A third victory away from home over a ranked opponent was enough to convince the majority of voters that LSU was worthy of the top spot, though Oklahoma maintained a smattering of support.
Alabama narrowly missed out on giving the SEC West a stranglehold on the top two, while Boise State held court at No. 4.
Arizona State returned to the top 25 this week on the heels of its first win over USC since 1999.
Here are this week's Power Rankings:
Overall | Voters 1-6 | Voters 7-12 | Voters 13-18 | Voters 19-25| College Football Power Rankings - Week 4 | |||||
| RANK | TEAM / RECORD | TRENDING | PTS | COMMENT | |
| 1 | 1 Last Week: 2 | 620 | No ranked team challenged itself as much as the Tigers did in September, and they've been rewarded for it. LSU returns home to continue SEC play against Kentucky on Saturday. | ||
| 2 | 1 Last Week: 1 | 591 | A repeat of last season -- when Missouri knocked off the Sooners as they were No. 1 in the BCS standings -- was not to be repeated. OU handled the Tigers 38-28 Saturday night en route to its 38th straight home win. | ||
| 3 | -- Last Week: 3 | 589 | Alabama blew open the doors of its contest with Arkansas in the second half, as the Tide's defense proved too much to handle in a 38-14 win. It was Bama's 20th straight win in an SEC opener. | ||
| 4 | -- Last Week: 4 | 531 | Tulsa has been no pushover for the Broncos in recent years; their past three meetings have been decided by a touchdown or less. Saturday's game was decidedly pro-Boise, as it won 41-21 in its home opener. | ||
| 5 | 2 Last Week: 7 | 506 | It was a tale of two halves in College Station, and it was Oklahoma State that wrote the winning ending, coming back to shock Texas A&M 30-29. Brandon Weeden completed 47 passes for 438 yards to power the comeback. | ||
| 6 | 1 Last Week: 5 | 501 | Stanford was off this week. The Cardinal return to action Saturday as they continue Pac-12 play against UCLA. | ||
| 7 | 1 Last Week: 6 | 500 | The Badgers improved to 4-0 for the third consecutive season -- the first time in school history they've achieved such a stretch. Russell Wilson has added a fearsome dimension to Wisconsin's attack. The first true test awaits Saturday against Nebraska. | ||
| 8 | 2 Last Week: 10 | 433 | All the Ducks have done since their opening loss to LSU is rack up 181 points through three wins, including 56 in a blowout win over Arizona. The Ducks are off this week, returning to action Thursday, Oct. 6, to face Cal. | ||
| 9 | 3 Last Week: 12 | 406 | Nebraska hasn't lost to a current Mountain West team since 1963, and Wyoming was not going to end that streak. The Cornhuskers face a daunting task in their first game as a Big Ten member with a visit to Wisconsin. | ||
| 10 | 4 Last Week: 14 | 374 | David Wilson continued his hot start, turning his third 100-plus-yard rushing performance in the Hokies' 30-10 win over Marshall. Virginia Tech's ACC opener might be its most important conference date this season: 4-0 Clemson awaits. | ||
| 11 | 2 Last Week: 13 | 373 | The sight of South Carolina's offensive ineptitude had Steve Spurrier apologizing to the Gamecocks faithful after a 21-3 win over Vanderbilt. Thanks to its defense, South Carolina was spared from adding a loss to its worries. | ||
| 12 | 3 Last Week: 15 | 370 | Chris Rainey and Jeff Demps have formed one of the nation's most potent one-two punches. The Gators will need both at their best to land any blows against Alabama's defense on Saturday. | ||
| 13 | 9 Last Week: 22 | 328 | Tajh Boyd is looking the part of an all-league QB, and Sammy Watkins already has broken Clemson's freshman record for touchdown catches in a season. Times are good for the Tigers. Will that continue against Virginia Tech? | ||
| 14 | 6 Last Week: 8 | 292 | Texas A&M finalized its departure from the Big 12 this past weekend; it also let a win over a top-10 opponent from said conference slip through its fingers. The Aggies are back in action Saturday at Cowboys Stadium against Arkansas. | ||
| 15 | 3 Last Week: 18 | 239 | By now, you might have heard: Robert Griffin III is pretty good. As in, he's thrown more touchdown passes (13) than incompletions (12). Baylor will begin Big 12 play on Saturday against Kansas State. | ||
| 16 | 1 Last Week: 17 | 228 | Last season, B.J. Daniels was ranked 82nd in passing efficiency; this season, he's ranked 20th. No wonder South Florida is 4-0 heading into Big East play Thursday at Pitt. | ||
| 17 | 2 Last Week: 19 | 211 | Texas was off this week. The Longhorns return to action Saturday to begin Big 12 play against fellow unbeaten Iowa State. | ||
| 18 | 7 Last Week: 11 | 199 | The Razorbacks will have to pick themselves up quickly after Saturday's loss to Alabama, as they face another team dashed by a top-10 opponent in Texas A&M at Cowboys Stadium. | ||
| 19 | 1 Last Week: 20 | 186 | Denard Robinson more than made up for his two interceptions with 200 yards rushing and three touchdowns in Michigan's 28-7 win over San Diego State. Big Ten play for the Wolverines will begin Saturday against Minnesota. | ||
| 20 | 5 Last Week: 25 | 157 | The last time Georgia Tech started 4-0, it was 1990 and the Yellow Jackets shared the national title with Colorado. Expectations may not be as high now, but who knows what the Jackets are capable of if they produce more than 630 yards per game? | ||
| 21 | 3 Last Week: 24 | 113 | Illinois avoided souring its fast start by eking out a win over Western Michigan 23-20. It's the first 4-0 start for the Illini since 1951. | ||
| 22 | 1 Last Week: 23 | 100 | Since giving up 50 points in their opening loss to Baylor, the Horned Frogs have allowed 49 in three successive wins. They'll host SMU on Saturday. | ||
| 23 | 7 Last Week: 16 | 84 | The momentum was shifting in West Virginia's favor early in the second half, but an LSU kickoff return for a touchdown deflated the Mountaineers' hopes for a comeback in a 47-21 loss. | ||
| 24 | 2 Last Week: NR | 66 | Arizona State weathered USC's flurry early in the second half, responding with three unanswered touchdowns to close out a 43-22 victory after the Trojans had taken the lead. A visit from Oregon State awaits Saturday. | ||
| 24 | 15 Last Week: 9 | 66 | Death Valley has lived up to its name as far as the Seminoles' visits are concerned. They haven't won at Clemson since 2001, and on Saturday they suffered their second consecutive defeat. A bye week will be most welcome. | ||
| Others receiving votes: Houston (24), Michigan State (18), Iowa State (7), Ohio State (5), Notre Dame (4), Kansas State (3), Missouri (1) | |||||
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