USC didn’t play in week 10, but the Trojans still have a real shot to climb when the AP Top 25 comes out Sunday.
That’s the kind of weekend it was across college football. Ranked teams kept falling, and the chaos opened the door for movement all over the poll.
USC entered the first College Football Playoff rankings at No. 20 even though it sat higher in the AP Top 25, and now the Trojans should benefit from the shakeup after a bye ahead of their ranked matchup with No. 6 Indiana.
The biggest hit to the top of the rankings came when No. 1 Miami lost to No.
4 Notre Dame on the road. The SEC also took several swings, with then-No.
8 Kentucky getting rolled by then-No. 16 Tennessee, 34-6, No.
2 Georgia beating No. 12 Ole Miss, 42-7, and No.
9 Alabama handling No. 15 LSU, 31-13.
There was more turbulence elsewhere, too. After USC beat Ohio State at home, the unranked Oregon Ducks went into Columbus and knocked off the Buckeyes, 41-28, giving Ryan Day’s team a third loss. With Ohio State and Ole Miss both taking heavy damage, the AP voters will have plenty to sort through.
The Big Ten picture is crowded as well. Oregon, No.
12 Ohio State, No. 21 Iowa, Wisconsin, USC, and Illinois are all sitting with two conference losses.
At the top, No. 5 UCLA is alone in first place in the conference, and the Bruins are one of two unbeaten teams left in the FBS.
No. 3 Utah is the other after its win over No.
7 BYU.
The new CFP rankings could also influence how the AP board looks at a few teams. Alabama is the clearest example, since the Crimson Tide opened at No. 5 in the CFP rankings while sitting No. 9 in the AP poll. Tennessee also got a better CFP spot than it had in the previous AP ranking, which could help the Volunteers rise after the Kentucky win.
Oregon, meanwhile, appears ready to crash into the AP Top 25 after showing up in the CFP rankings while still unranked in the AP poll. Texas should move up a bit as well after its win over No. 19 Missouri.
A projected AP Top 25 from the source had Georgia at No. 1, followed by Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, Indiana, Alabama, Miami, Texas, Tennessee, Texas Tech, BYU, Wake Forest, Kentucky, Houston, USC, Iowa, Ole Miss, Boise State, South Carolina, Oregon, Ohio State, New Mexico, Missouri, LSU, and Arizona.
Another projection had Miami back at No. 1, with Georgia, Utah, Notre Dame, UCLA, Indiana, BYU, Kentucky, Alabama, Texas, Ohio State, Ole Miss, Texas Tech, Wake Forest, LSU, Tennessee, Houston, USC, Missouri, Boise State, Iowa, New Mexico, South Carolina, Arizona, and Florida rounding out the list.
For USC, the expectation is simpler: a modest rise, not a massive leap. The Trojans should move up a little after the weekend’s carnage, even if they don’t end up among the biggest winners.
In Other News...
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Even though his absence did not change the result on the scoreboard, it leaves Tennessee with a real question heading into the next stretch. Weathersbys production, including 8.5 sacks and 19 tackles, has made him hard to replace, and the Vols now have to sort out how much defensive depth they can trust if he is sidelined for any length of time. [Read more 🡒]
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Now the conversation around Tennessee has shifted from simply stacking wins to what those wins might mean in the larger playoff picture. ESPN has the Vols at 33 percent to reach the College Football Playoff, a number that reflects just how much this result changed the temperature around the program, even if there is still work to do before anything is decided. [Read more 🡒]
Tennessee Just Lost An SEC Recruiting Battle It Wanted Badly
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For Tennessee, the miss is another reminder of how quickly the landscape can shift in a league where top players are often only around long enough to change the trajectory of a roster before heading to the NBA. Kabongos commitment leaves the Volunteers looking elsewhere as they continue to build for the future, while the ripple effects of his decision will be felt well beyond Knoxville. [Read more 🡒]