Week 4 AP Poll winners and losers: UCF continues to be disrespected

We are finally, almost entirely, excruciatingly close done with cupcake season. The top five of the AP Top 25 Poll held serve, with varying degrees of style points earned. Here is a look at the winners and losers of the Week 4 AP Poll.

Some years, it’s just hard to put together a complete AP Top 25. Especially in the early goings. Pollsters have an estimate of who is supposed to be good, from the powers of the SEC to mid-major darlings like UCF.

Then there are the should be frisky, but your guess is as good as our types. Iowa State, Nebraska, and Stanford fit the bill. The way these teams wrapped up the 2018 season, it looked like there might be life on those teams.

Week 3 isn’t exactly intended to be shakeout week. Teams ranked 1 to 8 in the AP Top 25 each put up at least 41 points (that 41 was Clemson, whose offense, believe it or not, sputtered against Syracuse). Spots 16 to 25, on the other hand, just can’t figure themselves out. The Big Ten looks like it’s going to be Ohio State and everyone else. Let’s check on those climbing and those on the decline.

Week 4 AP Poll

1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. LSU
5. Oklahoma
6. Ohio State
7. Notre Dame
8. Auburn
9. Florida
10. Utah
11. Michigan
12. Texas
13. Penn State
14. Wisconsin
15. UCF
16. Oregon
17. Texas A&M
18. Iowa
19. Washington State
20. Boise State
21. Virginia
22. Washington
23. California
24. Arizona State
25. TCU

Winners

No. 21 Virginia (previously No. 25) — After screaming, “NO YOU WIN THE COASTAL” for most of the game, UVA managed to sneak past Florida State. Evidently that still means something, and UVA jumped four spots to No. 21.

No. 23 California (previously unranked) — They knocked off Pac-12 North heartthrobs Washington last week. This week they kept the winning alive, eking one out against North Texas. It is not a W to write home about, but it gets the Golden Bears to 3-0 and a spot on the Top 25.

No. 24 Arizona State (previously unranked) — There were a lot of people who thought that an analyst, long removed from the daily rigors of coaching, would fail upon returning to the gridiron. They were right. The Raiders are a mess and don’t look like they will be competitive in the next few years. In other news, Herm Edwards looks like he’s throwing his hat into the Pac-12 Coach of the Year conversation. The Sun Devils knocked off (then No. 18) Michigan State on the road. It was ugly, but as the say, you play to win the game. Arizona State is 3-0.

No. 25 TCU (previously unranked) — TCU, or as they are also known: the Big 12’s Utah, is always solid enough to keep teams honest, never good enough to consistently hang with the big boys. Of course, it doesn’t help to play in Texas and not be the Longhorns.

Losers

No. 15 UCF (previously No. 17) — What does a Knight have to do to get some love here? They beat Stanford, which was good enough to bump USC into the Top 25. It doesn’t mean anything for UCF? Honestly, it doesn’t look like it matters who plays quarterback for UCF. They’re going to run the table, then beat LSU in a bowl game because they’ll have their starting lineup in. C’mon. Boise State needs the Knights to trip up, or the Broncos will be on the outside looking in come January.

Michigan State (previously No. 18) — Have you ever had an underachieving friend? One that you’re like, “If they catch a few breaks, maybe they’ll put it all together and see what they can get done?” Then that friend gets a job. It isn’t C-suite, but you start to think this is the one. Then, they fail a drug test and get fired. That friend?

Anyway, Sparty starts another season looking good, but then shoot themselves in the foot. This time, it cost themselves a chance to tie a team they held to 10 points. You see the talent! Not many teams can hold a Power 5 team to 10 points. That’s one point fewer than the number of players you’re allowed to have on the field, guys.

Maryland (previously No. 21) — Were they ranked too highly? Yes. Does the Top 25 have to have 25 teams? Yes. Is it really easy to forget that Maryland is somehow in the Big Ten? Also yes.

After dropping a combined 142 points against Howard and Syracuse, it looked like Maryland had a bona fide explosive offense. After only putting up 17 against Temple, it looks like the Terps might struggle to hit 142 again the rest of this year.

USC (previously No. 24) — Things hotter than Clay Helton’s seat:

1. O-type stars
2. End of list

This is not a criticism of BYU. The Cougars are always competitive. USC has the horses to run laps around BYU. It shouldn’t matter that a backup quarterback was playing. The Trojans are better than this. The Pac 12 needs them to be better than this. And right now, it looks like Utah is the conference’s best hope at a playoff appearance.

The College Football World (always losing but still undefeated) — PUT LES MILES BACK IN THE TOP 25 YOU COWARDS.