College Football Rankings 2020: Projected AP Top 25 for Week 9
By Zach Bigalke
Voters who held out on the Big Ten while it was still sidelined must now make tough decisions with their college football AP Top 25 ballots for Week 9.
Even though the AP Top 25 opened the door for Big Ten teams to return to the poll a month ago, some voters have held back from putting Big Ten teams on their ballots while the league was still weeks out from starting play. With the return of Big Ten competition in Week 9, though, even those reluctant voters will now have tough decisions to make about where to slot in Midwestern teams into the FBS hierarchy.
Some Big Ten teams made a statement, with division favorites Ohio State and Wisconsin each putting on all-phases clinics in their respective home openers against Nebraska and Illinois. Other Big Ten teams suffered upsets, with Penn State falling in overtime at Indiana and Michigan State collapsing at home against Rutgers. In the prime-time game, Michigan pulled away from Minnesota to win on the road.
How will all of this impact the AP Top 25 this week? We are going to see a few strange movements as some teams get the benefit of the doubt and others drop back in the rankings through no fault of their own. It was always going to be a flashpoint moment in the poll when the Big Ten returned, and this weekend certainly set up even stranger conditions than expected.
Next 5 Outside the Cut
- 4-1 Louisiana
- 6-0 Liberty
- 1-0 Boise State
- 0-1 Penn State
- 3-2 Auburn
The ACC could be one of the biggest losers in this shift in focus. NC State lost at North Carolina and will likely fall out of the AP Top 25 this week. So too will Virginia Tech after the Hokies bombed out at Wake Forest. Even Notre Dame, after securing a 42-point blowout of Pittsburgh on the road, is in danger of dropping a spot or two despite remaining undefeated.
Understanding that the chaos is likely to be even heavier than usual this week, let’s take a closer look at how everything is going to shake out in the AP Top 25 and where each team will land in the pecking order ahead of Week 9 play in the week culminating in Halloween.