Michigan State Moves Into AP Top 5, Top Four Remain The Same

The 2021 college football season has been a wild one. More ranked teams have lost than ever before, so it should have come as no surprise that week nine of the college football slate would have some surprises. 

Nine teams in the top-25 went down, including three teams in the top-10. 

The top four remain the same as last week, with Georgia being the unanimous No. 1 team in the country, followed by Cincinnati, Alabama and Oklahoma. 

Georgia solidified that they are in fact the best team in the country, with a 34-7 beatdown of the Florida Gators. The Bulldogs exacted revenge following last season’s loss to Florida, allowing just 214 yards through three quarters and not allowing Florida into the endzone until 2:49 left in the fourth quarter. 

Cincinnati beat Tulane 31-12 to remain undefeated, Alabama had a bye, and Oklahoma finally put a full game together in a 52-21 win over Texas Tech. 

Michigan State is the big mover, jumping into the top-5 for the first time since 2015 following a wild 37-33 win over Michigan after being down 16 in the third quarter. 

Running back Kenneth Walker III had his Heisman moment, rushing for 197 yards on 23 carries, including a few big runs where he was able to make something out of nothing. 

“I will say, three of his touchdowns today, I wasn’t expecting a huge play. On the first one, we were in the huddle, and I said let’s just forget the red zone, let’s just score right here and he did, so that was good,” Spartans quarterback Payton Thorne said. “The other one was not a home run play, but as you see with him, any play could be a home run. The o-line was doing a good job, I’m sure he’ll give them credit.”

Michigan dropped to No. 9 in the rankings and head coach Jim Harbaugh is now 2-13 against top-10 teams since coming to Michigan in 2015. 

Ohio State moved down a spot to No. 6 after beating Penn State in a close game Saturday night. 

“We weren’t trying to get style points against Penn State,” Ohio State coach Ryan Day said. “That’s not how it works.”

Notre Dame moved back into the top-10 after beating North Carolina, and Wake Forest moves into the top-10 for the first time in program history. The Demon Deacons remained undefeated by beating Duke 45-7. Oregon is still No. 7 after beating Colorado 52-29. 

Iowa is the