The disruptions resulting from a nationwide shutdown nearly caused major problems completing the Week 11 schedule in college football, but with some flexibility and logistical work, almost all games could be played before Saturday ended.
Unfortunately, not all games will be completed by the end of the day as Ole Miss will face Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon (1 p.m. ET kickoff). That’s going to push back the AP Top 25 poll a day, and now Monday’s release means our Tomorrow Today Top 25 has become “Monday Today’s Top 25” for just once.
It seems normal that after a unique aerial event, we end up with results that don’t shake up the rankings that much. Georgia, Notre Dame, and Miami all faced their Week 11 opponents with a strength that supported their top-10 rankings, and even Indiana managed to solidify its position with a hard-earned victory over USC.
Texas was another team that solidified its position with a comeback victory on the road at LSU, as Arch Manning rebounded from three interceptions to throw the game-winning touchdown pass in the final seconds. This won’t move Texas dramatically up the rankings; There’s not a lot of room to improve with all the other top teams all looking the part, but it avoids a mistake that could jeopardize their playoff futures.
Here’s what we think the new AP Top 25 poll will look like on Monday after Week 11 scores and results:
1. Georgia (last week — 1): AP voters could start to inch closer to a unanimous position with Georgia in first place after the Bulldogs completely swept Missouri in a 48-21 victory. The Bulldogs led 31-7 at halftime, making it the third straight game with a lead of more than 24 points going into the locker room. It appears that Auburn’s loss has reawakened a more vicious approach from Georgia, and that’s great news for the title hopes and bad news for the rest of the title contenders.
2. Utah (2): The Utes traded paint with a powerful Arizona team and emerged with a 10-0 record after the 40-39 victory. It’s the first 10-0 start for the program since 2008, and a huge mark of success for Morgan Scalley to help his team avoid disappointment after a massive rivalry win over BYU last week.
3. Notre Dame (3): The Fighting Irish showed few signs of disappointment after Miami’s massive victory last week, quickly eliminating Boston College. Notre Dame outscored Boston College 500 to 157 in a 34-point victory, marking one of the most lopsided results between Power Conference teams of the day.
4.UCLA (4): A spirited effort from Illinois had UCLA sweating a bit, with a running game below their typical production and even an injury to quarterback Ty Dieffenbach. But a strong overall performance from Dieffenbach and three forced turnovers from the Bruins defense helped Bob Chesney’s team remain undefeated at 10-0.
5.Miami (5): The Hurricanes racked up 533 yards of offense at 7.4 yards per play thanks to four straight touchdowns on the team’s final total possessions of the game. Duke did its fair share to try to make a game of it, trailing by just three points at halftime, but Darian Mensah threw for 388 yards and two scores in a performance that should keep him in the Heisman Trophy discussion.
6. Indiana (6): A gutsy performance from Grant Wilson in his first start of the season helped the Hoosiers earn their best win of the season. Wilson’s fourth-quarter touchdown pass provided the necessary cushion for the defense and running game to do the rest of the job, as Indiana now built a reputation as one of the most efficient teams in the country.
7.Alabama (7): An injury put Keelon Russell’s status in doubt, but the Alabama quarterback ended up playing in the 21-6 win at Vanderbilt. It wasn’t a hugely impressive offensive performance, but enough to improve the Crimson Tide to 8-2 overall.
8.Texas (8): Arch Manning’s heroics help keep the Longhorns firmly in their top-10 position after a 22-21 road win at LSU.
9.Tennessee (9): It wasn’t always pretty, but Tennessee once again had enough offense to offset a dominant defensive effort, and the Vols were able to escape College Station with a 22-7 victory over Texas A&M. The Aggies were held to just 179 yards of offense, and Faizon Brandon had to step in to carry the offense after George MacIntyre left the game due to injury, but the most important stat is winning. With an 8-2 record and multiple high-quality wins, the Vols are closing in on a spot in the playoffs.
10. Wake Forest (11): The Demon Deacons are ready to move up, even if it’s just a spot or two, after sticking SMU in Dallas. Wake Forest led 42-0 at halftime in a victory that let the nation know that this team was more than capable of competing with top talent. Having this kind of performance after Jake Dickert’s contract extension only encourages Wake Forest fans who are excited about the long-term future of the program, while the short term could include a spot in the College Football Playoff.
11. Texas Technology (10): The Red Raiders picked up a very significant victory against Oklahoma State that should help them pad their College Football Playoff resume, but with very little movement in this part of the rankings, it’s possible we won’t see much change in the AP poll. With Baylor and TCU remaining on the schedule, Texas Tech will be favored to finally make the Big 12 title game and have a chance to prove its overall worth on the field in early December, if not win the league (and the automatic bid) outright.
12. BYU (12): Although Baylor was on a bit of a tear, BYU took the fight early to visiting Waco and used that advantage to earn a wire-to-wire 28-7 victory. The Cougars are now 8-2 on the year, with this victory at Notre Dame serving as the best tiebreaker for any election debate.
13. Iowa (16): The Hawkeyes should hold on after a comfortable three-touchdown win over Purdue to improve to 8-2 on the year.
14. Boise State (17): Even though the College Football Playoff selection committee lost the Broncos in the 20s, we expect AP voters to hold strong to their position, especially after surviving a 46-41 shootout against Oregon State in one of the biggest Group of Six games of the week.
15. Oregon (18): The Ducks have now won three straight since their third loss, and those wins over Northwestern, Ohio State and Michigan have kept Oregon in the mix to get back into the College Football Playoff picture. Style points seemed to be in order for Saturday’s win over the Wolverines, as a 21-7 game ended up 31-7 in the fourth quarter.
16. Ole Miss (19): The Rebels’ Week 11 game against Oklahoma was moved to Sunday after the FAA ground stop Friday prevented Ole Miss from its scheduled arrival in Norman.
17. Kentucky (13): Back-to-back losses will cause Kentucky to fall again, as the resume comes under more scrutiny with each additional loss. Now at 7-3 overall with LSU as the best win, the Wildcats will still be ranked but clearly lost big in terms of the playoffs with Saturday night’s loss to Florida.
18. USC (15): AP voters may not rush to kick USC out of the rankings after a 27-13 loss to Indiana, both in a move that respects Indiana’s strength and competitiveness of the game, but also the Trojans’ body of work. USC is 7-3 with a win over Ohio State and losses to Indiana and Oregon. This provides a good landing spot between the Ducks and Buckeyes for voters trying to sort out different three-loss teams.
19. Ohio State (21): The Buckeyes survived an upset bid from a Northwestern team without Aidan Chiles, pulling away in the second half before the Wildcats scored a last-minute touchdown to cut the final margin to just nine points.
20. Houston (14): The potential for Houston to fall out of the top 25 entirely would be stronger if there were more teams vying to take those spots at the end of voting. Recent trends haven’t been good for Willie Fritz’s team which has lost two of its last three games after a 6-1 start, but it’s still a 7-3 team with a quality win against Oklahoma State.
21. Freedom (NR): The Flames held on at home against Middle Tennessee to improve to 9-1 on the season. Last week, PA voters voted in favor of Liberty, and we expect that to continue now that Jamey Chadwell’s team reached the nine-win mark in mid-November.
22. Florida (NR): The Gators just bounced back from the AP poll after a dismal performance in a loss to Oklahoma, but the late-season skid was halted with an upset win at Kentucky. Florida had already lost four of its last five games, but now has three very good wins with Ole Miss, Texas, and now the road win against Will Stein’s Wildcats.
23. Louisville (NR): The Cardinals were 30th in voting points last week and improved to 7-3 with a win at North Carolina. It was an encouraging sign for Jeff Brohm’s defense to be so limiting on the road, but what really helped Louisville’s effort to rank was seeing the No. 26, No. 27 and No. 28 teams in last week’s poll all lose by double-digit margins.
24. Memphis (NR): The Tigers’ stunning loss to Tulane on Oct. 16 is really the only blemish on an 8-2 profile that got even better with a 52-41 victory over a six-win USF team on Thursday night. It’s not a resume overloaded with big wins, but the number of wins and high-end offensive potential make Charles Huff’s Tigers an attractive choice for a voter stressed by the imperfect profiles of the power conferences in this ballot range.
25. South Carolina (20): Without LaNorris Sellers in the lineup, the Gamecocks’ offense struggled and Arkansas took advantage with a double-digit upset win. It’s very possible that South Carolina gets bounced, but with Florida (another four-loss team) potentially stepping in and also the Gamecocks’ head-to-head advantage against the Gators, it’s possible we see Shane Beamer’s team hang on in the top 25.
Planned to give up: No. 22 Arizona, No. 23 New Mexico No. 24 LSU, No. 25 SMU
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