Texas Longhorns 4-0
Composite #1 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #44 (avg opponent win pct 0.611 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 24-23 vs Ohio State Buckeyes (AP #5); closest call: W 24-23 vs Ohio State Buckeyes (AP #5)
ROAD TO THE PLAYOFF
2026 SEASONThe weekly 12-team resume audit
Week 5 audit through Saturday's games — 24 contenders with records, composite rank, remaining schedule strength, and the loss count that ends each at-large case. Five highest-ranked conference champions plus seven at-larges. Compiled 2026-09-28.
THE WEEK IN THREE LINES
Storylines
MOVER
florida-gators moved to 4-0 with a 52-28 dismantling of then-No. 9 Ole Miss — the weekend's most lopsided ranked-vs-ranked result — and now sit AP #8 with a chance to keep climbing at No. 25 Missouri.
WATCH NEXT WEEK
ohio-state-buckeyes (AP #5, 3-1) at iowa-hawkeyes (AP #14, 4-0) — the week's top ranked-versus-ranked showdown; the loser's playoff margin is close to gone before mid-October.
WEAKER THAN RECORD
georgia-bulldogs are 4-0 and No. 2, but the resume is soft so far: no ranked win, a 45-17 escape marked as the closest call, and a CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank of #107 — the softest remaining slate among the top ten.
THE BOARD · ORDERED BY CFB APEX COMPOSITE
24 contenders
Needs help
Georgia Bulldogs 4-0
Composite #2 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #107 (avg opponent win pct 0.438 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 63-3 vs Tennessee State Tigers; closest call: W 45-17 at Arkansas Razorbacks
Notre Dame Fighting Irish 4-0
Composite #3 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #37 (avg opponent win pct 0.631 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 52-0 vs Rice Owls; closest call: W 27-10 vs Michigan State Spartans
Miami (FL) Hurricanes 4-0
Composite #4 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #19 (avg opponent win pct 0.714 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 77-7 vs Florida A&M Rattlers; closest call: W 33-20 at Wake Forest Demon Deacons
Ohio State Buckeyes 3-1
Composite #5 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #7 (avg opponent win pct 0.781 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 59-3 vs Kent State Golden Flashes; closest call: L 23-24 at Texas Longhorns (AP #1)
Indiana Hoosiers 4-0
Composite #6 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #16 (avg opponent win pct 0.721 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 55-0 vs Howard Bison; closest call: W 29-23 vs Northwestern Wildcats
Alabama Crimson Tide 4-0
Composite #7 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #18 (avg opponent win pct 0.714 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 45-17 at Kentucky Wildcats (AP #24); closest call: W 50-36 vs Florida State Seminoles
Florida Gators 4-0
Composite #8 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #51 (avg opponent win pct 0.594 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 52-28 vs Ole Miss Rebels (AP #9); closest call: W 44-39 at Auburn Tigers
BYU Cougars 3-0
Composite #9 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #38 (avg opponent win pct 0.625 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 63-7 vs Utah Tech Trailblazers; closest call: W 28-17 vs Arizona Wildcats
Ole Miss Rebels 3-1
Composite #10 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #26 (avg opponent win pct 0.688 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 32-24 vs LSU Tigers (AP #11); closest call: W 41-38 vs Louisville Cardinals
LSU Tigers 3-1
Composite #11 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #62 (avg opponent win pct 0.563 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 51-10 vs Clemson Tigers; closest call: L 24-32 at Ole Miss Rebels (AP #9)
Texas Tech Red Raiders 4-0
Composite #12 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #14 (avg opponent win pct 0.738 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 28-26 vs Houston Cougars (AP #20); closest call: W 28-26 vs Houston Cougars (AP #20)
Utah Utes 4-0
Composite #13 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #47 (avg opponent win pct 0.604 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 66-14 vs Idaho Vandals; closest call: W 31-17 at Iowa State Cyclones
Iowa Hawkeyes 4-0
Composite #14 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #12 (avg opponent win pct 0.738 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 55-0 vs Northern Iowa Panthers; closest call: W 20-19 at Michigan Wolverines
Oregon Ducks 3-1
Composite #15 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #3 (avg opponent win pct 0.802 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 41-27 at USC Trojans (AP #18); closest call: W 34-27 vs Boise State Broncos (AP #22)
Mississippi State Bulldogs 4-0
Composite #16 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #59 (avg opponent win pct 0.571 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 31-24 vs Missouri Tigers (AP #25); closest call: W 41-34 at South Carolina Gamecocks
Tennessee Volunteers 3-1
Composite #17 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #85 (avg opponent win pct 0.5 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 56-9 vs Furman Paladins; closest call: L 17-20 vs Texas Longhorns (AP #1)
USC Trojans 4-1
Composite #18 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #4 (avg opponent win pct 0.792 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 39-0 vs Fresno State Bulldogs; closest call: W 42-35 at Rutgers Scarlet Knights
Houston Cougars 3-1
Composite #19 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #33 (avg opponent win pct 0.643 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 77-6 vs Southern Jaguars; closest call: L 26-28 at Texas Tech Red Raiders (AP #12)
SMU Mustangs 3-1
Composite #20 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #25 (avg opponent win pct 0.69 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 56-10 vs UC Davis Aggies; closest call: W 27-24 at Florida State Seminoles
Oklahoma State Cowboys 3-1
Composite #21 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #64 (avg opponent win pct 0.563 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 39-31 vs Oregon Ducks (AP #15); closest call: W 39-31 vs Oregon Ducks (AP #15)
UCLA Bruins 4-0
Composite #22 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #24 (avg opponent win pct 0.694 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 54-3 at Maryland Terrapins; closest call: W 52-38 vs Purdue Boilermakers
Duke Blue Devils 4-0
Composite #23 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #60 (avg opponent win pct 0.563 through Week 4) · 2 losses ends the case
Best win: W 62-7 vs William & Mary Tribe; closest call: W 31-27 at Illinois Fighting Illini
Boise State Broncos 3-1
Composite #24 · CFB Apex remaining-SOS rank #98 (avg opponent win pct 0.458 through Week 4) · 1 loss ends the case
Best win: W 32-7 at Western Michigan Broncos; closest call: L 27-34 at Oregon Ducks (AP #15)
ZCode (GLM) weekly pipeline compilation from live ESPN endpoints (Weeks 1-4 finals, Week 5 scoreboard, post-Week-4 AP + AFCA Coaches polls, ESPN core season leaders, and the CFB Hub schedules dataset). Every number traces to those payloads; nothing is guessed. Composite = average of AP + Coaches ranks (unranked = 26). Remaining-SOS is a CFB Apex computed metric: average current win percentage of remaining FBS opponents (through Week 4 results), rank 1 = hardest.