College Football Power Rankings: Risers, Fallers, And More

This week’s Power Rankings saw major shifts, with four teams making significant climbs, while Memphis—celebrated just last week—took a steep drop, along with UNC, Wyoming, and others.

Claudia Bellofatto and I broke down these power rankings and much more on the Betting Life College Football Show (live every Monday, Thursday, and Saturday). For those who prefer reading over watching, we've transcribed key points from our Power Rankings discussion to give you a quick rundown.

If you’d rather catch the full show, it’s embedded below.

And be sure to check out all of my College Football Power Rankings, with all 134 teams, remaining strength of schedule, and more. 

The Power Rankings Losers: Memphis, Wyoming, UNC and more

The team that took the greatest fall this week was Memphis, dropping 20 spots from 33 to 53.  After celebrating Memphis last week for a win over Florida State, the Tigers were beaten by Navy, losing 56-44. While Memphis outgained Navy 659 yards to 566, the Tigers made too many mistakes to win. 

Appalachian State fell 18 spots to No. 96, losing badly (48-14) to South Alabama on national television. Appalachian State may have one of the worst run defenses in the FBS, and South Alabama exploited that, doing whatever they wanted on the ground for 320 yards. 

After being annihilated by Connecticut, a bottom-barrel FBS team, Florida Atlantic dropped 15 spots to No. 118 this week. Florida Atlantic’s roster construction under Tom Herman makes little sense. The offense is feeble because it looks like it’s running through a scramble, and the team doesn’t have much talent at the skill player positions, either. 

Wyoming dropped 12 spots to No. 120 and got scorched by North Texas 44-17. Wyoming is a team that traditionally has had a good defense, but the defense that played under Craig Bohl is no longer there. North Texas could run, pass, and virtually do as they pleased to Wyoming’s defense, and the Cowboys’ offense wasn’t much better. Evan Svoboda, who Wyoming coaches compared to Josh Allen, is not Josh Allen. He may be the same size as Allen and is a little athletic, but he doesn’t have Allen’s arm or accuracy. 

The last faller of the week, also down 16 spots to No. 64, is North Carolina, a team that fell to James Madison 70-50. James Madison piled on points early and moved the ball at will. UNC repeatedly shot themselves in the foot. It doesn’t help that Mac Brown, UNC’s coach, told players last week that he would retire if they didn’t get things turned around. In the preseason, North Carolina also lost their starting quarterback, Max Johnson. At this point, they are down to their third-string quarterback, Jacolby Criswell, and they don’t have a functioning defense. UNC is in a very tough spot right now. 

The Power Rankings Risers: UConn, BYU, and more 

Connecticut is a big riser this week, moving up 23 spots to No. 98. It is easier to make a leap when you’re at the bottom of the FBS. But remember, UConn made a bowl game in Jim Mora Jr.’s first season. Then, last year, they tried building momentum but suffered various injuries during the season. This UConn team has some sneaky NFL talent, including two offensive tackles. Mora has done a great job identifying and developing talent, and now it appears UConn is back on track. 

South Alabama is another riser with a great offense, gaining 20 spots to move to No. 79. The Jaguars were running the ball very well, but I also like their quarterback, Geo Lopez, who is a scrambling lefty with a lot of guts. He tests tight windows. He doesn’t have a howitzer for an arm, but I like how he plays. South Alabama will have to fend off Power Four programs because Lopez is only a redshirt freshman. Still, I wouldn’t say I like South Alabama’s defense, but the offense can take them a long way. 

North Texas also sees an 18-spot rise this week after beating the aforementioned Wyoming to improve to 3-1, and Navy moves up 18 spots, too, after the upset over Memphis. Navy has not lost a game yet, and Memphis was considered one of the toughest games on their schedule. Navy is a sneaky team to watch if they can run it out in the AAC. 

The last team to move up this week is Brigham Young, who rose 19 spots to No. 35 after beating Kansas State 38-6. Kansas State led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter, but during the end of the second quarter, BYU went on a run until the mid-third quarter. Watching the game, it was clear that Kansas State cannot throw, and BYU has an excellent defense, so BYU has to move up.

Thor Nystrom's College Football Top 25

(You can find all 134 teams power ranked here)