With “Super Saturday” providing a number of high-profile games last week, there was bound to be a big shakeup in the rankings.
In all, six teams dropped in the polls with three of those teams (Iowa, Oregon, Notre Dame) falling out of the Top 25. No. 13 Florida State, No. 21 Texas and No. 25 Oklahoma all dropped by double-digits, but remained in the poll.
Following a dominating performance at home against Florida State, the Louisville Cardinals moved up seven spots to No. 3 and picked up six first-place votes, two more than No. 2 Ohio State after the Buckeyes whipped Oklahoma in Norman. The Cardinals No. 3 ranking ties a school record after the football program first climbed this high back in 2006.
Alabama remained on top after going on the road and beating Ole Miss 48-43.
No. 4 Michigan somehow still received a first-place vote after a comeback victory over Colorado at home. No. 5 Clemson, No. 6 Houston and No. 7 Stanford held steady and didn’t make any moves, while No. 8 Michigan State jumped into the top 10 ahead of No. 9 Washington and No. 10 Texas A&M after topping Notre Dame on the road.
North Dakota State also received a lot of love as pollsters rewarded them for their upset victory on the road against Iowa.
The Bison received 74 points — teams are awarded 25 points for a first place vote all the way down to one point for a 25th place vote — placing them two spots outside of the Top 25 behind TCU and in a tie with UCLA.
The 74 points is the most ever by an FCS team in the history of the poll.
Since 2007, ten FCS teams have received votes in the polls. Appalachian State kicked it off with one of the biggest upsets in college football history when they took down Michigan on the road.
Impressively, NDSU is 5-0 against Power Five teams since 2010 and put the Hawkeyes in the history books as it marked just the fourth loss by a ranked FBS team to an FCS school. But NDSU isn’t just another FCS team as the Bison have won the last five FCS national titles. The voter who placed NDSU the highest in his poll was Pete DiPrimio who ranked the Bison No. 15.
The newcomers this week include No. 20 Nebraska, No. 22 San Diego State and No. 24 Utah. Despite home losses and 1-2 records, both No. 23 Ole Miss and No. 25 Oklahoma remain in the poll. Notre Dame is also 1-2, but wasn’t so lucky as the Fighting Irish were dumped by the voters this week.
