What do Army, Navy, Indiana, James Madison, Duke, BYU, UNLV and Rutgers have in common?

Amazingly, they are all undefeated more than a month into the college football season. These eight schools are 35-0: two military academies, a private, religious university in the mountains of Utah, three basketball schools, a Big Ten basement in New Jersey and a school in Virginia named after the fourth U.S. president .

But after another crazy Saturday in college football, these programs are on the list of 18 total undefeated FBS players.

The Army and Navy are 4-0 for the first time since World War II. Indiana is 5-0 for the first time since the Vietnam War. JMU is 4-0 in FBS in just its second year. BYU leads the Big 12 with an undefeated record. Rutgers is 4-0 for the first time in more than a decade.

UNLV, without QB Matthew Sluka, defeated Fresno 59-14. Down 20-0, Duke stormed back to beat North Carolina and improve to 5-0 in Manny Diaz’s first season.

Who would have thought?

Meanwhile, Mark Stoops’ Kentucky Wildcats pulled off the biggest upset of the day on Saturday when they defeated Ole Miss in Oxford. In the West, Boise State running back and Heisman hopeful Ashton Jeanty continues his early season success. His 259 yards against Washington State give him a season total of 845. He averages an astounding 10.3 yards per carry.

Enough already! Our ranking continues.

One final reminder: We do not consider preseason polls or results from previous seasons. What happened in the past is in the past. It depends on who you hit and how you hit them!

1. Alabama Crimson Tide

This week: Beat Georgia 41-34

Next week: at Vanderbilt

The Tide now have arguably the best win of the season in the country. Kalen DeBoer’s team outscored the Bulldogs, taking a 28-0 lead, getting a record-setting performance from quarterback Jalen Milroe and surviving at the end with two incredible catches from two true freshmen. With the Wisconsin win already under our belt, Bama has a good record to secure our top spot.

2. Volunteers from Tennessee

This week: Bye

Next week: in Arkansas

The Vols got their quality wins against NC State and at Oklahoma – two convincing power conference victories – but they will be tested even more in Fayetteville, where the Hogs are feeling buoyant after the win at Auburn. It’s a big game for Arkansas coach Sam Pittman’s future. Can Tennessee’s nasty defensive front slow OC Bobby Petrino’s attack with QB Taylen Green?

3. Penn State Nittany Lions

This week: Beat Illinois 21-7

Next week: vs. UCLA

After Illinois scored on its first drive of the game, the Nittany Lions’ defense forced the Illini into four punts, a fumble, an interception and a missed field goal. They never launched a drive that lasted longer than 50 yards after the opening score. PSU’s win at West Virginia earlier in the year and victory over previously undefeated Illinois have secured them a solid spot in our rankings.

4. Texas Longhorns

This week: Beat Mississippi State 35-13

Next week: Bye

No Quinn Ewers; No problem. Arch Manning started his second straight game and led the Longhorns to victory over a struggling Bulldogs team. Manning failed just five passes, threw for 324 yards and two touchdowns. The Longhorns receive a bye before their annual clash against Oklahoma in Dallas. That’s enough time for Ewers to gather enough strength to return against the Sooners.

5. Miami Hurricanes

This week: Beat Virginia Tech 38-34

Next week: Bye

Survive and advance! The Hurricanes stormed back to avoid a devastating home loss to a Tech team that had already lost two games. And they needed a controversial replay of what would have been a game-winning Hail Mary for the Hokies. Miami QB Cam Ward threw two interceptions and lost a fumble.

6. BYU Cougars

This week: Beat Baylor 34-28

Next week: Bye

Some in the industry felt coach Kalani Sitake – in his ninth season – needed a strong year to cool off after going 5-7 in the Big 12 in 2023. Here are the Cougars, four games into the season and without a loss. They led the Bears 21-0 before securing the win. Along with wins at SMU and against Kansas State, the Cougars have a pretty strong record so far.

7. Iowa State Cyclones

This week: Beat Houston 20-0

Next week: vs. Baylor

The Cyclones are not lively. They don’t have an all-world quarterback or truly incredibly talented players. But boy, do they have a defense. Matt Campbell’s team has given up a total of 29 points in four games. Their one-point win at Iowa ranks as one of the best wins of the season so far. Speaking of Campbell, he became the school’s all-time record winner with win No. 57. Fifty-seven!

8. Oregon Ducks

This week: Beat UCLA 34-13

Next week: vs. Michigan State

The Ducks haven’t necessarily played against top-10 giants, but they have beaten one of the best in the G5 (Boise State), dominated at UCLA on Saturday and beat Oregon State two weeks ago. That’s enough to put them (just) in the top 10. The Ohio State game is in two weeks.

9. Georgia Bulldogs

This week: Lost 41-34 to Alabama

Next week: vs. Auburn

The Bulldogs are the first team this year to make it into our rankings despite losing. Remember, they have two high-profile wins on the road (at Kentucky, where they beat Ole Miss on Saturday, and against Clemson in Atlanta). The loss at Alabama – our No. 1 ranked team – is understandable. And the Dawgs almost came back to win!

10. Missouri Tigers

This week: Bye

Next week: at Texas A&M

The Tigers are new to our rankings. While we know they haven’t played the toughest schedule – or had the most convincing wins – they have beaten two power conference programs in Vanderbilt and Boston College, each of which has shown flashes this season.

Dropped out: Utah (4), Illinois (6), Washington State (9)