The first month of action for the 2021 college football season is in the books, and this season is shaping up to be one of the most chaotic in recent history. Through Week 4, we have seen 25 ranked teams lose which is the most in the poll era through four weeks. 

Each week the rankings look less like reality and more like an NCAA video game ranking in dynasty mode. After several seasons with little to no parity, 2021 appears to be different and could very well be the most entertaining college football season since the iconic 2007 season which is so fondly remembered by fans. 

The biggest takeaway I had from this past week of action is the ACC being completely eliminated from playoff contention. This doesn’t come as much of a surprise, when a conference is carried by one program and said program has a down season it makes sense that the ACC is lacking a serious playoff threat. Clemson’s losing to NC State means the Tigers will miss the playoff for the first time since its inaugural season in 2014. 

Miami and UNC have also fallen out of contention with each stumbling out of the gates to a 2-2 start as well. With the ACC being out of the picture, that opens up the door for a potential Group of Five team to make the playoffs for the first time. The Group of Five’s best hope at a playoff spot is Cincinnati who have their biggest game of the year this weekend against Notre Dame. Should the Bearcats win vs the Irish, they would have a great shot at the playoff should they run the table in AAC play. 

Speaking of Notre Dame, the Irish made a statement on Saturday with their blowout win over Wisconsin. The Fighting Irish looked like a top tier college football program for the first time all season after three underwhelming wins against weaker competition. 

The question now is which Notre Dame team will we see this week vs Cincinnati. Will we see the team that annihilated a ranked Wisconsin or the team that struggled to beat Florida State and Toledo. The Irish have no ranked teams left on their schedule after this week so if they can take care of business vs Cincinnati, the Irish would in all likelihood control their destiny for the College Football Playoff. 

Alabama and Georgia continue to separate themselves from the pack this season and everyone is wondering if anyone can beat them? This week will be telling as both of them have tough matchups with the Tide facing Ole Miss’s high powered offense under Lane Kiffin and Heisman frontrunner Matt Corral and the Bulldogs are hosting a red hot Arkansas team that is top ten in the nation after early season wins over Texas and Texas A&M. 

There has been some debate over who is the best team in the nation between Alabama and Georgia but we will get an answer in the SEC Championship should both squads continue playing at this level. This week will tell us if Alabama and Georgia are head and shoulders ahead of the rest of the conference or if a team like Ole Miss and Arkansas can break through and spoil the party.

College Football Top 25 Rankings: 

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (4-0) W vs Southern Miss 63-14, last week-1 
2. Georgia Bulldogs (4-0) W vs Vanderbilt 62-0, last week-2
3. Oregon Ducks (4-0) W vs Arizona 41-19, last week-4 
4. Iowa Hawkeyes (4-0) W vs Colorado State 24-14, last week-3
5. Penn State Nittany Lions (4-0) W vs Villanova 38-17, last week-5
6. Oklahoma Sooners (4-0) W vs West Virginia 16-13, last week-6
7. Cincinnati Bearcats (3-0) Bye Week, last week-8 
8. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (4-0) W 41-13 vs Wisconsin, last week-13
9. Arkansas Razorbacks (4-0) W 20-10 vs Texas A&M, last week-18
10. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-1) W 59-7 vs Akron, last week-10 
11. Florida Gators (3-1) W vs Tennessee 38-14, last week-11 
12. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers (4-0) W vs UMass 53-3, last week-12
13. Ole Miss Rebels (3-0) Bye Week, last week-15 
14. BYU Cougars (4-0) W vs USF 35-27, last week-19 
15. Michigan Wolverines (4-0) W vs Rutgers 20-13, last week-22
16. Michigan State Spartans (4-0) W vs Nebraska 23-20, last week-20
17. Texas A&M Aggies (3-1) L vs Arkansas 20-10, last week-7 
18. Baylor Bears (4-0) W vs Iowa State 31-29, last week-unranked
19. Oklahoma State Cowboys (4-0) W vs Kansas State 31-20, last week-unranked
20. NC State Wolfpack (3-1) W vs Clemson 27-21, last week-unranked
21. Fresno State Bulldogs (3-1) W vs UNLV 38-30, last week-23
22. UCLA Bruins (3-1) W vs Stanford 35-24, last week-24 
23. Boston College Eagles (4-0) W vs Missouri 41-34, last week-unranked
24. Clemson Tigers (2-2) L vs NC State 27-21, last week-9 
25. SMU Mustangs (4-0) W vs TCU 42-34, last week-unranked Dropped out of rankings- Iowa State, Wisconsin, TCU, North Carolina, Auburn