After each week of the college football season, a fresh set of rankings drop, highlighting the Top 25 teams in the nation. There are two major polls used in the college football, the AP Poll voted on by members of the media, and the Coaches Poll voted on by, well you can probably figure that one out. In October, the College Football Playoff rankings join the other two and take over as the base rankings for the rest of the season.
No ranked matchups and no major upsets means we saw very little movement in the polls this week, especially in the Top 10. There was some minor shuffling in the bottom half of the polls but nothing overly significant that should have any major impact on the playoff race. Here’s how everything stands as the college football season rolls into Week 4.
AP Poll
Others receiving votes: Kansas State 91, Oklahoma State 51, Army 50, Michigan State 37, Memphis 26, Wake Forest 14, BYU 12, Temple 7, Iowa State 7, Mississippi State 4, Appalachian State 2, Minnesota 1
Dropped from rankings: Michigan State 18, Maryland 21, USC 24
It was a quiet week mostly for AP Top 10 teams with one minor standout. Utah’s win was enough to push them past idle Michigan and into the Top 10 for the first time this season. As it stands, it looks like the Utes will be the best bet for the PAC-12 to reach the College Football Playoff, something the conference has not done since Washington in 2016.
There was more shuffling in the bottom half of this week’s AP Poll, with Central Florida cracking the Top 15 after schlakcing Stanford at home. Boise State and Virginia continue to be rewarded for their strong starts.
Upsets dropped Michigan State, Maryland, and Southern California from the Top 25, to be replaced by California, Arizona State, and Texas Christian.
For a closer look on how media members voted individually, check the image below.
Coaches Poll
Others receiving votes: Oklahoma State 100, Memphis 68, TCU 55, Michigan State 40, Wake Forest 33, Army 31, BYU 28, Kentucky 14, Appalachian State 12, Temple 7, Mississippi State 6, Minnesota 5, Duke 4, Nebraska 4, Navy 4, Tulane 3, Iowa State 3, Arizona 1, Wyoming 1, SMU 1
Dropped from rankings: Michigan State 19, Mississippi State 23, USC 24, Maryland 25
The only major changes from last week to this week in the Coaches Poll was the teams moving out and who replaced them. Once again, it was Michigan State, Southern California, and Maryland all dropping out, with Mississippi State joining them. Jumping into the Coaches Top 25 is Virginia, California, Arizona State, and Kansas State.
In the top half of the new Coaches Poll, the Top 10 all remains steady, while Utah and Penn State simply flip places while both remaining undefeated through three games.
Top 25 Schedule: Week 4
Let’s take a quick peek at who the Top 25 teams will be playing in Week 4.
After a week of no Top 25 matchups, we are rewarded with three this week, two of which could serve as College Football Playoff elimination games.
First we have No. 11 Michigan traveling to Madison to take on No. 13 Wisconsin. Michigan entered the season as the Big Ten favorite but looked anything other than convincing through their opening two games. One loss would not necessarily end playoff hopes for either side, but a win will go a long way towards helping.
Then at night, No. 7 Notre Dame heads between the hedges for a primetime showdown with No. 3 Georgia in Athens. General consensus is Notre Dame must run the table to qualify for the playoffs so any loss could sink their season. There is a very real chance Georgia could lose this game and still be in the running for the playoff, but their margin for error would be razor thin.
Our final ranked matchup of the week features No. 8 Auburn going on the road to face No. 17 Texas A&M. Auburn started the season with a win over Oregon, so another victory over a Top 25 side will do wonder for their playoff hopes.
Other than that, it’s a rather run of the mill week for the Top 25, with 22 ranked teams in action throughout the weekend.
Each and every week throughout the college football season we will be checking in with the latest rankings and Top 25 schedule so make sure you are checking back to keep up to date on the latest from the college football world.
The Bat Flip 