On a Sunday when the college football world was still catching its breath, the AP Top 25 was redrawn after a Saturday that overturned many expectations. Miami alone held its ground at the summit, while upsets rippled down the rankings: BYU fell at UCF, Texas Tech and Mississippi also lost, and the season's field of unbeaten teams has shrunk to a rare few. It is the kind of weekend that reminds a sport how quickly certainty can give way.
Live updates: More big changes in the AP Top 25
Miami was the only team in the poll that did not move
Mark
Why does this week's poll feel different from a normal reshuffle?
Mimi
Because the top barely survived. Miami is the only team that didn't move, and BYU fell from No. 2 to No. 8 in one afternoon.
Mark
Five ranked teams lost to unranked opponents. Is that unusual?
Luke
It's a lot for one Saturday, but the source doesn't give a historical comparison for that. The one historical marker it cites is the unbeaten count.
Mimi
Right. Only Miami, Utah and UCLA are undefeated, the fewest at this point since 1977, per Sportradar.
Mark
Ohio State went to No. 2 without playing. How does that work?
Mimi
Teams ahead of it lost, and it was idle. Georgia and Notre Dame also moved by standing still.
Luke
Worth saying that voters made those calls. The poll reflects opinion, not a formula, and the reporting here doesn't explain individual ballots.
Mark
And Texas?
Mimi
Texas beat No. 7 Mississippi while ranked No. 19, which keeps its playoff hopes alive.
Luke
Alive is not the same as likely. The reporting doesn't say how strong those hopes are.
El Pulso
- Five ranked teams fell to unranked opponents on a single Saturday, and the poll's order was upended in an instant.
- BYU's loss at UCF, marked by controversy over how the game ended, sent the No. 2 team plummeting six spots to No. 8.
- Mississippi's defeat to No. 19 Texas kept the Longhorns' playoff hopes alive while handing the Rebels a painful fall.
- Miami held the No. 1 spot untouched, while Ohio State, Georgia, Indiana and Notre Dame climbed or held steady on the strength of results elsewhere.
- Only Miami, Utah and UCLA remain undefeated, the fewest at this point in a season since 1977, leaving the race for the playoff wide open.
On a Sunday when the college football world was still catching its breath, the AP Top 25 was redrawn after a Saturday that overturned many expectations. Miami alone held its ground at the summit, while upsets rippled down the rankings: BYU fell at UCF, Texas Tech and Mississippi also lost, and the season's field of unbeaten teams has shrunk to a rare few. It is the kind of weekend that reminds a sport how quickly certainty can give way.
Miami was the only team in the AP Top 25 that stayed put on Sunday. The Hurricanes kept the No. 1 ranking as the rest of the poll was rearranged after one of the most chaotic Saturdays of the college football season. Miami had already dispatched Pittsburgh 52-23 in its first game at the top, so the reshuffling happened all around it.
The biggest fall belonged to BYU, which lost at UCF in a game that left people arguing about how it ended. The Cougars dropped from No. 2 to No. 8. They were one of five ranked teams that lost to unranked opponents that day, including Texas Tech. Mississippi also fell, to No. 19 Texas, a result that kept the Longhorns' postseason dreams alive.
Ohio State, idle that week, rose to No. 2 as the teams above it stumbled. Georgia climbed to No. 3, and Indiana leapt two places to No. 4 after an overtime win at Michigan. Notre Dame slipped to No. 5. Utah, UCLA, BYU, Kentucky and Alabama completed the top 10.
Few teams are left unbeaten. Miami, Utah and UCLA are the only undefeated programs in the Football Bowl Subdivision, the fewest at this stage since 1977. The SEC still leads with nine ranked teams, and the Big 12 matched its own record with six. The weeks ahead will show whether the unbeaten trio can hold on and whether BYU's slide ends.
Miami spent Sunday as the only team in the AP Top 25 that did not move. The Hurricanes held the No. 1 spot while the rest of the poll was reordered after one of the more chaotic Saturdays of the college football season.
The biggest shift came at No. 2. BYU lost at UCF, in a game that drew controversy over how it ended, and dropped six places to No. 8. Five ranked teams in all lost to unranked opponents on Saturday, including No. 8 Texas Tech. No. 7 Mississippi also fell, losing to No. 19 Texas, a result that kept the Longhorns' playoff hopes alive.
Miami, in its first game as the top-ranked team, had little trouble. It beat Pittsburgh 52-23.
Ohio State, which was idle, moved up to No. 2 as the teams above it fell away. Georgia, also coming off an open date, climbed one spot to No. 3. Indiana jumped two places to No. 4 after winning at Michigan in overtime. Notre Dame, idle as well, slipped one spot to No. 5. Utah, UCLA, BYU, Kentucky and Alabama filled out the rest of the top 10, in that order.
The losses have thinned the unbeaten ranks. Miami, Utah and UCLA are the only undefeated teams left in the Football Bowl Subdivision. According to Sportradar, that is the fewest at this point in a season since 1977, when three remained.
The poll also reflects shifts in conference strength. The SEC again has the most ranked teams, with nine. The Big 12 tied its own record with six teams in the poll.
The reordering leaves the top of the poll in an unusual state. Miami has the lone top spot that survived the weekend, and Ohio State, Georgia, Notre Dame and Indiana were all helped by results elsewhere or by their own wins. The coming weeks will show whether Utah and UCLA can stay unbeaten, and whether BYU's slide stops at No. 8.
Citas Notables
Unbeaten teams are at their lowest count this deep into a season since 1977.— Sportradar, via the Associated Press
Quieres la nota completa?
Lee el original en The Atlanta Journal-Constitution ↗
Technology