Dabo Swinney remarked earlier this season that Clemson was back on the ROY (rest of you) bus... and perhaps there’s something to that for the defending champions.
Despite blowing out Louisville on Saturday, the Tigers actually dropped a spot to No. 4 in the latest AP Poll, getting pipped by new No. 3 Ohio State after the Buckeyes own blowout of a bad Northwestern team on Friday night.
That wasn’t the only notable change in the top 10 as Wisconsin predictably fell from No. 6 to No. 13 after their loss at lowly Illinois on Saturday afternoon, bumping nearly everybody else up in the pecking order and allowing Penn State to take their old spot just behind No. 5 Oklahoma.
Elsewhere in the poll, there’s a new highest ranked Group of Five team as No. 16 SMU supplants Boise State after the Broncos lost at BYU. BSU actually is behind No. 18 Cincinnati and No. 21 Appalachian State as well.
No. 23 Iowa State and No. 25 Wake Forest both returned to the top 25 this week after wins to supplant Washington and Missouri.
The full AP Poll heading into Week 9:
- Alabama
- LSU
- Ohio State
- Clemson
- Oklahoma
- Penn State
- Florida
- Notre Dame
- Auburn
- Georgia
- Oregon
- Utah
- Wisconsin
- Baylor
- Texas
- SMU
- Minnesota
- Cincinnati
- Michigan
- Iowa
- Appalachian State
- Boise State
- Iowa State
- Arizona State
- Wake Forest