Rivalry week throughout faculty soccer actually had all of it. There was preventing, flag-planting, eight overtimes, rivalries renewed and rivalry narratives strengthened. We noticed Heisman Trophy contenders demand the highlight and College Football Playoff contenders shrink when the lights have been the brightest. And after a handful of high 25 groups took losses, the voters within the AP Top 25 ballot have to determine out how one of the best groups in faculty soccer stack up towards one another.
Since Oregon as soon as once more dealt with its enterprise with a blowout win towards Washington to complete as the one 12-0 group within the nation, the nice debate will probably be round what occurs at No. 2 inside the remainder of the highest 10 within the wake of Ohio State’s beautiful loss to Michigan. The Buckeyes will seemingly keep throughout the high 10, however they will even be dealing with a a lot stiffer punishment: having to await their first-round seeding from the College Football Playoff Selection Committee as an alternative of enjoying for a Big Ten championship in Indianapolis.
Texas supplied an incredible argument to be No. 2 on Saturday night time in its rivalry win towards Texas A&M, rounding out an 11-1 common season for the second straight 12 months below Steve Sarkisian. For the second straight 12 months, the Longhorns will probably be enjoying for a convention title. But they aren’t with out competitors; Penn State and Notre Dame completed their seasons with double-digit wins that bolster their arguments as the highest one-loss group within the nation.
There may also be loads of consideration on the place Miami falls after its loss to Syracuse and the way that relates the College Football Playoff image, in addition to any upward motion for South Carolina after profitable at Clemson, the group that benefited most the Hurricanes’ loss. The College Football Playoff narratives will resonate all through the ballot as voters make their judgements identified two days earlier than the choice committee releases its up to date high 25 heading into championship weekend.
Here’s how we expect the brand new AP Top 25 will take care of Week 14.
1. Oregon (Last week — 1): It is inconceivable for a group to be any “extra” unanimous of a No. 1 group within the ballot, but when it was doable, we might see that after the Ducks returned from an off week with a 49-21 blowout win towards rival Washington.
2. Texas (3): The Longhorns now have a brand new finest win because of a stellar defensive efficiency on the highway at Texas A&M. Up subsequent for Texas in Atlanta is a shot not solely to win the SEC championship in Year 1 as a convention member but in addition to avenge the one defeat on the group’s one-loss rankings profile.
3. Penn State (4): Even although Penn State’s one loss is to an Ohio State group that will probably be tumbling within the rankings, the Nittany Lions’ one-loss profile stays robust after a 44-7 throttling of Maryland. But given the way in which the votes fell final week, the win added extra energy to their place and held off a Notre Dame group that is been selecting up steam within the rankings in latest weeks. But all that issues for James Franklin’s group now’s the chance forward to tackle No. 1 for the Big Ten championship subsequent Saturday night time.
4. Notre Dame (5): We will not get to see the Fighting Irish once more earlier than Selection Sunday, however the ultimate impression supplied a little bit of the whole lot as Notre Dame logged its first highway win at USC since 2018. The 49-35 victory wasn’t good, however it did mark a much bigger margin of victory than Penn State’s extra time win in Los Angeles earlier this season. Look for that information level to develop into some extent of emphasis for the controversy amongst high groups heading into the week, although the AP voters within the consensus won’t be daring sufficient for a spot swap within the rankings.
5. Georgia (6): The approach Georgia is mentioned may change popping out of Friday night time’s eight-overtime epic towards Georgia Tech, however the way in which the Bulldogs are ranked by the AP voters will not change. A latest head-to-head win towards Tennessee makes a snug ground for stacking top-10 groups, and there is one other likelihood to show their worthiness arising subsequent week within the SEC Championship Game.
6. Tennessee (7): Just a slight bump up for the Vols within the midst of a shakeup within the high 10 and a stable 36-23 win at Vanderbilt to complete the common season with a 10-2 file.
7. SMU (9): The ACC Championship Game spot was already locked up, but SMU was capable of deal with its enterprise in a approach the remainder of the convention’s high groups weren’t, and it may give the Mustangs a powerful rankings place heading into subsequent week’s matchup with Clemson.
8. Ohio State (2): Having that latest head-to-head win towards Indiana makes life fairly straightforward for voters who haven’t been evaluating the Buckeyes’ resume towards different groups on this portion of the rankings. With the Penn State win, you possibly can see Ohio State as excessive as No. 5, but we’re projecting the voters to be extra aggressive with the drop as a result of surprising nature of a house loss to unranked Michigan as a 19-point favourite.
9. Indiana (10): All of the frustrations of the Ohio State loss have been taken out on rival Purdue in ruthless style because the Hoosiers poured it on for 4 quarters to the tune of a 66-0 win.
10. Boise State (11): Ashton Jeanty chewed via Oregon State’s protection to the tune of 226 yards in a 16-point win towards Oregon State. Jeanty has two assured alternatives left with the Mountain West title recreation and at the least yet one more postseason recreation; he at present sits simply 340 yards behind Barry Sanders’ single-season FBS speeding file.
11. Miami (8): From an inside monitor to this system’s first-ever ACC championship to probably falling out of the College Football Playoff image, quite a bit was misplaced for Miami in Saturday’s defeat at Syracuse. In phrases of the AP Top 25, there is a fairly excessive ground contemplating it is simply the second lack of the season for the Hurricanes, however the ground for the rankings consists of falling behind some three-loss groups as effectively.
12. Alabama (13): The Crimson Tide had a fairly large hole in voting factors between their place at No. 13 final week and Boise State at No. 11, indicating a tier for a lot of voters on their ballots. We’re not projecting any cause for main strikes out of that grouping after a 14-point win within the Iron Bowl that wraps Kalen DeBoer’s first common season with a 9-3 file.
13. South Carolina (16): Now 9-3 after a 17-14 win at Clemson, the Gamecocks weren’t on this tier earlier than and many citizens have been respecting the Ole Miss consequence. But as South Carolina rides a six-game win streak, it is getting tougher to suppose the group that beat Clemson in Death Valley is similar one which misplaced 27-3 to the Rebels earlier this season.
14. Arizona State (14): What an unimaginable run for Arizona State to go from being projected as one of many worst groups within the Big 12 to securing a spot within the convention title recreation. While different groups faltered or sputtered with convention title hopes on the road, the Sun Devils have been emphatic in saying their contender standing with a 49-7 victory towards rival Arizona.
15. Ole Miss (15): The Rebels did not do a lot to encourage voters with their 26-14 win towards Mississippi State within the Egg Bowl. The Friday afternoon time slot opened the door for lots of voters to get their eyes on the motion, and Ole Miss did sufficient to win however perhaps not sufficient to sway voters attempting to make powerful choices between two-loss and three-loss groups on their poll.
16. Clemson (12): It’s an odd conclusion to the vacation weekend for Clemson, who in the identical day misplaced to their bitter rival in heartbreaking style but in addition clinched a spot within the ACC Championship Game. The AP voters will modify their ballots within the wake of the loss, which is Clemson’s third of the season, however there could possibly be a excessive ground for the drop given the inventory of its surging opponent.
17. Iowa State (17): A tough-fought 29-21 win towards Kansas State put the Cyclones in place to be one of many groups tied on the high of the Big 12 standings with a 7-2 convention file. It additionally marks a breakthrough for the Matt Campbell period as the primary 10-win marketing campaign in his nine-season tenure with this system.
18. BYU (19): The Cougars closed out the highest 25 motion for Week 14 with a win towards Houston that gave the group a share of first place within the standings additionally left them on the skin of the title recreation due the four-way tiebreaker.
19. UNLV (21): By beating Nevada and holding on to their spot within the high 25, the Rebels can have one other shot at Boise State within the Mountain West title recreation subsequent Friday night time.
20. Illinois (22): No main adjustments for the Fighting Illini after a 10-point win towards rival Northwestern wraps Illinois’ common season with a 9-3 file. It’s probably the most wins in a single season for Illinois since 2007, and the bowl recreation will present a chance to log this system’s first 10-win season since 2001.
21. Colorado (23): The Buffaloes placed on a present of their 52-0 thrashing of Oklahoma State, capping a 9-3 common season that included Big 12 title competition, extra wins this system has seen since 2016 and presumably a superb little bit of {hardware} with regards to award season for the group’s greatest stars.
22. Missouri (24): The snowy scene in Columbia made for a sloppy recreation, however Brady Cook, Luther Burden and the Missouri offense made simply sufficient performs late to drag away with a 28-21 rivalry win towards Arkansas. The Tigers end the common season with a 9-3 file and no actual dangerous losses, making them the right candidate to spherical out a high 25 poll.
23. Army (25): The Black Knights have been capable of clinch home-field benefit for the AAC title recreation with a 29-24 win towards UTSA and will see a bump up within the rankings heading into that showdown with Tulane.
24. Syracuse (NR): The Orange have been twenty eighth final week in voting factors and will see a surge of help after the upset win towards Miami. Fran Brown’s group finishes the common season with a 9-3 file that features wins over two groups within the present high 25 (Miami and UNLV), which warrants a bump up amongst these groups on the sting of the poll.
25. Memphis (NR): With Tulane seemingly falling out of the rankings, search for Memphis to get sufficient help to interrupt into the highest 25. The Tigers not solely have been accountable for the Tulane exit by advantage of their 10-point win in New Orleans on Thursday night time, however they have been twenty seventh in voting factors final week with some important help among the many AP voters.
Projected to drop out: No. 18 Tulane, No. 20 Texas A&M
