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Projected college football rankings after Oklahoma loss to Houston

By John Buhler

Sep 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. (1) runs with the ball as Oklahoma Sooners safety Steven Parker (10) attempts to make a tackle during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 3, 2016; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Cougars quarterback Greg Ward Jr. (1) runs with the ball as Oklahoma Sooners safety Steven Parker (10) attempts to make a tackle during the second quarter at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /
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With the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners falling to the No. 15 Houston Cougars 33-23, here is what the AP Top 25 Poll could look like at the start of Week 2.

The first big upset of the 2016 college football season is in the books with the No. 15 Houston Cougars defeating the No. 3 Oklahoma Sooners on Saturday, 33-23, at NRG Stadium.

Houston was able to move the ball effectively on the ground with running back Duke Catalon and through the air with Heisman contending quarterback Greg Ward, Jr. Ward bested fellow Heisman hopeful signal caller Baker Mayfield in this fantastic non-conference affair.

This was Houston’s best opportunity to get a signature win to hopefully crash the College Football Playoff as a Group of 5 team. The Cougars are largely viewed as the best Group of 5 team in the country and should be one of the finalists to end up in the Big 12 in their expansion efforts.

It’s still early in the college football season, but let’s take a look at what the AP Top 25 Poll could conceivably look like with Houston’s upset victory of Oklahoma in Week 1.

  1. Alabama Crimson Tide
  2. Clemson Tigers
  3. Florida State Seminoles
  4. LSU Tigers
  5. Ohio State Buckeyes
  6. Michigan Wolverines
  7. Stanford Cardinal
  8. Houston Cougars
  9. Oklahoma Sooners
  10. Notre Dame Fighting Irish

In this exercise, we are just going to assume that this was the only big upset in the top 10 of the preseason AP Top 25. Alabama should stay No. 1 until it loses. It won’t be to the USC Trojans in Week 1.

Clemson will have a closer game than expected against Auburn, but should still come out on top at Jordan-Hare. The Tigers will stay at No.2. Moving up to No. 3 will be the Florida State Seminoles, assuming they can knock off No. 11 Ole Miss on Labor Day. Florida State will only move up one spot with a win, but could fall to the bottom of the top 10 with a neutral-site loss to Ole Miss.

LSU gets an impressive win over Wisconsin at Lambeau Field to move up to No. 4. One could argue them to No. 3 if they put a beat down on the Badgers, but a win over Ole Miss for Florida State is still a better victory.

Ohio State and Michigan do what was expected of them by beating inferior teams at home to move up to No. 5 and No. 6, respectively. Stanford’s strong defensive effort and Christian McCaffrey’s late game heroics on Friday night puts the Cardinal up one at No. 7.

Given how impressive this victory was for Houston, the Cougars should find themselves in the top 10 come Week 2. The could be as high as No. 8 by beating the No. 3 team in the nation. It’ll be the most impressive win on the season for any Division I, but it is a steep climb from No. 15 to No. 8.

Oklahoma won’t fall out of the top 10, as the Sooners shouldn’t for playing a tough non-conference opponent. The College Football Playoff Selection Committee won’t punish Oklahoma severely for having the bravery to schedule a strong team like Houston on their 2016 schedule. No. 9 feels fair to Oklahoma despite losing in Week 1.

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At No. 10 will be the Notre Dame Fighting Irish, assuming they beat the Texas Longhorns on Sunday. It’s a better win than TCU, Michigan State, or Tennessee in Week 1. Notre Dame does enough to stay at No. 10 for another week.

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