The new college football rankings are going to look different after Week 6 as more than a handful of teams from the AP Top 25 take losses, leaving voters with several interesting arguments for their updated ballots . Although No. 1 Alabama battled all the way to the final seconds against Texas A&M and No. 2 Georgia got off to a slow start against Auburn, it is unlikely that there will be a change at the top of the rankings. Where it gets interesting is just outside the top three where Clemson and Tennessee surge, possibly poised to move up within the top 10.
The Tigers have some room to move up as a result of their recent wins and Michigan not being able to show the same dominance shown at the start of the season, but vertical movement is possible with Tennessee. The Volunteers traveled to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, as three-point favorites and came out with a 40-13 victory in the early slate, looking dominant on the road against a team that was on its way to an undefeated profile.
Voters tend to have biases and sometimes those biases included more emphasis on games that get more attention, and few results on Saturday seemed to resonate more than Tennessee taking what was believed to be was a close and competitive game and turned it into a heavy blow. Another voter bias is recognized here: The excitement building for next week’s meeting of Alabama and Tennessee, the most anticipated “Third Saturday in October” in a long time.
Further down the rankings, we expect some of those teams that lost to remain in the AP Top 25 thanks not only to a wobble near the bottom of the poll but a lack of teams with unified support among the voters.
Here’s what we think the new AP Top 25 will look like on Sunday.
1. Alabama (Last week — 1): The No. 1 status will certainly be tested as Alabama had to make a stand on the last play to secure a 24-20 victory against Texas A&M. We think the voters will recognize the absence of Bryce Young and not punish the Crimson Tide too much, but it’s going to be a fascinating debate to watch on Sunday.
2. Georgia (2): Stetson Bennett’s 64-yard touchdown run was one of the few highlights on a day where Georgia poured in scores late to give a more respectable final score to a grinder of a game. It was clear throughout the game that Auburn wasn’t going to muster enough offense on its own to win, so once Georgia tightened down the stretch, a 14-3 run in the third quarter quickly turned into a final. 42-10 the voters. use for their site.
3. Ohio State (3): C.J. Stroud and the Buckeyes’ wide receivers lampooned Michigan State with six passing touchdowns, three of which went to Marvin Harrison Jr., and cruised to a 49-20 victory in their first true road game of the season. 2022.
4. Clemson (5): The strength of Clemson’s defense was on full display as Boston College was unable to convert explosive play into points and the Tigers pulled away in a tough spot on the road with a 31-3 win.
5. Michigan (4): After mashing its non-conference opponents, Michigan has proven a lot more in conference play, and that was the case again at Indiana. Tied 10-10 at halftime, the sirens were on, but the Wolverines took control in the second half and pulled away for a 31-10 victory.
6. Tennessee (8): The Vols have more quality wins on their profile than USC or Oklahoma State so far with three wins against Power Five teams that were all ranked in the top 25 at the time of the game.
7. USC (6): AP voters don’t have a ton to work with given USC’s 16-point win against Washington State, a solid team that provided a test early but ultimately couldn’t finish the job. The Trojans’ next test may be their toughest, carrying this undefeated status on the road to play a struggling Utah team coming off a loss.
8. Oklahoma State (7): Texas Tech led in the third quarter and trailed by just three points for much of the fourth quarter, but the Cowboys continue to end up on the winning end of these close games in Big 12 play. Now the Big 12 title favorites with a chance to compete for a College Football Playoff spot, Oklahoma State faces tough times with TCU, Texas, Kansas State and Kansas in the next four weeks.
9. Ole Miss (9): When the Rebels found themselves down early to Vanderbilt, it drew attention, but Lane Kiffin’s team course-corrected and eventually covered the three-score spread in a 52-28 win.
10. Penn State (10): The Nittany Lions were off in Week 6 and will be back in action next week at Michigan.
11. UCLA (18): Now 6-0 with wins against teams ranked in the top 15 at the time of the game, UCLA has an argument to be a top 10 team. Ultimately, we’ll see on October 22 when the Bruins return from a week off to face Oregon in a huge game for the Pac-12 title race.
