NCAA Football Rankings: New AP Top 25 And Coaches Polls Released — SEC Gaining Strength In Both
The latest NCAA rankings are out with the release of both the Coaches Poll and Associated Press Top 25 Poll. The SEC is gaining strength in big ways, with teams moving up and others joining the rankings, but the Ohio State Buckeyes are still undefeated and still at No. 1. Some teams are beginning to separate themselves, but there’s a bit of a cluster up top that could make the playoff run an interesting one.
With the playoff committee preparing for the first playoff rankings of the season, it is looking like the top four are firmly in place. Well, at least for now as Ohio State, Baylor, Clemson, and LSU occupy the top four spots in the AP Poll for this week.
BREAKING: Ohio St, Baylor, Clemson, LSU top AP poll as playoff committee preps 1st rankings. Full poll: https://t.co/n3LVCRB0gB
— AP Top 25 (@AP_Top25) November 1, 2015
Ohio State was off, and their bye week didn’t hurt their standing, and neither did the suspension of J.T. Barrett, as reported by the Associated Press. It’s looking more and more like the Buckeyes are going to have to lose in order to fall at all in the polls.
Barrett was suspended one game after being arrested early on Saturday morning on charges of operating a vehicle while intoxicated near the Ohio State campus.
Believe it or not, the game with the most exciting and controversial ending did have some relevance to the polls. The Duke Blue Devils ended up falling out of the rankings thanks to an 8-lateral kickoff return for a touchdown by the Miami Hurricanes on the final play of the game.
As ESPN reported, the ACC announced on Sunday that the on-field officiating crew, as well as the replay official and communicator, were suspended for two games due to the errors on that play. ACC Commissioner John Swofford issued a statement regarding the suspension and the game itself.
“The quality of our officiating program is of the highest importance to the league and its schools, and the last play of the game was not handled appropriately. Officiating is an extraordinarily difficult job, but our players, coaches, programs and fans deserve the best that can be offered. We will continue to strive to meet that standard.”
With that being said, though, the Hurricanes haven’t been near the Top 25 in either poll for weeks now. Duke was playing well, and the loss to Miami really hurt them and their rankings.
Here is the AP Top 25 Poll which was released on November 1.
- Ohio State (39)
- Baylor (6)
- Clemson (6)
- LSU (5)
- TCU (4)
- Michigan State
- Alabama (1)
- Notre Dame
- Stanford
- Iowa
- Florida
- Oklahoma State
- Utah
- Oklahoma
- Memphis
- Michigan
- Florida State
- Houston
- Mississippi
- Toledo
- North Carolina
- UCLA
- Temple
- Mississippi State
- Texas A&M
Here is the Coaches Poll Top 25, which was released on November 1 after all the weekend action.
- Ohio State (48)
- Baylor (9)
- TCU (4)
- LSU (1)
- Clemson (2)
- Michigan State
- Alabama
- Stanford
- Notre Dame
- Oklahoma State
- Iowa
- Florida
- Oklahoma
- Utah
- Florida State
- Memphis
- Michigan
- Houston
- Ole Miss
- Toledo
- North Carolina
- UCLA
- Temple
- Texas A&M
- Mississippi State
The first playoff rankings are set to be released on Tuesday, and right now it’s looking like Ohio State, Baylor, and LSU are definite in the first reveal. It could end up being either Clemson or TCU with the fourth spot, but the Tigers have been more impressive than the Horned Frogs as of late.
There could be a big shake-up next week, as LSU and Alabama will face off for superiority in the SEC West. Leonard Fourtnette and the undefeated Tigers will look to best the Crimson Tide and clear a path for the SEC Championship Game.
The NCAA rankings didn’t have a lot of change this week, but it’s now getting to the point of the season where every game counts and so does winning impressively. The Coaches Poll and Top 25 AP Poll play a lot into how the playoffs may go, and those first rankings will be released on Tuesday.
[Image via Getty Images / Christian Peterson]
