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Today, we’re covering yesterday’s realignment domino effect, a new set of rankings and Heisman and Criesman nominees.
Pac-12, Mountain West Drama
Utah State next to Pac-12
Yesterday’s news cycle showcased a flurry of teams recommitting their loyalty to their current conference while the Pac-12 publicly poached one. At one point, it looked like we were seeing the second Pac-12 collapse of the past year … but Utah State changed course. Here’s a quick recap:
Memphis, Tulane, South Florida and UTSA confirmed their commitment to the AAC. The schools saw presentations from the Pac-12 but decided not to budge due to the league’s uncertainty, increased travel and the AAC’s large exit fees.
Air Force reaffirmed its commitment to the Mountain West despite being approached by the AAC and the Pac-12.
Meanwhile, Utah State agreed to become the fifth Mountain West member to join the Pac-12. The Aggies will join Boise State, Colorado State, Fresno State and San Diego State in their jump to the Pac-12 in 2026. The move will bring the current two-team Pac-12 to seven teams by 2026 and drops the Mountain West to seven members — neither meeting the NCAA’s FBS requirement of eight schools.
What’s next? All eyes are on UNLV, as The Athletic’s Chris Vannini wrote last night. It was the top target for the Pac-12 after the four AAC schools turned the league down. Air Force may re-enter the conversation now that Utah State has shaken things up for the Mountain West. The Pac-12 filed a lawsuit on Tuesday against the Mountain West protesting more than $50 million in poaching fees.
AP Poll Review
Risers, fallers and newcomers
It’s time to review this week’s AP poll.
📈 No. 12 Michigan made the poll’s biggest climb (six spots) after beating now-No. 13 USC (the Trojans dropped two spots). No. 5 Tennessee swapped places with new No. 6 Ole Miss to join the top five. No. 19 Illinois jumped five spots after beating Nebraska on the road while No. 15 Louisville, No. 17 Clemson and No. 18 Iowa State rose two spots.
📉 There were a few big fallers this week. No. 23 Kansas State dropped 10 spots after getting throttled by BYU. No. 20 Oklahoma State and No. 21 Oklahoma both dropped six spots after losing to ranked opponents in Week 4. No. 11 Missouri dropped four spots after needing double-overtime to hold off Vanderbilt. Nebraska and Northern Illinois fell out of the poll.
👋 No. 22 BYU enters the poll after handing Kansas State a 38-9 loss that never looked close. No. 25 Boise State jumps in as the only ranked Group of 5 team. The Broncos have a top-10 scoring offense in the FBS backed by early Heisman-contending RB Ashton Jeanty, who leads the country with 195.3 rushing yards per game.
Read more AP poll analysis from The Athletic’s resident voter, Matt Brown.
Reviewing The 134
Can you find a winless team on a map?
Tennessee rose to No. 3 in Chris Vannini’s ranking of all 134 FBS teams this week. But a familiar team remains at No. 134. Here’s our weekly review of Chris’ rankings.
Checking in with Kent State: The Golden Flashes were shut out for the second week in a row, this time by Penn State (56-0). The week prior, Kent State was offered a running clock at halftime when it trailed 65-0 against Tennessee. It’s safe to say it has been a tough stretch for coach Kenni Burns, which The Athletic’s Audrey Snyder detailed in a story I recommend. Kent State ranks last in the FBS in total offense (167.8 yards per game) and total defense (607.5). Luckily, there are no more Power 4 opponents on the schedule, and Kent State returns home this week to face Eastern Michigan (still no easy out).
Jumps of the week: Navy (3-0) made the biggest jump of the week from No. 105 to No. 37 after beating one of the G5’s Playoff favorites in Memphis. The Midshipmen have outscored their opponents 143-76, marking their highest point total through three games since 1918. New to the top 20 is No. 16 BYU (4-0), which was ranked No. 59 last week. Meanwhile, Buffalo rose from No. 115 to No. 87 after clinching its second ranked win in program history (a 23-20 OT victory against Northern Illinois).
This week’s geography lesson: Seven FBS teams remain winless, including Old Dominion. The Monarchs of the Sun Belt Conference call Norfolk, Va., home. They share an in-state Sun Belt rivalry with James Madison (Harrisonburg). ODU is a bit secluded: The closest FBS opponent is a 123-mile trip down the coast to East Carolina.
The other six winless teams are Miami (Ohio), New Mexico, Wyoming, Kennesaw State, UTEP and Kent State.
Read Chris’ full ranking here.
Let’s Debate …
Heisman vs. Criesman
On yesterday’s Until Saturday podcast, the crew gave out its Heismans (highlights) and Criesmans (lowlights) of the week. Here’s a preview of this week’s nominees. I edited the podcast transcript lightly for length and clarity. Listen to the full discussion here.
Heisman: Colorado two-way star Travis Hunter.
🎙 David Ubben: “My Heisman of the week is I think the actual Heisman front-runner at this point. Travis Hunter has his fifth 100-yard receiving game in a row. If you missed it, that one tackle for loss looked like he was shot out of a cannon; it was awesome. And most importantly, the game-deciding forced fumble, that resulted in a touchback in overtime and spilled the fans on the field before they reviewed it. …
“When you catch everything thrown your way, he’s unbelievable. And I don’t want to belabor the point because I like spreading the love around. But I am curious what would happen if we got to see Travis Hunter on a national championship contender.”
🎙 Damien Harris: “I had a conversation this weekend in studio. We were talking about: Is Travis Hunter a top 10 athlete in the sport of college football all time? … I’ve seen enough. I’m ready to start having the conversation: Is he top five of all time?”
Criesman: G5 darlings crash back down to Earth.
🎙 David Ubben: “My Criesman of the Week is all of our G5 darlings, fellas. What are we doing?
Last week, the G5’s Playoff spot was wide open, for good reason. We had a bunch of really compelling candidates, and then all of a sudden, we don’t. Northern Illinois beats Notre Dame; its next time out, loses to Buffalo. Memphis beats Florida State; next time out, it gets run over by 365 rushing yards from Navy, a 56-44 loss. And then App State, a team that we thought could be in the mix, has been one of the most disappointing teams in the country. It got smacked by South Alabama. Now all of a sudden this race is wide open.”
Listen to the full Until Saturday podcast here.
Quick Snaps
Read about the most “college football” things to happen this week from a behind-the-helmet catch to a coach luring players to his team with the promise of endless biscuits.
Hug a Kansas or Florida State fan today. Their teams are among the most disappointing in college football this season.
To boo or not to boo? Booing college athletes is becoming more common in the NIL era and … Joe Rexrode thinks that’s OK.
The challenges of QB roster management are especially prevalent this season. David Ubben outlines the difficult balance in a story I enjoyed today.
You can buy tickets to every college football game here.
For streaming info on Fubo, click here.
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(Top photo: Michael Owens / Getty Images)
