NCAA Football Rankings: New AP Top 25 And Coaches Polls Released — Michigan And LSU Climb, Not Much Change At Top

Week six of the 2015 NCAA football season is over, and the new rankings have now been released for all to see. Both the Coaches Top 25 Poll and the Associated Press (AP) Top 25 Poll are out, and there was a bit of flip-flopping at the top. Some teams had to work hard to avoid upsets, but others sailed clear on through. One of the latter is Michigan, who recorded their third straight shutout and are now being looked at as serious contenders.

Michigan absolutely decimated then number 13-ranked Northwestern in a 38-0 victory in the Big House. As recapped by ESPN, Jim Harbaugh led the Wolverines to a solid 60-minute performance and they led 28-0 at halftime, and it was coasting from there.

LSU’s running back phenom Leonard Fournette didn’t break 200 yards for a fourth straight game, but he didn’t need to. Fournette, who rushed for 158 yards, sat out much of the second half as Derrius Guice racked up 161 yards in a 45-24 LSU win over South Carolina.

The Tigers, who moved up to fifth in the Coaches Poll, proved they have a passing game, as well. It’s something that many thought didn’t exist in Baton Rouge, but Brandon Harris passed for 228 yards and two touchdowns in the blowout.

In the Top 25 AP Poll, the Associated Press revealed on Sunday that Baylor also jumped up to the number two spot, but Michigan State fell from fourth to seventh. Undefeated Utah jumped up to number four, while Clemson is in fifth and the LSU Tigers are in sixth.

1. Ohio State
2. Baylor
3. TCU
4. Utah
5. Clemson
6. LSU
7. Michigan State
8. Florida
9. Texas A&M
10. Alabama
11. Florida State
12. Michigan
13. Ole Miss
14. Notre Dame
15. Stanford
16. Oklahoma State
17. Iowa
18. UCLA
19. Oklahoma
20. Northwestern
21. Boise State
22. Toledo
23. California
24. Houston
25. Duke

The Ohio State Buckeyes once thought they had a quarterback controversy, but that isn’t the case at all. Yes, they do have three signal-callers that can lead the team, but Cardale Jones, Braxton Miller, and J.T. Barrett are working together toward a common goal — a championship.

ESPN reported that the three-quarterback rotation is working perfectly for them and worked well in a 49-28 win over Maryland on Saturday.

Both Georgia (16) and USC (17) fell out of the Top 25 Coaches Poll with losses, and Michigan moved up seven spots to number 14. Baylor ended up jumping to number two, while TCU and Michigan narrowly avoided losses and each fell one spot.

Here is the Coaches Poll Top 25 rankings after Week 6.

1. Ohio State
2. Baylor
3. TCU
4. Michigan State
5. LSU
6. Clemson
7. Utah
8. Florida State
9. Alabama
10. Texas A&M
11. Florida
12. Ole Miss
13. Notre Dame
14. Michigan
15. Oklahoma State
16. Stanford
17. Iowa
18. UCLA
19. Oklahoma
20. Boise State
21. Northwestern
22. Memphis
23. California
24. Duke
25. Toledo

With Georgia dropping out, the SEC is down to just five teams in this poll. Florida is really showing a lot of promise, though, and surprising a number of people as they’ve come out of nowhere to already be 6-0 and nearing the Top 10.

As the season rounds the halfway point, the NCAA football rankings are starting to become more important every single week. Michigan State and TCU dropping even one spot could end up hurting them in the long run. With only the top four spots making into into the playoffs, teams do not want to drop at all as the season grows longer.

Now, teams will have to do more, as winning simply isn’t enough. They’re going to have to really make a good impression and show that they deserve to move up.

The NCAA rankings are very important, and become even more so as the year goes on. Ohio State still has a firm lock on the top spot in both the Coaches Poll and AP Top 25 Poll, but there’s a lot of movement going on behind the Buckeyes, and the Michigan Wolverines are soaring up every week.

[Image via Getty Images – Gregory Shamus / Ronald Martinez / Kevin C. Cox]