AP College Football Poll 2014: Official Top 25 Rankings and Week 11 Projections
College football has not made things easy on poll voters this season. A frenetic Week 10 slate and the debut of the College Football Playoff rankings shook things up once again as the focus shifts to Week 11.
The brand new AP Poll doesn't have wholesale changes at the top. Mississippi State still reigns supreme after surviving a scare against Arkansas. However, Auburn earned the right to switch with rival Alabama to No. 3, according to the voters, thanks to a win on the road over Ole Miss.
But that wasn't the only notable change in the fresh batch of rankings. Here's a complete look at the rankings along with Bleacher Report's official Top 25.
.jpg?w=256 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
| 1 | Mississippi State | 8-0 | Mississippi State |
| 2 | Florida State | 8-0 | Florida State |
| 3 | Auburn | 7-1 | Auburn |
| 4 | Alabama | 7-1 | Oregon |
| 5 | Oregon | 8-1 | Alabama |
| 6 | TCU | 7-1 | Michigan State |
| 7 | Michigan State | 7-1 | Notre Dame |
| 8 | Notre Dame | 7-1 | TCU |
| 9 | Kansas State | 7-1 | Kansas State |
| 10 | Baylor | 7-1 | Baylor |
| 11 | Arizona State | 7-1 | Ole Miss |
| 12 | Ole Miss | 7-2 | Arizona State |
| 13 | Ohio State | 7-1 | Ohio State |
| 14 | LSU | 7-2 | Nebraska |
| 15 | Nebraska | 8-1 | LSU |
| 16 | Oklahoma | 6-2 | Oklahoma |
| 17 | Georgia | 6-2 | Georgia |
| 18 | UCLA | 7-2 | UCLA |
| 19 | Clemson | 6-2 | Clemson |
| 20 | Utah | 6-2 | Duke |
| 21 | Arizona | 6-2 | Utah |
| 22 | Duke | 7-1 | Arizona |
| 23 | Marshall | 8-0 | Marshall |
| 24 | West Virginia | 6-3 | West Virginia |
| 25 | Wisconsin | 6-2 | Colorado State |
| 12 p.m. | No. 10 Baylor at No. 16 Oklahoma | OU -3 | OU 30-24 |
| 3:30 p.m. | No. 8 Notre Dame at No. 11 Arizona State | ASU -1 | ND 20-13 |
| 7:30 p.m. | No. 9 Kansas State at No. 6 TCU | TCU -6 | TCU 31-24 |
| 8 p.m. | No. 4 Alabama at No. 14 LSU | BAMA -6 | LSU 17-13 |
| 8 p.m. | No. 13 Ohio State at No. 7 Michigan State | MSU -2 | MSU 28-21 |
| 10 p.m. | No. 5 Oregon at No. 20 Utah | ORE -9.5 | ORE 42-24 |
Odds current as of Sunday, Nov. 2 at 5:45 p.m. ET via OddsShark.com.
Storylines to Watch
Who Will Take Command of Big 12?
There's no conference with more on the line this Saturday than the Big 12. The logjam that currently exists atop the conference standings could either become instantly more clear (if Kansas State beats TCU) or could get even more complicated (if TCU beats Kansas State and Baylor beats Oklahoma).
Either way, the conference's best shot at sending a team to the College Football Playoff will be revealed. With Kansas State or TCU picking up a win over a Top 10 opponent either way, one team will have an even stronger resume as the committee deliberates over the best teams in the country.
As David Ubben of Fox Sports Southwest points out, this could be the final major challenge for TCU especially:
That being said, Kansas State remains the only unbeaten team in conference play. With the Wildcats' only loss coming against Auburn by six points, they have a strong resume to be included in the playoff with a win as well.
The conference championship doesn't come down to just Kansas State and TCU, though. A matinee matchup between Oklahoma and Baylor will have a heavy influence on the landscape as well.
Baylor, specifically, could create a lot of havoc with a win. With their only loss coming to TCU, they could make things very interesting for the committee by winning out. However, as Jason Kersey of The Oklahoman notes, Baylor doesn't have a history of success against ranked teams on the road:
Oklahoma may have two losses, but there's a reason they are still No. 6 in Football Outsiders' F/+ rankings. A win over the Bears would get them right back in the Big 12 title hunt. Especially if Kansas State can beat TCU.
Can Ohio State Atone for Last Year's Collapse?
Ohio State's 2013 campaign was going swimmingly—until it ran into a Michigan State team that had its number. Fast-forward to 2014, and the Buckeyes face a similar situation.
This year's edition isn't undefeated. A loss to Virginia Tech has put the Buckeyes behind the eight-ball when it comes to the College Football Playoff. But a lot of ground could be made up if Urban Meyer and Co. can navigate the rest of their schedule and win the Big 10 championship.
The Spartans are easily the best team that the Buckeyes have played since losing to Virginia Tech. In their six wins since the loss, none of the teams they play have been ranked. However, a look where each team ranks across various metrics indicates two closely matched teams:
| 7-1 | Record | 7-1 |
| 10 | Off. F/+ Ranking | 26 |
| 29 | Def. F/+ Ranking | 7 |
| 8 | Overall F/+ Ranking | 10 |
| 10 | Predictive Ranking | 12 |
| 0-0 | Record vs. Top 25 | 1-1 |
After losing its last two big games, this is a big game in terms of perception for the program going forward. Can Ohio State overcome the challenges of playing on the road? If it does, it's hard to deny it will be the favorite to win the conference.
Will Alabama Keep Its Playoff Dream Alive Against LSU?
The Alabama Crimson Tide may have lost a spot in the AP poll, but it has a chance to prove it deserves that spot back this Saturday. A win against LSU in the Bayou would do just that.
That won't be an easy task. The young Tigers appear to be rounding into shape just in time to renew their rivalry with Alabama. Les Miles' team took the week off after picking up a momentous 10-7 win over Ole Miss in Week 9.
What was most impressive about the win wasn't just that they won. It was how they won. The Tigers proved that they had the ability to be more physical than one of the best defenses in the nation:
The Tigers have the odds stacked against them. There's a reason Alabama is the road favorite in this one. But playing keep away from Amari Cooper and the Tide's offense is the clear-cut way to spring the upset. That's a game plan that the Tigers are more than capable of utilizing to ugly this game up.
As usual with these two SEC powers, expect a physical affair that is low on scoring and high on last-minute drama.
.jpg?w=480 "Ohio State Team Doctor")
