Auburn football will be ranked ahead of this Top 20 team after Week 4

It was a hell of a fight, but Auburn football comes back to the Plains with a tough loss to Penn State on their record after Week 3.

They also remain ranked in the AP Top 25, with a loss against a legitimate contender not being held too harshly against them. And given what’s on their plate in Week 4, they should be able to jump ahead of one of the teams that have it a lot tougher this Saturday.

Auburn proved that they are legitimate in the Bryan Harsin era and that Weeks 1 and 2 weren’t just empty fireworks shows against teams in much lower weight classes.

The Nittany Lions look legit and have propelled themselves into College Football Playoff territory. Voters respect the Tigers and didn’t ding them for the loss as much as they rewarded Penn State. They, like AU, get a team unlikely to offer much resistance in Week 4 as Villanova of the FCS heads to Happy Valley.

Elsewhere, the Top 25 has some Group of Five teams that are also all but certain to prey on seriously inferior competition. Even some ACC teams are near-locks to knock off the bottom-tier teams of the conference.

AU has Georgia State coming to town, and recent history for both teams predicts a pretty painful beatdown for the Panthers. Their SEC slate begins the second of October in Death Valley against LSU. Things get serious again then. But Week 4 will be a feast for the offensive assault of the Tigers against a Georgia State defense that ceded 102 points to Army and UNC.

Upsets and detrimental early season losses are lurking across the country. Trap games are possible for many games on the schedule. Not for a Bryan Harsin-coached team, though, of course.

This ranked team, however, could end up behind Auburn football in the standings after a Week 4 loss:

Auburn football will be ranked ahead of Wisconsin after a loss to Notre Dame

Simply put, a 1-2 record isn’t keeping you in the AP Top 25. Wisconsin has a tough–but so far underwhelming–Notre Dame on the docket in an unpopular neutral site game at Soldier Field this weekend.

A loss would be damning for the Badgers early in the season after they took a Week 1 loss to Penn State on the first Big Noon Kickoff of the season.

The Fighting Irish need this win for their CFP hopes, and should get it. Graham Mertz has not yet proven capable of even getting the team in the end zone this year, relying on 352 yards and four TDs to the Badgers running backs against Eastern Michigan. Penn State’s secondary feasted on Mertz’ mistakes in the passing game.

Notre Dame’s defense could do the same after picking up two picks against Purdue this past weekend.

Expect Auburn football to receive a boost in the rankings ahead of their ESPN Saturday night showdown at Tiger Stadium on October 2nd because of a Fighting Irish knockout win over Wisconsin in the Windy City.