Texas A&M to No. 4, Oklahoma and FSU Fall In AP Poll
Texas A&M jumped to No. 4 in Sunday’s latest AP Poll Top 25 rankings following their 34-17 win over the Gators. Texas A&M is the highest-ranked SEC team in the country and is off to its best start since 2016.
Across the state, Texas has rejoined the other nine SEC teams in the Top 25 after its resurgence against Oklahoma. A week filled with many matchups between ranked opponents helped shake up the AP Poll.
Texas wasn’t featured in last week’s poll due to its 29-21 upset loss to Florida. With their backs against the wall, the Longhorns returned home and dominated Oklahoma 23-6. Quarterback Arch Manning was sacked only once compared to the six he took against Florida.
Their defense also returned to what people had anticipated coming into the season. Texas forced quarterback John Mateer to throw three interceptions in his return from injury. The Longhorns now rank No. 21 with a 4-2 record ahead of a showdown with SEC foe Kentucky Saturday.
Suffering their first loss of the season, Oklahoma saw the biggest drop in the AP Poll, falling eight spots to No. 14. Before his hand surgery three weeks ago, Mateer was the frontrunner for the Heisman Trophy. His impressive play made the Sooners look like title contenders and a powerhouse across college football.
After Texas, there are many concerns surrounding Oklahoma’s legitimacy. The team finished Saturday’s loss, completing 20 of 38 passes and posting just six points. Its path only becomes more difficult. It will face South Carolina on Saturday, followed by five consecutive matchups against top-16 opponents.
Alabama remains on fire, defeating its third straight ranked opponent in Saturday’s 27-24 win over Missouri. The Tigers won their last 15 home games going into the match, the second-longest streak in the FBS. The Crimson Tide looked great for most of the game until they gave Missouri a shot to win or tie down the stretch. Fortunately, their defense came up clutch, intercepting quarterback Beau Pribula on a crucial third-and-6 with under a minute to go. The Crimson Tide are 5-1 and moved up two spots to No. 6 in the AP Poll following Saturday’s win. Missouri dropped two spots to No. 16.
FSU came up short once again, losing to an unranked opponent for the second week in a row in a 34-31 shootout against Pitt. The Seminoles were ranked No. 25 with two losses heading into this matchup, making this a must-win game. They’ve now lost eight consecutive matchups against ACC opponents. Their playoff hopes are likely out the window because they don’t play another ranked opponent.
Miami, Ole Miss, Georgia, LSU, Tennessee and Vanderbilt remain in the Top 25 heading into Week 8.
Category: ACC, College Football, Football, NCAA, SEC
