AP Poll: LSU back to No. 5; Michigan to 6th
The Alabama Crimson Tide received all but one of the 61 first-place votes from the media panel Sunday, with Ohio State receiving the other. No. 3 Clemson and No. 4 Notre Dame also moved up a spot. LSU jumped eight after handing Georgia its first loss of the season. The Bulldogs slipped from No. 2 to No. 8.
No. 6 Michigan has its best ranking of the season after blowing out Wisconsin, and Texas is up two spots to No. 7.
No. 9 Oklahoma moved back into the top 10 while idle and Central Florida remained No. 10. POLL POINTS >> Eight ranked teams overall lost Saturday, including three previously unbeaten teams. Joining Georgia among the previously undefeated on Saturday were West Virginia and Colorado. UP>> All the losses up and down the rankings meant plenty of movement. Joining LSU and Michigan as teams that gained at least four spots were:
— No. 12 Oregon jumped five after beating Washington LSU safety John Battle (26), with assistance from cornerback Greedy Williams (29), intercepts a pass from Georgia quarterback Jake Fromm intended for wide receiver Jeremiah Holloman, rear, during the fourth quarter Saturday in Baton Rouge, La.
in overtime. The Ducks have their best ranking since September 2015.
— No. 17 Texas A&M moved up five after edging South Carolina on the road.
— It was a good week to be idle and watch teams plummet. No. 14 Kentucky
and No. 16 North Carolina State each gained four spots in an idle week, and No. 20 Cincinnati moved up five. DOWN >> — No. 13 West Virginia lost at Iowa State and fell seven spots after reaching a season high last week.
— No. 15 Washington
dropped eight spots after losing at Oregon.
— No. 18 Penn State’s second straight close home loss, this time to Michigan State, dropped the Nittany Lions 10 spots.
— No. 23 Wisconsin, which started the season OUT >> — Colorado reached No. 19, racking up wins against a weak schedule, but USC manhandled the Buffaloes in Los Angeles and now they are unranked.
— Miami, which started the season at No. 8, is out altogether after losing at Virginia.
— Auburn, which started the season ninth, is out and no longer receiving votes after getting beat at home by Tennessee and falling to 4-3. IN>> — Iowa surged into the rankings for the first time this season at No. 19.
— No. 24 Michigan State is back in after a week out.
— No. 25 Washington State moved in just in time to host ESPN’s “College GameDay” for the first time ever with Oregon coming to town. Getting to Pullman, Washington, is notable for the show because for years it has been followed around by Wazzu fans waving the ‘Ol Crimson school flag. CONFERENCE CALL >> A week after the Southeastern Conference placed a seasonhigh eight teams in the poll, the SEC lost one and the Big Ten gained two. The ACC has only two ranked team for the first time since Oct. 4, 2015, when Clemson was No. 6 and Florida State was No. 12. The Tigers played for in the national championship game that season.
SEC — 7 teams (1, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 23).
Big Ten — 6 (2, 6, 18, 19, 22, 24). American — 3 (10, 20, 21). Big 12 — 3 (7, 9, 13). Pac-12 — 3 (12, 15, 25). ACC — 2 (3, 16). Independent — 1 (4). RANKED VS. RANKED >> No. 16 North Carolina State at No. 3 Clemson. The ACC’s only ranked and unbeaten teams meet in a game that will likely go a long way toward settling the Atlantic Division.
No. 22 Mississippi State at No. 5 LSU. This will be the fourth ranked team the Tigers have faced — though two (Miami and Auburn) are no longer.
No. 6 Michigan at No. 24 Michigan State. Another chance for Jim Harbaugh and the Wolverines to flip the narrative.
No. 12 Oregon at No. 25 Washington State. The Ducks look to make it an Evergreen State sweep.