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Alabama may have beaten Clemson in last season’s College Football Playoff National Championship Game, but the ACC has caught up with the SEC in the Associated Press Top 25 Poll.
Coaches placed five SEC teams in their poll while sports writers included the same number of conference squads in the AP Top 25.
Among SEC teams, Auburn jumped four spots to its current No. 11 ranking in the AP Poll following its 40-29 victory over Ole Miss. Meanwhile, LSU also moved up four spots to its current ranking of No. 15 after its bye week, which the Tigers will follow up by entertaining the Crimson Tide on Saturday night.
But should Auburn and LSU have moved up that far? And are other teams deservedly where they should be?
Not falling victim to massive overreactions, here’s how the AP Top 25 Poll should’ve looked based on Week 9 performances.
HOW THE AP TOP 25 POLL SHOULD’VE LOOKED
1. Alabama (8-0; 60 first-place votes) — The SEC West’s most anticipated matchup of the season is just days away. The biggest question about Saturday night’s game is which Leonard Fournette will LSU get? The one who ran for just 31 yards in last year’s loss to Alabama or the one who burned Ole Miss for a school-record 284 yards nine days ago? The Crimson Tide is probably hoping for a performance in the 70-yard range; Bama is allowing 70 rushing yards a game to lead the FBS. Nick Saban’s squad has won the last five meetings. The Tide is favored by a touchdown to make it six straight.
2. Michigan (8-0, 1 first-place vote) — Michigan State’s LJ Scott softened up the Wolverines’ run defense a bit on Saturday by running for 139 yards. But a lot of things appear to be falling into place for Jabrill Peppers and Michigan. Coincidentally, Peppers’ special teams/offensive numbers are very similar to those of Wolverines great Charles Woodson, who won the Heisman in 1997. Michigan’s month of fun days has kicked off; it has games against Maryland, Iowa and Indiana before its Nov. 26 matchup at Ohio State.
3. Washington (8-0) — The Huskies passed their toughest test of the season by winning at Utah. They’re in control in the Pac-12 North, but they actually have one more ranked team on their slate, Washington State, which they visit for their regular-season finale on Nov. 25. Despite that trip, Washington’s chances for an unbeaten season remain really good.
4. Clemson (8-0) — The Tigers recorded their fifth one-score win of the season, but it was a big one as they beat Florida State in Tallahassee for the first time since 2006. Deshaun Watson continues his Heisman Trophy campaign with Saturday’s home game against Syracuse. With contests against Pittsburgh, Wake Forest and South Carolina to follow, don’t be surprised if Clemson wins out entering the ACC Championship Game.
5. Louisville (7-1) — Lamar Jackson’s performance against Florida State was momentous, but rallying the Cardinals to a last-minute win at Virginia was his Heisman moment. Lousiville’s visit to Houston on Nov. 17 is obviously not what it could have been, and the fact that the Cards’ lone loss came in a heartbreaker at Clemson is keeping it in the CFP hunt.
6. Ohio State (7-1) — After looking dominant while getting off to a 5-0 start, the Buckeyes have played three straight one-score games. Something is definitely amiss with Ohio State’s offense, and there’s not much time to straighten it out. Nebraska visits Saturday night.
7. Texas A&M (7-1) — Christian Kirk’s two punt returns for a touchdown were still impressive, even if he took them to the house against New Mexico State. Kevin Sumlin’s Aggies return to SEC play with back-to-back games against the SEC’s Magnolia State schools, kicking off with Saturday’s tilt with Dan Mullen’s Bulldogs. Sumlin’s decision to hold out Myles Garrett to help him recover from his leg injury should pay off as A&M tries to stay in the SEC West and CFP hunts.
8. Wisconsin (6-2) — The Badgers’ 23-17 overtime victory over Nebraska was their fourth straight one-score game. As if that stress weren’t enough, for its next game, Wisconsin has to travel to Northwestern on Saturday, the same Northwestern that nearly beat Ohio State in Columbus. Wisky, arguably the best two-loss team in America, will be tested once again.
9. Auburn (6-2) — The Tigers’ last two victories – a 56-3 rout of Arkansas and an 11-point victory at Ole Miss – have been their most impressive triumphs of the season. Auburn’s next opponent, Vanderbilt, has already won at Georgia this year, so Gus Malzahn’s team needs to be careful not to look past the Commodores or the Bulldogs, who host AU a week from Saturday.
10. Florida (6-1) — If the Gators’ offense happened to be as good as their defense, they might be the best team in the SEC. Clearly the SEC East’s best squad, Florida is in the driver’s seat for its second straight division championship and conference championship game berth. On Saturday, the Gators visit Arkansas for the first time since 2008. Florida has beaten the Razorbacks nine straight times.
11. Nebraska (7-1) – Winning at Camp Randall is never easy, and the Cornhuskers held their own before losing to Wisconsin in overtime on Saturday. Their consolation prize is a trip to Ohio State, which crushed Nebraska, 63-38, the last time the Huskers visited Columbus four years ago.
12. Oklahoma (6-2) — The Sooners, whose 1-2 start included losses to Houston and Ohio State, have won five straight to become the Big 12’s hottest team. After feasting on Kansas last week, Oklahoma gets another cupcake on Thursday when it visits Iowa State.
13. Baylor (6-1) — For the second straight year, the Bears weren’t able to beat Texas, which snuffed out their dreams of an unbeaten season. Baylor follows a home date with TCU this Saturday with a trip to Oklahoma the following week.
14. West Virginia (6-1) — For the second straight year, the Mountaineers came up short against Oklahoma State. The good news for West Virginia, at least when it comes to its destiny in the Big 12, is that after it faces Kansas this week, it still has home games with Oklahoma and Baylor coming up.
15. LSU (5-2) — The Tigers have won three straight since firing Les Miles and replacing him with Ed Orgeron. But this is the question of the week: Should LSU remove Orgeron’s interim tag if he beats Alabama on Saturday night? We’re obviously getting ahead of ourselves here, but it’s never too early to ask.
16. Utah (7-2) — Even though the Utes were unable to finish the job, they certainly didn’t embarrass themselves in their 31-24 home loss to Washington. Utah visits Arizona State next Thursday.
17. Western Michigan (8-0) — If you haven’t seen the Broncos’ first eight games, you’ll have no excuse to miss their next one Tuesday night at Ball State, which will air on ESPN2.
18. North Carolina (6-2) — The Tar Heels come off their bye week with a home game against Georgia Tech. They’re still alive in the ACC Coastal Division race.
19. Florida State (5-3) — Jimbo Fisher complained about the officiating following the Seminoles’ 37-34 home loss to Clemson on Saturday night. He should direct his comments to his defense, which is allowing 30 points per game to rank 11th in the ACC. Florida visits NC State this week.
20. Penn State (6-2) — The Nittany Lions, who clinched bowl-eligibility and remained alive in the Big Ten East race with their 62-24 victory over Purdue, host Iowa on Saturday.
21. Colorado (6-2)
22. Oklahoma State (6-2)
23. Virginia Tech (6-2)
24. Boise State (7-1)
25. Washington State (6-2)
Stan Chrapowicki is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, Alabama and Auburn.
