The college football rankings are set for a major shake-up when the AP’s Top 25 is updated on Sunday, as voters must react to the many massive upsets that have occurred (as well as other upheavals who almost happened) in a crazy 2 week. Two top-10 teams lost on the same day, both to opponents Sun Belt, but it was a near upset in Austin, Texas that could lead to the most headline-worthy change in the standings.
Alabama’s No. 1 threw a game-winning field goal with 10 seconds left to escape with a 20-19 win over unranked Texas and earn a win over a Longhorns team that lost starting quarterback Quinn Ewers on injury in the first quarter. The fact that the ‘Horns pushed the Crimson Tide to the limit could actually garner more votes for Steve Sarkisian’s team than it received last week when Texas finished 28th in voting points . On the other hand, Alabama’s sloppy performance (15 penalties!) as a 20-point favorite to a previously unranked team is likely to impact their standing as the top team in the nation.
Some of Alabama’s first-place votes in the preseason standings have already gone to Georgia after the Bulldogs’ Week 1 win over Oregon. If the Tide lost votes to the defending champions while winning 55-0 over Utah State, they will almost certainly drop further after Georgia beat Samford 33-0 in Week 2. If Georgia does not end up jumping to No. 1 as we expect, the margin will be significantly closer. Alabama may stay No. 1, but the noticeable gap that existed in the preseason has closed. From now on, every week is a referendum on who is No. 1 until one of the top three teams suffers a loss.
The greatest uncertainty exists lower in the standings as voters will try to determine where No. 6 Texas A&M and No. 8 Notre Dame should land after taking respectively major upheaval losses as double-digit favorites against Appalachia State and Marshall in Week 2. Falling to an unranked team at home is grounds for being knocked out of the top 25 after most weeks, but further losses by the No. 12 Florida, No. 17 Pittsburgh, No. 19 Wisconsin and No. 25 Houston made the rankings much smoother.
Here’s what the new AP Top 25 poll will look like on Sunday.
1. Georgia (Last week — 2): The Bulldogs have now beaten their first two opponents 58-3 in the first half alone, sailing to comfortable, deep wins over Oregon and Samford. Georgia operate with ruthless efficiency, and it’s a level no one else in the country has displayed so consistently so far this season.
2. Alabama (1): It’s possible the Tide will retain No. 1, and they’ll certainly get a fair amount of votes for the top spot, but there are more pressing questions than whether the team is No. 1 or No. 2 in a given week so early in the season. The offense around Heisman Trophy-winning quarterback Bryce Young needs to improve, and the team as a whole can’t commit 15 penalties in a game like against Texas.
3. State of Ohio (3): No change from voters after a 45-12 win over Arkansas State, but after a tough Game 1 outing against Notre Dame, the Buckeyes offense was able to stretch their legs a bit with four touchdown passes from CJ Stroud – three to Marvin Harrison Jr. – despite Jaxon Smith-Njigba and Julian Fleming being injured.
4. Michigan (4): The Wolverines are currently in action against Hawaii.
5. Clemson (5): There won’t be any big takeaways for voters after a 35-12 win over Furman.
6. Oklahoma (7): An early scare against Kent State leveled off after halftime as the Sooners defense led the way while the offense found its way into a 33-3 win.
7. Baylor (9): The Bears are currently in action at No. 21 BYU.
8.USC(10): When will the Trojans face a team capable of limiting their attacking firepower? Stanford weren’t up to the task as USC scored five touchdowns before halftime and then cruised to a 41-28 victory on the road to open Pac-12 play.
9. Oklahoma State (11): At first it looked like Arizona State was going to add to the unranked roster to go on the road and eliminate a top team, but the Cowboys found their footing and pulled out in the second half to go undefeated. .
10. Michigan State (14): Back-to-back wins over the MAC might not flash for some voters, but a comprehensive 52-0 win on Saturday over Akron bodes well for their fortunes ahead of a road trip to Washington in Week 3. Given the losses that await them, the Spartans are ready to ride.
11. Arkansas (16): A rushing offense and early lead helped the Razorbacks earn their first SEC victory of the season as they held off a second-half charge from South Carolina in a 44-30 win.
12. Kentucky (20): This Wildcats team was able to do what Utah couldn’t – step into The Swamp in prime time and emerge victorious in a hard-fought 26-16 win over the Gators. The win marked Kentucky’s second straight win over Florida (an event that hadn’t happened since 1976-77) and the third such win in the last five meetings of the series. The Gators had won 31 straight before the Cats’ recent surge.
13. Florida (12): The win over Utah now serves as a floor in the AP Top 25 as long as Florida remains a one-loss team. Now the challenge for Billy Napier and the Gators will be to refocus after this loss and ensure they remain a one-loss team for as long as possible. Anthony Richardson had a disastrous outing after his breakout performance in Week 1.
14. Utah (13): A blowout 73-7 win over Southern Utah will go a long way in turning the mood around the Utes program after a tough road loss to Florida in Game 1, but it won’t change their standings too much. .
15. Miami (FL) (15): It wasn’t soon enough – with a few boo birds coming to life in the second quarter – but the Hurricanes pulled out late for a 30-7 win over Southern Miss.
16.Tennessee (24): Knocking down Pitt in overtime made Tennessee one of the significant moves back down the standings. Since the Volunteers weren’t ranked in pre-season and just made the top 25, there’s likely a cap at their landing spot this week, but that cap is likely close to the rankings of Pitt before the game.
17. NC Status (18): After scoring just three touchdowns and winning at ECU on a few missed kicks, ACC preseason player of the year Devin Leary has six touchdowns (four passing, two rushing ) in a 55-3 win over Charleston Southern.
18. BYU (21): The Cougars are currently in action against No. 9 Baylor.
19. Ole Miss (22): Things were a little closer than some might have expected against Troy, but Ole Miss left no doubt in a dominating 59-3 win over Central Arkansas.
20. Wake Forest (23): The return of Sam Hartman brought plenty of offensive highlights in a 45-25 victory at Vanderbilt.
21. Penn State (NR): A 46-10 win over Ohio will move the Nittany Lions from just outside the top 25 into the top 20 and create plenty of excitement for next week’s road trip to Auburn.
22.Texas (NR): If Texas weren’t so close to the top 25 in last week’s polling, the Longhorns would be unlikely to lose and continue to move up the standings. However, last week’s placement suggests they are already a top 25 team in the eyes of many and Saturday’s performance against Alabama suggests they deserve that consideration.
23. Oregon (NR): After tumbling from No. 11 to just outside the standings, a comfortable win over Eastern Washington should lure the few extra voters the Ducks need to get back into the top 25.
24. Kansas State (NR): A dominating win over Missouri could bring more attention to the 2-0 Wildcats, who showed up on enough ballots last week to be well-positioned for a top-25 breakthrough after a victory over a the SEC.
25. Pittsburgh (17): It’s possible the Panthers will suffer the same fate as other ranked teams expected to drop the rankings, but the overtime nature of losing a likely advancing team could keep them on enough ballots to stay just around the corner. No. 24 or No. 25.
Planned retirement: No. 6 Texas A&M, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 19 Wisconsin, No. 25 Houston
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