The latest AP Top 25 figures to look different after a weekend that shook up perception across the country, and Oregon is right in the middle of it.
The Ducks, ranked No. 20 going into their trip to USC, came away with an emotional road win over the No. 12 Trojans despite playing most of the game without quarterback Dante Moore. That result should send Oregon back up after its slide in the rankings, with the Ducks likely to land inside the top 15 when voters release the new poll on Sunday.
Oregon is hardly the only team whose standing is about to move. No.
17 Iowa, No. 21 Florida and No.
24 Mississippi State also picked up wins that should help their cases, while a group that includes No. 13 Penn State, No.
16 Louisville, No. 18 Michigan and No.
19 Missouri is expected to head the other way.
The biggest climb could belong to Oregon, but Ole Miss is also in line for a major change after its loss to Florida on the road Saturday. The Rebels were hammered, and that kind of result should push them down from No.
- At the same time, they still own one of the more impressive wins in the country after beating LSU in a rivalry game in Week 3.
Texas, meanwhile, appears to have locked in the top spot for now. The Longhorns already have wins over No.
7 Ohio State and No. 14 Tennessee, and that resume should keep them at No. 1 when the new poll drops.
Ohio State is expected to move back up a bit after losing to Texas, while Tennessee has not yet seen its ranking affected by its first loss of the season.
There are plenty of other questions hanging over the top 25. Ole Miss should fall out of the top five after allowing more than 50 points to Florida, but the bigger debate is whether the Rebels slide behind LSU.
The Tigers blew past then-No. 23 Texas A&M, yet their only loss so far came against Ole Miss.
Oregon and USC are also in for notable movement. The Ducks have to be wondering how much voters weigh Moore’s injury when they sort out the back half of the top 20, while the Trojans will find out whether a first loss is enough to keep them inside that range.
There could also be room for a new face or two. Oklahoma State is one team to watch after improving to 3-1 with a road win over West Virginia, and Washington was close to breaking through before a loss to Minnesota likely stalled that push.
Here is how the poll is projected to look:
- Texas
- Georgia
- Notre Dame
- Ole Miss
- Indiana
- Miami
- Ohio State
- Alabama
- BYU
- LSU
- Texas Tech
- USC
- Penn State
- Tennessee
- Utah
- Louisville
- Iowa
- Michigan
- Missouri
- Oregon
- Florida
- SMU
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi State
- Houston
The AP Top 25 will be revealed on Sunday.
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The pass rush was the difference, and it was relentless enough to tilt the entire game. Texas piled up 10 sacks, with Colin Simmons tying a school record by getting to the quarterback five times, a performance that masked plenty of offensive frustration elsewhere on the field. For a team still unbeaten, the bigger concern may be how much it had to lean on its defense to escape a game that stayed tense until the very end. [Read more 🡒]