College football rankings: AP Poll Top 25 prediction in Week 11

Here comes consensus.

Debate within the top five was fun while it lasted, but after the results of Week 10, expect the Associated Press Top 25 voters and College Football Playoff selection committee members to agree on a top four of (in order) Alabama, Clemson, Notre Dame and Michigan.

If all four win out, that is likely the final four. Despite Notre Dame’s lack of a conference championship game, it’s difficult to see the Big 12 of Pac-12 champion unseating the undefeated Fighting Irish. The biggest games in terms of the top of poll still on the schedule are obviously Michigan-Ohio State and Alabama-Georgia (SEC Championship Game). Upsets are always a possibility in college football, but otherwise, get used to these four teams.

The top 10 will get most of the fans’ attention, but it’s the bottom 15 where the AP voters have the most work to do. Sorting the teens and 20s is becoming a weekly task for the voters. In Week 10, seven teams ranked in the No. 11 to 19 range lost.

While the AP isn’t a “power ranking” it does seem to often reflect momentum over resume and reward teams for winning in November.

With that in mind, here’s how we predict the next AP Top 25:

1. Alabama (9-0) def. No. 4 LSU
2. Clemson (9-0) def. Louisville
3. Notre Dame (9-0) def. Northwestern
4. Michigan (8-1) def. No. 14 Penn State
5. Georgia (8-1) def. No. 11 Kentucky
6. Oklahoma (8-1) def. Texas Tech
7. Ohio State (8-1) def. Nebraska
8. West Virginia (7-1) def. No. 15 Texas
9. Washington State (8-1) def. Cal
10. UCF (8-0) def. Temple
11. LSU (7-2) lost to No. 1 Alabama
12. Mississippi State (6-3) def. La Tech
13. Utah State (7-1) def. Hawaii
14. Fresno State (7-1) def. UNLV
15. Texas (6-3) lost to No. 12 West Virginia
16. Syracuse (7-2) def. Wake Forest
17. Boston College (7-2) def. Virginia Tech
18. Kentucky (7-2) lost to No. 6 Georgia
19. Florida (6-3) lost to Missouri
20. Washington (6-3) def. Stanford
21. Penn State (6-3) lost to No. 5 Michigan
22. Michigan State (6-3) def. Maryland
23. Iowa (6-3) lost to Purdue
24. Utah (6-3) lost to Arizona State
25. Cincinnati (8-1) def. Navy

Predicted to fall out of AP Top 25: No. 17 Houston lost to SMU; No. 23 Virginia lost to Pittsburgh; No. 25 Texas A&M lost to Auburn

SDS Staff

Saturday Down South reports and comments on the news around the Southeastern Conference as well as larger college football topics.