Chaos started before Saturday, when UCF collapsed against Cincinnati. Big performances and upsets look to shuffle the college football Top 25.
The first weekend of October opened the door for some major shuffling in the AP Top 25. New contenders emerge in the Group of Five race, and no fewer than four new teams are due for a visit into the poll this week after upsets and surprises shuffled the deck from the conventional wisdom that started to form in September.
Things got crazy out of the gate with weekday action. UCF, a New Year’s Six participant each of the past two seasons, went to Cincinnati and dropped their second game of the season in a 27-24 disappointment against the Bearcats. A return to the AAC title game is looking more and more like a longshot for Josh Heupel’s crew, and they are projected to drop completely out of the AP Top 25 this week from their spot at No. 18.
Oklahoma State also lost, dropping their Big 12 showdown against Texas Tech to collapse from No. 21 to a spot below the cut line. Michigan State, tied at No. 25 with Texas A&M, was unable to pull off an upset against No. 4 Ohio State and won’t hang on in the rankings after their tenuous grasp entering the weekend.
As the top two teams sat on a bye week, we also had the opportunity for the teams behind them to make some waves. Could we see some shuffling of the guard after convincing performances by Georgia and Ohio State?
The Top 25 is going to look a bit unfamiliar this week as new teams arrive on the scene. One or two could even drop out despite not playing this weekend. What will the AP poll look like when the dust settles on Week 6 action? Keep reading for our latest Top 25 projections here at Saturday Blitz.