College football’s Week 3 slate was more chalk than chaos. Mostly.
A week after several top teams suffered scares and defeats, only three teams ranked among the top in the nation lost — and two of those came against ranked competition. They were a 41-20 loss by No. 12 BYU to No. 25 Oregon; a 17-9 loss by No. 13 Miami to No. 24 Texas A&M; and a 39-28 loss by No. 11 Michigan State to unranked (and undefeated) Washington.
Other teams suffered brief scares against subpar competition (No. 21 Texas vs. UTSA and No. 10 Arkansas vs. Missouri State, for example), but there were no significant losses among the top 25 outside the Cougars, Hurricanes and Spartans.
That doesn’t mean there weren’t fascinating games and exciting finishes on Saturday. Notre Dame coach Marcus Freeman got his first win, needing a phantom offsides call and a failed Hail Mary to beat Cal at home. Purdue gifted Syracuse a victory with several unconscionable penalties, and Appalachian State capped its “College GameDay” visit with an incredible Hail Mary victory.
MORE: Projecting the College Football Playoff picture for Week 4
How will those games affect the latest college football polls? The Sporting News takes a look at the updated AP Top 25 and Coaches Poll rankings for Week 4:
College football rankings for Week 4
Coaches Poll
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | Georgia | 3-0 | 1,594 (40) |
| 2 | Alabama | 3-0 | 1,590 (24) |
| 3 | Ohio State | 3-0 | 1,505 (1) |
| 4 | Michigan | 3-0 | 1,379 |
| 5 | Clemson | 3-0 | 1,362 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 3-0 | 1,281 |
| 7 | USC | 3-0 | 1,183 |
| 8 | Oklahoma State | 3-0 | 1,161 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 3-0 | 1,063 |
| 10 | Arkansas | 3-0 | 934 |
| 11 | N.C. State | 3-0 | 919 |
| 12 | Tennessee | 3-0 | 826 |
| 13 | Ole Miss | 3-0 | 734 |
| 14 | Utah | 2-1 | 726 |
| 15 | Penn State | 3-0 | 579 |
| 16 | Wake Forest | 3-0 | 529 |
| 17 | Baylor | 2-1 | 507 |
| 18 | Oregon | 2-1 | 468 |
| 19 | Texas | 2-1 | 438 |
| 20 | Texas A&M | 2-1 | 385 |
| 21 | Michigan State | 2-1 | 305 |
| 22 | Florida | 2-1 | 297 |
| 23 | BYU | 2-1 | 253 |
| 24 | Washington | 3-0 | 244 |
| 25 | Miami | 2-1 | 234 |
Others receiving votes: Pitt 210; Florida State 107; Appalachian State 68; Oregon State 57; Washington State 55; Cincinnati 37; Syracuse 24; Minnesota 24; Iowa State 15; North Carolina 12; TCU 7; Kansas 5; Wisconsin 4; Air Force 4; Notre Dame 2; Mississippi State 2; LSU 2; Duke 2; East Carolina 1; Coastal Carolina 1.
MORE: College Football Week 3 overreactions: Michigan vs. Georgia, Urban Meyer’s next stop and more
AP Top 25
This section will be updated upon the release of the Week 4 AP Top 25 poll.
| Rank | Team | Record | Points (No. 1 votes) |
| 1 | 2-0 | ||
| 2 | 2-0 | ||
| 3 | 2-0 | ||
| 4 | 2-0 | ||
| 5 | 2-0 | ||
| 6 | 2-0 | ||
| 7 | 2-0 | ||
| 8 | 2-0 | ||
| 9 | 2-0 | ||
| 10 | 2-0 | ||
| 11 | 2-0 | ||
| 12 | 2-0 | ||
| 13 | 2-0 | ||
| 14 | 2-0 | ||
| 15 | 1-1 | ||
| 16 | 2-0 | ||
| 17 | 2-0 | ||
| 18 | 2-0 | ||
| 19 | 1-1 | ||
| 20 | 1-1 | ||
| 21 | 1-1 | ||
| 22 | 1-1 | ||
| 23 | 2-0 | ||
| 24 | 1-1 | ||
| 25 | 1-1 |
Others receiving votes:
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