As we near the end of September, Week 4 offered new opportunities for ranked teams to bolster their poll position. How the will AP Top 25 look on Sunday?
Week 4 offered some real opportunities for teams to gain separation in the AP Top 25 as the FBS played the penultimate games of September. Some teams took advantage of the opportunity, especially with Florida teams getting back to the field after Hurricane Irma forced cancellation and postponements over the past few weeks.
Not everyone had a happy return to the gridiron, though. No. 12 Florida State took the biggest blow of Week 4, as they fell at home 27-21 in a conference upset to NC State. The Seminoles struggled in their first game after losing Deondre Francois for the year, and the Wolfpack took advantage of a sleepy defensive effort by FSU to steal victory in Tallahassee for the first time since 2005.
As a result, the Seminoles are likely going to plummet all the way out of the AP Top 25 when the new poll is released on Sunday. Who else will rise and fall in this week’s release? Click ahead for the newest edition of our weekly AP Top 25 projections, with the caveat that late games are still in progress and this is subject to updates.
It wasn’t the prettiest of wins, but few have been in recent years for LSU. The Tigers nevertheless survived the loss of quarterback Danny Etling to injury to take down Syracuse in non-conference play 35-26. Ed Orgeron’s team moved to 3-1 on the season, rebounding to get back to winning ways after last week’s stumble against Mississippi State.
Darrel Williams led the way with 92 rushing yards and a touchdown on 16 carries. Derrius Guice also returned to the field after nursing injuries, rushing eight times for 14 yards and a score on the night. The Tigers as a team managed just 151 rushing yards. But the defense came through with an uneven but ultimately effective performance. While they were burned for 300 yards in the air, LSU gave up just 76 yards on the ground.
The win will help LSU remain in the AP Top 25 for another week. They face Sun Belt contender Troy next weekend before returning to SEC play with the annual showdown against Florida. Look for the Tigers to end up in the low 20s in the Week 5 polls when they are released on Sunday.
In the annual showdown against Michigan State, Notre Dame headed to East Lansing and took charge right out of the gate. Despite giving up over 500 yards of offense to the Spartans, the Fighting Irish ran away with a 38-18 victory on the road to move to 3-1 on the season. The independent powerhouse will climb back into the AP Top 25, as a result of its victory but also due to the poor showing by No. 24 Oregon at Arizona State.
Julian Love had a 59-yard interception return for Notre Dame, and three different Irish runners punched in touchdowns on the ground. Brandon Wimbush finished a quiet but efficient 14-of-20 for 173 yards and a touchdown, and rushed for another score and 52 yards.
Brian Kelly’s team will almost always get the benefit of the doubt from pollsters. This week will be no exception, as they climb up into Oregon’s position in the AP Top 25 after the turn in fortunes for both schools on the road.
After losing the season opener against Virginia Tech, West Virginia has now won three straight after taking down Kansas by 22 in Big 12 play on Saturday. For the third game in a row, the Mountaineers scored 56 points. Will Grier led the way with 347 passing yards and two touchdowns.
Justin Crawford and Kennedy McKoy also ran for over 100 yards apiece for West Virginia in the blowout win. They are now 1-0 in conference play and look increasingly like a threat to challenge the favorites in the Big 12 this season. Dana Holgorsen’s offense rolled up over 600 yards of offense in the runaway win on the road.
While West Virginia will jump back into the AP Top 25 this week, one point of concern for the Mountaineers is their defense. Kansas managed to rack up over 500 yards of offense and 34 points on West Virginia. Holgorsen’s crew will not remain in the polls for long if they continue to give up big yardage and high scores to the other Big 12 contenders in league play.
Yes, Mississippi State lost big on the road against No. 11 Georgia for their first loss of the season. After taking down LSU last weekend, Dan Mullen‘s team had no answer for the hosts in the battle of the Bulldogs on Saturday. But with everything else that happened around the country, Mississippi State will cling to a spot near the bottom of the AP Top 25 when it is released.
Starting quarterback Nick Fitzgerald was held to 130 total yards of offense. Mississippi State’s offense failed to reach 300 yards on the day and never made it into the endzone. On the other side of the ball, Mississippi State allowed 400 yards and four touchdowns by Georgia.
They enjoyed a surge from unranked all the way into the teens of the AP Top 25. Mississippi State will fall back down into the mid-20s this week, but they will stay in the polls thanks to concurrent stumbles by other teams around them. It is hardly the most convincing way to remain ranked, but for a program like the one in Starkville there is no shame in remaining ranked however it is possible.
Getting a jump on the rest of the AP Top 25, Utah survived their trip to the desert in a close 30-24 trap game against Arizona. Young quarterback Tyler Huntley suffered a shoulder injury in the second quarter after starting 8-of-9 for 98 yards and a touchdown. That left an opening for senior Troy Williams to play after he lost his starting job to Huntley in the preseason.
Williams ran for a touchdown, but he was just 9-of-18 in the air for 131 yards. He didn’t throw any touchdown passes, but Williams also protected the ball well. It wasn’t the prettiest of victories, but Tucson has also been a house of horrors for ranked teams in recent seasons. The Utes survived on the road to move to 4-0 and begin Pac-12 play with a win despite losing their quarterback.
After hovering just outside the AP Top 25 for the past few weeks, Utah did enough to remain in the polls. But they will likely remain around the same spot where they entered Week 4. Kyle Whittingham and the Utes coaching staff will hope that Huntley’s injury is not serious. If he remains out for any significant stretch of time, Utah’s spot in the AP Top 25 could evaporate.
After entering the AP Top 25 for the first time in 2017, San Diego State headed to Air Force to open their Mountain West title defense. The Aztecs struggled against the Falcons in interdivisional play, falling behind 9-7 at the half before pulling out a 28-24 victory in Colorado Springs. Rashaad Penny finished with 128 yards and three touchdowns to fuel the victory for Rocky Long‘s squad.
With the win, the Aztecs moved to 4-0 on the season and continue to look like one of the best teams in the Group of Five. If they continue to win and take a third straight Mountain West title, a New Year’s Six berth could be in their future. With two wins over Pac-12 programs, they already have one of the best resumes in the country.
A four-point win isn’t going to help their position in the AP Top 25, though. The Aztecs will probably remain locked in at No. 22 while teams shift around them. One final non-conference test remains against MAC sleeper Northern Illinois before San Diego State focuses fully on conference play.
For the second straight week, Florida barely survived an SEC East showdown to remain in the hunt for the division crown. The Gators took down Tennessee last week on a last-second Hail Mary, and in Week 4 Jim McElwain’s team generated another comeback to thwart a Wildcats upset bid. It also dealt Kentucky their first loss of the year, helping Florida further in the division race.
Despite his reputation as an offensive coach, McElwain’s Gators continue to lack an offensive identity. Three different people threw the ball for Florida, generating a total of just over 200 passing yards all day. It was an ugly effort on offense, but they also came together to pull out the victory when it mattered most.
Florida should move up into the high teens of the AP Top 25 this week. They lost a game due to Hurricane Irma, but the Gators are now 2-0 in SEC play and have everything to play for this season. Vanderbilt, LSU, and Texas A&M all come to Gainesville over the next three weeks before the Gators have their bye week.
Quinton Flowers had a mediocre day on Thursday night at home, as he went just 8-of-20 passing the ball for 96 yards. But USF still blew out American Athletic Conference rival Temple 43-7 thanks to 100-yard rushing performances by Darius Tice and D’Ernest Johnson. The victory avenged last year’s defeat to the Owls and kept South Florida undefeated through the first third of the season.
Even more than the rushing display, though, the victory was fueled by a stingy defensive performance. USF allowed just 85 total yards to Temple. Owls quarterbacks Frank Nutile and Logan Marchi combined to go just 8-of-26 for 89 yards with four interceptions. At least they gained yardage; Temple finished with negative rushing yards on the night despite carrying the ball 33 times.
Defense wins championships, and it might have won South Florida the AAC East already this season. Temple was the only team standing between USF and the division title last year, and the Bulls cleared that hurdle convincingly. They will jump into the high teens of the AP Top 25 this week as they prepare for a Week 5 trip to East Carolina.
Lamar Jackson had a relatively quiet day, but it didn’t matter as Louisville blew out Kent State 42-3 at home. The defending Heisman winner threw for 299 yards and rushed for 34 yards in the rout of the Golden Flashes. Jackson racked up three total touchdowns, but he also threw two interceptions and coughed up a fumble.
The Louisville defense proved too much to handle for Kent State, though. Bobby Petrino’s defense gave up just 150 yards all game to the MAC visitors. There should be some concern after the Cardinals lost the turnover battle. But between Jackson’s play and the rest of the weapons on Louisville’s offense, it didn’t matter in the end.
Petrino’s squad won’t be able to get away with those kind of mistakes once they get back into ACC play. But they still managed to rebound from last week’s Clemson loss to move to 3-1 on the season. While the conference crown is still a longshot, the Cardinals could move up a spot or two in this week’s AP Top 25 when it comes out on Sunday.
Washington State continues to look like a Pac-12 contender as they took down Nevada 45-7 in Pullman on Saturday. Luke Falk put together another masterful performance passing the ball, throwing for 478 yards and five touchdowns against the Wolf Pack. Both Tavares Martin Jr. and Renard Bell finished with over 100 receiving yards, while Jamal Morrow added 73 yards on 11 carries.
While the win over Boise State took a blow after Virginia dominated the Broncos on Friday night, Washington State continues to put together strong performances and might be the best team in the Pac-12 North this year. The Cougars should move up at least a few spots into the top 15 of this week’s AP Top 25 when it is released.
Mike Leach’s team cannot become complacent, though, because the road gets harder soon. USC comes to Pullman next weekend, with games against Oregon, California, and Colorado looming on the schedule in October.
Auburn’s only loss of the 2017 to date remains against No. 2 Clemson, and the Tigers offered another convincing victory for AP voters on Saturday afternoon. The No. 15. Tigers took down Missouri on the road in Columbia, routing their SEC East hosts in a 51-14 blowout. Gus Malzahn’s team continues to assert itself as a sleeper in the SEC this season.
Jarrett Stidham had an efficient day at quarterback for Auburn, completing 13 of his 17 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown. The Auburn rushing attack was formidable, piling up five touchdowns on the ground against Missouri. For the first time this season, Malzahn’s crew topped 50 points and is beginning to round into form entering the heart of conference play.
Look for Auburn to jump a few spots in this week’s AP Top 25 after getting their third win of the season. Next week’s game against Mississippi State on the Plains lost a little luster after the Bulldogs lost to Georgia, but it should still be a showdown between ranked SEC West squads.
Miami looked a bit rusty to start its home game against MAC contender Toledo. The Hurricanes were actually down 16-10 at halftime against the Rockets. But Mark Richt and the coaching staff made the appropriate halftime adjustments, and after the upset scare in the first half Miami ran away with the 52-30 victory.
Mark Walton went off against the Rockets defense, rushing for 204 yards and a touchdown in fewer than a dozen carries. The Hurricanes allowed Toledo quarterback Logan Woodside to throw for 342 yards and three touchdowns. They failed to intercept the veteran Rockets starter, though the Hurricanes did force a fumble by Woodside.
Woodside’s counterpart, Malik Rosier, threw for 333 yards and three scores while completing 75 percent of his passes on the day. It wasn’t a perfect effort by Miami, but it was solid enough to keep the Canes on the cusp of the top 10 in the AP Top 25. Now that they have managed to return to the field and stay undefeated, the Hurricanes once again look like a contender in the ACC. They finally open conference play against another undefeated team, Duke, on the road next weekend.
Mike Gundy‘s team won’t remain in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 this week after dropping a home game against No. 16 TCU. But Oklahoma State will remain somewhere in the teens of the poll, dropping behind the Horned Frogs in the process. The Big 12 dream isn’t dead, but a perfect season went down the tubes as TCU dished out the Cowboys’ first loss of the year.
Mason Rudolph had a hit-or-miss game at quarterback after rising up the Heisman race in the past few weeks. Rudolph threw for 398 yards and two touchdowns, but he also completed less than 54 percent of his passes and tossed two interceptions. It wasn’t a season-killing performance, but it will push Rudolph down the list of top quarterbacks in the country.
There will be opportunities for Oklahoma State to rise back up into the single digits of the AP Top 25 in the coming weeks. They play at 3-0 Texas Tech next weekend, and will play at Texas and West Virginia in the last two weekends of October before the Bedlam game at home on Nov. 4.
Virginia Tech consolidated their place in the AP Top 25 this week with a 38-0 shutout of Old Dominion at Lane Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Hokies held the Monarchs under 150 total yards of offense, looking dominant at home as they moved to 4-0 in the standings.
Josh Jackson was solid in victory for Virginia Tech, throwing for 298 yards and three scores and rushing for another 29 yards. Cam Phillips caught seven of Jackson’s passes for 106 yards, while Steven Peoples caught two of Jackson’s three touchdowns. The backfield teamed up to compile 271 yards on the ground as well, as the Hokies finished with over 550 yards of offense against the Monarchs.
Beating a Group of Five team won’t do much to move the needle for Virginia Tech in the AP Top 25. But a shutout is a shutout, and the Hokies will move up a spot after watching ACC rival Florida State fall on Saturday. Next week’s game against No. 2 Clemson, a rematch of last year’s ACC championship game, offers a statement opportunity for the Hokies.
Gary Patterson‘s squad is going to rocket up the AP Top 25 this week after taking down No. 6 Oklahoma State on the road by 13 on Saturday. The Horned Frogs held a prolific Cowboys offense under 500 yards of total offense in the 44-21 victory in Stillwater. TCU will likely leapfrog over the Cowboys when the polls are released tomorrow, and the Horned Frogs could challenge for a spot in the top 10 after a statement road win.
Darius Anderson was the catalyst for TCU’s upset win as a 9.5-point underdog. The running back carried the ball 26 times for 160 yards and three scores as the Horned Frogs controlled the clock and strangled the Cowboys’ offense by allowing it little time to operate. Mason Rudolph threw for 398 yards in the loss, but he also tossed two costly interceptions.
In the process, TCU became a serious contender in the Big 12 and ruined Oklahoma State’s dreams of a perfect season. Patterson’s crew could vault even further up the AP Top 25 next weekend after returning home for what will likely be another ranked showdown against West Virginia in Week 5.
Georgia continues to look like the best team in the SEC East a third of the way through the 2017 regular season. The Bulldogs moved to 4-0 on the season with a convincing 31-3 blowout of No. 17 Mississippi State between the hedges on Saturday night. Kirby Smart‘s team notched its first conference win of the year in the interdivisional showdown.
Jake Fromm got the start once again for Georgia in the battle of the Bulldogs, and the freshman quarterback completed nine of his 12 attempts for 201 yards and two touchdowns. Nick Chubb led all Georgia rushers with 81 yards and two scores, on a day when the Bulldogs finished with 203 yards on the ground as a team.
With the win, Georgia will likely climb up into the top 10 of the AP Top 25. They play five of their six divisional opponents over the next month and a half, with the season-ending showdown against Kentucky possibly deciding the SEC East this season.
Ohio State had little trouble on Saturday against UNLV, holding position in the AP Top 25 as they stomped the Rebels 54-21 at home to move to 3-1. Starting quarterback J.T. Barrett went 12-of-17 for 209 yards and five scores, and he didn’t even play a full half. Barrett took to the bench before the Buckeyes’ final drive of the second quarter, putting in a full day’s work in just 21 minutes of playing time.
The Buckeyes kept churning along after the starters hit the bench for the day. Backup quarterback Dwayne Haskins threw two more touchdowns and went 15-of-23 for 228 yards through the air. The only thing the Buckeyes didn’t do was score a rushing touchdown, as the team ran for a modest 190 yards on 40 carries.
But the Ohio State defense did everything it needed to do, holding the Rebels to 176 rushing yards and just 88 passing yards on the day. Ohio State’s big tests are still to come, though they are a way down the road. The Buckeyes head to Rutgers next week, play Maryland at home next weekend, then head to Nebraska before a bye week. The game at Penn State on Oct. 28 marks the next real challenge for Urban Meyer’s crew.
Wisconsin was the only team in the AP Top 25 to have a bye week in Week 4. The Badgers got a rest after an impressive start to the 2017 season. Paul Chryst‘s team is holding opponents to 10 points per game. Their wins, though, have come against Utah State, Florida Atlantic, and BYU. It has been enough to put Wisconsin in the top 10 of the polls leading up to Big Ten play.
Though Minnesota also remains undefeated, the Badgers are the prohibitive favorites to once again win the Big Ten West and play for the conference title in Indianapolis. We will know more about this team once they start league play in Week 5 against Northwestern.
Despite sitting out the weekend, Wisconsin will move up a spot thanks to Oklahoma State’s loss when the new AP Top 25 is released on Sunday. The Badgers are quietly on the cusp of College Football Playoff contention thanks to the steady play of quarterback Alex Hornibrook and the revelatory running of freshman tailback Jonathan Taylor.
Michigan beat Purdue on the road Saturday afternoon to move to 4-0, but they might still fall a spot or two down the AP top 25 after a lackluster performance against the Boilermakers. They won 28-10 in West Lafayette despite the loss of starting quarterback Wilton Speight early in the game. John O’Korn threw for 270 yards with one touchdown and one interception in the win.
It wasn’t an easy victory, though. Michigan was down 10-7 at halftime, and the upset watch was beginning to roll into high gear during the intermission. The Wolverines made the proper adjustments after the half and clamped down on Purdue, but it was still a less-than-convincing effort in the Wolverines’ Big Ten opener.
A few teams could leap over the Wolverines in the AP Top 25 when it is released tomorrow. But Michigan has plenty of opportunities to climb back into contention in the Big Ten and College Football Playoff races. Michigan gets a bye in Week 5 before their showdown with state rival Michigan State in Ann Arbor at the beginning of October. Speight should be recovered from what Harbaugh described as a “soft tissue injury” by then, and his presence could be critical against a surprise Spartans squad.
With another half to play, Washington finds itself in a defensive battle on the road at Colorado. The rematch of the Pac-12 championship game looks a lot like the first half did in Santa Clara last year. If things go to form as they did last year, this should be a runaway victory for the Huskies in the second half.
As long as that happens, Washington will remain in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 this week. They will remain in the polls regardless, but if they lose it would drop the Huskies at least eight spots down the rankings. Colorado would also jump into the AP Top 25, though that is unlikely to happen if this result holds.
Washington will not make up much ground on the other contenders for the College Football Playoff berths with a result like the halftime score. But if they pull away for a double-digit win on the road, it would bolster their chances at climbing up into the top five in the next few weeks.
Against a winless Baylor team, No. 3 Oklahoma faced an unexpected test to begin Big 12 play. The Bears had Lincoln Riley’s team on upset alert in Waco throughout the evening, as defense went by the wayside in a 90-point shootout. Matt Rhule’s squad will rue the squandered opportunity to pull off an upset, and Oklahoma will suffer in the polls as a result of their narrow escape on the road.
The Sooners defense allowed Zach Smith to gash them through the air. Baylor’s quarterback completed 66 percent of his passes for 463 yards and four touchdowns on the day. He was not intercepted, and only a concurrent offensive outburst by Oklahoma prevented the Sooners from dropping their first contest of the year.
Though they still boast a big road win over Ohio State on their resume, Oklahoma could fall behind USC and maybe even Penn State this week in the AP Top 25. They will try to rebound at home next weekend against Iowa State before the Red River Shootout against Texas on Oct. 7. After a scare, Riley’s team will be on high alert moving forward.
On a day when favorites struggled around the country, No. 4 Penn State survived its trap game in Iowa City against the Hawkeyes. The Hawkeyes were up late, but a Trace McSorley touchdown in the final seconds sealed the fourth victory of the year for the Nittany Lions. It was a defensive struggle for most of the game, as Penn State’s defense held the Hawkeyes to 273 yards of offense at Kinnick Stadium.
Saquon Barkley was the catalyst for Penn State’s squeaker of a win. The tailback rushed for 211 yards and a score. Barkley also caught 12 passes for 94 yards, and had three kick returns for another 54 yards. It was yet another all-around dominant performance by the Heisman contender in Happy Valley.
Penn State won’t climb this week, but they could also hold position at No. 4 as the teams on either side of them swap positions. James Franklin‘s team is hardly perfect, but they still look like the best team in the Big Ten at this point of the year.
USC did enough to stay in the top five of the AP Top 25 in their first road game of the year. The Trojans headed north from Los Angeles to face an undefeated California team with two non-conference Power Five wins on its schedule. The Golden Bears kept things close through the first three quarters, but the Trojans eventually pulled away thanks mainly to their defense to snag a 30-20 victory.
USC won again despite another hot-and-cold day from Sam Darnold at quarterback. They also had to play without starting tailback Ronald Jones II, who sat out with a thigh contusion in the win. The Trojans didn’t give their best effort when they had the ball, and a third of the way through the season USC is still trying to find its identity on offense.
There are still plenty of concerns for Clay Helton‘s team, but given Oklahoma’s scare against hapless Baylor they could still climb back up into the top four of the AP Top 25 this weekend. They next head to Pullman on a short week to play a ranked Washington State team on Friday night. The showdown against Mike Leach’s Cougars will help determine whether USC is a College Football Playoff contender or pretender.
For three quarters, Boston College managed to lock up No. 2 Clemson on the road. The Eagles were hanging with the defending national champions in a tight contest. Then the fourth quarter began, and a switch flipped for Dabo Swinney‘s team. By the end, they had run away with a 34-7 victory to keep pace with the other top teams in the country.
Kelly Bryant had a down performance at quarterback for the Tigers after shining against Louisville. Boston College held Bryant to 140 passing yards and forced two interceptions on the night. But Bryant made up for it with 106 rushing yards and two scores on the ground, as Clemson steamrolled the Eagles at home.
Clemson might lose a few first-place votes after Alabama’s impressive performance on the road, but they will remain at No. 2 in the AP Top 25 this week. With a big test in Blacksburg next weekend, the Tigers could consolidate their College Football Playoff credentials further next weekend in a rematch of last year’s ACC championship game.
Alabama lost a few first-place votes last weekend in the AP Top 25. But it wasn’t a matter of anything the Crimson Tide had done as it was a case of impressive performances by No. 2 Clemson and No. 3 Oklahoma closing the gap. Nick Saban’s team was on upset alert as they headed to Nashville to face a Vanderbilt team playing stingy defense.
The Crimson Tide head back to Tuscaloosa on Saturday night after a convincing victory over the Commodores. Alabama’s defense shut out Vanderbilt on the road, holding their hosts to 78 yards of offense on just 38 plays all day. After holding the ball for nearly 43 minutes in the blowout, Alabama racked up 677 yards of offense by the final whistle.
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The first-place votes that Alabama lost will probably begin to trickle back this week as Saban’s squad snags an even bigger share of the spoils. Right now in the SEC, there is Alabama and there is everyone else chasing them. For another week, the Tide rolled on to stay atop the AP Top 25.