The college football rankings are set to undergo some significant changes after Week 4 action. Not just is the AP Top 25 set to invite Big Ten groups back into the fold, but the very first weekend of SEC play and a huge weekend of Big 12 action provided some of the most remarkable outcomes for ranked teams that weve seen all year..
Kansas State stunned No. 3 Oklahoma for a second year in a row, handing the Sooners a loss in their very first game against FBS competitors in 2020. A return to the College Football Playoff looks even less likely for No. 6 LSU, which followed in Oklahomas steps with a home loss to an unranked conference foe.
Those were the unlucky ones on a day that saw top-10 teams Auburn, Texas and Texas A&M all resist conference challengers however eventually win. However while those groups were lucky to emerge without a loss, it might not come without charge in the AP Top 25 as voters make room for the return of the Big Ten..
The AP revealed that it would wait up until the Big Ten released its schedule to make those groups offered for consideration, and now is the time for citizens to add them back into the fold. In the Coaches Poll, which added Big Ten groups back last week, a few of the same groups made the leading 25 as the preseason balloting. However, Ohio State examined in at No. 10. That recommends either the coaches were punishing the Buckeyes for the Big Tens in-and-out approach to the season or (most likely) not every coach understood they could rank Ohio State on their ballots..
With more time for the AP citizens to get on the very same page, we expect that Ohio State will fall closer to its No. 2 preseason ranking, and much of the other teams in the poll– Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan– will leap back in to an area more closely lined up to the teams they were near, instead of the numbers they held. That is going to allow for some grouping near the top after the shake ups in the top 10, though teams like Minnesota and Iowa could end up simply outside the leading 25 due to the fact that of wins from groups that have actually burglarized the rankings considering that the preseason poll was released last month. If the Gophers and Hawkeyes are in the leading 25, it will be at the cost of a Louisiana or Virginia Tech, Im not exactly sure having no games is going to be a benefit when splitting hairs between those teams at the end of voters ballots..
With all of the shake ups and the addition of the Big Ten teams in mind, heres how we think the new AP Top 25 will look on Sunday:.
1. Clemson (Last week– 1): There are some weeks when simply not playing a video game seems to be like preventing the storm, and Clemson got kick back in the house and watch the carnage unfold during a hassle-free week off..
2. Alabama (2 ): Mac Jones looked great, the backups got some quality run once the game was in hand (albeit with a lot of “coachable minutes” for Bryce Young and Co.), and the Crimson Tide made fast work of Missouri in the first of what should be numerous lopsided outcomes in Alabamas 10-game SEC schedule..
3. Ohio State (NR): As we discussed previously, the No. 10 ranking in the Coaches Poll shouldnt serve as a sneak peek of how the AP citizens will treat the Buckeyes. Ohio State will not have the ability to right away recover all 21 of the first-place votes it received in the Preseason AP Top 25, but its not going to be far off Clemson and Alabamas speed..
4. Georgia (4 ): This new-look Georgia offense is definitely in the beta version, and sadly, there are no nonconference video games in the schedule to keep exercising the kinks. The 37-10 final rating does not effectively highlight how inefficient that side of the ball appeared early on versus Arkansas, but voters who took note might change their ranking even after a stronger second half proving.
Florida (5 ): On one hand, Kyle Trask tied Joe Burrows record for touchdowns in an SEC opener and Kyle Pitts looked like one of the best ability position talents in the nation. On the other, the Gators gave up more than 600 lawns to Ole Miss in the runaway win.
6. Notre Dame (7 ): The Fighting Irish saw their Week 4 date against Wake Forest postponed till Dec. 12. They are scheduled to be back in action on Oct. 10 versus Florida State..
7. Penn State (NR): This is an admittedly bullish position for the Nittany Lions, however this is supposed to be a year where they can threaten Ohio State for the Big Ten East title. Penn State led Florida, Notre Dame and Auburn in the preseason rankings, and I believe so far just Florida and Notre Dame have actually done enough to leap ahead in the pecking order.
8. Auburn (8 ): Things looked a little dicey at an early stage against Kentucky, but Auburns passing attack ultimately delivered the guaranteed outcomes with Seth Williams and Anthony Schwartz creating big plays that helped the Tigers pull away late in a 29-13 win.
Miami (12 ): One of the first big tests for Miami was to preserve its high level of play and even enhance on execution going up against the finest defense it has actually faced all year in Florida State. The Hurricanes passed that test with flying colors and now get in a week off before the much-anticipated meeting with Clemson in Death Valley.
10. Wisconsin (NR): All the way down at No. 12 in the preseason rankings, Wisconsin gets a bump from Texas and Texas A&M having a hard time in success along with consideration relating to the Oklahoma and LSU losses. Replacing Jonathan Taylor is the burning concern that will be gone over in the coming weeks, but the Badgers have a high flooring and expectations of contending for a Big Ten title..
Texas (8 ): A bad day for the Big 12 was nearly even worse as Texas hardly left Texas Tech with an overtime victory. Special teams mistakes and missed out on tackles on defense eclipsed the Longhorns furious 15-point comeback to require overtime, given that those very same problems put them in that tough spot.
12. Texas A&M (10 ): Speaking of not motivating self-confidence from the citizens. Texas A&Ms offense sputtered early and never captured its footing at home against Vanderbilt in what was probably the most surprising rating of the night slate..
13. North Carolina (11 ): The Tar Heels were off in Week 4 and are back in action next week at Boston College.
14. UCF (13 ): Another UCF video game, another 400-yard, four touchdown performance for Dillon Gabriel. I understand its going to go overlooked with K.J. Costello throwing for 623 yards against LSU, but Gabriel is making his case as one of the best quarterbacks in the nation..
15. Cincinnati (14 ): There wasnt much to take from blowing out Austin Peay, but repeating a few of those hopeful indications of offending improvement against Army is a terrific indication for the Bearcats moving forward. Ultimately this win, and the groups AAC title contention, is going to be led by its defense, which was dialed in to Armys attack and triggered issues for the Black Knights all afternoon..
16. Oklahoma State (15 ): True freshman backup quarterback Shane Illingworth was back under center in his first career start with Spencer Sanders sidelined, and he looked alright running the offense in a 27-13 win versus West Virginia. Its clear hes not going to help present the exact same sort of downfield passing attack as Sanders, but 2 100-yard performances from LD Brown and Chuba Hubbard helped power the offense in the success..
17. Oklahoma (3 ): Every single Lincoln Riley season at Oklahoma has included one routine season conference loss. Now the difficulty is to battle back and prove that trend, and Kansas States involvement in specific, is only a subtle flaw from an otherwise dominant history in Big 12 play with Riley at the helm..
Mississippi State (NR): Buy all of the hype and buckle up for a wild ride in Starkville, Mississippi, this fall. If you think that the lack of dealing with in the run-up to the 2020 season will turn competition into more seven-on-seven style football, then Mike Leach doubly prepared to be successful.
19. Michigan (NR): After examining in at No. 16 in the preseason rankings, I think the Wolverines will return to the AP Top 25 somewhere simply inside the top 20 and most likely ahead of anywhere LSU lands following the Tigers loss..
20. LSU (6 ): Traditionally, AP voters have watched out for dropping groups from the mid-to-high top-10 all the method out of the rankings after simply one loss. There was plenty in the Tigers defeat to suggest that they are more than a few actions off the pace in the SEC, however its likewise tough to come up with 25 groups that are definitively better..
21. Tennessee (16 ): South Carolina brought the fight to Tennessee, however the Vols got simply enough to leave with a 31-27 win. The offense hit in fits and begins with a few big plays and fast strikes to that flashed however a lot of errors and room for enhancement. Defensively, there was some lapses as well, however Henry Too Toos interception return touchdown acted as a suggestion that hes going to be one of the SECs stars in 2020..
22. Memphis (17 ): The Tigers were off in Week 4 and are set to go back to action on Oct. 3 at SMU..
23. BYU (18 ): The Cougars are currently in action versus Troy..
24. Louisiana (19 ): The Ragin Cajuns might wind up getting dropped from the rankings after another close call, however there was so much nationwide attention from that dominant Iowa State win that Im guessing it will take a loss to see them fall from the top 25 entirely..
25. Virginia Tech (20 ): Down 23 gamers and numerous coaches, including defensive planner Justin Hamilton, the Hokies looked like among the much better teams in the ACC as they made quick work of NC State in a blowout win..
Projected to leave: Pitt (21 ), Army (22 ), Kentucky (23 ), Louisville (24 ), Marshall (25 ).
The AP announced that it would wait up until the Big Ten launched its schedule to make those groups available for factor to consider, and now is the time for voters to include them back into the fold. In the Coaches Poll, which included Big Ten teams back last week, some of the same teams made the leading 25 as the preseason balloting. With more time for the AP voters to get on the very same page, we anticipate that Ohio State will fall closer to its No. 2 preseason ranking, and many of the other groups in the survey– Penn State, Wisconsin and Michigan– will jump back in to an area more closely aligned to the groups they were near, rather than the numbers they held. That is going to allow for some grouping near the top after the shake ups in the top 10, though teams like Minnesota and Iowa could end up just outside the leading 25 due to the fact that of wins from teams that have broken into the rankings because the preseason poll was released last month. LSU (6 ): Traditionally, AP citizens have been wary of dropping groups from the mid-to-high top-10 all the method out of the rankings after just one loss.
