AP Poll Update: Week 4

Don’t adjust your screens; yes, Week 4’s AP Top 25 looks an awful lot like Week 3’s. The top 9 remained the same and the Top 20 stayed firm or moved one or two spots at the most. The biggest mover from last week to this one was Virginia, after a thrilling victory over a struggling Florida State squad in Charlottesville. UVA moved from 25 to 21 with the win and, if they knock off Notre Dame, could be highly-ranked coming into their matchup with Miami on October 11th. UVA and Clemson are the only ranked teams in the ACC right now, as the conference as a whole is struggling to look like a Power 5 conference, much less post signature wins.

Miami did not receive any votes for the second straight week; no surprise there. Beating up on FCS competitor Bethune-Cookman isn’t going to impress voters, especially after falling to 0-2 out the gate. Miami could grab attention when they play Virginia Tech on October 5th. And, as previously mentioned, could grab a Top 25 spot with a victory over UVA a week later. Will they grab a couple votes with a win over Central Michigan this week? If so, it would suggest that voters still see Miami as a viable team that could win games and make some noise.

Elsewhere in the Top 25, the dominant Utah Utes leapfrogged an unimpressive Michigan team to move to 10th while the Wolverines dropped to 11th. UCF and Boise State each moved up a couple spots; the former after crushing Stanford, 45-27, while the latter defeated Portland State, 45-10. Three new teams made it into the Top 25 this week as well. California, Arizona State and TCU are now ranked no.’s 23, 24, and 25 respectively after remaining undefeated. Next week there are several games that will undoubtedly shift rankings. These include no. 7 Notre Dame at no. 3 Georgia, no. 11 Michigan at no. 13 Wisconsin and no. 8 Auburn at no. 17 Texas A&M.