Showing posts with label AP Top 25. Show all posts
Showing posts with label AP Top 25. Show all posts

Monday, November 2, 2015

AP Top 25 Heat Check: Weird finishes hardly affect rankings


AP Top 25 College Basketball Rankings 2015 Poll Standings

AP 9:23 a.m. EST November 2, 2015

(Photo: The Associated Press)

One of the most bizarre finishes in sports history and a startlingly perplexing coach"s decision.

Aside from those things not much happened in college football this week, proving yet again that even dullest Saturdays can be eventful.

Miami"s miracle (or fiasco) and Minnesota"s mishap did not have much effect on the AP Top 25 as half of the top 10 was off.

Before the College Football Playoff selection committee weighs in for the first time this season, Heat check breezes through a mostly unchanged AP Top 25.

No. 1 Ohio State (8-0)

The Buckeyes third-string quarterback is redshirt freshman Stephen Collier from Georgia, just in case you were wondering. He has yet to throw a pass.

Next: Minnesota.

Heat check: Too hot.

No. 2 Baylor (7-0)

Freshman QB Jarrett Stidham makes his first start for the Bears.

Next: at Kansas State, Thursday.

Heat check: Too hot.

No. 3 Clemson (8-0)

The Tigers" defense had a bad day against North Carolina State and Clemson still won going away. Good sign.

Next: No. 17 Florida State.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 4 LSU (7-0)

The Tigers have toughest November in the SEC: Alabama, Arkansas, Ole Miss and Arkansas.

Next: at No. 7 Alabama.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 5 TCU (8-0)

QB Trevone Boykin is gaining on LSU TB Leonard Fournette in the Heisman Trophy race.

Next: at No. 12 Oklahoma State.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 6 Michigan State (8-0)

Speaking of the Heisman race: Michigan State starting to push QB Connor Cook for the award.

Next: at Nebraska.

Heat check: Too hot.

No. 7 Alabama (7-1)

Since Nick Saban took over in Tuscaloosa, no rivalry in the SEC has been more consistently competitive and nationally relevant than Alabama-LSU.

Next: No. 4 LSU.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 8 Notre Dame (7-1)

No, the Fighting Irish did not play their best against Temple. Yes, beating the Owls was a good win.

Next: at Pittsburgh.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 9 Stanford (7-1)

The Cardinal got lucky against Washington State. It happens.

Next: at Colorado.

Heat check: Just right.

No. 10 Iowa (8-0)

For all the grief the Hawkeyes get about their soft schedule, consider: Iowa"s opponents" record is 36-29. Alabama"s opponents" record is 37-29.

Next: at Indiana.

Heat check: Still, too hot.

No. 11 Florida (7-1)

Gators beat Georgia about as badly as Alabama beat Georgia and Florida beat Ole Miss, which beat Alabama. So, yes, Gators fans, feel free to complain.

Next: Vanderbilt.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 12 Oklahoma State (8-0)

Heat check is just about ready to start buying in on the Cowboys, but might as well wait a few more days to see how they do against the Frogs.

Next: No. 5 TCU

Heat check: Too hot.

No. 13 Utah (7-1)

We"re not arguing about the Utes anymore, but they are still in great shape to get to the Pac-12 title game.

Next: at Washington.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 14 Oklahoma (7-1)

Having your fate in any way tied to the fortunes of Texas is just not a great place to be. The Sooners are there now.

Next: Iowa State.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 15 Memphis (8-0)

The American Athletic Conference schedule upticks now for the Tigers.

Next: Navy.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 16 Michigan (6-2)

The Wolverines got a little lucky, too. But maybe that was Karma trying to balance out the Michigan State loss.

Next: Rutgers.

Heat check: Just right.

No. 17 Florida State (7-1)

Seminoles rested banged-up stars (TB Dalvin Cook and QB Everett Golson) and still rolled Syracuse. Now they should be ready for Clemson.

Next: at No. 3 Clemson.

Heat check: Just right.

No. 18 Houston (8-0)

The Cougars still have not beaten a team with a winning record.

Next: Cincinnati.

Heat check: Too hot.

No. 19 Mississippi (6-2)

QB Chad Kelly plays like a more physically gifted Bo Wallace. Greater upside, but still prone to big mistakes.

Next: Arkansas.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 20 Toledo (7-0)

The Rockets face their MAC nemesis, Northern Illinois, trying to break a five-game losing streak to the Huskies.

Next: Northern Illinois, Tuesday.

Heat check: Just right.

No. 21 North Carolina (7-1)

Welcome to the rankings, Tar Heels. You earned it.

Next: Duke.

Heat check: Just right.

No. 22 UCLA (6-2)

For all the injuries and inconsistency, the Bruins still control their road to the Pac-12 South crown.

Next: at Oregon State.

Heat check: UCLA has Heat Check stumped.

No. 23 Temple (7-1)

If you liked the Owls before Notre Dame, there is no reason to like them less after.

Next: at SMU, Friday.

Heat check: Too cold.

No. 24 Mississippi State (6-2)

The Bulldogs can still be a spoiler in the SEC West with game against Alabama and Ole Miss left.

Next: at Missouri.

Heat check: Too hot.

No. 25 Texas A&M (6-2)

It was a while ago, but the Aggies did beat Mississippi State.

Next: Auburn.

Heat check: Too cold.

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AP college football website: www.collegefootball.ap.org

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Follow Ralph D. Russo at www.Twitter.com/ralphDrussoAp

Copyright 2015 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

Source: http://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/ncaaf/2015/11/02/ap-top-25-heat-check-weird-finishes-hardly-affect-rankings/75027930/

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Sunday, September 20, 2015

College football rankings: Big Ten has top 2 in new AP Top 25


How Accurate is the AP Top 25 Poll? | 80Twelve

As more rankings come in, they"ll be included and combined for a composite once final.

That"s more like it! After two weeks with a few upsets and a whole lot of blowouts, we were treated to some excellent football Saturday in Week 3 of college football.

Ohio State and TCU had relative struggles with unranked Northern Illinois and SMU, while Alabama and USC both lost for the first times this season (to Ole Miss and Stanford, respectively). Notre Dame survived its first post-Malik Zaire test, beating Georgia Tech by a touchdown, while UCLA beat BYU 24-23 (and yes, it once again came down to the last play for the Cougars).

The biggest story coming into Sunday"s poll unveilings: how high will the SEC"s two biggest performers rise? Ole Miss has a legitimate claim to the No. 1 spot after its terrific first three weeks, while LSUmollywhopped Auburn 45-21 on the legs ofnew Heisman frontrunner Leonard Fournette.

Well, here we are:

AP Coaches Massey 1 Ohio State (42) Ohio State (61) Ohio State 2 Michigan State (7) TCU Alabama 3 TCU (tie) Michigan State (3) Georgia 4 Ole Miss (tie) (11) Baylor Ole Miss 5 Baylor Ole Miss Michigan State 6 Notre Dame Georgia TCU 7 Georgia Florida State Baylor 8 LSU (1) Notre Dame Florida State 9 UCLA LSU UCLA 10 Florida State Clemson LSU 11 Clemson UCLA Notre Dame 12 Alabama Alabama Georgia Tech 13 Oregon Oregon Clemson 14 Texas A&M Oklahoma Oklahoma 15 Oklahoma Texas A&M Texas A&M 16 Arizona Arizona Oregon 17 Northwestern Utah USC 18 Utah USC Stanford 19 USC Northwestern Arizona 20 Georgia Tech Georgia Tech Utah 21 Stanford Wisconsin Wisconsin 22 Wisconsin Oklahoma State Northwestern 23 BYU Missouri Kansas State 24 Oklahoma State Stanford BYU 25 Missouri Auburn West Virginia The four rankings we use:

The Associated Press Top 25: The longest-running and best-respected human poll. Didn"t have any official bearing on the latter years of the BCS, and won"t have any official bearing on the Playoff. Expect it to set the course for the committee, however, as most outlets (including SB Nation) will use the AP"s rankings as the standard until the committee takes over in November. Usually comes out on Sundays about 2 p.m. ET.

The USA Today Coaches Poll: Formerly part of the BCS, and now just a poll. It tends to be more conservative than the AP"s. Though polling athletic departments in order to rank other athletic departments is dubious, we still want multiple human polls in here, and it"s the other big one. Releases early Sunday afternoons.

The Massey computer composite: A collection of ... every rating out there, that will be included as soon as it is updated. By including it here, we"re giving extra weight to the two human polls, since they"re already two of the dozens of ratings included in the Massey. It changes over the course of the week as more rankings arrive.

Football Outsiders" F/+ rating: A synthesis of ratings by smart persons Bill Connelly and Brian Fremeau and our personal go-to overall team stat. It tends to come out later than the others, and also will be added as soon as it is updated.

Get all kinds of NCAA Football stories, rumors, game coverage, and pictures of Puddles in your inbox every day.

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Source: http://www.sbnation.com/college-football/2015/9/20/9359823/college-football-rankings-somehow-after-that-auburn-is-ranked-in-the

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