001
PERMANENT BOARD · SEPTEMBER 23, 2026 · WEEK 4
THE SEPTEMBER
POSITION.
If everybody played next Saturday, which 25 teams would we believe in most?
This page preserves the human-readable September board. The current presentation may move; these rankings and reasons do not.
- 01 SEC Texas The lead belongs to Texas; now make it travel.
- 02 SEC Georgia A convincing road result earns the second chair.
- 03 SEC Ole Miss We were too low. The succession argument now has a scoreboard.
- 04 Independent Notre Dame Still in the title conversation; this week we reward the sharper SEC evidence.
- 05 ACC Miami A road conference win matters more than an immaculate-looking home score.
- 06 Big Ten Indiana The champion is handling its work; the next measuring stick must be taller.
- 07 Big Ten Ohio State The ceiling survives. The preseason No. 1 entitlement does not.
- 08 Big 12 BYU Road production moves BYU ahead of our July caution.
- 09 SEC Alabama Fifty points buy attention. Thirty-six allowed keep the receipt open.
- 10 Big 12 Texas Tech Survival counts, but two points are not separation.
- 11 SEC LSU Oxford turns the installation story into an accountability story.
- 12 Big Ten USC Four wins are real. So is the defensive bill.
- 13 Big 12 Utah The post-Whittingham floor looks sturdier than our opening board allowed.
- 14 Big Ten Penn State The assembled roster is winning. Its hardest chemistry test is still ahead.
- 15 SEC Tennessee The opening work is complete; the credibility test gets larger now.
- 16 ACC Louisville A ranked win earns a seat that the preseason board did not reserve.
- 17 Big Ten Iowa The offense has supplied a number worth noticing; the opponent limits the inference.
- 18 SEC Florida A road SEC win moves the reset beyond a press-conference promise.
- 19 Big Ten Michigan The unbeaten start keeps Michigan in view; the next comparison must be tougher.
- 20 Big Ten Oregon An enormous rebound is still a rebound. July’s No. 4 needs rebuilding.
- 21 SEC Missouri Unbeaten gets Missouri onto the board; ten points keeps the claim modest.
- 22 SEC Mississippi State A road SEC result deserves space before brand familiarity takes it back.
- 23 ACC SMU The loss changes the position; it does not erase the entire case.
- 24 SEC Texas A&M A home loss spends most of the preseason benefit of the doubt.
- 25 Big 12 Houston A two-point road loss earns a closer look than a binary win column.
WHAT AGED WELL?