Top four teams remain same for third week in a row
The top four teams in the poll remained the same for the third straight week during the regular season. No. 1 Clemson led the way with 33 first-place votes, No. 2 Alabama had nine, No. 3 Georgia had one and No. 4 LSU three. No. 5 Ohio State exchanged places with No. 6 Oklahoma, which was idle, and dropped one spot.
After beating Michigan decisively in Madison, Wisconsin jumped from No. 13 to No. 8.
Georgia’s home victory over Notre Dame dropped the Irish from seventh to No. 11. But three teams after losses dropped entirely out of the poll: Utah, Michigan and Central Florida. They were replaced by unbeatens Iowa, California and Boise State, all in the poll for the first time this year.
The SEC led all conferences with five teams, followed by the Big Ten with four and the Big 12 and Pac-12 two each. The ACC, Mountain West and Independents had one each.
GAMES THIS WEEK:
No. 1 Clemson at North Carolina
Ole Miss at No. 2 Alabama
No. 3 Georgia is idle
No. 4 LSU is idle
No. 5 Ohio State at Nebraska
Texas Tech at No. 6 Oklahoma
Mississippi State at No. 7 Auburn
Northwestern at No. 8 Wisconsin
Towson at No. 9 Florida
No. 10 Texas is idle
Virginia at No. 11 Notre Dame
No. 12 Oregon is idle
No. 13 Penn State at Maryland (Friday)
Middle Tennessee at No. 14 Iowa
Arizona State at No. 15 California (Friday)
No. 16 Boise State is idle.
FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll, Week 4: games played through September 21
| TEAM | POINTS | FIRST-PLACE VOTES | LAST WEEK’S RANK | |
| 1. | Clemson (4-0) | 718 | 33 | 1 |
| 2. | Alabama (4-0) | 687 | 9 | 2 |
| 3. | Georgia (4-0) | 617 | 1 | 3 |
| 4. | LSU (4-0) | 610 | 3 | 4 |
| 5. | Ohio State (4-0) | 549 | 6 | |
| 6. | Oklahoma (3-0) | 531 | 5 | |
| 7. | Auburn (4-0) | 444 | 8 | |
| 8. | Wisconsin (3-0) | 396 | 13 | |
| 9. | Florida (4-0) | 325 | 11 | |
| 10. | Texas (3-1) | 305 | 9 | |
| 11. | Notre Dame (2-1) | 289 | 7 | |
| 12. | Oregon (3-1) | 224 | 16 | |
| 13. | Penn State (3-0) | 215 | 14 | |
| 14. | Iowa (3-0) | 85 | N/A | |
| 15. | California (4-0) | 72 | N/A | |
| 16. | Boise State (4-0) | 55 | N/A |
OTHERS RECEIVING VOTES: Washington (48), Utah (21), Washington State (17), Texas A&M (15), USC (10), Michigan (9), Virginia (5), UCF (3), Kansas State (3), Wake Forest (1), Army West Point (1) and UAB (1).
ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL: The FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Monday of the 2019 season; the individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 3 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, Dec. 8. The pollsters consist of FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers who were selected to create a balanced-geographical perspective. The poll utilizes a program designed by Sports Systems to compile the rankings.
ABOUT THE FWAA: The Football Writers Association of America, a non-profit organization founded in 1941, consists of more than 1,300 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include gameday operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information visit www.footballwriters.com.
ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl “Red” Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork.
The Fifth Down 