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College football rankings reactions heading into Week 4

We welcome the Big Ten back to the rankings after their decision to start playing football

Jose Borregales of the Miami Hurricanes kicks a field goal against the Louisville Cardinals at Cardinal Stadium on September 19, 2020 in Louisville, Kentucky. Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images

The AP and Coaches polls are out for Week 4, but they’ve done so with two different sets of rules. The Coaches Poll has added the Big Ten back into the mix after their decision to play football in 2020, while the AP Poll doesn’t have those teams in the mix yet.

Who went up?

The biggest mover was the Miami Hurricanes, who dominated the also-ranked Louisville Cardinals in a 47-34 win in Cardinals Stadium on Saturday night. The Canes went from #17 to #12 in the AP Poll, and from #18 to #14 in the Coaches Poll. Quarterback D’eriq King was 18/30 for 325 yards and 3 touchdowns. Also the Pittsburgh Panthers moved from #25 to #21 thanks to their 21-10 win over the now 0-2 Syracuse Orange. But when the AP adds the Big Ten back, it’s likely Pitt will lose their number.

Who went down?

Louisville’s horrible performance defensively saw them go from #18 to #24 in the AP, and from #16 to out of the Coaches Poll. Five teams exited the Coaches sample, mostly being replaced by Big Ten teams now counting: Louisville 16, Kentucky 20, Appalachian State 23, Baylor 24, Army 25

Big Ten enters

Five Big Ten teams are now part of half the national ranking process, as the Coaches Poll welcomed the following: #10 Ohio State, #13 Penn State, #17 Wisconsin, #19 Michigan, and #22 Minnesota. Somehow we don’t think Ohio State will be in double-digits for too long, as they’re second in the futures odds at DraftKings Sportsbook to win the national championship at +250.

What’s up next?

The SEC begins play next weekend with their intraconference-only schedule only, and we’ll start to see who is for real and who is just preseason hype. The Big Ten will get on the field October 24th, but until then their status in these rankings is just projection.

AP Poll

AP Poll Week 4

Ranking Team (1st place votes) Record Points Last week
Ranking Team (1st place votes) Record Points Last week
1 Clemson (59) 2-0 1523 1
2 Alabama (1) 0-0 1458 2
3 Oklahoma 1-0 1368 3
4 Georgia 0-0 1320 4
5 Florida 0-0 1239 5
6 LSU (1) 0-0 1221 6
7 Notre Dame 2-0 1200 7
8 Auburn 0-0 1037 8
8 Texas 1-0 1037 9
10 Texas A&M 0-0 972 10
11 North Carolina 1-0 883 12
12 Miami 2-0 816 17
13 UCF 1-0 771 14
14 Cincinnati 1-0 720 13
15 Oklahoma State 1-0 693 11
16 Tennessee 0-0 529 15
17 Memphis 1-0 510 16
18 BYU 1-0 405 21
19 Louisiana 2-0 374 19
20 Virginia Tech 0-0 350 20
21 Pittsburgh 2-0 315 25
22 Army 2-0 296 22
23 Kentucky 0-0 230 23
24 Louisville 1-1 115 18
25 Marshall 2-0 108 NR

Coaches Poll

Coaches Poll Week 4

Ranking Team (1st place votes) Record Points Last week
Ranking Team (1st place votes) Record Points Last week
1 Clemson (44) 2-0 1196 1
2 Alabama (1) 0-0 1119 2
3 Oklahoma 1-0 1019 3
3 Georgia 0-0 1019 4
5 LSU (1) 0-0 962 5
6 Florida 0-0 899 6
7 Notre Dame 2-0 896 7
8 Auburn 0-0 766 9
9 Texas 1-0 764 8
10 Ohio State (2) 0-0 741 NR
11 Texas A&M 0-0 651 10
12 North Carolina 1-0 563 11
13 Penn State 0-0 536 NR
14 Miami 2-0 500 18
15 UCF 1-0 497 13
16 Cincinnati 1-0 416 14
17 Wisconsin 0-0 411 NR
18 Oklahoma State 1-0 315 12
19 Michigan 0-0 287 NR
20 Memphis 1-0 269 15
21 Tennessee 0-0 266 17
22 Minnesota 0-0 178 NR
23 BYU 1-0 177 22
24 Virginia Tech 0-0 167 19
25 Louisiana 2-0 158 21

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