The AP Poll rankings don’t determine anything, but they still mean something, and following week 10 in the 2015 season, they put Clemson on top for the first time in 34 years, followed by Ohio State, Alabama, Baylor and Oklahoma State in the top 5. The Cowboys rising seven spots are the big winners of the week while Michigan State and TCU tumbled down eight spots, not to mention Toledo, Ole Miss and Texas A&M dropping out, replaced by Navy, Wisconsin and Northwestern.
1. Clemson Tigers (31 First place votes), 9-0: Beating Florida State 23-13 lifts Clemson a couple of spots to number one, their first AP number one since 1981, claiming the national title back then.
2. Ohio State Buckeyes (26), 9-0: A one spot drop for the Buckeyes following their 28-14 win over Minnesota, not occupying the #1 spot for the first time this season.
3. Alabama Crimson Tide (2), 8-1: An impressive four-spot rise for Alabama following their destruction of LSU, 30-16.
4. Baylor Bears (2), 8-0: Drop a couple of spots. Less so because of their 31-24 win over Kansas State; more so because of the wins over ranked teams by Clemson and Alabama.
5. Oklahoma State Cowboys, 9-0: A seven spot rise for the Cowboys, making it into the top 5 following their 49-29 win over previously undefeated TCU.
6. Notre Dame Fighting Irish, 8-1: A two spot rise for Notre Dame after a 42-30 win in Pittsburgh. It’s good that their one loss was against Clemson.
7. Stanford Cardinal, 8-1: Ran all over Colorado (42-10), resulting in a two-spot jump.
8. Iowa Hawkeyes, 9-0: A 35-27 win over Indiana (it wasn’t that close in reality) earns them two more spots on the rise.
9. LSU Tigers, 7-1: A five spot tumble after a humbling 30-16 loss in Alabama.
10. Utah Utes, 8-1: Back in the top 10, rising three spots, after a 34-23 win on the road against Washington.
11. Florida Gators, 8-1: A 9-7 win over Vanderbilt didn’t move them anywhere.
12. Oklahoma Sooners, 8-1: Oklahoma climb a couple of spots after a 52-16 win over Iowa State.
13. TCU Horned Frogs, 8-1: The TCU defense got exposed by Oklahoma State, and their 29-49 loss dropped them eight spots.
14. Michigan State Spartans, 8-1: No longer undefeated, falling at Nebraska 39-38, which means falling eight spots in the polls.
15. Michigan Wolverines, 7-2: A one spot climb after beating Rutgers 49-16.
16. Houston Cougars, 9-0: The last undefeated team standing in the American conference following their 33-30 win over Cincinnati, helping them move up two spots.
17. North Carolina Tar Heels, 8-1: On their way (possibly) to a conference championship game after beating Duke 66-31, climbing four spots.
18. UCLA Bruins, 7-2: Shut down Oregon State in Corvallis (41-0), moving up four spots.
19. Florida State Seminoles, 7-2: Dropped two spots in the rankings after a 23-13 loss at Clemson.
20. Mississippi State Bulldogs, 7-2: A 31-13 win over the semi-striking Missouri moved them up four spots.
21. Temple Owls, 8-1: A two spot climb for Temple, winning 60-40 at SMU.
22. Navy Midshipmen, 8-1: A huge day on the ground in a 45-20 win over Memphis puts them in the rankings for the first time. It’s their first ranking since 2004 on the AP Poll.
23. Wisconsin Badgers, 8-2: Back in the rankings following a 31-24 win in Maryland.
24. Northwestern Wildcats, 7-2: Another Big Ten school that’s back in after a 23-21 win over Penn State.
25. Memphis Tigers, 8-1: A 45-20 loss at home to Navy drops them 10 spots.
Dropped from rankings: Ole Miss, Toledo, Texas A&M.