College football rankings: AP top 25 teams moving up, down for Bowl Season

There will be a new No. 1 team in the college football rankings going into bowl season.

Championship Saturday never disappoints, especially not with so many highly-ranked playoff contenders on the same field, and with those results, the selectors and AP top 25 voters are faced with a dilemma in creating the final rankings before heading into the postseason.

Let’s take a shot at predicting who’s moving up, and who’s going down, in the polls as we look ahead to the our first postseason action after Championship Week.

Rankings reflect AP top 25 poll

Moving up: Indiana

College football rankings: AP top 25 teams moving up, down for Bowl Season — Aaron Doster-Imagn Images

Last week’s ranking: No. 2

The knock on the Hoosiers last season was that they couldn’t beat the better teams, falling against Ohio State and then Notre Dame in the first playoff game.

This time around, Curt Cignetti’s team has no such concern, picking apart Oregon by 10 points on the road earlier this year and on Championship Saturday by pounding away at top-ranked, reigning champion Ohio State to win its first Big Ten title since 1967.

Fernando Mendoza may have won the Heisman Trophy in the process, attacking the Buckeyes’ secondary with a battery of devastating throws, including the game-clincher in the fourth quarter to Charlie Becker to thwart any would-be Ohio State comeback bid.

With that, the Hoosiers will be the No. 1 team in the AP top 25 rankings and in the College Football Playoff bracket.

Moving down: Ohio State

Last week’s ranking: No. 1

Undefeated no more, the reigning national champion didn’t have enough firepower for the first time this season, stalling in the face of Indiana’s inspired defense.

Two late drives ultimately conspired to doom the Buckeyes’ perfect season, taking almost 15 minutes off the game clock, covering 27 plays over 151 yards, and each going inside the Indiana 10. Neither of them resulted in points.

With the Hoosiers, SEC champion Georgia, and Big 12 champion Texas Tech all moving up in the poll, the Buckeyes will fall either to No. 4 ahead of idle Oregon, or No. 5 behind it. But they could stay in the top four of the selection committee’s own rankings.

Moving up: Georgia

Last week’s ranking: No. 3

Kirby Smart had done just about everything at Georgia except have a winning record against Alabama, and while he still has a way to go getting there, he took one very positive step by dismantling the Crimson Tide to win the SEC championship.

In the process, the Bulldogs avenged their only loss of the season, won a second-straight conference title, and all but locked but a first-round bye in the College Football Playoff.

And they’ll likely move into the No. 2 position in the AP poll and the College Football Playoff bracket after Ohio State’s loss.

Moving down: Alabama

Last week’s ranking: No. 10

Ty Simpson had been the beating heart of Alabama’s offense, and often had to be, given the lack of a credible rushing threat most of the season, but neither could do much in the face of Georgia’s defense with an SEC championship on the line.

Simpson was under pressure most of the game, completing just 19 of 39 passes, and the Tide backs ran for a total of minus-3 yards on the day.

Now comes the selection committee’s decision. In or out?

Ranked at No. 9 in the playoff selectors’ poll coming into this week, the Crimson Tide appeared to be safely inside the bracket, but a 28-7 margin of defeat will instead bring debate in the committee room with Notre Dame and Miami hoping for some positive movement in the field, a decision that could leave Alabama out a second-straight year.

Moving up: Texas Tech

Last week’s ranking: No. 5

The best defense money can buy, as some of the Red Raiders’ critics may refer to it, but whatever it cost, they got a great return on that investment this weekend.

College football’s third-ranked defense let BYU score a touchdown on a 90-yard drive, but after that it took complete control of the proceedings, forcing four turnovers in the second half, including Ben Roberts’ two interceptions, that shut the door for good.

As a result, the Red Raiders should move up two spots in the AP rankings going into the postseason, likely leapfrogging idle Oregon and Big Ten title game loser Ohio State.

Moving down: BYU

Last week’s ranking: No. 11

If not for two losses against the now Big 12 champion, the Cougars would be preparing for a run in the College Football Playoff.

Instead, they’re looking at being kept out of the postseason field again despite a stellar season in which they averaged 36 points per game against teams that aren’t Texas Tech.

Against teams that are Texas Tech, they averaged just 7. That glaring weakness will keep BYU out of the playoff and pushed outside the top 15 of the rankings on Sunday.

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