With 8 losses by ranked teams on Saturday, the college football rankings are sure to see some major modifications when the new AP Top 25 is launched on Sunday morning. There are lots of unknowns that weve attempted to forecast, including how to deal with Iowa State and Louisiana after the Cyclones win versus Oklahoma and whether Mississippi State and LSU require to be sorted in order of their head-to-head outcome following the Bulldogs loss to Arkansas.
Something seems to be clear at the top of the rankings: Alabama is going to get more attention in the debate for No. 1 with Clemson. Not just did Bama show champion form in the method it dusted Texas A&M, however Clemson permitted Virginia to be spirited in a rematch of in 2015s 45-point ACC Championship Game win. No one is doubting the Tigers or the Crimson Tide as College Football Playoff contenders or even favorites to win their respective conferences, however the jockeying in between the two took a brand-new turn with Alabamas stock increasing and Clemson showing some flaws after two video games that did not need Trevor Lawrences services in the fourth quarter..
These disputes are going to occur on a voter-by-voter basis throughout the country with totally subjective ranking approaches, but the consensus will reveal how these title favorites compare to each other. Clemson will likely stay No. 1, however keep your eye on the count of first-place votes as an indication for how strong that hold is going to be heading into next weeks top-10 showdown with Miami..
1. Clemson (Last week– 1): The film study will supply a lot of coachable moments for the Tigers today as they prepare for a see from the Hurricanes in Week 6. The Tigers never ever saw the type of hazard that the other ranked teams did in their losses, however they also failed to put Virginia away in the way that many expected given the four-touchdown spread heading into the video game..
2. Alabama (2 ): The way the Tide struck the jets in the second quarter and turned a 14-14 tie into a 21-point video game represents the distinction in between good groups and elite groups. The elite groups increase to the celebration in the games critical moments, and thats precisely what Alabama remains in 2020..
3. Florida (3 ): Kyle Pitts for Heisman? With six touchdowns and more than 200 receiving lawns in two video games, Pitts has actually altered the discussion from “best tight end in the nation” to “best offensive weapon in the nation.” The Florida offense continues to wow, however the method South Carolina spent time in this game not did anything to soothe the issues about the Gators defense, which has now offered up 59 points throughout the groups 2-0 start..
4. Georgia (4 ): There is a genuine chance that the Bulldogs jump their SEC East competitors for No. 3 after a suffocating performance versus Auburn, however the low-scoring 27-6 last might leave them brief of Florida in regards to voting points due to an absence of real points following another excellent performance from the Gators offense..
5. Notre Dame (5 ): The Fighting Irish had actually a set up off week. After postponing its Week 4 date against Wake Forest because of positive COVID-19 tests, Notre Dame is scheduled to be back in action next week versus Florida State in South Bend, Indiana.
6. Ohio State (6 ): The Buckeyes are underway in preseason camp getting ready for their opener on Oct. 24 versus Nebraska. I presume the 4 AP citizens who have Ohio State at No. 1 will keep their tallies as such till they struck the field, but for lots of voters, this group becomes a line in the sand for their specific top-10s.
7. Miami (8 ): The Hurricanes were off in Week 5 however are back in action next week in a huge ACC battle versus Clemson..
8. Penn State (10 ): The Nittany Lions are arranged to kick of their season on Oct. 24 against Indiana.
Auburn (7 ): A fall in the rankings is coming for the Tigers, however theres always been a limitation to how far the voters will drop the loser in a top-10 match. Auburn was exposed in a couple ways in the loss to Georgia, but theres not lots of teams like the Bulldogs that can make use of those very same weaknesses.
10. North Carolina (12 ): There is certainly reason to be concerned about where the Tar Heels stand after mustering just 3 offensive points in the second half of a 26-22 win at Boston College. Its hard to associate those struggles to rust because Sam Howell looked sharp out of eviction however theres also not a great deal of fantastic choices for comparison in terms of moving North Carolina down in the rankings without a loss..
11. Cincinnati (15 ): A whopping 5 South Florida interceptions and a kick return touchdown helped power the Bearcats 28-7 win on Saturday to enhance to 3-0. Like North Carolina, the win wasnt enough to inspire a great jump in the rankings, but the pecking order wont be interrupted by the outcome..
12. Oregon (14 ): The Pac-12 schedule was launched on Saturday, and the Ducks got a beneficial draw with UCLA as their Pac-12 South challenger. Oregon will kick off its season on Oct. 7 against Stanford.
13. Oklahoma State (17 ): On a day where it was hard to find great headlines in the Big 12– heck in a season where its been hard to find good headlines in the Big 12– the Cowboys appear to be the leagues finest hope for a College Football Playoff appearance. While the offseason buzz centered around Chuba Hubbard and the returning pieces on offense, 3 games of 2020 have actually shown this to be among the finest defenses of the Mike Gundy era. It is fitting of this upside-down year for a Gundy team to be led by its defense, and if the Cowboys win a Big 12 title, that group will be a huge reason..
14. Wisconsin (19 ): The Badgers start their 2020 season against Illinois on Nov. 24..
15. Tennessee (21 ): One of the big headlines going into the week stank lineman Cade Mays immediate eligibility as a transfer from Georgia, so its difficult to disregard his impact as Eric Gray and Ty Chandler integrated for 195 lawns and two goals on 35 touches to power a ground game that led the method in a comfy win versus Missouri. The Volunteers have now won 8 straight heading into a big meeting with Georgia in Week 6.
16. BYU (22 ): A great week for BYU began with adding late-season games versus Boise State and San Diego State to its 2020 slate and ended with yet another 300-yard passing efficiency from Zach Wilson in yet another 30-point win. No group has actually scored more than 2 touchdowns versus BYUs defense, and the Cougars have actually put up 40-plus effortlessly in all 3 wins. Those Mountain West dates are necessary since they supply quality challengers in an important time for College Football Playoff factor to consider..
17. Texas A&M (13 ): This battle revealed by the Aggies in this video game well into the fourth quarter recommend that not every video game they play this year will be this uneven, however there stays a large gulf in between Texas A&M and Alabama. While its possible losing to No. 2 Alabama doesnt lead to as much of a drop as Texas to losing to unranked TCU, I think voters have these two tied closely together and will keep the order after each suffered their very first loss of the season..
18. LSU (20 ): No LSU fan is coming out of a 41-7 win versus Vanderbilt sensation like everything is all better after that season-opening loss to Mississippi State, but it does appear like the offense understands itself a little bit more than it did 8 quarters earlier. John Emery had a terrific dual-threat efficiency as the teams leading rusher and practical getting danger and Myles Brennan looked much more comfy in the circulation of the offense. The voters will not make any major changes for the win, however some faith needs to be brought back in the high-floor program that weve come to know and enjoy in the SEC West..
19. Michigan (23 ): The Wolverines kick off their 2020 season on Oct. 24 on the roadway versus Minnesota.
20. SMU (NR): As the only 4-0 team in the country, SMU definitely is worthy of an area in the brand-new top 25. The win over Memphis, which will likely drop the Tigers out of the rankings, was not the Mustangs most well-rounded performance of the season because it misused an early lead, however to hang on for a win deserves a nod from the voters.
21. Texas (9 ): This is now six losses to TCU in the last 7 conferences with Tom Herman holding a 1-3 record against Gary Patterson considering that his arrival in Austin, Texas. I dont believe the one loss will drop the Longhorns from the top 25 considering their top-10 status, but it will be close after yet another loss to the Horned Frogs..
22. Mississippi State (16 ): The Bulldogs may leave of the rankings following a loss to Arkansas, but my bet is that the win at LSU leaves a strong adequate impression for the voters to keep them with adequate votes in the leading 25..
23. Louisiana (NR): The Cajuns need to make a return to the leading 25, particularly after TCUs win versus Texas. The transitive home wont work appropriately with the 3 teams in the rankings– particularly after Louisiana was sidelined in Week 5 since Appalachian State had to postpone their highly-anticipated Sun Belt champion game rematch due to the fact that of COVID-19 procedures– however that win against Iowa State ought to anchor a resume worth citizen factor to consider..
Iowa State (NR): The success of Matt Campbell and the Cyclones versus Oklahoma is worth noting, however Saturday nights win versus the Sooners was more substantial for its disturbance of the Big 12 title race. Iowa State has actually knocked off Oklahoma before but was on the outdoors looking in on the of the conference champion.
25. TCU (NR): The Horned Frogs may not end up ahead of Texas due to the fact that of their loss to Iowa State, however the road win is going to be good enough to get them into top-25 factor to consider..
Predicted to leave: UCF (11 ), Oklahoma (18 ), Pitt (24 ), Memphis (25 ).
BYU (22 ): An excellent week for BYU started with including late-season video games against Boise State and San Diego State to its 2020 slate and ended with yet another 300-yard passing performance from Zach Wilson in yet another 30-point win. No team has scored more than two touchdowns versus BYUs defense, and the Cougars have put up 40-plus effortlessly in all three wins. LSU (20 ): No LSU fan is coming out of a 41-7 win versus Vanderbilt feeling like everything is all much better after that season-opening loss to Mississippi State, however it does seem like the offense understands itself a little bit more than it did eight quarters ago. The win over Memphis, which will likely drop the Tigers out of the rankings, was not the Mustangs most well-rounded performance of the season given that it misused an early lead, but to hold on for a win is worth a nod from the voters.
Iowa State (NR): The success of Matt Campbell and the Cyclones versus Oklahoma is worth noting, however Saturday nights win versus the Sooners was more substantial for its disturbance of the Big 12 title race.
