A shake-up is coming to the AP Top 25 after a wild Week 6, and the biggest question is simple: who takes over at No. 1?
Texas opened the weekend at the top of the poll, but the Longhorns’ first loss of the season to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry opens the door. Georgia also did its part, knocking off then-No. 6 Alabama, and that win puts the Bulldogs squarely in the mix for the top spot when Sunday’s rankings drop.
Exactly how far Texas falls is the intrigue. The Longhorns still have a win over No.
5 Ohio State on their résumé, which should help cushion the drop. Alabama’s fate is less certain after a close home loss to Georgia, and it remains to be seen whether the Crimson Tide slide out of the top 10.
The top of the poll is expected to get a full reshuffle, with Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State and Indiana all positioned near the front of the pack. One projected order has Georgia climbing to No. 1, while another keeps Texas at the top despite the loss. Either way, the rankings are about to look very different.
The real pressure point for USC sits a little lower down the list. Lincoln Riley’s team survived the White Out and beat Penn State, giving the Trojans a signature win as they move to 5-1.
That result keeps USC firmly in the College Football Playoff conversation, even with the earlier home loss to No. 13 Oregon.
But the road ahead is brutal. USC still has No.
5 Ohio State, No. 7 Indiana and UCLA left on the schedule, and that stretch leaves almost no margin for error.
The Trojans can only beat the teams in front of them, and the path they’ve been handed is anything but forgiving.
UCLA’s upset of Oregon in Eugene is another piece that could help reshape the middle of the AP poll. The Bruins are expected to move ahead of USC after the win, and the Ducks’ loss adds another ranked opponent to the Trojans’ already crowded résumé. Oregon’s standing is now in question as Sunday approaches.
If USC can navigate that remaining gauntlet, the Penn State win could end up carrying real weight. Even with some movement expected ahead of them because of losses elsewhere, the Trojans’ place in the rankings should improve only slightly.
One projected top 25 has Georgia at No. 1, followed by Notre Dame, Miami, Ohio State and Alabama, with Indiana at No. 7, BYU at No.
8, Ole Miss at No. 9 and LSU at No. 10.
In that version, USC comes in at No. 19, just behind Oklahoma State and ahead of Iowa, UCLA, Houston, Boise State, SMU and Pittsburgh.
Another forecast keeps Texas at No. 1, with Georgia second and Notre Dame third. In that setup, USC is again slotted at No. 19, with Iowa at No. 20 and UCLA at No. 21.
However Sunday’s poll shakes out at the top, USC’s next few weeks will decide everything. The Trojans have the kind of schedule that can either build a playoff case or bury one.
In Other News...
Georgia Tech Finally Got The Win Fans Desperately Needed
Georgia Tech finally has the kind of win it had been hunting for, and it came in a tense finish at Bobby Dodd Stadium. The Yellow Jackets edged Duke 28-25 to snap a long drought against a Power 4 opponent, a result that gave the home crowd something tangible to hold onto after a shaky start to the season. At 2-3 overall and 1-1 in ACC play, Tech at least has a foothold now, along with a result that should steady things a bit heading into the next stretch.
The game had the feel of one Georgia Tech could not let slip away, with momentum swinging late and every possession carrying extra weight. Trelain Maddox delivered the final push on the ground after Techs closing drive, and the Blue Devils still had one last chance to answer before the decisive kick drifted away and left the Jackets celebrating. For a team and fan base that had been waiting on a breakthrough, the bigger question now is whether this can become a turning point or just a much-needed one-night release. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Finally Got The Kind Of Win Fans Needed
Georgia Tech finally got the kind of result its fans had been waiting on, edging Duke 25-21 for its first FBS win since November. It was the sort of game the Yellow Jackets needed more than they could have said before kickoff, with the offense finding enough rhythm to stay alive and a late scoring drive giving the home side a chance to finish what had been a tense afternoon.
Trelain Maddox was the spark throughout, doing damage both on the ground and through the air against Dukes defense, while Georgia Techs own defense spent much of the second half trying to find a stop it could trust. The Blue Devils still had one last opening to flip the result in the final seconds, keeping the finish in doubt until the clock nearly expired. [Read more 🡒]
Georgia Tech Faces A Season-Shaping Road Test After Duke Upset
Georgia Techs upset of Duke gave the Yellow Jackets a needed lift, but the challenge gets tougher quickly. Next up is a road trip to Blacksburg to face Virginia Tech, a matchup that will tell a lot about whether Georgia Tech can turn one statement win into something more lasting as the ACC schedule tightens.
The Hokies bring the kind of test that can expose whether the Duke performance was a one-off or a step forward, especially with both teams trying to sort out recent form, personnel and coaching edges. The setting and timing only add to it, since Georgia Tech will have to back up the upset on the road in a game that carries real weight for how the rest of the season starts to look. [Read more 🡒]