After another dominant win over UConn, Duke improved to 4-0 and is now ranked No. 17 in the AP poll. The Blue Zone breaks down the movement in the poll after a packed weekend of football:
A weekend that featured six ranked matchups led to some shake ups across the nation, and the AP poll is tighter than ever. Six teams received first-place votes, the most in a regular-season poll since 2015.
All eyes on Durham
Duke handled its first road test of the season with ease Saturday, defeating the UConn Huskies 41-7. The Blue Devil defense showed out again, holding UConn scoreless through three quarters, but Duke’s performance was not perfect by any means, especially considering its four punts and eight penalties. Saturday night also featured good news for Blue Devil fans everywhere, with the announcement that ESPN CollegeGameday is headed to Durham. As the nation turns its head to Duke’s primetime game against No. 11 Notre Dame. It’s been smooth sailing most of the way for the Blue Devils so far, but under the lights at Brooks Field at Wallace Wade Stadium, Duke faces a huge test and will look to shock the nation again.
Luck of the… Buckeyes?
In arguably the biggest game of the week, then-No. 6 Ohio State and the ninth-ranked Fighting Irish lived up to all the hype. A defensive battle with several points left on the board was close until the end, with the Buckeyes getting a last-second touchdown to leave South Bend, Ind., with the win. Notre Dame only dropped two spots in this week’s poll, and is the highest-ranked one-loss team. Ohio State used the win to jump into the top four and enter playoff territory, as Florida State fell down a spot after escaping Clemson, S.C., with an overtime win. Two ranked games against Penn State and Michigan highlight the Buckeyes’ schedule the rest of the year, but they have now proven they can win close games against strong teams on the road, putting them in great position for the rest of the season.
Sanders suffers setback
After a 3-0 start to the season, stock was rising in head coach Deion Sanders’ showy Colorado squad. Coach Prime looked to change the culture of a historically unsuccessful program, and is bringing a new swagger to the Buffaloes. However, in its biggest test of the season so far, Colorado lost some sheen in a 42-6 beatdown at the hands of the now-No. 9 Oregon Ducks. The Buffaloes dropped out of the rankings completely, proving they are a mortal team, but expect Coach Prime to step up to the task and rewrite the narrative as his team navigates a very difficult Pac-12 conference schedule the rest of the way. The poll is still PAC-ked, as the conference continues to lead the country with six teams in the top 25, including four teams in the top 10. One of those is Colorado’s next opponent: No. 8 Southern California.
Full rankings:
1. Georgia
2. Michigan
3. Texas
4. Ohio State
5. Florida State
6. Penn State
7. Washington
8. Southern California
9. Oregon
10. Utah
11. Notre Dame
12. Alabama
13. LSU
14. Alabama
15. North Carolina
16. Washington State
17. Duke
18. Miami
19. Oregon State
20. Ole Miss
21. Tennessee
22. Florida
23. Missouri
24. Kansas
25. Fresno State
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