AP Top 25 Poll - Week Ten

The top six spots in the AP Top 25 stayed intact this week and the North Carolina Tar Heels moved up three spots to #18 during their bye week. Alabama received all but one first place vote this week and remained on top of the AP Poll for the tenth straight week.

Here is the full poll from Week Ten:

1. Alabama (60) 8-0
2. Michigan (1) 8-0
3. Clemson 8-0
4. Washington 8-0
5. Louisville 7-1
6. Ohio State 7-1
7. Texas A&M 7-1
8. Wisconsin 6-2
9. Nebraska 7-1
10. Florida 6-1
11. Auburn 6-2
12. Oklahoma 6-2
13. Baylor 6-1
14. West Virginia 6-1
15. LSU 5-2
16. Utah 7-2
17. Western Michigan 8-0
18. North Carolina 6-2
19. Florida State 5-3
20. Penn State 6-2
21. Colorado 6-2
22. Oklahoma State 6-2
23. Virginia Tech 6-2
24. Boise State 7-1
25. Washington State 6-2

Where is UNC?

The Tar Heels moved up three spots to #18. They got a bye week bounce and moved up a few slots by virtue of some losses by higher ranked teams in Week Nine. At this point in the schedule, Carolina needs to just take care of business. There are no games that will bolster their immediate rankings in the AP Poll, but will have huge implications on their ACC Championship hopes. They will be the favorite in the last four games, but will need to win out to have a shot at the Coastal crown. Two upcoming opponents in particular would love to be the team that keeps UNC out of the ACC Championship game. The Heels cannot overlook any of their next four opponents.

Biggest Losers

• Tennessee and Navy both dropped from the AP Poll this week. The Volunteers dropped their third straight game, losing 24-21 on the road against unranked South Carolina. Down 52-27 in the fourth quarter, Navy scored three touchdowns in a failed comeback attempt. The Midshipmen got their first conference loss on the road against South Florida, losing 52-45.
• Boise State dropped the most spots while remaining in the AP Top 25. In a tied ballgame, the Wyoming Cowboys scored a safety with 1:25 left in the fourth quarter to pull off a 30-28 upset over the then-ranked #13 Broncos. The loss dropped Boise State 11 spots to #24.
• Florida State fell seven spots after a wild game against Clemson in Tallahassee. The Seminoles were down 17-14 at the half, but a strong third quarter had FSU up 28-20 heading into the fourth. The teams went back and forth, but a late Deshaun Watson touchdown pass kept the Tigers undefeated on the season. Florida State is now one spot behind UNC at #19, and the only three-loss team in the AP Top 25.

Biggest Winners

• Oklahoma State’s 17-point win over #10 West Virginia last week bumped them into the AP Top 25. The Cowboys are ranked #22 this week. The Pokes are on a four-game winning streak and a game behind Oklahoma in the Big 12 standings.
• Washington State crept into the rankings this week at #25. Their win on the road against Oregon State last week keeps the Cougars undefeated in conference play and tied with Washington in the Pac-12 North standings.

On the Outside Looking In

• The Houston Cougars, coming off a conference championship last year, were flying high in the AP Poll this year, coming in at #6 for five straight weeks. A loss against Navy dropped them several spots, and a 22-point loss at SMU knocked them out of the poll. Based on voter points, they are one spot outside of the AP Top 25.
• Southern California were #20 in the Preseason AP Top 25, but a Week One 52-6 shellacking against Alabama knocked them out of the poll. Four straight conference wins has the 5-3 Trojans coming in two spots outside of the Top 25.

Top 25 Conference Breakdown

• ACC: 5 teams
• Big Ten: 5 teams
• Big 12: 4 teams
• Mid-American: 1 team
• Mountain West: 1 team
• Pac-12: 4 teams
• SEC: 5 teams

Top 25 Games this Week

• It is Homecoming at UNC this week. Get to Chapel Hill early; it is a 12:30 kickoff (sigh) against the Yellow Jackets. Carolina is a ten-point favorite against Georgia Tech.
• The top-ranked Crimson Tide roll into Death Valley for a prime time game against LSU.
• The #9 Nebraska Cornhuskers travel to Columbus, Ohio for a game against Ohio State. The Buckeyes are an 18-point favorite in this top ten match up.

Upset Alert

• Oklahoma State plays on the road against Kansas State on Saturday. The Wildcats are a three-point favorite over the #22 Cowboys.
• The oddsmakers have #8 Wisconsin as just a touchdown favorite in their game at Northwestern.
• Could the team from Durham get their first conference win this week against #23 Virginia Tech? The Hokies have had trouble on the road this season, with one notable exception.
• The seat under Dave Doeren is approaching the temperature of the surface of Venus after last week’s Homecoming loss to Boston College. However, NC State seems to always play Florida State tough at Carter-Finley. The #19 Seminoles are only a six-point favorite this week.