Clemson is back at No. 2 in The Associated Press college football poll behind top-ranked Alabama, moving up to where it started after a convincing victory and Ohio State’s first loss of the season.
The Crimson Tide are a unanimous No. 1, with all 61 first-place votes, for the first time this season.
The Tigers trailed only Alabama in the preseason rankings but a couple of close wins in September combined with seemingly impressive performances by other highly ranked teams dragged Clemson to as low as No. 4.
Coming off a lopsided win against North Carolina State, Clemson rose a spot this week. Notre Dame is No. 3 and LSU is No. 4, setting the stage for a top-five matchup between the Tigers and Crimson Tide. in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on Nov. 3. Both have an open date this week.
Michigan is No. 5 and Ohio State dropped to No. 11 after being upset by Purdue.
APPALACHIAN STATE: At No. 25, the school was ranked in the AP poll for the first time. The Mountaineers (5-1) haven’t lost since opening the season with an overtime defeat at Penn State.
Appalachian State transitioned to the FBS, the highest level of Division I football, in 2014 after years as an FCS power. Under former coach Jerry Moore, the Mountaineers were a regular playoff participant. The program peaked in the mid-2000s, winning three straight FCS (Division I-AA) championships from 2005-07. And, most memorably, App State pulled off one of the most stunning upsets in college football history against Michigan in 2007.
Moore retired after the 2012 season and was replaced by former Appalachian State quarterback and assistant coach Scott Satterfield. The move up in class and into the Sun Belt Conferencehas been practically seamless. The Mountaineers are 46-23 under Satterfield with two league titles. The only other Sun Belt team to ever be ranked was Troy on Nov. 13, 2016.
This season’s team was expected to contend for another conference championship. A case could be made it is exceeding even those high expectations after replacing four-year starting quarterback Taylor Lamb and much of its defensive front seven. Since falling to Penn State, the Mountaineers have outscored their opponents, 231-49.
UTAH: The Utes are ranked for the first time this season, making it five straight years they started the season unranked but moved into the rankings at some point.
From 2014-16, Utah started the season outside the Top 25 but finished it ranked. Utah has won three straight, scoring at least 40 points in each game.
OHIO STATE: The mistake-prone Buckeyes didn’t reach the end zone until early in the fourth quarter and never led during a 49-20 loss at Purdue.
“My main message is we have to treat this like it’s life or death,” Buckeyes receiver Terry McLaurin said. “You have to have that type of mentality going into battle. If you don’t, this happens.”
Quarterback Dwayne Haskins Jr. wound up 49 of 73, shattering Ohio State’s single-game records in both categories, and had 470 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception. But he missed receivers down the field on a windy night and gave up Markus Bailey’s 41-yard interception return for a score.
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