'Movin Up': Knights Climb in AP Poll
At 7-2 overall and 4-1 in the American Athletic Conference, the UCF Knights have now moved up to No. 22 in the latest Associated Press College Football Poll. The Knights were ranked 25th this past week before knocking off Memphis 35-28.
The new ranking sets up a big matchup with AAC leader Tulane, which has been dubbed the No. 16 team in the country by the AP. UCF’s game at Tulane (Nov. 12) could determine the eventual AAC champion, as well as produce a quality bowl game for the team that comes out on top.
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Across the landscape of college football, yesterday saw nine teams previously ranked inside the AP Top 25 go down. Among them, previously No. 1 Tennessee, No. 4 Clemson, No. 6 Alabama, No. 13 Kansas State, No. 16 Illinois, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 20 Syracuse, No. 21 Wake Forest, and No. 23 Oregon State all lost.
Kansas State, Oklahoma State, Syracuse, Wake Forest and Oregon State are all now ranked behind UCF. If the Knights knock off Tulane, which is coming off of a 27-13 win over Tulsa, could UCF make it into the top 15?
Time will tell. Here are some other highlights from the rankings and this Saturday’s big games.
The new top-ranked team in the land is Georgia. The Dawgs dismantled Tennessee, now ranked No. 5, 27-13, and the score was not honestly that close. Bottom line, Tennessee could not handle Georgia’s defensive front and quarterback Hendon Hooker was sacked six times.
Clemson is now No. 12, was all but lifeless against Notre Dame, which jumped to No. 20. The Tigers trailed 28-0 in the fourth quarter before finally getting on the scoreboard. The Irish prevailed 35-14 over the Tigers, and out rushed them 263 to 90, with running backs Logan Diggs going for 114 yards and Audric Estime accounting for 104 yards.
The most thrilling game took place in Baton Rouge, as rivals Alabama and LSU squared off in an epic game. LSU won in overtime 32-31, as head coach Brian Kelly decided to go for two and end it one way or the other. Quarterback Jayden Daniels delivered a strike to tight end Mason Taylor for the win, effectively ending Alabama’s chances of reaching the Playoff. Bama is now No. 10 and LSU went up to No. 7.
As for a future UCF opponent, now No. 4 TCU knocked off Texas Tech 34-24, and are on the verge of being the Big 12's first Playoff team other than Oklahoma. The Horned Frogs have found a way to win this year, and did so again versus the Red Raiders with three fourth quarter scores.
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