College football rankings: AP top 25 teams moving up, down in Week 11

Looking back on a consequential slate of games across the country, let’s take a turn predicting what teams will emerge as the biggest movers in the AP top 25 college football rankings in Week 11.

Six teams that were ranked in the AP poll this weekend lost their games, including three in the top-ten that will ensure some changes near the top of the rankings when the ballots are filled.

What teams will be on the move in the AP top 25 college football rankings this week? Let’s take a shot at predicting who’s moving up, and who’s going down, in the polls.

Rankings reflect AP top 25 poll

Moving up: Oklahoma

College football rankings: AP top 25 teams moving up, down in Week 11 — Randy Sartin-Imagn Images

Last week’s ranking: No. 18

Just when their backs were against the wall, already having lost two games, and playing arguably the toughest remaining schedule in college football, the Sooners needed to show they still belonged on the edges of the playoff conversation.

And that they did, sicking their ferocious defense on one of the nation’s most productive scoring units and coming out of Rocky Top with a statement win at Tennessee.

Oklahoma was in Joey Aguilar’s face early and often, intercepting the Tennessee quarterback twice and forcing a fumble that turned into a touchdown, and its offense joined the party in the second half to finish the job.

John Mateer looked more himself since the hand injury, adding 80 rushing yards as the Sooners totaled nearly 200 on the ground as a team, keeping OU’s playoff hopes alive. But with a date at Alabama coming following the idle week, they have absolutely no room for error.

Sitting four places behind Tennessee should enable AP voters to rearrange their votes enough so that they swap places this week. Oklahoma will be back in the top-15 at least and maybe as high as the top-ten given other losses by higher-ranked teams.

Moving down: Tennessee

Last week’s ranking: No. 14

Conversely, the Vols are certainly out of the College Football Playoff bubble now after losing their third game of the season, all to currently-ranked SEC opponents.

Tennessee’s second-ranked scoring offense was expected to meet a challenge in the Sooners’ front seven alignment, and it proved helpless to build any real momentum with its quarterback under constant duress, and was ultimately unable to do enough to correct its first-half mistakes.

Here comes a fall for the Volunteers, which will be punished by AP top 25 voters severely for a third loss. A lack of obvious candidates to be voted into the poll in their place could prevent them from falling out entirely, but they’ll dip at best into the 20s.

Moving up: Texas

Last week’s ranking: No. 20

You could be forgiven for thinking Texas was out of the picture for anything really meaningful after a midseason slump that saw it win a pair of too-close games on the road against SEC bottom-feeders Kentucky and Mississippi State.

But it was Arch Manning, the big-named, uber-hyped prospect who was being dubbed a flop, who put on a show, launching a 75-yard TD bomb on the first play of what finished a three-point win against the Commodores to improve to 7-2.

Manning had 328 yards and 3 touchdowns and despite being blitzed on a third of his dropbacks, went 8 for 10 and all 3 of his scores against Vandy’s designed pressures, and suddenly Texas is back inside the bubble for the SEC championship race at the right time.

Given how much confidence the pollsters had in Vanderbilt, they should reward the Longhorns handsomely for beating it, likely back inside the top-15.

Moving down: Vanderbilt

Last week’s ranking: No. 9

Just when Vanderbilt was playing its best football, so was Arch Manning playing his.

Down 34-10 on the road against the Longhorns, Vandy mounted a furious comeback, scoring 21 unanswered points to come within a field goal, including a dramatic touchdown with just 33 seconds left, and very nearly got the onside kick at the very end.

Instead, the Dores’ loss couldn’t come at a worst time, dropping a second game in the days before the College Football Playoff selection committee is set to release their first official rankings and with the competition for one of those dozen spots tighter than ever.

Vanderbilt will fall in the new rankings, but should be cushioned by its previous high position, earned on the back of a program-first three wins against AP ranked opponents, and its furious, and very nearly successful, comeback attempt.

At best, the Commodores will stay inside the top-15 given other poll movements and their own previous success. At worst, they’ll fall outside the top-20. Almost certainly the former.

Moving down: Miami

Last week’s ranking: No. 10

Suddenly, what looked like an ACC title favorite and College Football Playoff shoo-in is quickly evaporating into potential irrelevance after a loss on the road against unranked SMU in the Hurricanes’ first game outside the state of Florida this season.

For the second-straight year, Mario Cristobal appears to have fumbled a playoff-ready team, with this year’s late collapse looking worse than last year’s, given the quality of its defense, its offensive line protection, skill talent, and quarterback play.

Miami is in danger here. AP top 25 voters have not been shy about punishing highly-ranked losers, especially against unranked opponents, with two other such teams, Penn State and Texas, getting dumped out of the poll entirely the following week.

But the Hurricanes are due for a stark drop, likely somewhere in the bottom fifth of the Week 11 rankings and should finish as the biggest negative mover in the final vote.

Who else could move?

— AP voters could drop Cincinnati from the rankings entirely from the 17 spot after an ugly 45-14 loss on the road against Utah in a crucial Big 12 test.

— On the other hand, Utah should rise after a strong performance, and given even their first two losses, to Texas Tech and BYU, look pretty good, too.

— Georgia Tech dropped its first game of the year, on the road against unranked NC State, and they’re likely losing confidence from AP voters given their win over Clemson, which propelled the Jackets into the rankings, doesn’t look so great anymore.

— Navy will lose some of its 86 votes after placing 26th in last week’s poll and following its first loss of the season, against American foe North Texas.

— Likewise for Tulane, which was right behind the Midshipmen with 59 votes, but got housed by UTSA in a stunner for its second loss of the year.

— Elsewhere in the competitive American, we should see Memphis get a modest bump from 25 after beating out Rice to move into a tie for second in the conference.

— Houston should drop out of the rankings from 22 after a 10-point loss to West Virginia, the second-worst team in the Big 12.

— USC did enough to improve to 6-2 with an important road win at Nebraska and will get a little help from the AP voters this week.

— Washington could get back into the top 25 despite being idle this weekend. It finished 28th in the vote last week, and losses by teams at 22, 26, and 27 open a path into the rankings.

What will happen? Our prediction for the AP top 25 poll