Was NC State’s win over Louisville enough to get the Wolfpack back in the AP Top 25?
What a difference a week makes, right?
Last week, N.C. State was my last team out of my AP Top 25 ballot after a one-point road loss to Miami. Fellow ACC team, Pittsburgh, took that last spot, while the Pack (6-2) was the first team out.
This week, the Panthers and N.C. State flip flopped.
It’s starting to look like Miami is getting it together as the Hurricanes went on the road and knocked off No. 17 Pitt. That means, at least for this week, the Panthers are my first team out and that welcomes N.C. State back into the Top 25.
Down four starters on defense, the Wolfpack held Louisville to a season-low 13 points. Devin Leary has continued to take care of the football and ‘Mr. Fourth Quarter’ threw three touchdown passes in the final frame to pull away.
N.C. State, though, doesn’t have much room for error the rest of the way if they want to remain in the Top 25. If they win next week at Florida State that will set up a huge game in Winston-Salem in two weeks.
Speaking of Winston-Salem, Wake Forest cracks my top 10 for the first time this season. The Demon Deacons rolled over Duke, 45-7, on Saturday. Wake Forest travels to Chapel Hill next week for a contest against UNC. Can the Tar Heels catch the Deacs looking ahead? Doesn’t matter. The UNC-Wake Forest game is considered an out of conference contest, so even if Carolina pulls off the upset, the Deacons will still be “perfect” in ACC play.
Across the country, Michigan State continues to impress, knocking off rival Michigan in one of the best games of the day. The Spartans make it into my top 5 at a perfect 8-0.
The bottom half of my ballot is full of the “little guys.” UTSA, Houston, SMU, Fresno State, San Diego State, Louisiana and Coastal Carolina are all ranked in the final 17 spots.
Here’s a look at my ballot after week 9:
1 | Georgia (8-0) |
2 | Alabama (7-1) |
3 | Cincinnati (8-0) |
4 | Michigan State (8-0) |
5 | Ohio State (7-1) |
6 | Oklahoma (9-0) |
7 | Oregon (7-1) |
8 | Michigan (7-1) |
9 | Wake Forest (8-0) |
10 | Notre Dame (7-1) |
11 | Oklahoma State (7-1) |
12 | Baylor (7-1) |
13 | Texas A&M (6-2) |
14 | Ole Miss (6-2) |
15 | Auburn (7-2) |
16 | Kentucky (6-2) |
17 | UTSA (8-0) |
18 | Houston (7-1) |
19 | SMU (7-1) |
20 | Fresno State (7-2) |
21 | SDSU (7-0) |
22 | BYU (7-2) |
23 | Louisiana (7-1) |
24 | Coastal Carolina (7-1) |
25 | NC State (6-2) |
This story was originally published October 31, 2021 at 11:43 AM.
