AP Top 25 rankings scrutinize early college football wins
- Early-season college football resumes face heavy scrutiny as the AP Top 25 rankings reveal which September victories have strengthened over time and which have completely depreciated ahead of...
- 12 Alabama handed the SEC leader its only loss of the season by a 45-17 score on Sept.
- There's no moral victories, Willie Fritz said after the narrow loss in Lubbock.
Early-season college football resumes face heavy scrutiny as the AP Top 25 rankings reveal which September victories have strengthened over time and which have completely depreciated ahead of the initial College Football Playoff poll on Nov. 3. Early wins loaded up by paper champions can easily stall by midseason when conference schedules hit full stride, turning once-promising scorelines into empty assets.
Alabama Rebound and Texas Resilience Shape Early Playoff Picture
No. 12 Alabama handed the SEC leader its only loss of the season by a 45-17 score on Sept. 12, overcoming multiple first-half turnovers and a halftime deficit to outscore Kentucky 32-0 in the second half. That victory stands as the Crimson Tide’s lone win over a team currently ranked in the top 25, while Kentucky has not lost since. Meanwhile, No. 4 Texas secured a 24-23 victory over No. 1 Ohio State on Sept. 12, erasing a 20-point deficit in one of the premier nonconference results of the fall. Ohio State remains one of only two unbeaten teams in Big Ten play behind its quarterback room and a Heisman candidate.
Narrow September Margins Cast Long Shadows Across Conference Races
In the Big 12, No. 13 Texas Tech edged No. 22 Houston 28-26 on Sept. 18 when a late two-point conversion failed. There’s no moral victories,
Willie Fritz said after the narrow loss in Lubbock. We came here to win. And we didn’t win.
Houston went 4-1 following that setback before its four-game winning streak ended against Utah, while Texas Tech looks toward an upcoming Week 9 matchup against Arizona. In the ACC, No. 5 Miami defeated Wake Forest 33-20 on Sept. 19 behind Darian Mensah completing an ACC-record 24 straight passes. Wake Forest has since reeled off four consecutive wins to control its own destiny in the ACC Championship race.
Fading Resumes Expose Preseason Overreaches and Falling Contenders
Conversely, several marquee September results have depreciated as victors and losers alike stumbled through conference play.