With a big weekend on tap, the Wolfpack climbed in my AP Top 25 ballot. Who else moved?
As we head into the final week, there are three ACC teams ranked in the Top 25.
One of those teams, Pittsburgh, clinched its spot in the ACC championship game with a 48-38 win over Virginia. Who the Panthers will meet in Charlotte will come down to what should be an exciting final weekend.
There are three options out there for Pittsburgh, but the two teams with the best chances are N.C. State and Wake Forest.
After a 41-17 win over Syracuse, the Wolfpack moved into the top 20 in my weekly poll, coming in at No. 18 this week. To make it to Charlotte, N.C. State needs to knock off UNC on Friday and root for Boston College to upset Wake Forest on Saturday.
The Demon Deacons dropped its second game in three weeks over the weekend, losing to Clemson, 48-27. Wake Forest dropping out of the top 20 is probably a bit extreme, but their two losses were both to unranked teams. Even though Clemson is finally coming into form, the Demon Deacons went into Death Valley as a Top 15 team and laid an egg, falling behind in the third quarter.
At the upper half of the ballot, Georgia and Alabama remain the top two teams in the nation, while Ohio State leaps Cincy in my top four. The Buckeyes destroyed Michigan State, previously ranked in my top 5, and looked worthy enough to be in the conversation as a team that could contend for a national title.
Here’s a look at my AP top 25 ballot:
1 | Georgia (11-0) |
2 | Alabama (10-1) |
3 | Ohio State (10-1) |
4 | Cincinnati (11-0) |
5 | Michigan (10-1) |
6 | Notre Dame (10-1) |
7 | Oklahoma State (10-1) |
8 | Mississippi (9-2) |
9 | BYU (9-2) |
10 | Baylor (9-2) |
11 | Oklahoma (10-1) |
12 | Michigan State (9-2) |
13 | Oregon (9-2) |
14 | Texas A&M (7-4) |
15 | Wisconsin (8-3) |
16 | Iowa (9-2) |
17 | Pittsburgh (9-2) |
18 | NC State (8-3) |
19 | SDSU (10-1) |
20 | Wake Forest (9-2) |
21 | Houston (10-1) |
22 | Utah (8-3) |
23 | UTSA (11-0) |
24 | Mississippi State (7-4) |
25 | Louisiana (10-1) |
