AP Top 25 college football poll: Goodbye Duke and UNC, welcome Kansas, K-State
The football resurgence by Triangle ACC basketball powers Duke and North Carolina was fun while it lasted.
The past two weeks sent their strong seasons sideways and, after they’ve both been ranked in every poll since the regular season began, they both fell out in Sunday’s latest poll.
UNC (6-2, 3-2 ACC) was ranked No. 10 in the country before it somehow lost 31-27 to Virginia on Oct. 21. The Tar Heels followed that up by blowing another double-digit, second-half lead Saturday night while losing 46-42 at Georgia Tech.
The only win Virginia (2-6, 1-3 ACC) has over any Football Bowl Subdivision team this season is its win over UNC. Georgia Tech (4-4, 3-2 ACC) has losses to Bowling Green and Boston College.
That was enough for the majority of voters to drop UNC for their ballots. The Tar Heels still received votes, but not enough to make the top 25.
In September, Duke vaulted into the top 25 for the first time since 2018 on the strength of its 28-7 season-opening win over Clemson. The Tigers were the No. 9 team in the preseason poll so that win carried plenty of weight for Duke. That Clemson win is no longer as impressive after the Tigers (4-4, 2-4 ACC) lost, 24-17, at N.C. State on Saturday.
The Blue Devils (5-3, 2-2 ACC), meanwhile, have lost to three other ranked teams in Notre Dame, Florida State and, on Saturday, Louisville. That 23-0 loss to the Cardinals caused voters to drop Duke out of the top 25.
So the ACC, which has had as many as five teams ranked in a single poll this season, is only represented by No. 4 Florida State (8-0, 6-0 ACC) and No. 15 Louisville (7-1, 4-1 ACC) this week.
Elsewhere, the top 10 changed Oklahoma, No. 6 last week, lost 38-33 to Kansas on Saturday. The Sooners fell four spots to No. 10.
Oregon, after winning 35-6 at then-No. 13 Utah on Saturday, moved up to two spots to No. 6. Utah fell five spots to No. 18.
While Duke and UNC drop out of the poll, Kansas (6-2, 3-2 Big 12) moved back in at No. 22 while Kansas State (6-2) returned to the poll at No. 25.
Latest AP poll football rankings
Rk. | Team |
1 | Georgia |
2 | Michigan |
3 | Ohio State |
4 | Florida State |
5 | Washington |
6 | Oregon |
7 | Texas |
8 | Alabama |
9 | Penn State |
10 | Oklahoma |
11. | Mississippi |
12 | Notre Dame |
13 | LSU |
14 | Missouri |
15 | Louisville |
16 | Oregon State |
17 | Air Force |
18 | Utah |
19 | Tennessee |
20 | UCLA |
21 | Tulane |
22 | Kansas |
23 | James Madison |
24 | USC |
25 | Kansas State |
Steve Wiseman’s ballot
| 1 | Georgia |
| 2 | Michigan |
| 3 | Ohio State |
| 4 | Florida State |
| 5 | Washington |
| 6 | Oregon |
| 7 | Texas |
| 8 | Penn State |
| 9 | Oklahoma |
| 10 | Alabama |
| 11 | Mississippi |
| 12 | Oregon St |
| 13 | Notre Dame |
| 14 | LSU |
| 15 | Missouri |
| 16 | Louisville |
| 17 | Utah |
| 18 | USC |
| 19 | Tennessee |
| 20 | UCLA |
| 21 | Air Force |
| 22 | Tulane |
| 23 | James Madison |
| 24 | Kansas |
| 25 | Kansas State |
This story was originally published October 29, 2023 at 11:00 AM.