Week 11 of the college football season is in the books and the latest AP Top 25 poll was released on Sunday afternoon. While there wasn't a single game between ranked teams in Week 11, there are changes in the latest AP poll, including the rise of three undefeated Big Ten teams – Indiana, Wisconsin and Northwestern.
NCAA.com is here with a complete AP poll analysis and takeaways.
First, here's the latest poll:
2020 College football rankings: After Week 11
RANK |
SCHOOL |
POINTS |
PREVIOUS |
RECORD |
---|---|---|---|---|
1 | Alabama (60) | 1,548 | 1 | 6-0 |
2 | Notre Dame (1) | 1,467 | 2 | 8-0 |
3 | Ohio State (1) | 1,445 | 3 | 3-0 |
4 | Clemson | 1,355 | 4 | 7-1 |
5 | Texas A&M | 1,240 | 5 | 5-1 |
6 | Florida | 1,222 | 6 | 5-1 |
7 | Cincinnati | 1,198 | 7 | 7-0 |
8 | BYU | 1,094 | 8 | 8-0 |
9 | Indiana | 997 | 10 | 4-0 |
10 | Wisconsin | 950 | 13 | 2-0 |
11 | Oregon | 949 | 11 | 2-0 |
12 | Miami (Fla.) | 940 | 9 | 7-1 |
13 | Georgia | 824 | 12 | 4-2 |
14 | Oklahoma State | 750 | 14 | 5-1 |
T-15 | Coastal Carolina | 557 | 15 | 7-0 |
T-15 | Marshall | 557 | 16 | 7-0 |
17 | Iowa State | 498 | 17 | 5-2 |
18 | Oklahoma | 497 | 18 | 5-2 |
19 | Northwestern | 378 | 23 | 4-0 |
20 | Southern Cal | 377 | 20 | 2-0 |
21 | Liberty | 307 | 22 | 8-0 |
22 | Texas | 296 | 21 | 5-2 |
23 | Auburn | 187 | 24 | 4-2 |
24 | Louisiana | 177 | 25 | 7-1 |
25 | Tulsa | 155 | NR | 4-1 |
Others receiving votes: North Carolina 101, SMU 20, Utah 17, Washington 15, Arizona State 9, Boise State 6, San Jose State 5, Appalachian State 5, Nevada 3, Iowa 2, Buffalo 1, UCF 1
Here's where the first-place votes went
Even though Alabama didn't play in Week 11, the Crimson Tide's hold on the No. 1 ranking actually increased slightly as Alabama received 60 of a possible 62 first-place votes, which was one more than last week. No. 2 Notre Dame, which beat Boston College on the road 45-31, and No. 3 Ohio State each received one first-place vote.
While the top eight teams in the AP poll stayed in the same order as last week, No. 5 Texas A&M and No. 6 Florida both received more votes than they did the previous week, while No. 7 Cincinnati and No. 8 BYU received slightly fewer votes.
The highest-ranked team to move up the poll
Indiana climbed one spot in the latest AP poll to No. 9 in the country, making the Hoosiers the highest-ranked team to improve its positioning in the poll since last week. The Hoosiers blanked the Michigan State Spartans on the road 24-0 and now Indiana sits alone in first place in the Big Ten East with a 4-0 conference record.
The Big Ten West is on the move, too
Wisconsin returned to the top 10 after the Badgers returned to action in a big way, going to Ann Arbor and beating Michigan 49-11. The win allowed them to improve three spots in the AP poll to No. 10. Northwestern, which currently sits alone in first place in the Big Ten West, climbed four spots to No. 19 after beating previously unbeaten Purdue 27-20 to improve to 4-0.
Welcome to the AP poll, Tulsa
Tulsa is the only new team to enter the AP poll after Week 11. The Golden Hurricane are ranked No. 25, marking its first appearance in the AP poll since the 2010 season, when it reached No. 24. Tulsa is 4-1 on the season, matching its 2019 win total, and the Golden Hurricane have already beaten No. 11 UCF and No. 19 SMU, with its only loss being a 16-7 defeat at Oklahoma State in its season opener.
Here's what to watch in Week 12
Both divisional races in the Big Ten are on the line in Week 12 with No. 9 Indiana visiting No. 3 Ohio State in a battle of unbeatens, while No. 10 Wisconsin will visit No. 19 Northwestern. It wouldn't be a surprise to see the winners of the two games meet in the Big Ten Championship.
Another big game to watch is No. 14 Oklahoma State visit No. 18 Oklahoma. The Cowboys are currently in second place in the division with Oklahoma in a three-way tie for third, so the winner of the game will be in good position to make the Big 12 Championship Game, while the losing team's chances of winning a conference championship will become more dire.