Top 25: Week Nine

Coming off a Week Seven that featured three top ten teams losing, and several other down to the wire battles, Week Eight was not quite as eventful. While one top ten team did go down to an unranked foe, most others handled their business, with only Clemson having to pull off a big escape.

It was also an uneventful week for UNC, who had the weekend off. After cracking the Top 25 for the first time all season last week, the Tar Heels got a break ahead of a stretch that will decide if they win the ACC Coastal Division. That will kick off this weekend with a potentially huge matchup against Pitt. However before we get into looking at that game, let’s put a cap on last weekend and check out the newest AP Rankings.

AP Top 25

1. Georgia Bulldogs (31 first place votes)
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (18)
3. Tennessee Volunteers (13)
4. Michigan Wolverines
5. Clemson Tigers (1)
6. Alabama Crimson Tide
7. TCU Horned Frogs
8. Oregon Ducks
9. Oklahoma State Cowboys
10. USC Trojans
11. Wake Forest Demon Deacons (tied for #10)
12. UCLA Bruins
13. Penn State Nittany Lions
14. Utah Utes
15. Ole Miss Rebels
16. Syracuse Orange
17. Illinois Fighting Illini
18. LSU Tigers
19. Kentucky Wildcats
20. Cincinnati Bearcats
21. North Carolina Tar Heels
22. Kansas State Wildcats
23. Tulane Green Wave
24. NC State Wolfpack
25. South Carolina Gamecocks

Where is UNC?

Despite playing no game over the bye week, the Tar Heels were on the move in the newest poll. UNC moved up a spot to #21. They were the beneficiaries of losses from both Texas and Kansas State, who were both among the spots right ahead of Carolina.

Biggest Winners

Thanks to a win over previously undefeated #7 Ole Miss, LSU vaulted into the rankings, all the way up to #18. The now 5-2 Tigers went from one of the teams just on the outside looking in to a top 20 team with just one win. A fellow SEC team, South Carolina, was another that went from unranked to ranked after they beat Texas A&M

Biggest Losers

On the flip side of LSU’s win was Ole Miss, who fell a week high eight spots, down to #15. The only two teams to completely drop out of the Top 25 were Texas and Mississippi State, who both still got votes, but are a ways back of the #25 spot.

Conference Breakdown

• SEC: 7
• ACC: 5
• Big Ten: 4
• Pac-12: 4
• Big 12: 3
• AAC: 2

Marquee Matchups This Week

• #2 Ohio State (7-0, 4-0 Big Ten) at #13 Penn State (6-1, 3-1 Big Ten) - Saturday at 12:00 PM ET on FOX
• #9 Oklahoma State (6-1, 3-1 Big 12) at #22 Kansas State (5-2, 3-1 Big 12) - Saturday at 3:30 PM ET on FOX
• #19 Kentucky (5-2, 2-2 SEC) at #3 Tennessee (7-0, 3-0 SEC) - Saturday at 7:00 PM ET on ESPN

Coaches Poll

1. Georgia (43 first place votes)
2. Ohio State (17)
3. Tennessee (2)
4. Michigan (1)
5. Clemson
6. Alabama
7. TCU
8. Oregon
9. Oklahoma State
10. Wake Forest
11. USC
12. Ole Miss
13. Penn State
14. Utah
15. UCLA
16. Syracuse
17. Kentucky
18. Illinois
19. Cincinnati
20. LSU
21. North Carolina
22. Kansas State
23. NC State
24. Tulane
25. South Carolina