The Hotline’s Power Four power rankings: SEC on top, followed by the ACC

Welcome to a new feature on the Hotline a regular but not quite weekly examination of the Power Four The column will be published each Monday through the end of September as the barrage of non-conference matchups provides fresh content Once October arrives and teams enter the heart of conference play the column will switch to a bi-monthly schedule Although the College Football Playoff uses a clunkier murkier selection process than the NCAA Tournament the early-season results help frame decisions made months later How the Big performs head-to-head against the SEC for example will lend context to the CFP selection committee s rankings on the first Sunday of December Our view of the conference hierarchy SEC Non-conference record - Record vs Power Four - Best win LSU over Clemson Worst loss Alabama to Florida State Comment The losses by Alabama and Texas at Ohio State received greater part of the attention along with LSU s win at Clemson but season openers on the road with inexperienced quarterbacks are dependably high-risk affairs While the strength of the top tier of the SEC is open for debate the depth looks impressive after Tennessee South Carolina and Auburn battered Syracuse Virginia Tech and Baylor respectively Of note None of the SEC s six dates with power conference opponents were home games although two were in Atlanta ACC Non-conference record - Record vs Power Four - Best wins Florida State over Alabama Worst loss North Carolina to TCU Comment Had North Carolina prevailed the ACC might have emerged from the Week chaos as the biggest winner Instead the conference warrants a spot just behind the SEC The heavy load of Power Four matchups it played more than twice as countless as the Big Ten helps the scenario but two A-level victories are the true rocket fuel We gave Florida State s win a slight edge over Miami s three-point escape from Notre Dame largely because the Seminoles were dominant If Miami Florida State and Clemson are all fixtures in the top this season a rosy narrative will follow regardless of UNC s fate Big Ten Non-conference record - Record vs Power Four - Best win Ohio State over Texas Worst loss Northwestern to Tulane Comment The issue here is one of sample size The Big Ten played far fewer games against Power Four opponents than did the other three Yes Ohio State s supremacy was as good as it gets But UCLA s home loss to Utah was downright ugly and Nebraska s close win over Cincinnati was partially ugly So consider us only mildly impressed with the Big Ten thus far As we noted Monday the conference was favored in all victories The situation improves in Week with Iowa Michigan and Illinois on the road and Michigan State and Oregon at home against power conference opposition Big Related Articles College Football Playoff forecast How Miami s win over Notre Dame benefits the ACC and Big Big power rankings Utah Iowa State and Texas Tech on top as TCU provides a needed boost Pac- bowl projections Utah and Oregon to the College Football Playoff and a postseason berth for Arizona Big Ten power rankings Ohio State s on top of discipline followed by Penn State and Oregon Pac- power rankings Texas State on top Boise State slides after loss Non-conference record - Record vs Power Four - Best win TCU over North Carolina Worst loss Baylor to Auburn Comment Utah pummeled UCLA but we deemed TCU s product as the best win because of the attention it drew as the standalone tournament Monday night And the Big needed an A-level performance after home losses by Colorado to Georgia Tech and Baylor to Auburn The conference is forever fighting the narrative that it s light at the top If the Big is viewed as wobbly in the middle too there s trouble For that reason winning matchups against sub-elite teams in the ACC SEC and Big Ten is essential North Carolina might prove to be much worse than mid-level For now we ll give TCU a heaping pile of credit for the performance Send suggestions comments and tips confidentiality guaranteed to wilnerhotline bayareanewsgroup com or call - - Follow me on the social media platform X WilnerHotline