George Harris
Sep 05, 2023 - 09:30

Colorado, Duke, and Florida State Make Major Moves in AP Top 25 Rankings

No. 21 Duke and No. 22 Colorado moved into the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Tuesday after scoring the biggest upsets of the opening weekend of the season, and No. 4 Florida State jumped into the top five after its resounding victory over LSU in Week 1's marquee game.

In a surprising turn of events, both No. 21 Duke and No. 22 Colorado have made their way into the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll. These two teams scored the biggest upsets of the opening weekend of the season, solidifying their spots in the rankings. Additionally, No. 4 Florida State has jumped into the top five after their resounding victory over LSU in Week 1's marquee game.

Despite these changes, Georgia remains at the top spot in the rankings with 58 first-place votes. Michigan holds steady at No. 2 with two first-place votes. No. 3 Alabama has moved up a spot, while Florida State climbed four places and received the remaining three first-place votes after their impressive win over LSU.

Ohio State rounds out the top five in the AP's first regular-season poll of the season.

LSU, who suffered a loss to Florida State, dropped nine spots to No. 15. Clemson, which was upset by Duke, fell 16 places to No. 25. TCU, who lost to Colorado, dropped completely out of the rankings after being ranked No. 17 in the preseason.

The story of the weekend was Colorado's victory as a three-touchdown underdog at TCU in coach Deion Sanders' debut. This win marks the Buffaloes' first appearance in the rankings since the 2020 season. While they were ranked for two weeks in 2018, they have only finished a season in the Top 25 once in the last 20 seasons.

Sanders, the former NFL star and Florida State All-American, took over a struggling team that went 1-11 last season. He implemented an unprecedented roster makeover, bringing in nearly 90 new players, including 58 transfers. The new-look Buffaloes secured a 45-42 victory on the road against the program that played in the national title game last season.

The rest of the top 10 includes Southern California at No. 6, followed by Penn State, Washington, Tennessee, and Notre Dame.

Duke capped off the long Labor Day weekend of college football by defeating Clemson 28-7 on Monday night. This victory marked the Blue Devils' first win against a top 10 team since 1989.

In Year 2 under coach Mike Elko, Duke, known for its perennial basketball success, is ranked in the AP college football poll for the first time since 2018.

Florida State's appearance in the preseason Top 25 is also notable, as it has been a while since they were ranked this highly during the regular season. The last time FSU reached No. 2 in the rankings was in September 2016. The Seminoles had a remarkable stretch under coach Bobby Bowden from the late 1980s to the early 2000s, finishing in the top five for a record 14 straight seasons and winning two national titles.

However, the Seminoles went through a rough patch from 2019 to 2021, failing to be ranked for three consecutive seasons. This was the longest streak of futility for the program since the mid-1970s. Fortunately, they have turned it around in 2022 with their impressive victory over LSU.

It is worth noting that Florida State's top-five ranking is their 240th since 1980, second only to Alabama with 281.

In terms of conference representation in the rankings, the beleaguered Pac-12 has six ranked teams, the same number as last season. The SEC also has six ranked teams, while the Big Ten has four, the ACC has four, the Big 12 has three, the American Athletic has one, and there is one independent team.

Looking ahead, there are two notable matchups between ranked teams. No. 11 Texas will face No. 3 Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. This will be the first regular-season meeting between the two teams with both ranked. Additionally, No. 20 Mississippi will take on No. 24 Tulane, marking the first meeting between the two teams since 1956 where both are ranked.

Overall, the college football season is off to an exciting start, with unexpected upsets and new teams making their mark in the rankings. Fans can look forward to more thrilling matchups and potential upsets as the season progresses.