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AP Top 25: 3 teams ranked way too high, 3 teams ranked way too low entering Week 5

Some teams are getting way too much love from the Associated Press, while others, not enough.

By John Buhler

Brady Cook, Missouri Tigers
Brady Cook, Missouri Tigers / Sophia Scheller/GettyImages
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What a weekend it was in major college football! While most people will be talking about Michigan pulling off the home upset of USC, Kansas State lost to BYU while you were probably asleep, and Missouri was brought to the brink by Vanderbilt earlier in the day. As expected, all four of those teams in questions moved up and down in the next college football rankings made by the Associated Press.

So what I am going to do today is outline three teams the Associated Press seems to have massively overrated, as well as three it may have criminally underrated heading into Week 5. The good news is we will have an even better grasp on the top 25 teams in the country in the coming weeks and months. Of course, we will eventually rely on the College Football Playoff Selection Committee.

Here is what the latest AP Top 25 Poll looks like. There were some major changes across the board.

  1. Texas Longhorns (4-0) (1,527 points, 44 first-place votes)
  2. Georgia Bulldogs (3-0) (1,482 points, 13 first-place votes)
  3. Ohio State Buckeyes (3-0) (1,432 points, 5 first-place votes)
  4. Alabama Crimson Tide (3-0) (1,328 points)
  5. Tennessee Volunteers (4-0) (1,283 points)
  6. Ole Miss Rebels (4-0) (1,269 points)
  7. Miami Hurricanes (4-0) (1,139 points)
  8. Oregon Ducks (4-0) (1,073 points)
  9. Penn State Nittany Lions (3-0) (1,051 points)
  10. Utah Utes (4-0) (1,037 points)
  11. Missouri Tigers (4-0) (1,009 points)
  12. Michigan Wolverines (3-1) (805 points)
  13. USC Trojans (2-1) (690 points)
  14. LSU Tigers (3-1) (637 points)
  15. Louisville Cardinals (3-0) (553 points)
  16. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (3-1) (546 points)
  17. Clemson Tigers (2-1) (540 points)
  18. Iowa State Cyclones (3-0) (530 points)
  19. Illinois Fighting Illini (4-0) (458 points)
  20. Oklahoma State Cowboys (3-1) (388 points)
  21. Oklahoma Sooners (3-1) (375 points)
  22. BYU Cougars (4-0) (327 points)
  23. Kansas State Wildcats (3-1) (168 points)
  24. Texas A&M Aggies (3-1) (77 points)
  25. Boise State Broncos (2-1) (69 points)

And here is every unranked team that received at least one vote from the Associated Press this week.

  • Washington State Cougars (67 points)
  • Indiana Hoosiers (63 points)
  • Boston College Eagles (55 points)
  • UNLV Rebels (53 points)
  • Pittsburgh Panthers (37 points)
  • Nebraska Cornhuskers (25 points)
  • Iowa Hawkeyes (24 points)
  • James Madison Dukes (11 points)
  • South Carolina Gamecocks (7 points)
  • Liberty Flames (4 points)
  • Arkansas Razorbacks (3 points)
  • UCF Knights (3 points)
  • Arizona Wildcats (2 points)
  • SMU Mustangs (2 points)
  • Navy Midshipmen (1 point)

Let's start with an SEC team I am not totally comfortable having firmly inside of the top 15 just yet.

No. 14 is way too high for LSU Tigers

The LSU Tigers went up two spots from No. 16 to No. 14 after handling UCLA on Saturday. On the season, the Bayou Bengals are 3-1, but are riding a three-game winning streak. While they did look much better vs. the Bruins than they did South Carolina the previous week, I have major concerns about this team's defense against even halfway decent offenses. This defense struggles to tackle.

At the start of the year, I had LSU as the most likely contender to get to Atlanta outside of Georgia and Texas, of course. Right now, I cannot say that this team is anything close to being a playoff team. The Tigers need to rattle off a series of impressive victories to do that. They may do that in time, but I am not going to have them as one of my first four teams out for a reason. I just do not trust LSU at all.

This team might have won three games in a row, but has not done so brimming with confidence.

No. 19 is way too low for Illinois Fighting Illini

I had a feeling that at least one team in the Big Ten was going to emerge as a serious threat to the perceived top five. Through the first month of the season, that team would undeniably be the Illinois Fighting Illini. Although Kansas seems to have fallen on hard times since the Week 2 defeat, as well as Nebraska not looking quite ready just yet, Illinois is playing with a ton of momentum up to this point.

Bret Bielema is flexing on other quality coaches during this impressive start to the season. Luke Altmyer continues to impress at quarterback with every passing game. While I am not sure what this team's ceiling is, the Illini are comfortably a bowl team, one that should have staying power in the top 25 throughout the season. They need to be closer to No. 15 than closer to No. 19 sitting at No. 20.

Even with a possible road loss at Penn State, I still like what this Illini team is about going forward.

No. 8 is way too high for Oregon Ducks

Make it make sense. Oregon was on its bye and went up a spot to No. 8, a spot I am not so sure they deserve up to this point. This may have more do to with Missouri nearly throwing up all over itself vs. Vanderbilt at home. While Oregon did look markedly better two weeks ago vs. in-state rival Oregon State, this is still a team that messed with its food vs. Idaho and nearly lost to No. 25 Boise State.

Although there were glimpses of brilliance out of Dillon Gabriel in the Ducks' last game, something feels missing with this team. While I do have them as a playoff contender, I need to be convinced otherwise that this team is a playoff lock. I may have them in the playoff picture this week, but I don't feel good about it. Again, they get elevated a bit due to USC's road loss and Missouri's near upset.

This feels more like the 10th best team in the country than they do the eighth-best team right now.

No. 18 is way too low for Iowa State Cyclones

Admittedly, I was this close to having Iowa State in as my projected Big 12 champion. While the CyHawk victory over Iowa still carries some clout, I could not in good faith move the Cyclones up that far. Yes, they may have blown out the Arkansas State Red Wolves this past week, but I need to see what they can do in Big 12 play first. What I know for sure is Rocco Becht is a star at quarterback.

Right now, the Cyclones seem to have their best quarterback since Brock Purdy, one who could conceivably take this team to unprecedented heights this season and beyond. With much of the upper crust of the Big 12 in flux, a tough and well-coached team like Iowa State could take advantage. No. 18 feels way to low. I honestly would not have that much of a problem swapping them with LSU.

Iowa State has a favorable schedule to really pick up steam with some easy Big 12 wins to be had.

No. 11 is way too high for Missouri Tigers

I understand that they already fell seven spots in an overtime victory, but I don't trust this Missouri Tigers team at all. While I still have them in the College Football Playoff picture, they are only hanging on by a thread. Mizzou looked great in its first two wins, but that was against Group of Five competition. Although Boston College and Vanderbilt are of quality, Missouri should have won easily.

My biggest concern with the Tigers is their offense seems to be limited around Brady Cook finding Luther Burden III in a pinch in the passing game. While I know Missouri is well-coached, plays great defense and thrives in crunch time, I question if this team can hang tough in a shootout, particularly once Missouri's relatively soft schedule toughens up. I may be wrong in this, but I am down on Mizzou.

I would honestly take Michigan and USC ahead of Missouri entering the fifth week of the season.

No. 9 is way too low for Penn State Nittany Lions

The Penn State disrespect needs to stop. Of course, if the Nittany Lions lose at home next week to the upstart Illinois Fighting Illini, that will be a moot point. But after wiping the floor with Kent State, who might be the worst team in FBS, that close call with Bowling Green shouldn't feel so punitive. After all, the Falcons took what I think is a halfway decent Texas A&M team to the brink on Saturday.

Throughout the first month of the season, Penn State has remained an ever-present part of the College Football Playoff picture. Not once have I thought about moving them outside of the top 12. My thought is Penn State is way too talented on both sides of the ball and at all levels of its coaching staff to be any lower than a top-eight team in the country. They may be the Big Ten's second best!

The huge matchup next week vs. Illinois will provide us with a well-tested undefeated Big Ten team.

Next. SEC CFP bubble watch, Week 4. SEC CFP bubble watch, Week 4. dark

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