapes a tackled from Iowa State Cyclones cornerback Seth Johnson (3) during the second half at Jack Trice Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Reese Strickland-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Utah is kind of flying under the radar since most of its games are played late in the evening on the East Coast. The Utes did beat up on Arkansas, but as we've learned, the Razorbacks won't be very good in 2026.

In its first game away from home, Utah beat Iowa State, 31-17. The Cyclones actually outscored the Utes, 14-7, in the second half.

Utah might keep skating due to a relatively light slate. The program won't face a ranked opponent until October 24, when it hosts Houston. Even then, the Cougars have issues of their own that we'll discuss later in the article.

No. 18 USC Trojans

Sep 26, 2026; Los Angeles, California, USA; USC Trojans head coach Lincoln Riley walks off the field after the game against the Oregon Ducks at United Airlines Field at Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

USC dipped in the rankings following a 41-27 loss to Oregon. However, do the Trojans really deserve to be ranked at all? They looked mediocre against Louisiana and Rutgers leading up to the defeat against the Ducks.

A dirty targeting call knocked Dante Moore out of the game. Matched up against a quarterback, USC still couldn't keep the contest within reach.

Jayden Maiava barely competed 50% of his passes, the Trojans averaged 3.6 yards per carry, and the defense still looks like a disaster.

USC has surrendered 30+ points in three straight games, and has given up 26 or more points in four of five outings.

No. 20 Houston Cougars

Sep 18, 2026; Lubbock, Texas, USA; Houston Cougars defensive back Javion White (0) looks to the sidelines in the second half of the game against the Texas Tech Red Raiders at Galaxy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Michael C. Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Houston has been walking a thin line for most of the 2026 season. The Cougars struggled against Oregon State in their opener, but did show commendable effort in a top-25 loss to Texas Tech.

The team dealt with a bit of a hangover effect in their second straight road game, only beating Georgia Southern 42-28.

It just doesn't feel like Houston deserves to jump up two spots after that kind of performance. After all, the Eagles are 1-3 and scored 34 points combined against their last two FBS opponents.

Houston plays back-to-back ranked opponents, Oklahoma State and Utah, in the middle of October.

No. 21 SMU Mustangs

Sep 26, 2026; Dallas, Texas, USA; SMU Mustangs quarterback Kevin Jennings (7) runs with the ball against the Missouri State Bears during the first half at Gerald J. Ford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Why is SMU moving up the rankings after another tougher-than-expected win against a weaker opponent? The Mustangs trailed 10-0 at home against Missouri State. They did ultimately win 34-24, but it wasn't even close to the type of game that the program needed following a loss to Louisville.

The Mustangs barely beat Florida State in Week 0 despite outgaining the Seminoles by over 200 yards. In the victory over Missouri State, SMU had a 592-239 advantage in total yards.

Kevin Jennings has thrown at least one interception against all three of SMU's FBS opponents. He was picked off twice against Florida State and Louisville.

SMU could luck out, as the program won't see another ranked opponent until it travels to South Bend on November 21. Either way, the Mustangs aren't meeting their potential right now.