AP Top 25: Week Six

A part from Alabama and Georgia holding strong at #1 and #2 in the AP Top 25 rankings, this season has been a fairly wild one. The current #3 and #4 started the season at #18 and #19 respectively. Four different preseason top 10 teams (including one we know well) have fallen out of the top 25 entirely. Wake Forest is now the highest ranked ACC team. Cincinnati might have a legitimate shot at the playoffs. Things are weird.

This weekend kept up that trend as six teams ranking in last week’s top 15 lost, with three of those Ls come to unranked opponents. UNC didn’t have a ranking to lose, but they avoided the chaos and mostly handled business at home against Duke.

With the week now in the rearview mirror, let’s take a look at where things stand now.

AP Top 25

1. Alabama Crimson Tide (53 first place votes)
2. Georgia Bulldogs (9)
3. Iowa Hawkeyes
4. Penn State Nittany Lions
5. Cincinnati Bearcats
6. Oklahoma Sooners
7. Ohio State Buckeyes
8. Oregon Ducks
9. Michigan Wolverines
10. BYU Cougars
11. Michigan State Spartans
12. Oklahoma State Cowboys
13. Arkansas Razorbacks
14. Notre Dame Fighting Irish
15. Coastal Carolina Chanticleers
16. Kentucky Wildcats
17. Ole Miss Rebels
18. Auburn Tigers
19. Wake Forest Demon Deacons
20. Florida Gators
21. Texas Longhorns
22. Arizona State Sun Devils
23. NC State Wolfpack
24. SMU Mustangs
25. San Diego State Aztecs

Where is UNC?

After the loss to Georgia Tech, the Tar Heels were down to a single solitary #25 vote. Despite the win over Duke, Carolina actually lost that vote and now have zero rankings points in the AP Poll. Admittedly it was weird that anyone voted for them last week, so this is probably about right.

Biggest Winners

Five different teams entered the top 25 this week, headlined by Kentucky. The Wildcats are all the way up at #16 after they improved to 5-0 by beating previously #10 Florida. Michigan State and Oklahoma State were both ranking, but moved up six and seven spots respectively as they continued undefeated starts to the year.

Biggest Losers

Five new teams getting into the top 25 means five exited, with no one falling further than Texas A&M. The Aggies’ loss to Arkansas was somewhat understandable considering the Razorbacks’ start to the season. Their loss to Mississippi State is less so, and as a result A&M went from #15 to unranked. The flipside of the Kentucky win was Florida’s loss, which dropped the Gators ten spots to #20.

Conference Breakdown

• SEC: 7
• Big Ten: 5
• Big 12: 3
• AAC: 2
• ACC: 2
• Independent: 2
• Pac-12: 2
• Mountain West: 1
• Sun Belt: 1

Marquee Matchups This Week

• #6 Oklahoma (5-0, 2-0 Big 12) vs. #21 Texas (4-1, 2-0 Big 12) in Dallas - Saturday at 12 PM ET on ABC
• #2 Georgia (5-0, 3-0 SEC) at #18 Auburn (4-1, 1-0 SEC) - Saturday at 3:30 PM ET on CBS
• #4 Penn State (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) at #3 Iowa (5-0, 2-0 Big Ten) - Saturday at 4 PM ET on FOX

Coaches Poll

1. Alabama (63)
2. Georgia (2)
3. Iowa
4. Penn State
5. Oklahoma
6. Cincinnati
7. Ohio State
8. Michigan
9. Oregon
10. BYU
11. Michigan State
12. Oklahoma State
13. Notre Dame
14. Kentucky
15. Coastal Carolina
16. Arkansas
17. Ole Miss
18. Florida
19. Auburn
20. Wake Forest
21. Clemson
22. NC State
23. Texas
24. SMU
25. Arizona State