ESPN ranks the 27 undefeated teams left in college football ahead of Week 5
Through four full weeks of college football, 27 undefeated teams remain. With Week 5 quickly approaching, ESPN’s Bill Connelly ranked them all.
Although Georgia came in at No. 1 in this week’s AP Top 25, Connelly opted to put the Bulldogs at No. 2. Instead, he has Washington on top for the second consecutive weeks after Michael Penix Jr. led the Huskies to a red-hot start.
There were a few more surprises in ESPN’s rankings, but most of the usual suspects find themselves in the top 10.
1. Washington
It took four games for Penix become the Heisman Trophy favorite as he led Washington to a perfect 4-0 record. The Huskies’ offense is firing on all cylinders, and that’s a big reason why ESPN put them at No. 1 in its undefeated team rankings.
Penix is picking up where he left off last season — his first under Kalen DeBoer since he was Indiana’s offensive coordinator in 2019. Washington could be looking to make some noise in the Pac-12 heading into this week’s matchup with Arizona.
2. Georgia
The two-time reigning champion is No. 1 in the AP poll, but ESPN has Georgia at No. 2. The Bulldogs’ strength of schedule is a big reason for that, coming in at No. 108, according to ESPN.
Carson Beck put together his best game yet as Georgia’s starting quarterback last week. He threw for 338 yards and three touchdowns to help the Bulldogs to a 49-21 victory, which should keep the momentum going heading into this week’s matchup at Auburn.
3. Ohio State
Ohio State handled the bright lights of Notre Dame Stadium just fine. The game came down, quite literally, to the final seconds when Chip Trayanum’s touchdown rush gave the Buckeyes the 17-14 victory.
Ryan Day emphatically praised his team’s toughness, which was questioned by some — most notably Lou Holtz — in the lead-up to kickoff. Ohio State could be in position for another run to the College Football Playoff, but some big tests remain to see if the Buckeyes can stay undefeated.
4. Michigan
With Jim Harbaugh back on the sidelines, Michigan didn’t miss a beat with a 31-7 victory over Rutgers last week. The Wolverines are once again 4-0 with their sights set on a third straight Big Ten title.
J.J. McCarthy is one of the nation’s most efficient quarterbacks and had another solid showing against Rutgers, completing 15 of 21 passes for 214 yards and a touchdown as the run game stole the show. The Wolverines head to Nebraska this week, and the schedule looks favorable through the month of October.
5. Oregon
The conversation around last week’s game between Colorado and Oregon revolved mostly around the Buffaloes. Dan Lanning knew that and sought out to make a point in the 42-6 trouncing of CU at Autzen Stadium.
The Ducks are squarely in the mix for a Pac-12 title before heading to the Big Ten, and they’ll have more opportunities to make a statement. Next up is a date with Stanford this week with Washington waiting after next week’s bye.
6. Texas
Texas got plenty of hype during the offseason, and the Longhorns have lived up to the billing thus far. They bring a 4-0 record into this week’s matchup against Kansas and continue to impress in Steve Sarkisian’s third year.
Quinn Ewers is a big part of the Heisman conversation and had another good game against Baylor, throwing for 293 yards on 18 of 23 passing to go with a touchdown. We’ll learn plenty more about the Longhorns this week, though, when they square off against Kansas.
7. Oklahoma
Brent Venables returned to Oklahoma hoping to build the defense back up, and that has been the case so far this year. The Sooners rank second in the nation in scoring defense heading into this week’s game against Iowa State, proving this year’s team is ready to put last year’s 6-7 record behind them.
Dillon Gabriel has also been solid for Oklahoma, and he had a good day against Cincinnati with 322 yards and a touchdown. The Sooners have a strong chance of bringing a 5-0 record into next week’s Red River matchup with Texas.
8. Penn State
Penn State also generated some hype this offseason as the Nittany Lions look to play spoiler in the Big Ten East. They made quite a statement last week in the White Out game against Iowa, shutting out the Hawkeyes in a 31-0 victory.
Penn State has the ability to dominate in multiple facets, with a two-headed monster of Nick Singleton and Kaytron Allen at running back and a defense loaded with NFL prospects. The Nittany Lions have a good opportunity to keep things rolling this week against Northwestern before the bye week.
9. Florida State
A possible College Football Playoff contender, Florida State squeaked out back-to-back victories against Boston College and Clemson. The Seminoles fell out of the top four of the AP Top 25 this week and dropped three spots in ESPN’s rankings, as well.
Still, Jordan Travis and the FSU offense is primed for a run at an ACC championship despite two close victories. Florida State is off this week and will get back on the field Oct. 7 against Virginia Tech.
10. USC
With the reigning Heisman Trophy winner back in the fold and Lincoln Riley’s high-powered offense filled with some new playmakers, USC is again at the forefront of the national conversation. ESPN dropped them from No. 4 to No. 10, though, but there will be opportunities to move back up.
A big reason for the somewhat low ranking is the Trojans’ strength of schedule — ranked No. 127 in the country — and some red zone troubles against Arizona State. USC can make quite a statement this week, though, when it heads to Colorado for a noon ET/9 a.m. PT kickoff on Saturday.
Teams 11-27 of ESPN’s rankings
11. Miami
12. Utah
13. Duke
14. North Carolina
15. Syracuse
16. Louisville
17. Kentucky
18. Washington State
19. Mizzou
20. Kansas
21. Maryland
22. Air Force
23. Fresno State
24. Liberty
25. James Madison
26. Georgia State
27. Marshall
To put this season in perspective, 21 teams were undefeated after Week 4 in 2022. With 27 unbeaten teams entering Week 5 this year, that number will certainly drop with some of them playing each other later in the year. Still, it’s an interesting season in college football with changes awaiting.