RotoWire.com used follower counts from Instagram and X to create a social media hype power ranking system for college football teams' official accounts. We ranked teams based on percentage growth week-over-week on the platforms, following their previous game.
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Social Media Power Rankings
Rank | Team | Social Media Growth |
1 |
| 1.797% |
2 |
| 1.533% |
3 |
| 1.178% |
4 |
| 0.904% |
5 |
| 0.723% |
6 |
| 0.613% |
7 |
| 0.548% |
8 |
| 0.536% |
9 |
| 0.520% |
10 |
| 0.487% |
11 |
| 0.447% |
12 |
| 0.439% |
13 |
| 0.431% |
14 |
| 0.385% |
15 |
| 0.382% |
Indiana Hoosiers (↑1) 
Vanderbilt Commodores (↑10) 
BYU Cougars (↑7) 
Texas A&M Aggies (↑3) 
Northwestern Wildcats (↑10) 
UCLA Bruins (↓1) 
Wake Forest Demon Deacons (↑1) 
Texas Tech Red Raiders (↓5) 
Arizona State Sun Devils (↑7) 
Minnesota Golden Gophers (↑22) 
Ole Miss Rebels (↑9) 
Virginia Cavaliers (↓6) 
Auburn Tigers (↑5) 
Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (↓5) 
SMU Mustangs (↑16) Also check out and compare college football odds for upcoming Week 9 games.
Top Power Four Social Media Teams of Week 7
The nation's gridiron sweethearts from Bloomington continued their ascent on Saturday, blasting unranked Michigan State, 38-13, to improve to 7-0 overall and 4-0 in Big Ten play, while gaining 1.797% more followers along the way.
That surge in social following meant that the Fighting Curt Cignettis of Indiana were the nation's top team (at the Power Four level), social media following wise, beating out other heavyweights like Vanderbilt (+1.533%), BYU (+1.178%), Texas A&M (+0.904%) and Northwestern (+0.723%).
Like Indiana, the Commodores have seen their football stock soar this year under head coach Clark Lea's leadership and quarterback Diego Pavia's gridiron bravado, with Vanderbilt rebounding from a tough-luck loss to Alabama last week by beating LSU (31-24) for the first time since 1990 on Saturday, with the SEC stalwart improving to 6-1 for the first time since 1950.
The Cougars of BYU kept their unblemished record alive in the yearly installment of "The Holy War" between BYU and Utah this weekend, beating the Utes, 24-21, to move to 7-0 for the year and up to No. 11 in the latest AP top 25 poll.
The Aggies did the same Saturday, surviving a road scare in Fayetteville against unranked Arkansas, 45-42, to move to 7-0 for the year and 4-0 in SEC play in Mike Elko's second season in College Station, with a road clash against LSU awaiting them on Saturday evening.
Lastly, the Wildcats of Northwestern continued their own improbable path towards bowl eligibility, blanking an overmatched Purdue Boilermakers team at home, 19-0, to earn the school's fourth straight victory, with a road clash against Nebraska in Lincoln awaiting them on Saturday.
Outside of those football heavyweights, the rest of the Power Four online movers and shakers included the suddenly hot UCLA Bruins (+0.613%), Wake Forest (+0.548%), Texas Tech (+0.536%), Arizona State (+0.520%) and Minnesota (+0.487%), with the Bruins (20-17 over Maryland), Arizona State (26-22 over Texas Tech) and Minnesota (24-6 over Nebraska) winning over the weekend to bolster their following online.
Q&A
Q: Which college football team dominated social media growth this week?
A: Indiana Hoosiers dominated this week, rising 1 spot to No. 1 with a 1.797% social growth — the highest of all programs.
Q: Were there any surprising teams in the Top 5?
A: Yes — the Top 5 featured several big movers: Vanderbilt surged 10 spots to No. 2, BYU climbed 7 spots to No. 3, and Northwestern jumped 10 spots to No. 5. Meanwhile, Texas A&M continued its steady rise, moving up 3 spots to No. 4.
Q: What does this ranking reveal about the connection between the field and social media?
A: The numbers highlight how closely game-day results fuel online hype. Teams that score big wins or deliver poor performances often see a direct spike in engagement online. Social media is becoming a real-time scoreboard of fan enthusiasm – one where both traditional powerhouses and rising programs can grab the spotlight.
