The 2021 College Football Season Has Been Nothing Short Of Special - And The Numbers Prove It

In a sport that often lacks parity at the top, the 2021 college football season is giving fans plenty to be excited about as the second half of the season begins.

Author:
Christopher Breiler
Publish date:
Oct 19, 2021 12:42 PM EDT

The first half of the 2021 college football season has treated fans to some of the best half of football in recent memory. As evidence, look no further than the latest AP top 25 Poll when compared to the preseason AP top 25 Poll.

Here's how it all breaks down:

Unranked to ranked (14)

No. 25 Purdue
No. 24 UTSA
No. 23 Pitt
No. 22 SDSU
No. 21 SMU
No. 20 Baylor
No. 19 Auburn
No. 18 NCST
No. 16 Wake Forest
No. 15 Kentucky
No. 12 Ole Miss
No. 9 Michigan State
No. 8 Oklahoma State
No. 6 Michigan

Ranked to unranked (14)

Arizona State (No. 25)
Utah (No. 24)
UL (No. 23)
Texas (No. 21)
Washington (No. 20)
Indiana (No. 17)
LSU (No. 16)
USC (No. 15)
Miami (No. 14)
Florida (No. 13)
Wisconsin (No. 12)
North Carolina (No. 10)
Iowa State (No. 7)
Clemson (No. 3)

Preseason AP Top 25 teams that moved up (6)

No. 14 Coastal Carolina (preseason No. 22)
No. 11 Iowa (preseason No. 18)
No. 10 Oregon (preseason No. 11)
No. 7 PSU (preseason No. 19)
No. 2 Cincinnati (preseason No. 8)
No. 1 Georgia (preseason No. 5)

Preseason AP Top 25 teams that moved down (5)

No. 17 Texas AM (preseason No. 6)
No. 13 Notre Dame (preseason No. 9)
No. 5 Ohio State (preseason No. 4)
No. 4 Alabama (preseason No. 1)
No. 3 Oklahoma (preseason No. 2)