Each week, the Sports' editorial team selects its Top 25 FBS college football teams for the Student Media Poll.
The SMP is a nationwide poll featuring 97 student journalists from schools nationwide.
The Post Sports will break down its ballots each week. Here are the top five, those dropped from the Top 25 and those added.
Robert Keegan III, sports editor
Top Five
Ohio State
Texas
Georgia
Alabama
Ole Miss
It’s pretty indisputable who the top five teams in college football are — it’s just about where you place them. Somewhat unpopularly, I have Ohio State at No. 1. The Buckeyes have been by No. 1 since the preseason and haven’t done anything to discredit that ranking yet.
Texas is a prime contender to jump Ohio State in the coming weeks, depending on how each team finishes their non-conference schedules. Texas will have a much harder schedule from here on out but could easily run the table in the SEC.
Who I dropped: Michigan, Arizona
Michigan, the reigning national champions, rebounded from a blowout loss against Texas in Week Two with a Week Three win against Arkansas State. Michigan, however, couldn’t have looked much worse in the win. Starting quarterback Davis Warren was quickly benched after three interceptions and the backup, Alex Orji, didn’t play much better. The Wolverines are a team that lacks identity, and until they find it, they don’t belong in the top 25.
As for Arizona, things didn’t go too well against ranked Kansas State. A 31-7 loss to anyone at this point in the season is inexcusable and not worthy of the top 25.
Who I added: Boise State, Nebraska
Ashton Jeanty. That’s all you need to know about Boise State. The 5-foot-9-inch, 215 lb. running back is the best player in all of college football right now and has the Broncos rolling to a good start.
Nebraska has also had a good start to the season on the back of freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola. The Cornhuskers have three quick wins that came with relatively little drama.
Logan Adams, sports editor
Top Five
Texas
Ohio State
Georgia
Alabama
Ole Miss
After a week that didn’t feature nearly as much turmoil at the top, spots one, four, and five remain the same for me. No new teams enter my top five, with the only difference being Ohio State and Georgia swapping places after Ohio State won its bye week and Georgia narrowly found a victory against Kentucky.
Barring any crucial upsets, Texas, Ohio State and Ole Miss should essentially have thoughtless wins. At the same time, Georgia and Alabama sit one week away from the biggest matchup of the season when they play each other in Tuscaloosa.
Who I dropped: Michigan, Iowa State
Ultimately, Michigan just continues to sputter towards wins against teams that it would’ve blown out last year. With Donovan Edwards’ struggles and lack of a quarterback as a whole, the offense has looked unreasonably bad to start the season.
Iowa State jumped into the top 25 last week after a win against a ranked in-state rival in Iowa. However, they’ve simply been a victim of other teams performing at a higher degree over the last week.
Who I added: Boise State, Memphis
Boise State looks poised to claim the group-of-five spot in the playoff behind a Heisman candidate in Ashton Jeanty, who’s averaging quarterback numbers purely off the ground. The dynamism the smurf turf has brought to the table is only definable by one word: explosive.
Memphis has looked incredible as well, as another group-of-five contender. The Tigers pushed Florida State to an 0-3 start for the second time since 2021 in their most recent matchup, improving to 3-0 behind a great quarterback and an outstanding defense.
