Only two teams in the top 25 lost in week nine, and both losses were to ranked teams. The Blue Devils sat out of action, but climbed to No. 24 in the nation.
Duke cracks top 25 for the first time this season
Despite having a bye, the Blue Devils advanced to No. 24 in this week’s AP poll due to a small shakeup in the rankings. Duke (6-1, 2-1 in the ACC) hovered around the top 25 after knocking off Georgia Tech and Virginia, but this new poll marks the team’s first entry into the top 25 this season. The Blue Devils, who now sit alone at the top of the ACC Coastal division, will play next at Pittsburgh Saturday at noon to try to keep climbing in the rankings.
Minor movement at the top as Tigers stun Rebels
No. 1 Mississippi State held onto its top spot with a 45-31 road victory against a recently-strong Kentucky squad. Florida State remained at No. 2 after a week in which the Seminoles did not play.
The big story of week nine at the top of the rankings was the matchup between Ole Miss and LSU, which were positioned last week at No. 3 and No. 24, respectively. The low-scoring game was decided when Ole Miss quarterback Bo Wallace’s pass to the end zone was intercepted by LSU safety Ronald Martin with only 2 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Martin’s interception secured the Tigers’ 10-7 victory against the previously unbeaten Rebels, who were in position to tie the game with a field goal before Wallace's questionable throw. Ole Miss fell to No. 7 in this week’s AP poll, and LSU climbed to No. 16.
Alabama, Auburn and Oregon, who all won conference games, each moved up one position to occupy the third, fourth, and fifth rankings, respectively. Notre Dame moved from No. 7 to No. 6 after a bye week.
Teams in the top 15 take care of business, Buckeyes escape
Aside from Ole Miss’ loss, the other teams in the top 15 played up to their expectations. Big Ten powerhouse Michigan State won a 35-11 showdown against in-state rival Michigan to maintain the Spartans’ No. 8 ranking. The Horned Frogs of TCU, led by quarterback Trevone Boykin’s 7 touchdowns, scored a school-record 82 points in an 82-27 blowout against Texas Tech.
Elsewhere in the Big 12, Kansas State shut out Texas 23-0. These victories allowed TCU and Kansas State to maintain their No. 10 and No. 11 positions, respectively. Georgia and Baylor were both out of action—the Bulldogs stayed at No. 9 and the Bears held on to their No. 12 position.
Ohio State held onto its No. 13 ranking but Penn State did not make it easy. Buckeye defensive tackle Joey Bosa sealed the 31-24 victory against the Nittany Lions when he sacked quarterback Christian Hackenberg on fourth down in the second overtime. Arizona and Arizona State both won in-conference contests, but the two teams switched places in the rankings—the Wildcats moved up to No. 14 and the Sun Devils fell one spot to No. 15.
Disappointing performances at the bottom of the top 25 leave room for Duke
Rounding out the top 25 last week, Nebraska, West Virginia, Clemson, Marshall and UCLA all won games in which they were favored. The Cornhuskers fell one spot to No. 17 because of LSU’s victory but running back Ameer Abdullah recorded a school-record 341 all-purpose yards in a 42-24 victory for the Cornhuskers against Rutgers.
Southern California and East Carolina, however, both turned in disappointing showings which lowered their rankings in this week’s poll. A late touchdown pass by Utah quarterback Travis Wilson lifted the Utes to a 24-21 victory against the Trojans, who fell out of this week’s rankings after the loss. Utah moved to No. 18 —a one spot improvement from last week, and allowed the Blue Devils to enter this week's top-25 with the win.
East Carolina struggled at home to a 31-21 victory against a weak Connecticut team. This lackluster performance by the Pirates caused the team to drop from No. 18 last week poll to No. 21 in this week’s poll, another one of the minor shifts that could have a big impact when the College Football Playoff Committee's first rankings of the top 25 are released Tuesday.
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