The upper echelon of the Top 25 remained mostly unchanged, but Florida State moved up to #3, following Oregon and the almost consensus number one team Alabama, while below Ohio State all hell broke loose, with Missouri, Baylor and Auburn being the big risers in the AP Poll, while LSU, Texas A&M, Clemson and South Carolina took huge hits, falling far away from their previous positions.
The Big Ten has only one team in the top 20, as Wisconsin, Michigan and Nebraska save face by filling the bottom spots of the polls, while the collapse of Georgia, Florida and Washington over recent weeks has sent them out of the rankings.
1. Alabama Crimson Tide, 7-0 (55 First Place Votes): Had no problem separating themselves from the rest of the division with a 52-0 win over Arkansas.
2. Oregon Ducks, 7-0 (3): The Ducks struggled early against Washington State but eventually came through with a 62-38 win and a big day for Marcus Mariota and Byron Marshall. It didn’t cost them their spot, but did cost them some first place votes.
3. Florida State Seminoles, 6-0 (2): Got the big win of the weekend, and that’s an understatement. Beat Clemson 51-14 as Jameis Winston threw for 444 yards, moving his team up two spots.
4. Ohio State Buckeyes, 7-0: Had a much tougher than expected time against Iowa, beating the Hawkeyes 34-24, not moving anywhere.
5. Missouri Tigers, 7-0: Made a huge nine spot jump thanks to all the ranked-team losses and beating Florida 36-17, leading the SEC East division, something no one expected.
6. Baylor Bears, 6-0: The best offense in the nation (According to the numbers) moved up six spots after beating Iowa State 71-7 with their 10th straight win and 343 passing yards from Bryce Petty.
7. Miami Hurricanes, 6-0: Moved up three spots despite an unimpressive 27-23 win over North Carolina, making the most of better teams losing.
8. Stanford Cardinal, 6-1: Got back to their winning ways and rising five spots in the polls thanks to a convincing (Defensively) win over UCLA 24-10.
9. Clemson Tigers, 6-1: Pulled off a Clemson once again, losing at home by 37 points to the Seminoles (first loss to them at home since 2001), dropping six spots.
10. Texas Tech Red Raiders, 7-0: Rose six spots after beating West Virginia 37-27 in Morgantown, as David Webb threw for 462 yards and 2 touchdown passes.
11. Auburn Tigers, 6-1: The biggest in-poll risers of the week, beating Texas A&M 45-41, climbing 13 spots.
12. UCLA Bruins, 5-1: Dropped only three spots after the expected away loss at Stanford.
13. LSU Tigers, 6-2: Lost for the second time this season to an SEC opponent, this time falling in Oxofrd to Ole Miss 24-27, getting an awful performance from Zach Mettenberger and falling 7 spots.
14. Texas A&M Tigers, 5-2: Fell 7 spots as well after their second home loss of the season, once again to a school from Alabama, beaten by Auburn 41-45.
15. Fresno State Bulldogs, 6-0: Rose 2 spots, not as much as some expected, after a 38-14 win over UNLV, with Derek Carr throwing for 412 yards and four touchdowns.
16. Virginia Tech Hokies, 6-1: Climbed three spots after not playing at all.
17. Oklahoma Sooners, 6-1: A 34-19 win over Kansas is only good enough for a one place climb.
18. Louisville Cardinals, 6-1: All the talk of the undefeated season are over after losing 35-38 to UCF at home, falling 10 spots.
19. Oklahoma State Cowboys, 5-1: Made a switch at quarterback which paid off, beating TCU 24-10, climbing two spots up the rankings.
20. South Carolina Gamecocks, 5-2: Their stunning loss in Tennessee, 23-21, sent them down nine spots in the rankings, while they might have lost Connor Shaw for the rest of the season.
21. UCF Knights, 5-1: Moved back into the rankings (an 11 place rise) with a dramatic, last minute win over Lousiville, 38-35.
22. Wisconsin Badgers, 5-2: Only the second Big Ten in the rankings, climbing three spots after a 56-32 win over Illinois and a huge day from Melvin Gordon on the ground, scoring three touchdowns.
23. Northern Illinois Huskies, 7-0: Beat Central Michigan 38-17, as Jordan Lynch ran for 316 yards and three touchdowns, but it didn’t help them move up the rankings.
24. Michigan Wolverines, 6-1: Back in the rankings after one week out of the top 25 thanks to a 63-47 win over Indiana, with Devin Gardner throwing for 503 yards.
25. Nebraska Cornhuskers, 5-1: Didn’t play, yet still made it back to the rankings.
Dropped from rankings: Georgia, Florida, Washington.