College football rankings 2020: Week 16 AP Top 25 projections – Florida shocked by LSU, USC survives

The college football rankings will have a new look near the top of the AP Top 25 after big losses from Florida and Miami in Week 15.

The final week of the regular season for most teams was a chance to pick up some momentum heading into either Championship Week or the offseason.

Teams ranked by the playoff committee were looking to build that resume and maybe move up in the rankings with aspirations to play in a New Year’s Six or just New Year’s Day bowl. We didn’t see a ton of great matchups on Saturday afternoon but plenty of games that can be considered traps for some big-time contenders.

Saturday started with the No. 1 team in the country taking the field on the road for one of those potential trap scenarios against Arkansas. The Razorbacks didn’t put up enough of a fight, though, as Alabama rolled to a 52-3 win. They’ll hold on to that No. 1 spot.

Also in the SEC afternoon slate, Georgia took care of a surprising Missouri team which had just been ranked by the playoff committee, 49-14. JT Daniels is making fans wonder “what if” he had been QB1 all season long.

Northwestern took care of rival Illinois while Colorado, which had been ranked for the first time this season, dropped a home game to Utah with a Pac-12 title game appearance on the line.

The mid-afternoon slate, Coastal Carolina kept its undefeated season alive by escaping a scare against Troy. Miami looked to finish the season with a 9-1 record and potentially push for a New Year’s Six bowl, but North Carolina had other ideas as the Tar Heel offense did whatever it wanted all afternoon long en route to a blowout road win.

Iowa mopped the floor with a disappointing Wisconsin team to finish the regular season with six straight wins and continuing to climb in the rankings and Oklahoma State, too, dominated a lesser foe in Baylor. The Cowboys did so even without Chuba Hubbard who announced he’d be sitting out the rest of the year to prepare for the NFL draft.

In the night shift, Florida fumbled a chance to make the SEC title a playoff elimination game, losing to a struggling LSU team at home by a last-minute field goal. Another team on upset alert was USC who traveled to the Rose Bowl to face a suddenly hot UCLA team and the Trojans were taken down to the wire but a touchdown with 18 seconds left decided this one. No upset in Pasadena.

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

Week 16 AP Top 25 projections

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

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