If your primary interest in the college football rankings this week is to analyze the conference championship or College Football Playoff contenders, there won't be too much from Week 15 or the adjustments to the AP Top 25 that will draw your attention.
The SEC Championship will still be decided between Alabama and Florida, even though the Gators lost to LSU on Saturday night. The ACC, Big 12 and Big Ten championships were already set before a single snap on Saturday, and of the six competitors, only Northwestern was in action. The most drama we had was in the Pac-12, but even that championship race comes with a very 2020 twist as the Pac-12 North was awarded to Washington over Oregon when the two teams were scheduled to play this weekend and had the game canceled.
So while the big picture remained fairly stable at the top of the polls and the standings, there's plenty of jockeying for position among the top 25. Few coaches or players think about it in the moment, but there's value in being ranked in the final AP Top 25 of the season and these final results leave lasting impressions on the voters who will determine that fate.
Consider North Carolina, which we're predicting to have one of the biggest moves up in the rankings after thumping Miami by 36 points in its regular-season finale. The Tar Heels may have three losses, but the quality win and the nature of it -- highlighting the offense that has been among the most potent in the country all season -- puts a higher probability on Mack Brown finishing in the top 25 of the final poll.
The College Football Playoff Rankings will be updated one more time, on Dec. 15 before a final release on Dec. 20 that sets up the playoff, the New Year's Six and accompanied by bowl announcements across the country. The AP Top 25 gets one more balloting after the national title game, and that final ranking has weighty significance. Coaches have contract incentives tied to final AP Top 25 finishes, and those years are highlighted in the record books as being more successful than ones without a ranking at the end of the year.
So while the top dozen teams remain mostly in place, consider the shifting and positioning that's happening down the line and how it will impact the way coaches and teams are viewed moving forward. In our playoff-crazy atmosphere it's easy to lose sight of anything beyond the top four but such honors can be make-or-break moments in the development of a modern college football program.
Here's how we think the new AP Top 25 will look on Sunday:
1. Alabama (Last week -- 1): Saturday's 52-3 win didn't bring as much clarity to the debates around individual awards for Alabama's stars as much as it solidified its status as the best team in the country. The Crimson Tide have found balance between a high-powered offensive attack and a complimentary defense that's making plays at and behind the line of scrimmage.
2. Notre Dame (2): The Fighting Irish were off in Week 15.
3. Ohio State (3): The Buckeyes game against Michigan was canceled because of COVID-19 issues in the Wolverines program.
4. Clemson (4): The Tigers were off in Week 15.
5. Texas A&M (5): The Aggies' Week 15 date with Ole Miss was not played because of COVID-19 issues in the Rebels' program.
6. Cincinnati (7): The Bearcats' game against Tulsa was canceled because of COVID-19 issues in the Bearcats' program. The two teams are scheduled to meet on Dec. 19 in Cincinnati for the American Athletic Conference Championship.
7. Indiana (8): The battle for the Old Oaken Bucket against Purdue was canceled because of COVID-19 issues at both schools.
8. Iowa State (10): The Cyclones were off in Week 15 and will be back in action against Oklahoma next week in the Big 12 Championship Game.
9. Coastal Carolina (11): An undefeated regular season hung in the balance as Troy took the lead for the first time in the game with 80 seconds left to play. One play later, Grayson McCall had Coastal Carolina out near midfield and four plays after that the Chanticleers were in the end zone with the game-winning score. I don't expect a knock in the rankings for the close win, since that double-digit win total and zero in the loss column holds a ton of weight in this late stage of the season.
10. Florida (6): Georgia also has two losses and Florida has the head-to-head win, so the Bulldogs represent the floor for where Florida will fall after the 37-34 home loss to LSU. The Gators will likely have a high final ranking regardless of what happens next week in Atlanta, but Saturday's loss to LSU dramatically changed the way Florida will be judged by the committee.
11. Georgia (12): The offseason hype for Georgia should be well-fed after JT Daniels and the Bulldogs' offense hung 49 on Missouri in an early road start.
12. Oklahoma (13): The Sooners Week 15 game against West Virginia was canceled because of COVID-19 issues within the Mountaineers program.
13. USC (16): An absolutely thrilling comeback win against UCLA is worth plenty of excitement and maybe even a boost in the rankings. The Trojans are undefeated after all, and now will have a chance to be an undefeated conference champion if they can take down Washington next week.
14. North Carolina (20): This was a statement win for Mack Brown's second run in Chapel Hill. The program's first win against a top-10 opponent since 2004 comes in record-setting fashion, with Javonte Williams and Michael Carter running for more combined yards in a single game (544) than any other duo in FBS history. Sam Howell didn't throw his average but he found unique ways to have an impact with a passing, rushing and receiving touchdown.
15. Miami (9): With only two losses there's a floor to how far Miami can fall, especially since North Carolina was already a ranked team heading into the matchup. Unfortunately, Manny Diaz has to spend this week just as concerned with why the Hurricanes didn't meet the standard for competition against the three-loss Tar Heels as trying to lock in the future of the program with National Signing Day on Wednesday.
16. BYU (14): The Cougars are currently in action against San Diego State.
17. Northwestern (15): Since last week's game got canceled, this was the bounce back win that the Wildcats needed before facing Ohio State in the Big Ten title game. Northwestern found something that worked offensively against Illinois and it stuck to the game plan with a heavy dose of the ground game to the tune of 411 team rushing yards.
18. Iowa (19): It's not just Iowa beat Wisconsin, it's that the Hawkeyes have now rolled off six straight wins since starting the season 0-2. Four of those six wins have been by 20 points or more, including Saturday's 28-7 victory against the Badgers. Northwestern's one-point win against Iowa in the second game of the season ended up deciding the Big Ten West as Iowa may not play for the championship next week but is looking like one of the best teams in the conference.
19. Louisiana (17): The Ragin' Cajuns were off in Week 15, getting an extra week to prepare for the Sun Belt Championship Game against Coastal Carolina.
20. Tulsa (18): With Saturday's home game against Cincinnati canceled, the Golden Hurricane now have a one-game shot to make their case for the New Year's Six against the Bearcats for the AAC Championship next week.
21. Liberty (22): The Flames' regular season is done at 9-1 and now they await the potential of a bowl invitation -- something that's a little bit trickier without a conference affiliation but should not be ruled out considering the schools that are opting out of the postseason.
22. Texas (23): The Longhorns' game against Kansas was canceled because of COVID-19 issues but Texas still made headlines with athletic director Chris Del Conte offering an official statement of support for Tom Herman as the program's coach.
23. Buffalo (24): The Bulls absolutely blew out Akron and Jaret Patterson became just the 12th player to surpass 1,000 rushing yards in the first five games of the season. Former Stanford running back Bryce Love was the last to do it, and former Heisman Trophy winners Marcus Allen, Barry Sanders and Ricky Williams are among the dozen on the list.
24. NC State (NR): The Wolfpack wrapped up their season last week with an 8-3 record but should move into the top 25 after being the first team outside the rankings in last week's balloting.
25. San Jose State (NR): Undefeated at 6-0, the Spartans are set for their first appearance in the AP Top 25 since 2012 after winning a huge Mountain West game against Nevada on Friday night.
Projected to drop out: Colorado (21), Wisconsin (25)
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December 13, 2020 at 11:52AM
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Tomorrow's Top 25 Today: North Carolina moves up college football rankings after setting records at Miami - CBS Sports
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