Predicting the AP top 25 college football rankings for Rivalry Week

What to expect in the new AP top 25 college football rankings as we come out of Saturday's action and move into the Rivalry Week games.

Who will land where in the new AP top 25 college football rankings for Week 14, as On SI reveals our prediction for the new poll. | USA Today Sports | IMAGN

Coming out of another active Saturday of games across the country and moving into the regular season finale, let's look ahead to the AP top 25 college football rankings for Rivalry Week.

Who's moving up? Who's moving down?

Note: this isn't our ranking of the best teams, but our prediction for how top 25 voters will slot them in the official poll

Predicting the AP top 25 college football rankings for Rivalry Week

Dropping out: No. 23 Missouri, No. 25 Houston

25. SMU. Beating Louisville in a 38-6 result not only could propel the Mustangs up from 28 this week, but also moves them closer to a potential ACC title game showing.

24. Navy. Pollsters have been reluctant to rank the Midshipmen, but with losses by lower-placed teams and their having been ranked 26th in votes last week could be enough to nudge back inside the top 25.

23. USC. Still hanging around the playoff picture coming into this week, the Trojans instead flopped in a 15-point loss at Oregon, but still have a win over Michigan, and even their loss to Notre Dame looks good enough to prevent falling out of the rankings entirely.

22. Georgia Tech. Losing two of its last three could be enough to influence AP top 25 voters towards punishment given their attention to more recent results. Although they’re 9-2, the Jackets’ best win is against Wake.

21. Tulane. A 24-point win over Temple on the road should keep the Green Wave in place as the No. 12 seed and presumptive Group of Five selection in the playoff bracket again this week.

20. North Texas. For the sixth time this season, the Mean Green put up at least 50 points, this time taking down Rice as Drew Mestemaker had almost 500 yards passing and Wyatt Young set an American league record with 295 receiving yards and 2 TDs.

19. James Madison. Trailing early against Washington State, the Group of Five hopeful Dukes came back to win by a 24-20 count, a wider margin of victory against this opponent than other playoff contenders like Ole Miss (3 points) or Virginia (2) did.

18. Tennessee. After building a 31-0 lead, the Vols coasted in the second half to overwhelm the Gators in the Swamp for the first time since 2003. Now a home date against Vanderbilt is all that remains, but that’s not a given like in most years.

17. Virginia. Idle for the penultimate week of the regular season, the Cavaliers are in prime position to make the ACC Championship Game with just a home game against rival Virginia Tech left.

16. Michigan. Down their two top rushers, the Wolverines leaned on Bryson Kuzdzal and his 3 touchdowns to take out Maryland on the road heading into the finale against Ohio State still with an outside chance at the playoff.

15. Texas. Arch Manning became the first Longhorn ever to throw for, catch, and run for a touchdown in a big win over Arkansas to keep its slight playoff hopes alive. It all comes down to the finale at home against undefeated rival Texas A&M.

14. Miami. Still the highest-ranked ACC team by the playoff selectors, the Hurricanes made a good showing by beating Virginia Tech in a 34-17 decision as Carson Beck had 4 TD passes with no turnovers.

13. Utah. A wild shootout victory for the Utes over Kansas State after scoring 16 unanswered points to avoid a third loss.

12. Vanderbilt. Diego Pavia had over 500 total yards and 5 touchdowns in a 45-17 rout against Kentucky and with a matchup against rival Tennessee still to come, there’s an outside chance the ‘Dores could still make the playoff.

11. BYU. LJ Martin ran for over 200 yards and 2 touchdowns as the Cougars put away Cincinnati on the road to stay in the mix for the Big 12 championship.

10. Alabama. An off day for Ty Simpson with no TDs and 2 picks, but the Tide ran for 8 touchdowns to smash Eastern Illinois in a 56-0 rout before an Iron Bowl on the road that has some playoff implications attached to it.

9. Notre Dame. If the playoff selectors like style points, the Irish scored 70 of them in a blitzkrieg against Syracuse, with 3 TDs on defense and special teams and 6 more on the ground, half of which belonged to Jeremiyah Love.

8. Oklahoma. A third-straight win for the Sooners to keep their playoff hopes alive after getting past Missouri, as John Mateer played turnover-free football with 2 touchdowns, but the OU run game is still a concern, mustering 3.2 yards per carry and no scores.

7. Texas Tech. Idle this past Saturday, the Red Raiders have a clear path to the Big 12 championship game provided they can beat West Virginia in the finale, and they’ll be big favorites in that game.

6. Oregon. Dante Moore led a big-play offense to put away USC at home and move further towards basically clinching a spot in the playoff with a date at Washington to close out the regular season.

5. Ole Miss. Although idle this week, the Rebels are not short on drama, sitting at 10-1 and bound for the playoff, even as it appears Lane Kiffin could be on the way out for what he thinks are greener pastures at either LSU or Florida.

4. Georgia. Gunner Stockton didn’t have a TD pass, but the Bulldogs ran for 5 scores to put away Charlotte in Cupcake Week with Clean, Old Fashioned Hate coming up against a Georgia Tech team that has slipped suddenly.

3. Texas A&M. Getting just one first-place vote last week, the Aggies could pick up a few from idle Indiana after smashing Samford by a 48-0 count to stay perfect with a massive date at Texas up next to close out.

2. Indiana. Off this past weekend, the Hoosiers look to complete their first-ever 12-win season trying to stay perfect against rival Purdue next Saturday.

1. Ohio State. A sluggish start for the Buckeyes, who ultimately trounced Rutgers at home, but now the real test comes in the season finale on the road against arch-nemesis Michigan, which has won the last four meetings in The Game.