Unlike last week, the Associated Press Top 25 poll has shown significant movement up and down the rankings. The exception is the top three positions.
The Clemson Tigers maintained their hold onto the top spot. Clemson earned 34 of the 61 first place votes with No. 2 Ohio State earning 23 votes and third place Alabama claiming the other four.
Florida has moved solidly into the top 10, coming in at No. 8. Florida’s 24-14 victory at South Carolina helped the Gators move up three spots this week.
Florida State also climbed three positions, moving from 19th to the No. 16 spot. The Seminoles defeated North Carolina State 34-17 on Saturday.
North Carolina contained their rapid rise, jumping five spots to No. 12. The Tar Heels won their 9th straight game on Saturday, routing Miami, 59-21. Michigan State also moved up 5 to claim the No. 9 ranking
The Big 12’s back loaded schedule is causing multiple shifts in the rankings. Oklahoma’s 44-34 victory over Baylor lifted the Sooners into the No. 7 slot, also up 5 positions from last week. The Bears fell six spots to No. 10.
Oklahoma State barely survived an upset bid by Iowa State, but that was enough to move them into the fourth position. TCU somehow moved up two spots after barely surviving against winless Kansas.
In addition to Baylor, the biggest losers this week are the LSU Tigers, Stanford Cardinal and Utah Utes. LSU dropped from ninth to 17th after their second straight loss, while Stanford’s two-point defeat to Oregon cost them 8 positions, falling from No. 7 to No. 15. Utah dropped from No. 10 to No. 18 following their surprising loss to Arizona.
Crashing the party for the first time are the Washington State Cougars, who come in at No. 24 following their victory over UCLA. The Bruins dropped from the rankings.
The Big 10 leads with 6 teams in the top 25, followed by the Pac 12 with 5, the ACC and Big 12 with 4, the ACC with 3 and the American Conference with 2.
The AP Top 25 Poll can be found here.
