Athol Daily News – AP Top 25: Clemson, Ohio State slip; Penn State moves up to 6th place



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Clemson and Ohio State slipped to the back of the top 10 in the Associated Press college football poll on Sunday and Penn State jumped four spots to No.6 after another weekend in which many teams classified had problems.

Even the No. 1 in Alabama.

Defending national champion Crimson Tide remained a crushing No.1 after beating Florida 31-29, Alabama’s closest margin of victory in their 17-game winning streak. The Tide received 59 of the 62 first-place votes.

Georgia No. 2, which had no issues with South Carolina, received the other three first-place votes in the Top 25 AP, which is presented by Regions Bank.

The No.3 Oregon won a spot and the No.4 Oklahoma slipped one after a narrow victory over Nebraska.

Iowa was No.5 for a second week in a row and Penn State has its best ranking since the Nittany Lions were fifth on Nov. 3, 2019. Penn State beat Auburn on Saturday night to give it two wins against ranked teams, with the Wisconsin.

No.9 Clemson and No.10 Ohio State both won on Saturday, but neither looked typically dominant. The Tigers managed just 14 points against Georgia Tech and the Buckeyes struggled defensively before retiring late against Tulsa, winless.

Clemson was last ranked at this low in early 2015, when the Tigers started the season as a teenager, but ended up playing for the national championship.

For Ohio State, 11th is its lowest ranking since the 2014 season, when a Week 2 loss to Virginia Tech brought the Buckeyes down to number 23. They have never lost again this season and have won the national title.

The last time Clemson and Ohio State were both ranked below 8th place was on November 2, 2014, when Ohio State was 13th and Clemson 19th.

SURVEY POINTS

Six ranked teams lost on Saturday, but none in the top 10, bringing the total number of ranked teams to lose in the first three weeks of the season to 19.

This is the most three weeks in a season in poll history, according to statistics and information from ESPN.

The number is completed by 10 ranked teams losing against ranked teams. Plus, only one top 10 team lost to an unranked team: North Carolina was No.10 in the preseason when they started with a loss to Virginia Tech.

The first few weeks of the 2021 season have been volatile, but not as crazy and unpredictable as it seems at first glance.

A total of 35 teams have been ranked in three regular season polls.

IN

–The Michigan State No.20 is off to an impressive sophomore debut under coach Mel Tucker, 3-0 with an average margin of 23 points. The Spartans won 38-17 in Miami on Saturday and are ranked for the first time since October 5, 2019.

– No.22 Fresno State won perhaps the most exciting game of the weekend, upsetting UCLA with two late-game goals led by quarterback Jake Haener. The Bulldogs are ranked for the first time since the 2018 AP Top 25 final.

The UCLA No.24 dropped 11 spots after his first loss of the season.

– The Kansas State No.25 started 3-0 after beating Nevada 38-17. The Wildcats were seeded briefly in 2020, then stumbled at 4-5.

OUTSIDE

– Virginia Tech escaped after losing in West Virginia.

– Arizona State is out for the first time this season after losing to BYU. The Cougars climbed eight places to 15th after a second straight win over a Pac-12 ranked team.

– Miami are out for the first time this season after falling to 1-2.

CONFERENCE CALL

SEC – 7 (Nos. 1, 2, 7, 11, 13, 16, 23).

Big Ten – 6 (Nos. 5, 6, 10, 18, 19, 20).

Large 12 – 3 (Nos. 4, 14, 25).

ACC – 2 (Nos 9, 21).

Pac-12 – 2 (Nos. 3, 24).

American – 1 (no.8).

West Mountain – 1 (No. 22).

Solar belt – 1 (n ° 17).

Independent – 2 (Nos 12, 15).

RANKED vs RANKED

No.12 Notre Dame vs. No.18 Wisconsin at Soldier Field in Chicago. Toughest test yet for an unbeaten but far from perfect Irish side.

No.7 Texas A&M vs. No.16 Arkansas at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. The last time it was a ranked match was in 2016.

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Follow Ralph D. Russo on https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen on https://APpodcast.com

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More AP College Football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://twitter.com/AP_Top25. Sign up for the AP College Football Newsletter: https://apnews.com/cfbtop25



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