AP Top 25: Takeaways From Week 5 Poll
The AP Top 25 for Week 5 was released Sunday afternoon. Here are some takeaways about the movement in the newest edition of the poll.
The AP Top 25 for Week 5 was released Sunday afternoon. Here are some takeaways about the movement in the newest edition of the poll.
Saturday night’s SEC clash was more Les Miles vs. Gus Malzahn than LSU vs. Auburn. Both coaches sat on the hot seat needing a victory to gain even the slightest bit of job security. The wild ending saw Auburn come out on top, leaving LSU out of the AP Top 25 and Miles in an even more precarious situation.
Butch Jones picked up his signature victory with Tennessee as the Vols snapped an 11-game losing streak to Florida by rallying from 21 points down. But the most dominating victory of the weekend was by Wisconsin, which crushed Michigan State, 30-6, in East Lansing to move back into the top 10.
Here are some other instant AP Top 25 takeaways from the newest edition of the poll.
Same as it ever was
The top seven of the AP Top 25 remained the same as last week, with Alabama, Ohio State, Louisville, Michigan, Clemson, Houston and Stanford holding firm. The voters seem to be locked onto those schools considering Wisconsin knocked off then-No. 8 Michigan State and only climbed three spots. Texas A&M’s win over then-No. 17 Arkansas helped it move up only one position to No. 9.
The No. 1 votes stayed the same, too, as the Crimson Tide received 50, Ohio State got four, Louisville had six and Michigan grabbed the last top vote.
Two is the loneliest number
Ole Miss is the only member of the AP Top 25 with two losses and sits at No. 16 after jumping seven spots with Saturday’s 45-14 thrashing of then-No. 12 Georgia. It’s hard to say the Rebels aren’t deserving. They’d likely be in the College Football Playoff discussion with a 4-0 record had they not blown a 22-point lead against Florida State in the opener and a 21-point advantage in a home loss to No. 1 Alabama.
Next up is a dangerous Memphis team that improved to 3-0 by hanging 77 points on Bowling Green. The Tigers upset then-No. 13 Ole Miss last year, 37-24.
The B1G Time
The Big Ten has four teams in the top 15 – most of any conference, one more than both the SEC and ACC – with Nebraska moving up five spots from No. 20 after winning at Northwestern. The Huskers and Badgers seem to be the class of the West Division with Iowa looking mediocre. Their matchup on Oct. 29 in Madison could decide which team heads to Indianapolis for the Big Ten championship game as Ohio State, Michigan and Michigan State, which fell from No. 8 to No. 17, battle it out in the East.
Welcome (back) to the party
TCU was a trendy pick to win the Big 12 and compete for a spot in the College Football Playoff, but its lackluster defensive performance against South Dakota State in the opener and a double-overtime loss to then-unranked Arkansas dropped it out of the poll completely. The Horned Frogs have beaten Iowa State and SMU easily to get back into the poll at No. 21 and likely will have to run the table to get back into the CFP discussion.
Boise State joined Houston and No. 19 San Diego State as Group of Five teams in the poll, slipping in at No. 24.
Another exciting weekend ahead
There will be no shortage of ranked-vs.-ranked matchups this week. No. 7 Stanford and No. 10 Washington kick things off Friday night in a Pac-12 showdown. There are plenty of other games with College Football Playoff ramifications Saturday, too.
The biggest is Saturday night’s ACC clash between No. 3 Louisville and No. 5 Clemson. The Big Ten matchup between No. 4 Michigan and No. 8 Wisconsin kicks off at the same time during the afternoon as No. 11 Tennessee vs. No. 25 Georgia.
Oklahoma fell out of the poll this week, but that doesn’t mean its visit to TCU will be any less important in the Big 12 race.
