AP Poll Prediction: Projecting Top 25 ranking after Week 13 of college football

The penultimate weekend of the regular season usually features a slightly less interesting slate of top 25 games as teams prepare for rivalry games in the regular season finale. That was mostly the case on Saturday, though there were a handful of ranked-on-ranked matchups.

Those matchups saw a few teams shake up in our projections, including a couple teams near the bottom of the list. We’ll break down some of the anticipated moves.

There was a lot to digest. Today, On3 stops to break down some of the changes anticipated in this week’s AP Top 25. Let’s dig into our projections for the new edition of the top college football poll below.

1. Ohio State Buckeyes (11-0)

RESULT: 42-9 win vs. Rutgers
Good teams are supposed to cruise late in the year against inferior opponents, and Ohio State certainly did that. Any time you can rack up 254 yards and four touchdowns on the ground it’s likely to be relatively smooth smooth sailing.

Quarterback Julian Sayin continued his Heisman Trophy campaign, though it was a light day’s work. He finished with 157 yards passing and two touchdowns in the ho-hum win for the Buckeyes.

2. Indiana Hoosiers (11-0)

RESULT: BYE
Indiana was on a bye week after skating by Wisconsin the week prior. Indiana has only had a handful of close games, with Penn State, Oregon and Iowa the only schools to keep things close against the high-powered Hoosiers.

Can Curt Cignetti’s squad keep it rolling in the finale against Purdue on the road? There’s a lot riding on it, including a potential first-round playoff bye and Fernando Mendoza’s Heisman Trophy hopes.

3. Texas A&M Aggies (11-0)

RESULT: 48-0 win vs. Samford
Texas A&M’s defense was the story in the game against Samford, keeping the Bulldogs from doing just about anything. It was the epitome of a top 25 team taking on an overmatched opponent. Samford totaled less than 100 yards of total offense, picking up 46 yards passing and 31 yards rushing.

The Texas A&M offense, meanwhile, had a well-balanced day. Four quarterbacks threw passes. Marcel Reed threw three touchdowns before exciting. Meanwhile, Amari Daniels topped 100 yards on the ground to lead a 247-yard team effort.

4. Georgia Bulldogs (10-1)

RESULT: 35-3 win vs. Charlotte
Like Texas A&M, the defense was the story of the day in Athens, though it wasn’t quite as pronounced. Georgia gave up 169 total yards in the contest, keeping Charlotte at bay throughout the afternoon.

Quarterback Gunner Stockton was held without a touchdown and did throw an interception. But Georgia leaned on the ground game for five scores and a relatively easy win over a very overmatched Charlotte team.

5. Ole Miss Rebels (10-1)

RESULT: BYE
Few teams will have had as chaotic a bye week as Ole Miss, which is in the middle of a tug-of-war over coach Lane Kiffin‘s services. Florida and LSU have both come calling and Ole Miss is at least trying to fend off the advances enough to finish out a really strong regular season.

The Rebels will have one game remaining against rival Mississippi State. Win that one, though, and Ole Miss should be into the playoff field as one of the strongest top 25 teams in the country.

6. Oregon Ducks (10-1)

RESULT: 42-27 win vs. USC
Oregon had one of the more challenging two-game stretches to finish the season, taking on USC and then Washington. Well, the first test has been passed with flying colors, as the Ducks cruised on Saturday and never broke much of a sweat.

Quarterback Dante Moore was sharp when it mattered most. He was picked off once but threw two absolute dimes for touchdowns in the contest. He finished with 257 yards and continues to look the part of a Heisman Trophy finalist.

7. Texas Tech Red Raiders (10-1)

RESULT: BYE
Few teams in the top 25 are as hot as Texas Tech right now. The Red Raiders have piled up a month’s straight worth of blowout victories, dating back to the lone loss of the season against Arizona State.

There remains one tricky game left on the schedule, though. A regular season finale on the road at West Virginia is the last test remaining before a potential Big 12 title game appearance.

8. Oklahoma Sooners (9-2)

RESULT: 17-6 win vs. Missouri
Beau Pribula returned at quarterback for Missouri, a remarkably quick recovery following a scary injury a few weeks back. But Oklahoma’s defense kept him out of sorts. He threw two interceptions and did not find the end zone.

Meanwhile, John Mateer needed a ton of volume to achieve 173 yards passing and two touchdowns. He threw 30 passes, completing only 14 of them. Still, it was enough to eke out an all-important win that preserved playoff hopes.

9. Notre Dame Fighting Irish (9-2)

RESULT: 70-7 win vs. Syracuse
Notre Dame continues to cruise and running back Jeremiyah Love continues to make a case to be a Heisman Trophy finalist. Love was once again fantastic on Saturday, this time needing only eight carries to rush for 171 yards and three scores.

The game was over by the time the second quarter hit, as Notre Dame hung half its 70-point total in the first quarter. Survive and advance is the name of the game for the Fighting Irish, who remain highly ranked in the top 25 ahead of the regular season finale at Stanford.

10. Alabama Crimson Tide (9-2)

RESULT: 56-0 win vs. Eastern Illinois
It was a perfectly balanced effort for Alabama, which scored exactly 14 points in each quarter and finished with 270 passing yards and 269 rushing yards in the contest. Seriously, does it get more symmetrical than that?

Alabama used its overmatched opponent to rest and recover and get plenty of different folks reps. Three quarterbacks threw at least five passes on Saturday, and the backups were sharp. All that is left is the game against Auburn, which will determine whether Alabama reaches the SEC Championship Game.

Rest of the AP Top 25 Projections

11. BYU Cougars (10-1)
12. Vanderbilt Commodores (9-2)
13. Utah Utes (9-2)
14. Miami Hurricanes (9-2)
15. Texas Longhorns (8-3)
16. Michigan Wolverines (9-2)
17. Virginia Cavaliers (9-2)
18. Tennessee Volunteers (8-3)
19. James Madison Dukes (10-1)
20. North Texas Mean Green (10-1)
21. Tulane Green Wave (9-2)
22. USC Trojans (8-3)
23. Navy Midshipmen (8-2)
24. Georgia Tech Yellow Jackets (9-2)
25. SMU Mustangs (8-3)