the fourth week of the 2025 college football season

published september 21, 2025

introductory comments

real football has started happening, with lots of weird scores and exciting upsets to discuss. this may be the longest article yet, so let's get started. it's college football.

the top 25

  1. south florida - 211 pts. (3-1, +41)
  2. mississippi state - 207 pts. (4-0, +112)
  3. vanderbilt - 199 pts. (4-0, +139)
  4. oklahoma - 191 pts. (4-0, +89)
  5. texas a&m - 183 pts. (3-0, +41)
  6. florida state - 182 pts. (3-0, +144)
  7. miami - 171 pts. (4-0, +101)
  8. ole miss - 161 pts. (4-0, +104)
  9. missouri - 156 pts. (4-0, +117)
  10. syracuse - 156 pts. (3-1, +43)
  11. lsu - 155 pts. (4-0, +79)
  12. tcu - 152 pts. (3-0, +66)
  13. georgia - 147 pts. (3-0, +63)
  14. georgia tech - 146 pts. (4-0, +78)
  15. usc - 144 pts. (4-0, +129)
  16. ohio state - 142 pts. (3-0, +105)
  17. indiana - 140 pts. (4-0, +186)
  18. tennessee - 137 pts. (3-1, +103)
  19. maryland - 136 pts. (4-0, +87)
  20. oregon - 135 pts. (4-0, +166)
  21. michigan state - 135 pts. (3-1, +22)
  22. washington - 132 pts. (3-0, +112)
  23. rutgers - 132 pts. (3-1, +71)
  24. purdue - 126 pts. (2-2, +6)
  25. old dominion - 125 pts. (2-1, +54)

the bottom 25

  1. army - -87 pts. (1-2, -7)
  2. liberty - -67 pts. (1-3, -17)
  3. toledo - -45 pts. (2-2, +75)
  4. louisiana - -21 pts. (1-3, -23)
  5. umass - -14 pts. (0-3, -73)
  6. akron - -9 pts. (1-3, -37)
  7. virginia tech - -4 pts. (1-3, -24)
  8. florida atlantic - -3 pts. (1-2, E)
  9. connecticut - -1 pt. (2-2, +42)
  10. buffalo - 0 pts. (2-2, +25)
  11. south alabama - 1 pt. (1-3, -19)
  12. appalachian state - 2 pts. (2-1, +14)
  13. boise state = 10 pts. (2-1, +22)
  14. northern illinois - 13 pts. (1-2, -37)
  15. miami ohio - 16 pts. (0-3, -48)
  16. middle tennessee - 17 pts. (2-2, -25)
  17. colorado state - 18 pts. (1-2, -14)
  18. arizona state - 24 pts. (3-1, +37)
  19. arkansas state - 25 pts. (1-3, -39)
  20. ball state - 19 pts. (1-3, -71)
  21. clemson - 19 pts. (1-3, -12)
  22. southern miss - 24 pts. (2-2, +7)
  23. kansas state - 25 pts. (1-3, -9)
  24. air force - 25 pts. (1-2, +5)
  25. california - 30 pts. (3-1, +30)

adjustments

friday night bedlam: tulsa @ oklahoma state

everything about this game was tailored for the big 12 team getting scared and pulling off a second half comeback win. and yet the american team won. after reviewing the tier placements, it was of course found that this means oklahoma state is not c tier material. therefore oklahoma state is demoted to d tier.

tulsa +32, oklahoma state -32

a real sec game for once: auburn @ oklahoma

a thrilling finish i am very glad i got to watch live. oklahoma, for one, is actually stepping up to the place they want in the sec. in recognition the committee has declared that oklahoma is promoted to a tier. more teams like them to embarrass alabama like last year will be greatly appreciated.

oklahoma +16, auburn -16

another team goes from playoff spot to sucking: syracuse @ clemson

clemson was the odd conference champion pick to last year's playoff, and now they find themselves at 1-3, embarrassed further by syracuse getting both of the first two possessions thanks to an onside kick to start the game up 10-0 without the clemson offense taking the field. they went on to win 34-21, finally convincing the committee to declare that clemson is demoted to a tier. s tier is for real contenders.

syracuse +32, clemson -32

the bears... the bears have lost, really badly: california @ san diego state

getting shut out is really bad, and cal got shut out by stanford while letting in 34 points. this game by original tiers was of course a huge upset, so the discussions started, but after a review of cal's record, san diego state was found to be more worthy of a promotion. the result is therefore that san diego state is promoted to d tier.

san diego state +64, california -64

further notes

tales from the bottom of the table: north texas @ army and james madison @ liberty

two teams really stand out from the rest in the bottom 25, and liberty and army both didn't help their cases in any way this week. well below -50 points each, it is already almost impossible for them to get back in the positives this year. but at least liberty's only win is against their fcs team. how did army beat kansas state? this question will continue to plague the american as they enter conference play this week. army so far promises to either be an oddball or a loser, or perhaps the fun combination of both if we're lucky. stay tuned becuase they have the thursday night slot coming up.

an fbs newcomer succeeding?: delaware @ florida international

it's tough for teams moving up to the top subdivision, but delaware has been met with success thus far. aside from their game against colorado, they have succeeded albeit against bottom fbs teams. this is still better than last year's kennesaw state, this year's kennesaw state, and this year's missouri state. good job, delaware. enjoy it while it lasts. someday there will be bad times.

texas puts up a real score: sam houston @ texas

in another enigma, texas put up a 55-point shutout against an fbs team but couldn't do so against their fcs team. they still lag a bit behind, staying out of the top 25 for now, but there is still hope for them this year. they should work hard to earn their spot.

vandy to the moon: georgia state @ vanderbilt

vanderbilt keeps their prime position by being the top scorer of the week against a real fbs team in georgia state. seventy points is still quite an achievement for them to be proud of, and they certainly stand out near the top of the league.

scorigami recognition

the list has at last begun to narrow, with some teams even actually achieving difficult low scores, some of them reducing the effect of a loss. congratulations to the following:

the belt

miami holds the belt and gains 5 points. they have kept florida from getting it back, and are only five wins away from the 50 club and three behind washington for ninth place all-time. they continue their quest in two weeks against florida state. the belt will be out of contention next week.

finishing up

what a great week, but unfortunately the byes are starting to happen so there may be less to report on next week. sunday article to come again after thursday through saturday action. see you after week five.