AP top 25 poll: SEC hopefuls, Indiana fall in college football rankings for Rivalry Week

Where things stand after a weekend of statement losses and some key movement in the AP top 25 college football rankings moving into Rivalry Week.

What teams moved up, and down, in the updated AP top 25 college football rankings heading into Rivalry Week. / Adam Cairns/Columbus Dispatch / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Coming out of a Chaos Saturday that saw eight ranked teams lose, including some notable playoff contenders, it’s time to get an updated look at the AP top 25 college football rankings as we move into Rivalry Week.

Three of the 10 highest-ranked teams in last week’s AP poll took some very costly losses, especially in the SEC, as College Football Playoff hopefuls Alabama, Texas A&M, and Ole Miss both lost on the road. 

Indiana’s perfect record is history after coming out of Columbus battered and bruised in a 38-15 defeat against Ohio State, which, in turn, reinforced its own playoff credibility with that win.

If you want real confusion, welcome to the Big 12: BYU and Colorado both lost while Arizona State and Iowa State both won, resulting in a four-way tie for first place in the standings with three teams at 9-2 overall, and the Cyclones playing Kansas State in the regular season finale.

Five of those ranked teams lost their games to unranked opponents: Alabama to Oklahoma, Ole Miss to Florida, Texas A&M to Auburn, Colorado to Kansas, and Washington State to Oregon State in the Pac-12 “title game.”

Where do things stand in the updated AP top 25 college football rankings this week?

Let’s take a look at what teams moved up, who slid down, and who stayed put in the Rivalry Week poll, according to the AP top 25 voters.

AP top 25 rankings

First-place parentheses

1. Oregon (61)
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Notre Dame
6. Georgia
7. Tennessee
8. Miami
9. SMU
10. Indiana
11. Boise State
12. Clemson
13. Alabama
14. Arizona State
15. Ole Miss
16. South Carolina
17. Iowa State
18. Tulane
19. BYU
20. Texas A&M
21. UNLV
22. Illinois
23. Colorado
24. Missouri
25. Army

How did we do? Our prediction for the AP top 25 rankings

Other teams receiving votes

These teams got some votes on this week’s AP top 25 ballot, but not enough of them to be considered among the 25 best teams in the updated rankings

Kansas State 98, Memphis 46, Syracuse 37

Louisville 24, Washington State 10, Duke 6, 

UL-Lafayette 5, Florida 4, LSU 2, Georgia Tech 2

AP top 25 biggest movers

Colorado (Down 7). AP voters punished the Buffaloes for that loss at unranked Kansas that threw some serious confusion into the Big 12 standings coming into this week.

Ole Miss (Down 6). A touchdown loss at Florida likely has the Rebels out of the College Football Playoff picture after the offense stalled at the worst time of the season.

Texas A&M (Down 5). Four overtimes later, the Aggies dropped a third game, this time at Auburn, heading into a rivalry date against Texas a decade in the making with a spot in the SEC Championship Game on the line.

BYU (Down 5). Two straight losses for the Cougars, who were undefeated before that, in a game that helps put Arizona State in contention for the Big 12 title game.

Arizona State (Up 7). A sudden contender in the Big 12 and, by proxy, in the playoff race as this superb offense has really come to life over the last few weeks.

Alabama (Down 6). A big drop for the Crimson Tide, who failed to score a touchdown and instead gave the ball away 3 times to unranked Oklahoma in a stunner that will redraw the borders in the playoff bracket this week.

College football’s undefeated teams

And then, there was one.

All alone embodying perfection is the consensus No. 1 team in the national rankings and the presumptive top seed in this week’s College Football Playoff bracket projection.

Oregon stayed undefeated this week in the easiest way you can, by not playing, staying at 11-0 and having clinched a spot in the Big Ten Championship Game.

Who will the Ducks play in Indy on Championship Saturday? That remains to be seen, but it seems like a rematch with Ohio State is in the cards after the Buckeyes took down Indiana.

Army and those Hoosiers were the two other undefeated teams entering last weekend’s games, but ugly losses to Notre Dame and Ohio State, respectively, once again reveal the gap between the best teams in the country and those schools with ambitions to crack the top of the rankings.

More ... ESPN top 25 college football rankings for Rivalry Week

And ... Week 14 Coaches Poll top 25 rankings

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