Heading into week 4, college football has become increasingly chaotic and competitive, with shifting performance dynamics across teams. Each team is putting their all into the game, aiming to secure a playoff spot. After week 3, the momentum seemed somewhat uneventful, with no major upsets making headlines. However, dramatic reshuffles can occur without external threats. Voter instinct and logical analysis can be enough to elevate Notre Dame to a surprising No. 18, up from dropping out of the rankings last week, or to keep Georgia at the top despite a close win against Kentucky on the road.

In the latest rankings revision, there have been a few shakeups that have drawn criticism from netizens. Texas holds the No. 2 position despite a major injury sidelining Quinn Ewers, thanks to their impressive 56-7 win against UTSA. Meanwhile, Alabama has solidified its position at No. 3 with a dominant victory over Wisconsin, bouncing back from a near fall out of the top 5 earlier in the week.

After they released the official poll, Tennessee’s position offended the fans the most.

College football fans rally behind a higher ranking for Josh Heupel’s Tennessee 

The Vols have been gearing up for a massive challenge next week against Oklahoma to kick off their conference schedule. But the terrific performances they mounted so far under Josh Heupel (especially the immaculate 71-0 victory over Kent State) were enough to build trust among fans that they will end up near the top. One of the major flex of their strength was an unstoppable offense that got a No. 2 rank nationally (639.3 yards per game). So, fans aren’t at all delusional to demand a higher ranking than N0. 6 in the AP poll. One of them wrote, ‘‘Tennessee is top 5 easily, top 3 if we are being honest.” while another one echoed the sentiment with a ‘Tennessee should be top 5′ call.

Another group of users are mad at Missouri’s moving down to No. 7 despite a smooth win against Boston College. To look at the last season, the Tigers stuck to the top 25 until week 5 and the top 15 until week 8. But as per fans’ judgment, the Tigers’ dominance is still on given how a vigorous defense line handled the first Big Four opponent of 2024. They slammed the voters with strong dissent saying, ‘Mizzou at 7 is laughable’. One of them seemed  dumbfounded, ”How does Mizzou lose a spot when they’re the only team in the top 10 to have beaten a ranked opponent yesterday?”

Another prominent team in the AP Poll that has been a tough pill to swallow for college football fans was Michigan. A lacklustre victory over a mediocre Arkansas State last week earned them a huge backlash on social media.  Although the Wolverines moved to a 2-1 after a 28-18 win, it was far from what they needed to slide into the CFP. Now, as they stand at No.18 in the AP Poll, some of the users even demand an NR. ‘‘Tennessee should be 2, Missouri should be NR, ND should be NR, Michigan should be NR, Michigan State should be ranked, and the real OSU should be in the top 10. I am not biased,” wrote a football fanatic.

However, since the list is not final and will remain highly volatile for a while, we will have to wait to see how it pans out in the end.