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AP Rankings; College Football Top 25 Week 13
AP Rankings for College Football, Week Ending November 18
Ohio State remained number one in the AP voting after finishing their season with a 42-39 victory over Big Ten rival Michigan. The win assured Ohio State a spot in Glendal, Arizona to play for the BCS Championship on January, 8. Along with the BCS National Championship game wrapped up, Ohio State also captured the Big Ten title.
Despite dropping their game in Columbus on Saturday, the Michigan Wolverines maintained their number two spot in the AP Poll and are lined up for a rematch with the Buckeyes for the BCS Championship. The Wolverines will have to wait to see how the BCS Rankings interpret their loss to Ohio State.
USC’s impressive 23-9 win over California on Saturday bumped them past Florida for the number three spot in the AP voting. USC still has a chance to make their way to Arizona if they can win the remainder of their games. They face Notre Dame next weekend in a game that could determine a National Championship. A win over the Irish could push the Trojans past Michigan.
Suffering the after-effects of playing a I-AA team, the Florida Gators dropped a spot despite beating Western Carolina 62-0. Florida still has Florida State on their schedule and then must play Arkansas in the SEC Championship. Winning out could gain them some votes but narrow victories throughout the year could be their downfall.
Arkansas remained at number five in the AP rankings after their 28-14 win over Mississippi State on Saturday. While their run for the National Championship may be a long shot they still have the SEC Championship to play and a big match-up with LSU next week.
Notre Dame remained in the number six spot in the AP voting after beating Army on Saturday. They finish the season against USC next weekend and a win could boost their BCS hopes. Their lone loss of the year came at the hands of Michigan so the likelihood of them passing the Wolverines in the polls is unlikely.
West Virginia jumped back into the race for a solid BCS bowl after destroying Pittsburgh on Thursday. Their number seven ranking puts them in line to play in a major bowl come the New Year. The Mountaineers still have Rutgers on their schedule, a game that has lost some luster after Rutgers’ loss on Saturday.
Louisville is the second Big East team to crack the top eight in the AP Rankings. Louisville still has an outside shot to win the Big East if West Virginia can knock off Rutgers on December 2. Louisville’s high powered offense should place them in a major BCS Bowl.
AP Top 25
1. Ohio State (65) 12-0 1,625
2. Michigan 11-1 1,502
3. USC 9-1 1,493
4. Florida 10-1 1,451
5. Arkansas 10-1 1,365
6. Notre Dame 10-1 1,307
7. West Virginia 9-1 1,144
8. Louisville 9-1 1,078
9. LSU 9-2 1,075
10. Wisconsin 11-1 1,049
11. Texas 9-2 1,028
12. Boise State 11-0 878
13. Oklahoma 9-2 856
14. Auburn 10-2 822
15. Rutgers 9-1 736
16. Georgia Tech 9-2 667
17. Virginia Tech 9-2 583
18. Boston College 9-2 516
19. Tennessee 8-3 404
20. Wake Forest 9-2 355
21. Brigham Young 9-2 325
22. California 8-3 302
23. Nebraska 8-3 258
24. Clemson 8-3 122
25. Hawaii 9-2 89
