Georgia Climbs to No. 2 Behind Texas in ESPN Power Rankings

Texas remains the No. 1 team in ESPN's Week 4 college football Power Rankings, published Sept. 28, 2026, while Georgia jumped from fourth to second after a 41-13 win over Oklahoma, according to ESPN's panel of college football writers.

Why does Texas stay at No. 1?

ESPN's Alex Scarborough writes that Texas' "résumé" is what keeps the Longhorns on top, pointing to home and road wins over ranked opponents: a victory over then-No. 5 Ohio State at home and a win at then-No. 17 Tennessee. Scarborough notes the offense was uneven inside Neyland Stadium, with quarterback Arch Manning "up and down" and the running game missing injured playmaker Hollywood Smothers — Manning's 11-yard run was the team's longest of the day. The defense carried the win, recording 10 sacks and allowing only 1.6 yards per rush, per ESPN's breakdown. Texas now has a bye week before a rivalry game against Oklahoma, which Scarborough calls a chance for coach Steve Sarkisian's team "to reset heading into" that matchup.

Why did Georgia jump to No. 2?

Georgia's move up two spots follows a 41-13 win over Oklahoma in which the Bulldogs held the Sooners to 65 rushing yards, according to ESPN's Bill Connelly. Connelly credits the performance to what he calls "one of Georgia's best defenses under Kirby Smart," while also cautioning that Oklahoma's offensive struggles mean the Bulldogs "still haven't been tested in their first four games." The rankings entry frames Georgia's rise as tied as much to the strength of the win as to questions about how it will hold up against tougher competition later in the season.

Which SEC teams are rising and which are falling?

ESPN's David Hale writes that "Florida and Mississippi State are ascendant in the SEC," while "Oklahoma and Texas A&M are tumbling." The rankings package does not provide numeric placements for Florida or Mississippi State beyond that framing, and ESPN's report does not detail the specific results driving Oklahoma's or Texas A&M's decline beyond Oklahoma's loss to Georgia already cited. Hale's summary groups the two ascending SEC programs together with the broader Week 4 narrative that a full month into the season, several conference contenders are separating themselves from others that entered September with higher expectations.

What happened between Oregon and USC?

Hale writes that Oregon "toppled USC without its starting quarterback," but notes the Ducks also carry "an ugly loss to Oklahoma State" on their résumé and may be without quarterback Dante Moore "for a while." ESPN's rankings package ties USC's loss directly to coach Lincoln Riley, with Hale writing that Riley "is in for a long few months of grumbling over his future." The report does not include a score for the Oregon-USC game or additional detail on Moore's injury status.

Which unbeaten teams remain unproven?

Hale's overview groups five programs — Indiana, Miami, BYU, Notre Dame and Georgia — as teams that "look terrific," while cautioning that "none has played a team that has tested them." That framing applies directly to Georgia's ascent to No. 2 noted above, and ESPN's report treats the group's remaining schedules as the deciding factor in whether their rankings hold through October. The report also flags Manning specifically, with Hale writing that the Texas quarterback "still needs to prove he's an elite-tier QB" despite his team's No. 1 ranking.

What is ESPN watching heading into October?

Hale closes the panel's overview by writing that "a lot of narrative twists we didn't see coming are in store for October," a caveat that applies across the rankings given how many of the top teams — Texas included — have yet to face their toughest remaining opponents. For Texas, that means an Oklahoma rivalry game after the bye week; for Georgia, continued questions about strength of schedule following the Oklahoma win. ESPN's full Week 4 rankings, including placements below No. 2 and the report's account of the season's five newly ranked teams, are detailed in the original story.