After taking the number 1 spot in the first Playoff rankings of the season, Ohio State has dropped from first in the AP Poll for the first time this season.
It was a crazy week of college football that saw undefeated teams like LSU, TCU, and Michigan State suffer their first loss of the season. Plenty of ranked teams also went head-to-head which ensured that the polls would look dramatically different. The AP’s latest top 25 poll all but confirmed that notion.
Following the chaos that was another Shakeup Saturday, Clemson emerged out in front at No. 1. After being declared number 1 in the first Playoff rankings, Clemson took down another ranked team this week in Florida State which punched their ticket to the ACC Championship game. With DeShaun Watson playing like a Heisman-caliber quarterback and Clemson smothering their non-ranked competition, they’re certainly playing like the number one team in the country. With the way his team is playing, coach Dabo Swinney is loving life:
It also meant that, for the first this season, the defending national champion Buckeyes are not ranked first in the AP Poll. Not only was their win against Minnesota sloppy, they also lost Braxton Miller to injury. It seemed as though the Buckeyes offense was finding its rhythm again after J.T. Barrett was named the starting quarterback, but after he drove a motor vehicle while impaired, Urban Meyer made the tough decision to suspend him for this game. When Cardale Jones had the opportunity to steal the spotlight and turn in an impressive performance, he went for just 252 total yards, completing 12-of-22 throws and had a QB rating of 65. The Buckeyes are still favorites to make the Big Ten Championship game and the playoff, but they might not do it as the number one team after failing to live up to the billing.
Among the biggest movers in the poll were Alabama, who rose from No. 7 to No. 33 following an impressive win over LSU. This should see LSU drop out of the top four in the playoff rankings, having dropped from No. 4 to No. 9 in the AP Poll. After an impressive win over TCU, Oklahoma State moves up from No. 12 to No. 5 while TCU falls to No. 13, making Baylor the favorite Big 12 team to potentially make the playoff. Michigan State’s shock loss to unranked Nebraska saw them drop from No. 6 to No. 14, with Michigan fans perhaps making the case that it was karmic retribution.
New additions to the poll this week include Navy (22), Wisconsin (23), and Northwestern (24). Navy’s blowout win over Memphis dropped the Tigers to the bottom of the Top 25. After everyone was starting to declare Memphis their favorite sleeper team to make the playoffs, this loss to Navy was a brutal reality check. To make room for these three teams, Ole Miss, Toledo, and Texas A&M dropped out of the Top 25. Ole Miss’ fall from the best team in the SEC (after beating Alabama) to out of the top 25 after a shocking loss to Arkansas has been astounding. The college football gods giveth, the college football gods taketh away.
The AP Poll isn’t taken as seriously now that the CFB Playoff Rankings are out, but this week’s poll should give us a good indication as to what the Playoff Committee has in store for us.