There were plenty of clashes between Top 25 teams this week. More important were multiple games between low-ranked Top 25 teams and others receiving votes.
Entering the weekend, there were marquee matchups all over the country. There were two games between top-10 teams in the AP Top 25, as No. 8 Stanford went to No. 7 Notre Dame and No. 4 Ohio State took on No. 9 Penn State in Happy Valley. Beyond those two contests, there were three other showdowns pairing Top 25 teams against one another.
But just as important, if not more important, were the games pitting teams in the high teens through the low-to-mid 20s of the AP Top 25 and those that were ranked just outside of the cut line among the others receiving votes. Virginia Tech and Florida beat No. 22 Duke and No. 23 Mississippi State respectively, while South Carolina couldn’t deal No. 17 Kentucky their first loss of the season.
As a result, there will inevitably be some shuffle once again once the newest edition of the AP Top 25 comes out on Sunday at 2:00 p.m. ET. The pollsters across the country will have some things to debate all throughout the rankings. Beyond the top two, nobody’s position entering the weekend is sacred.
So how will the Top 25 look tomorrow afternoon? Just like last week, five teams will drop out of the poll this week and five new teams will take their places. Who will be cut, and who will make the cut into the new AP Top 25? Let’s dive in and take a look at the most recent Top 25 projections after Week 5 action with the conclusion of prime-time action on Saturday evening.