NCAA Football Rankings 2019: Week 4 College Top 25 Standings Shakeup Predictions
September 15, 2019
The changes in the Week 4 AP Top 25 should occur at the bottom.
The three ranked sides that fell Saturday are expected to tumble out of the rankings, and a program that pulled off an upset could be one of the replacements.
Figuring out the Top 10 is easy, as each side from that part of the list triumphed, with Clemson and Alabama leading the charge with road victories.
Florida and Penn State might slip a spot because of their single-digit victories, but if those results do not inspire voters to make a change, the Top 15 could remain the same.
AP Top 25 Predictions
1. Clemson
2. Alabama
3. Georgia
4. LSU
5. Oklahoma
6. Ohio State
7. Notre Dame
8. Auburn
9. Florida
10. Michigan
11. Utah
12. Texas
13. Penn State
14. Wisconsin
15. Oregon
16. Texas A&M
17. UCF
18. Iowa
19. Washington State
20. Boise State
21. Washington
22. Virginia
23. California
24. TCU
25. Arizona State
The top nine sides in the nation averaged a margin of victory of 38.7.
Florida was the only program of that group to win by single digits, as it defeated Kentucky with Kyle Trask taking over for the injured Feleipe Franks in the second half.
The Gators should not be penalized for knocking off a conference foe on the road, so they should stick at No. 9, while Penn State will likely stay in place after it gritted through a rivalry win over Pittsburgh.
In a week with more upsets, UCF might have leapt a few spots thanks to a home win over Stanford, but with no one falling in front of it, the best Group of Five program will stay put.
Michigan State, Maryland and USC were the three ranked sides to lose. The Spartans put up seven points at home versus Arizona State, Maryland sputtered at Temple and the Trojans were downed in overtime by BYU.
The impending exit of the Spartans and Terrapins would leave the Big Ten with five ranked programs.
The Pac-12 could be the biggest winner of the Week 4 polls. California received the 27th-most votes after Week 2 and it moved to 3-0 with a win over North Texas.
The Golden Bears possess a victory over Washington and would be next in line to crack the Top 25 with Iowa State, who was the first team out, falling to Iowa.
Even though Arizona State received four votes in the last AP poll, it could slide into No. 25 since four other candidates lost.
A road win over a Big Ten team should carry more weight than victories earned by Oklahoma State, Army and Memphis.
If those two squads enter, the Pac-12 would have six programs inside the Top 25, with four clustered in the bottom half.
TCU could be the other debutante after earning a 34-13 victory at Purdue to move to 2-0. Gary Patterson's side received 66 votes last week and would be next in line behind Cal since Iowa State and Mississippi State failed to remain undefeated.
There is more potential for movement after Week 4, as three ranked matchups take place next Saturday.
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