4 SEC teams land in top 10 of ESPN’s updated power rankings after Week 4
By Derek Hryn
Published:
The SEC once again flexed its muscle in ESPN’s latest college football power rankings, placing four teams inside the top 10 after Week 4.
LSU held steady at No. 4 following Garrett Nussmeier’s sharpest performance of the young season — a 273-yard, three-touchdown effort that gave Brian Kelly’s team the tune-up it needed before diving into the meat of conference play. Here’s some analysis from ESPN’s Mark Schlabach on the Tigers:
After a slow start to the season due to a torso injury, Tigers quarterback Garrett Nussmeier again looked like one of the best passers in the FBS on Saturday, albeit against FCS program Southeastern Louisiana. And with a trip to Ole Miss coming up next, it couldn’t have come at a better time for LSU. Nussmeier completed 25 of 31 passes for 273 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions in 2½ quarters of action against the Lions. It was the first game in which he threw for more than 250 yards this season.
Georgia slipped 1 spot to No. 6 this week as the Bulldogs were idle. They previously climbed to into the top 5 after Gunner Stockton delivered his best showing to date in a dramatic overtime win at Tennessee in Week 3.
Texas A&M landed at No. 9 despite not playing last weekend, with the Aggies still riding the wave of momentum from their last-second thriller at Notre Dame — the kind of road win that can reset a program’s trajectory. And at No. 8, Oklahoma moved up a spot this week after its 24-17 home win over Auburn in Week 4.
With Ohio State, Miami and Oregon holding the top three spots nationally, the spotlight is about to burn brighter on the SEC’s top contenders. September wins may boost rankings, but October will reveal which of these four programs are truly built to last.
