AP High 25 takeaways: Who’s No. 1? Tennessee can’t be dismissed in SEC-heavy debate

SEC newcomer Texas is No. 1 on my poll once more and the overwhelming selection for No. 1 within the AP High 25. The SEC’s Georgia is No. 2, and the SEC’s Alabama is No. 4. The latter two play one another this week, and the winner will make a case for leaping Texas.

However what a couple of fourth SEC candidate for No. 1?

1. Essentially the most satisfying a part of being a school soccer fan is watching your group win massive video games. Even when wins in opposition to ranked groups “on the time of the sport” stats might be deceptive — it’s no secret ranked groups are sometimes overrated and unranked groups are sometimes underrated, particularly early within the season — these wins are nonetheless vastly satisfying within the second. Add them up over time, and wins in matchups which can be perceived as massive video games are a reasonably good barometer for fan satisfaction and the flexibility of a program to be a contender.

To say Josh Heupel has flipped the script on that entrance at Tennessee could be an understatement.

After shedding his first three video games in opposition to ranked opponents in 2021, Heupel has led the Vols to wins in 10 of their previous 15 video games vs. groups ranked within the AP ballot. Tennessee’s earlier 4 coaches — Lane Kiffin, Derek Dooley, Butch Jones and Jeremy Pruitt (plus Brady Hoke for one interim bowl journey) — went 9-47 in opposition to AP-ranked groups from 2009 by means of 2020.

Saturday’s 25-15 win at Oklahoma was all however over by halftime and extra dominant than the rating makes it seem, and it was additionally Tennessee’s first street win in opposition to a group ranked within the prime 15 since 2006 at No. 10 Georgia. It’s the kind of sport Tennessee went a very long time with out successful. Now, it’s develop into the expectation.

Had slightly one thing further. pic.twitter.com/5R09sSlFb9

— Tennessee Soccer (@Vol_Football) September 22, 2024

2. No, NC State (which the Vols beat by 41) doesn’t seem prefer it belongs anyplace close to the ballot after giving up 59 factors to Clemson, and Oklahoma has main quarterback questions that make its High 25 presence debatable. Nonetheless, I’ve seen sufficient from Tennessee to suppose that it belongs within the prime tier of the rankings, with at the very least a small case for No. 1 alongside its SEC rivals.

I voted the Vols third, bumping them forward of Ohio State. The Buckeyes should still show to be one of the best group, however Texas, Georgia and Tennessee all have higher wins to go along with expertise I believe can stack up with Ohio State. Sure, even Tennessee, from rising star quarterback Nico Iamaleava to a ferocious protection that’s allowed 28 factors in 4 video games. In line with Faculty Ballot Tracker, I’m certainly one of 5 voters to place the Vols within the prime three, serving to elevate them to No. 5 within the ballot.

Alabama and Georgia can have the highlight this week, however right here’s betting that Tennessee beats at the very least certainly one of them within the common season and hangs across the No. 1 dialog.

3. There was a time final decade when Tennessee and Nebraska felt related to one another: They final gained nationwide and convention titles within the Nineties, they usually had fallen into seemingly limitless cycles of despair.

Tennessee has escaped; Nebraska nonetheless has not.

The Huskers climbed into the AP ballot after beating Colorado, however their keep lasted simply two weeks. On Friday, they misplaced to Illinois in additional time in a matchup of ranked groups. It was the Cornhuskers’ twenty fifth consecutive loss to a ranked opponent courting again to a win in opposition to Oregon on Sept. 27, 2016. Nebraska’s earlier longest shedding streak to ranked groups? Fifteen, from 1940-52.

The present shedding streak to AP-ranked opponents is the second-longest lively drought amongst Energy 4 groups, shorter than solely Rutgers.

From 1970 by means of October 2001, Nebraska went 80-44-3 in opposition to groups ranked within the AP ballot. Since a stunning blowout loss to Colorado on Black Friday in 2001, the Huskers are 15-60.

4. Friday was a uncommon showcase with big-game billing for Illinois, which has had a couple of High 25 wins in recent times however achieved one thing a lot rarer: a win in a matchup of two-ranked groups, with the highlight that comes with it. Illinois had not performed in a ranked vs. ranked matchup since a 2008 loss at Penn State; it had not gained one since 2001 at Ohio State.

Now, the Illini — No. 19 on my poll and within the ballot — are set for his or her second ranked matchup in a row as they put together for a prime-time date with the No. 9 Nittany Lions in Pleased Valley. Illinois will probably be making an attempt for its third consecutive win in opposition to a ranked opponent for the primary time since 1990.

5. Is Michigan’s offense sustainable in opposition to prime opponents? That’s an unanswered query after the Wolverines beat No. 11 USC regardless of passing for 32 yards. However the victory in opposition to the Trojans was a big-game jolt of confidence in Yr 1 underneath Sherrone Moore after the Wolverines had been trounced by Texas two weeks earlier.

Like Nebraska and Tennessee, Michigan had a long term of big-game struggles. Now, it’s gained 11 of its final 14 video games in opposition to AP-ranked opponents. I jumped the Wolverines up eight spots on my poll to No. 12, giving credit score for a high quality win in opposition to a USC group that has its personal ranked win in opposition to LSU (I dropped USC to 14th, simply a few spots behind).

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6. I saved Notre Dame off my poll every of the previous two weeks, and although it may have regained a spot on condition that I dropped 5 groups off, this wasn’t the time. In spite of everything, Northern Illinois — the group that beat the Irish in South Bend — misplaced to Buffalo on Saturday. Notre Dame moved up a spot to sixteenth, however I’m certainly one of seven voters who didn’t embrace the Irish this week.

Notre Dame nonetheless seems one-dimensional on offense behind quarterback Riley Leonard. The chance to achieve ballot momentum comes subsequent week when No. 15 Louisville visits. Win that, and I’ll haven’t any downside recognizing that 1) upsets occur, 2) Notre Dame has improved and three) it belongs within the ballot. However, I’m skeptical.

7. Congrats to Buffalo, which outlasted NIU in additional time to earn its first street win in opposition to an AP-ranked opponent. Buffalo’s solely earlier AP-ranked win was in opposition to No. 12 Ball State within the 2008 MAC title sport.

With NIU falling out, Boise State inched in at No. 25 regardless of being idle, making it the Group of 5’s lone consultant. I didn’t vote for the Broncos this week, however I did embrace James Madison at No. 22 after the 3-0 Dukes placed on a present in a 70-50 win at North Carolina. They obtained my lone G5 vote after NIU, Toledo and Memphis all misplaced. Boise State can stake a stronger declare if it beats 4-0 Washington State this Saturday.

8. BYU’s 38-9 rout of No. 13 Kansas State was its fourth-largest win in opposition to an AP-ranked opponent — and largest in opposition to a group ranked within the prime 15. It allowed the Cougars to make an surprising bounce into the High 25 at 4-0. They’re No. 22 within the ballot and No. 17 on my poll.

I had no challenge shifting them that far as a result of there may be a lot fluidity within the second half of the rankings. I ranked three groups that aren’t within the ballot: Indiana (twentieth), JMU (twenty second) and Iowa (twenty fifth). They simply edged out a protracted record of candidates, together with Washington State, UNLV, Boston Faculty, Boise State, Pitt and Navy, amongst others.

9. My poll is fairly just like the AP ballot on the prime, so there are few surprises in a Faculty Soccer Playoff bracket based mostly on my rankings:

I nonetheless have Missouri because the final group in, however now the remainder of the panel has moved in my route. By way of the primary three weeks, Missouri was maybe the group I used to be lowest on in comparison with the ballot. Now, we’re aligned at No. 11 after its double-overtime win in opposition to Vanderbilt. I might have knocked Missouri down a bit, however the losses piling up behind it made it troublesome. One-loss groups like Michigan, Clemson and USC are proper there, although.

10. Let’s finish by circling again to an enormous sport: We’ve seen loads of top-five matchups throughout the SEC in recent times, however No. 4 Alabama at No. 2 Georgia is the primary September top-five matchup within the convention since Florida and Tennessee performed one another 3 times in 4 years as top-five groups in September from 1996-99.

Maybe it lacks do-or-die stakes this early within the season within the 12-team Playoff period, but it surely’s nonetheless a tone-setter within the post-Nick Saban period with SEC championship stakes, Heisman Trophy stakes and Playoff stakes in that the loser can have a slimmer margin for error in opposition to a rugged schedule.

The SEC has had 25 regular-season matchups of top-five groups. 5 of the winners have gone on to win nationwide titles: 2022 Georgia, 2020 Alabama, 2019 LSU, 2012 Alabama and 1996 Florida. In fact, one loser has gone on to win a title, as effectively: 2011 Alabama, which obtained BCS title sport revenge on LSU.

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(Photograph: Brian Bahr / Getty Photos)