College Football Rankings: Washington enters the Top 5
Washington enters the Top 5
Washington enters the Top 5 on Sunday in The Associated Press college football poll, the team’s best ranking in six years. This was due to their thrilling victory against Oregon. Additionally, the unbeaten Air Force team was ranked for the first time since 2019.
The top four teams in the country remained unchanged after No. 1 Georgia, No. 2 Michigan, No. 3 Ohio State, and No. 4 Florida State all won their respective games on Saturday. Georgia was the top-ranked team with 43 first-place votes, followed by Michigan with 16, while Ohio State and Florida State each had one.
Washington received two first-place votes, which helped them jump two spots past No. 6 Oklahoma and No. 7 Penn State. This achievement gave the Huskies their best ranking since reaching No. 5 on Oct. 8, 2017. The last time Washington was ranked this highly this late in the season was in 2016 when the team made the College Football Playoff.
It is also worth mentioning that 2016 was the last time any Pac-12 team reached the four-team playoff. Overall, it was a great weekend for college football and we are excited to see how the season progresses!
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In a thrilling match, Washington beat Oregon 36-33 after the Ducks missed a field goal on the game’s final play. The loss caused Oregon to drop one spot to No. 9 in the rankings, flip-flopping with No. 8 Texas. North Carolina, on the other hand, moved up two spots to a season-high No. 10 after their impressive 41-31 win over Miami.
However, Southern California didn’t have a good week, as they suffered their first loss of the season at the hands of Notre Dame, causing them to drop eight spots to No. 18. Meanwhile, the Fighting Irish jumped six places to No. 15.
Finally, #22 Air Force made a statement by beating their rival Wyoming to stay undefeated and vaulted into the rankings.
Bama Dynasty Officially Over?
Alabama’s position in the college football rankings has remained unchanged at No. 11 following their victory against Arkansas, which has now extended its period outside of the top 10 for five weeks. The Crimson Tide were first dropped out of the top 10 for the first time since 2015 on September 17th, after a less-than-impressive performance against South Florida, causing them to fall to a season-low of No. 13. Although they’ve managed to win five consecutive games since their Week 2 loss to Texas, they’ve been unsuccessful in regaining their place in the top 10.
This season marks the longest period that Alabama has spent outside of the top 10 in almost 14 years, since Nick Saban’s first year as coach in 2007, when they finished with a record of 7-6. Alabama’s upcoming game against No. 17 Tennessee next week will determine whether they can regain their position in the top 10 or fall even further away from it. Following that, the team will have a week off before hosting No. 19 LSU. Alabama has only been ranked outside of the top 15 once before, which was on November 28, 2010, when they suffered a defeat to Auburn in their regular-season finale, causing them to fall to No. 17 with a record of 9-3.
Alabama Football on Twitter: “Game Week Central – Tennesseehttps://t.co/5Nq2e7LeSN#RollTide pic.twitter.com/lWDF8bjLsr / Twitter”
Game Week Central – Tennesseehttps://t.co/5Nq2e7LeSN#RollTide pic.twitter.com/lWDF8bjLsr
Welcome Back
Air Force has finished with a 10-3 record in each of the last two seasons. On both occasions, their late winning streaks were not enough to earn them a spot in the AP Top 25. However, things have taken a positive turn this season, with the Falcons achieving a 6-0 record. It’s their best start since 2002. Additionally, they have earned a rank in the Top 25 for the first time since the end of the 2019 season when they finished 11-2 and were ranked 22nd in the nation.
The other teams that have made it to the Top 25 this week have already been there earlier in the season. No. 20 Missouri has bounced back into the rankings after winning at Kentucky. No. 23 Tulane (5-1) is back after beating its American Athletic Conference rival Memphis on Friday night. Iowa (#24, 6-1) has returned to the rankings after taking control of the Big Ten West by defeating Wisconsin.
Come Back Soon
On the other hand, Washington State, Kansas, Kentucky, and Miami have dropped out of the rankings this week after losing for the second time this season.
Exciting upcoming college football matchups
No. 7 Penn State will face off against No. 3 Ohio State in what will be their seventh straight meeting with both teams ranked. This is sure to be a thrilling game.
No. 17 Tennessee will take on No. 11 Alabama in the Third Saturday in October rivalry, marking consecutive seasons with both teams ranked. This is a rare occurrence that hasn’t happened since 1995-96.
No. 16 Duke will go head-to-head with No. 4 Florida State, who have previously met only twice while both ranked, with the Seminoles winning both games by a combined 77 points.
No. 14 Utah will play against #18 USC. This will be their third straight meeting with both teams ranked after the Utes won both matchups last year to take the Pac-12 title.