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North Carolina lost to Duke this weekend in what can only be described as a soul-crushing defeat. The Tar Heels now sit 1-3 on the season, and considering the team’s trouble with injuries, it doesn’t look to be getting better anytime soon. The Associated Press Top 25 Poll is proof enough:
- Alabama (52)
- Clemson (8)
- Oklahoma (1)
- Penn State
- USC
- Washington
- Georgia
- Michigan
- TCU
- Wisconsin
- Ohio State
- Virginia Tech
- Auburn
- Miami
- Oklahoma State
- Washington State
- Louisville
- South Florida
- San Diego State
- Utah
- Florida
- Notre Dame
- West Virginia
- Mississippi State
- LSU
*()=First Place Votes
Where is UNC?
The team’s trouble on the field means that the Associated Press won’t have them anywhere near the top 25 list once again. Now that ACC play is beginning in earnest, it’s hard to see where the wins will come from. Each week it seems that UNC’s bowl eligibility slips further out of reach, and the AP top 25 may never happen at this point.
Biggest Losers
- Florida State was dealt a devastating blow to their season when they were beaten by NC State on Saturday. The Seminoles have only played two games because of Hurricane Irma, but now they have lost both of them. After sitting at no. 12 on last week’s list, the team falls completely out of the top 25.
- Oregon was dealt their first loss of the season to Arizona State. The game was close, but the Ducks couldn’t overcome the 17 points they allowed in the first quarter. Getting beaten by the 2-2 Sun Devils will get you dropped off the back of the list.
- Oklahoma State was dealt their first loss of the season when they fell to TCU in surprising fashion. The Horned Frogs have Cowboys fans livid after beating their team 44-31. They dropped nine slots from no. 6 to no. 15 this week.
- Mississippi State was hot off their defeat of LSU last week, but got steamrolled by Georgia this week. In a Bulldogs vs. Bulldogs matchup, Mississippi State was held to just three points all game, and now it has the team questioning their offense.
Biggest Winners
- TCU made quite the statement by defeating Oklahoma State this weekend. The Horned Frogs delivered a massive upset to jump seven slots in the AP top 25 Poll from no. 16 to no. 9.
- Georgia hit Mississippi State with their first loss of the season to continue their 4-0 run in 2017. The Bulldogs jumped four slots, from no. 11 to no. 7.
- Notre Dame came away with an impressive win on Saturday by heading into Spartan Stadium and giving Michigan State a beating. The Fighting Irish are now 3-1 on the season and this victory has pushed them onto the Associated Press’ list at no. 22.
- West Virginia had a big scoring day this weekend when they put up 56 points against Kansas to net their third win of the season. At 3-1, they now move up to no. 23 on the list.
On the Outside Looking in
- NC State earned major points from the voters for taking out Florida State. The 87 votes they received this week put them in striking distance of LSU at no. 25. A matchup against Syracuse could help them out before Louisville comes through in October.
- Duke is actually undefeated so far this season, which has earned them 79 total votes. It’s not enough to get them into the top 25, but the Blue Devils head back home to take on the Hurricanes this weekend.
Top 25 Conference Breakdown
- ACC: 5 teams
- American: 1 team
- Big Ten: 4 teams
- Big 12: 3 teams
- Pac-12: 5 teams
- SEC: 6 teams
- Mountain West: 1 team
Top 25 Games this Week
- No. 2 Clemson heads to Blacksburg to take on no. 12 Virginia Tech at 8:00 PM ET on ABC.
- No. 5 USC will travel to Washington in order to face no. 16 Washington State on Friday at 10:30 PM ET on ESPN.
- No. 13 Auburn welcomes no. 24 Mississippi State for a 6:00 PM ET game on ESPN.
Upset Alert
- It might be a no. 5 against a no. 16, but you would never know because USC is only favored to beat Washington State with a -3.5 point lead.