Another shakeup is coming in the AP top 25 college football rankings after a pair of top-ten teams went down, while some lower-ranked hopefuls took a hit, allowing voters some leeway in bringing new faces into the poll moving into Week 4.
LSU is about to take a hit after its first loss in Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss, while Texas A&M absorbed a shocking defeat to unranked Kentucky, while some notable ACC and Big 12 action will also force pollsters into a rewrite of the new rankings.
Dropping out: No. 22 Houston, No. 25 Virginia, and quite possibly more…
25. Virginia Tech. Pollsters have some room to maneuver at the bottom after prominent losses, but the Hokies seem like a logical choice to get a promotion after receiving 11 votes a week ago and beating Maryland on the road.
24. Oklahoma. Beating New Mexico in a 14-6 fistfight once again raises questions around the viability of this Sooner offense with John Mateer in command, especially going to Georgia next week.
23. SMU. The first loss of the Mustangs’ season comes in a game that playoff selectors will have in mind later this year, in a road test against ranked Louisville. Despite running for 257 yards and 3 scores, the offense was slowed by Kevin Jennings’ 2 giveaways and two drives stopped on fourth down.
22. Texas A&M. Mike Elko’s outfit could end up being the biggest negative mover in this week’s poll after a stunning 10-point loss at home to unranked Kentucky. Good for UK, but the Aggies were 17 point favorites in this game, and this result will not bode well for their playoff ambitions.
21. Oregon. Eager to put up some style points, the Ducks punked unsuspecting Portland State in an 84-0 massacre on Friday that may not prove much, but must have been cathartic for a team coming off a loss the week before.
Some New SEC Teams Enter the Poll
20. Mississippi State. Movement around the rankings and the Bulldogs’ own superb 3-0 start after beating South Carolina on the road should put quarterback Kamario Taylor on the map.
19. Florida. A shootout win on the road against Auburn puts the Gators at 3-0 in Jon Sumrall’s debut season, and gives his offense a strong vote of confidence after leading several long touchdown drives in a tough environment. UF was 27th in votes last week.
18. Michigan. A slow start for the Wolverines against UTEP at home, but a 28-point third quarter helped them pull away to easily avoid the upset eventually.
17. Iowa. Three different Hawkeye backs had over 100 yards on the ground in a 55-0 thrashing against Northern Iowa. Now 3-0, they head to Michigan next.
16. Louisville. That loss to Ole Miss in the opener is still a loss, but it looks better now after what transpired against LSU, and the Cardinals are coming off their own impressive 10-point win against ranked SMU in an early battle of ACC title hopefuls.
LSU Will Drop After the Ole Miss Loss
15. Utah. Devon Dampier had 253 yards and 2 touchdowns and Braden Pegan covered a season-high 122 yards to shut out Utah State, and the Utes have outscored non-conference opponents, 142-24.
14. Tennessee. Taking out Kennesaw State by a 42-9 count puts the Vols at an average of 48 points per game heading into SEC play at home against Arch Manning and Texas.
13. Penn State. A strong rushing attack good for over 300 yards paved the way for a 55-13 win against Buffalo heading into Big Ten play against Wisconsin.
12. USC. This defense still isn’t there. Winning by a 42-35 count against Rutgers proves it, but as long as Lincoln Riley’s offense can still score, the Trojans are still technically in the mix for higher things in the postseason.
11. LSU. Pollsters won’t want to punish the Tigers too harshly for a last-second loss in Lane Kiffin’s return to Ole Miss, especially given how the offense responded to an early deficit and made it a game late.
Rounding Out the Top Ten in Week 4
10. Texas Tech. Something of a slow start for the Red Raiders against an inspired Houston team, but their defense came through on the goal line to prevent a game-tying run to stay undefeated and win the Big 12 opener.
9. BYU. LJ Martin had triple-digit rushing yards and 3 scores in a win over Colorado State and other poll movement could benefit the Big 12 hopefuls this week.
8. Alabama. Kalen DeBoer’s squad played things a little too close against Florida State at home early, enough to trail in the first half, but came back from a weather delay with an inspired offense that included Keelon Russell’s 57-yard touchdown run to pull away.
7. Ohio State. No team from Ohio has beaten the Buckeyes since Oberlin in 1921, and that remains the case after a 59-3 smashup against Kent State, but there are still questions around the validity of OSU’s ground offense.
6. Miami. Darian Mensah broke some more records, this time for consecutive completions, in a win at Wake Forest, but may lose some momentum in the poll as voters rush to reward Ole Miss.
Rebels’ Statement Will Cause a Shakeup in the Top Five
5. Indiana. A slow start for the Hoosiers in another walkover game, but Josh Hoover picked things up to put the champs ahead of Western Kentucky by a 38-0 count.
4. Ole Miss. Pollsters may be in a generous mood after the Rebels got one over on LSU as a slight underdog, enough to jump other winners who rolled easily against less impressive opponents.
3. Notre Dame. CJ Carr didn’t pass for a touchdown, but the Irish ground game made up the difference in pulling away from Michigan State in a closer than expected home tilt heading into two road games at Purdue and UNC.
2. Georgia. The Bulldogs’ rushing attack ground the Arkansas defense into a fine powder in the SEC opener in a 45-17 romp and hosts Oklahoma next.
1. Texas. Not quite as dominant as the Longhorns perhaps should have been against UTSA in a 30-6 victory after knocking off Ohio State a week ago, which could move some pollsters to withdraw their first-place votes, but not enough to actually change the No. 1 spot in the rankings.
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