ASSOCIATED PRESS TOP 25
- Clemson (2-0)
- Alabama (2-0)
- Georgia (2-0)
- LSU (2-0)
- Oklahoma (2-0)
- Ohio State (2-0)
- Notre Dame (1-0)
- Auburn (2-0)
- Florida (2-0)
- Michigan (2-0)
- Utah (2-0)
- Texas (1-1)
- Penn State (2-0)
- Wisconsin (2-0)
- Oregon (1-1)
- Texas A&M (1-1)
- UCF (2-0)
- Michigan State (2-0)
- Iowa (2-0)
- Washington State (2-0)
- Maryland (2-0)
- Boise State (2-0)
- Washington (1-1)
- USC (2-0)
- Virginia (2-0)
a) Hey LSU, congratulations on your thrilling (and harrowing) road victory over Texas!
And as your reward, the No. 4 Tigers have officially reached the glass ceiling with Associated Press voters.
What does that mean?
Simply put, LSU could win its next six games — including a pair of top-10 showdowns with Florida and Auburn — by an average of 30 points … and the Tigers’ national ranking still wouldn’t budge an inch, short of a shocking upset involving Alabama, Georgia or top-ranked Clemson.
Speaking of which …
b) Clemson might not get much ink in this space, moving forward. Yes, the Tigers are the defending national champions and eminently worthy of the No. 1 slot, but their schedule’s also chock-full of cream puffs.
The two biggest hurdles left on the docket: Next week at Syracuse (got pummeled by Maryland on Saturday) and at North Carolina (Sept. 28), which has gotten off to a commendable 2-0 start … but likely isn’t ready to compete with Clemson.
Especially on a national stage.
c) Don’t expect a repeat of what happened the last time Alabama visited South Carolina. (The top-ranked Tide were upended by Alshon Jeffery and the Gamecocks in 2010.)
This year’s Crimson Tide should breeze to an undefeated mark in advance of their No. 9 showdown with No. 4 LSU.
d) There’s no justification for Washington maintaining a spot in the Top 25 after enduring a home loss to Cal, relatively the same Golden Bears squad that incurred a 30-point home drubbing to UCLA last year. (Optics matter.)
Who deserves a spot over Washington? Well, there’s Cal, Iowa State … and most definitely North Carolina, which has two Power 5 victories over South Carolina and Miami.
e) The Big Ten leads all conference comers with seven schools in this week’s Top 25.
However, no one would dispute the SEC serving as the nation’s most powerful league. Yes it’s early … but five teams inside the top 9 (Alabama, Georgia, LSU, Auburn, Florida) remains an awesome occurrence to fathom.
f) Wisconsin and Maryland have arguably had the greatest starts of any school listed in this countdown.
The Terrapins own the greatest blowout of a ranked team (trouncing No. 21 Syracuse by 43 points) … and the Badgers have yet to surrender a single point this season.