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...
UCLA Upset Oregon And A Celebrity Backer Cashed In Big
A UCLA upset already had enough juice on its own, but the Bruins 17-15 win at Oregon picked up an extra layer of attention when 50 Cent showed up in the aftermath with a celebration of his own. The rapper and producer posted on Instagram after the game, making clear he had backed the Bruins in a matchup that handed Oregon its second loss of the season and its first in Big Ten play at Autzen Stadium.
The bet story only added to the intrigue around a win that will travel well beyond Westwood, especially with Bob Chesney and his staff still trying to build momentum from it. 50 Cent had already made his interest in UCLA known publicly, and the timing of his support gave the result a little extra pop, turning a tense road victory into one of those college football outcomes that spills over far past the final whistle. [Read more 🡒]
Iowa's Rebound Just Changed How Michigan Fans See That Loss
Iowas latest showing offered a little context for a result that had looked damaging before the rest of the Big Ten settled in around it. The Hawkeyes leaned on a strong running game and got enough from the backup quarterback spot to keep momentum moving, which matters for Michigan because it softens the edge of that earlier loss and reminds everyone how tricky league road trips can be.
The ripple effects stretch beyond Ann Arbor, too, because UCLA and Oregon are both still part of a changing league picture shaped by what happened over the weekend. UCLAs defense was especially forceful in its win over Oregon, and the availability of key players will continue to matter as these teams move into another critical stretch of conference play. [Read more 🡒]
Big Ten Weighs In On Controversial Ending To UCLAs Biggest Win
UCLAs biggest win of the season carried more than the usual road-game relief, because the Bruins left Oregon with a 17-15 victory in a game defined by defense and a frantic finish. UCLAs defense did enough to put the Ducks in a position where every snap mattered late, and the outcome stayed on a knifes edge into the fourth quarter before the Bruins finally escaped with a signature result away from home.
The ending, though, was not free of controversy, and the Big Ten moved quickly to weigh in on the final sequence. Oregon came up empty on a pair of two-point conversion tries, and the conference acknowledged there was an officiating mistake on the second attempt, saying it is addressing the issue with its officiating team. For UCLA, the win still counts the same in the standings, but the discussion around how it ended is likely to linger a while longer. [Read more 🡒]