College Football Rankings 2016: Reviewing NCAA Polls Before Final Week 9 Games

Just one weekend of games is all that's left before the College Football Playoff committee releases its initial rankings, allowing the top programs in the nation to figure out where they truly stand in the chase for a national championship.

This certainly intensifies the matchups on tap for Week 9, as elite teams jockey for position—with several of them in high-profile contests against other ranked teams—and look to impress the CFP power brokers before they make the big reveal.

The Associated Press and Amway Coaches polls have served as guiding standards until the CFP list comes out. One needs only to glance at the top of these lists to figure out which teams are in best position to make a run at a national title, though there's plenty of opportunity for shakeups at the top in Week 9.

Here's a look at the AP and Amway polls heading into Saturday, with matchup info for each team in the AP Top 25. All text references to rankings will be according to the AP list.

Ranking	Team (First-Place Votes)	Record	Points	Week 9 Matchup
1	Alabama (60)	8-0	1,524	N/A
2	Michigan (1)	7-0	1,446	at Michigan State
3	Clemson	7-0	1,382	at No. 12 Florida State
4	Washington	7-0	1,373	at No. 17 Utah
5	Louisville	6-1	1,276	at Virginia
6	Ohio State	6-1	1,143	vs. Northwestern
7	Nebraska	7-0	1,083	at No. 11 Wisconsin
8	Baylor	6-0	1,063	at Texas
9	Texas A&M	6-1	1,007	vs. New Mexico State
10	West Virginia	6-0	997	at Oklahoma State
11	Wisconsin	5-2	980	vs. No. 7 Nebraska
12	Florida State	5-2	725	vs. No. 3 Clemson
13	Boise State	7-0	716	at Wyoming
14	Florida	5-1	654	vs. Georgia (neutral site)
15	Auburn	5-2	641	at Ole Miss
16	Oklahoma	5-2	626	vs. Kansas
17	Utah	7-1	584	vs. No. 4 Washington
18	Tennessee	5-2	572	at South Carolina
19	LSU	5-2	352	N/A
20	Western Michigan	8-0	349	N/A
21	North Carolina	6-2	328	N/A
22	Navy	5-1	251	L, 45-52 South Florida
23	Colorado	6-2	207	N/A
24	Penn State	5-2	193	at Purdue
25	Virginia Tech	5-2	110	W, 39-36 Pittsburgh

No. 1 Alabama is off this week and is going to be a lock for a spot in the top four when the CFP committee releases its first ranking. The Crimson Tide have only two potential spoiler matches in their final four games, against No. 19 LSU and No. 15 Auburn, but considering the way they've handled business in recent weeks, it seems they are all but certain to make the playoff.

No. 2 Michigan and No. 5 Louisville are both in good position to bolster their credentials in Week 9. The Wolverines are 24.5-point favorites on the road against Michigan State, while the Cardinals are 33-point favorites over Virginia, per Odds Shark.

While the Wolverines would be hurt by a loss to the Spartans, it wouldn't be the end of things considering it's a game against a tough in-state program on the road. The real test that will likely determine a playoff spot comes on November 26, when Michigan goes up against its chief rival in No. 6 Ohio State. 

The Cardinals already have a loss to No. 3 Clemson, which means they essentially can't afford another, especially since the Tigers are in the same ACC Atlantic division.

Per ESPN.com, "with a loss to Clemson, ESPN's Football Power Index projects Louisville to have only a 10 percent chance at winning the ACC Atlantic Division. No team that failed to win its division has made it to the playoff."

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The article also noted that Clemson has a 78.2 percent chance of winning out, a number that will shoot up if the Tigers can maneuver past No. 12 Florida State on Saturday.

While a loss to Virginia is pretty much inconceivable, if Lamar Jackson and company even so much as struggle to blow the Cavaliers away, it would likely hurt their initial CFP chances.

No. 4 Washington is on the road against No. 17 Utah, and this Pac-12 battle might be the weekend's biggest game. The quarterbacks are the ones to watch in this game. The Huskies are led by Jake Browning, who has carved up defenses this year to the tune of 1,709 passing yards and 26 touchdowns against just two interceptions. 

SportsCenter considers him a leading Heisman candidate, and this game could go a long way toward getting him some much-needed national recognition:

As for Utah, their signal-caller is Troy Williams, who doesn't boast great numbers (12 total touchdowns, five interceptions) but is a former Husky and will be looking to put one over on his old program.

"This week [against Washington] is what he has worked so hard for. That's what he's at Utah for," said Tim Kaub, a former coach of Williams, per ESPN.com's Kyle Bonagura. "He's a guy who has a chip on his shoulder. He played with a surliness for me last year because he literally wanted every touchdown to be heard in Seattle."

If the Utes can pull off the major upset, Washington's CFP hopes will all but disappear, and the Utah could force its way into the national-title conversation if it wins out and triumphs in the Pac-12 championship on December 2.

No. 7 Nebraska will put its undefeated record on the line this week against No. 11 Wisconsin. The Badgers already have two losses on the year and would appear to have only the slimmest of chances of making the College Football Playoff with so many good teams ahead of them.

The Cornhuskers, on the other hand, are definitely in the running for the Playoff, but it's going to be mighty tough to get there. Nebraska's offense is predicated on the run, with tailback Terrell Newby (511 yards, four touchdowns) and quarterback Tommy Armstrong Jr. (380 yards, six rushing touchdowns) leading the charge.

Wisconsin's defense ranks ninth in the country against the run (102.9 yards per game) and has allowed just four rushing touchdowns all season, despite playing two top-10 rushing offenses in Michigan and Ohio State. The Badgers have had a tougher schedule than the Huskers and could be better off for it in this one.

With the Badgers having their own struggles in the passing game and a very tough defense as well, this could be a low-scoring, grind-it-out game that will be made all the more tougher for Nebraska playing in a hostile Camp Randall Stadium. 

No. 8 Baylor, No. 9 Texas A&M and the aforementioned Buckeyes all have winnable games against unranked opposition this week, with the latter looking to bounce back from a surprise loss to No. 24 Penn State, a new addition to the Top 25 after pulling off the biggest upset of the season to date.