Fansided

College football rankings 2020: Week 14 AP Top 25 projections – Will Notre Dame pass Alabama?

By Connor Muldowney

Nov 28, 2020; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) and wide receiver John Metchie III (8) celebrate a Smith touchdown against Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium in the Iron Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via USA TODAY Sports
Nov 28, 2020; Tuscaloosa, Alabama, USA; Alabama wide receiver DeVonta Smith (6) and wide receiver John Metchie III (8) celebrate a Smith touchdown against Auburn at Bryant-Denny Stadium in the Iron Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Mickey Welsh/The Montgomery Advertiser via USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Week 13 saw more cancellations across college football but there were still some shocking upsets and Friday night action to give fans a Thanksgiving weekend appetizer.

What a weekend it was for college football fans. Not only did we get a nice break from everyday life with Thanksgiving here, but also a few rivalry battles took center stage, headlined by the Iron Bowl.

The AP Top 25 rankings may have taken a back seat to the College Football Playoff rankings, but they’re usually a decent indicator of where teams will be slotted each Tuesday.

The weekend started a little early with some Friday action with Notre Dame and North Carolina headlining the day. The Fighting Irish remained red-hot and Ian Book continued to look solid while that Notre Dame defense suffocated North Carolina after they scored two quick touchdowns in the first quarter. After that, it was all Notre Dame as the Irish cruised to a 31-17 win.

Iowa State and Texas faced off as well and the Cyclones remained in the playoff hunt as well as atop the Big 12 standings with a three-point road win. Matt Campbell is going to be a highly sought-after coach this offseason.

Iowa may not be ranked in the AP poll but that could change after beating Nebraska to improve to 4-2 on Friday afternoon. But the shocker of the night was a 41-38 Oregon loss to Oregon State, essentially eliminating the Pac-12 from the playoff.

Saturday started with a few interesting games as Florida hosted Kentucky and held off the Wildcats despite falling behind early. Indiana held off a surging Maryland team and Oklahoma State took care of Texas Tech in a shootout.

In the mid-afternoon slate, Coastal Carolina handled Texas State, Louisiana dominated UL Monroe and Clemson just toyed with Pitt for four quarters.

The Iron Bowl was expected to be tight because both teams were ranked, but Alabama pulled an Alabama and absolutely dismantled yet another SEC foe — at this point, it doesn’t matter if they face rivals, they’re dominating everyone. It looks like the Tide are continuing to prove they’re the No. 1 team in the nation.

Northwestern had a little trouble with Michigan State, falling to the upset-hungry Spartans 29-20 and the Wildcats will be out of the playoff race but the Big Ten title is still attainable.

The night shift was relatively tame with a few games cancelled and LSU vs. Texas A&M one of just two ranked team seeing the field. Georgia also handled South Carolina as the favorites won on Saturday night to weather a surprising afternoon.

What might the AP Top 25 look like heading into Sunday?

Week 14 AP Top 25 projections

  1. Alabama
  2. Notre Dame
  3. Clemson
  4. Ohio State
  5. Texas A&M
  6. Florida
  7. Cincinnati
  8. BYU
  9. Miami
  10. Iowa State
  11. Indiana
  12. Georgia
  13. Oklahoma
  14. Coastal Carolina
  15. Marshall
  16. Wisconsin
  17. USC
  18. Northwestern
  19. Oregon
  20. Oklahoma State
  21. Louisiana
  22. Tulsa
  23. Washington
  24. Liberty
  25. Iowa

Next. 15 college football coaches who'd be the life of the tailgate. dark

For more NCAA football news, analysis, opinion and unique coverage by FanSided, including Heisman Trophy and College Football Playoff rankings, be sure to bookmark these pages.

Home/College Football Rankings