Michigan Football: AP Top 25 reactions after Week 4
By Alex Hinton
Despite a lackluster win over Rutgers, Michigan football moved up in the polls, and here’s a breakdown for the Wolverines and the Big Ten.
Surviving and advancing was the theme from week 4. Michigan football gutted out an ugly 20-13 win over Rutgers, but nonetheless, it improved to 4-0. As a result, the Wolverines moved up five spots in the AP Top 25 to No. 14.
The No. 5 Iowa Hawkeyes were trailing 1-2 Colorado State 14-7 at halftime before ripping off 17 unanswered points in the second half. Oklahoma’s offense has struggled much more than we’re accustomed to seeing under Lincoln Riley.
It got to the point where Sooners fans were chanting “We Want Caleb” calling for freshman Caleb Williams to replace Spencer Rattler at quarterback.
The Sooners were able to grind out a 16-13 win over West Virginia on a field goal as time expired. Every team in the top 25 was not so fortunate.
Clemson’s struggles continued as it lost to NC State 27-21 in double OT and dropped from No. 9 to No. 25. The Tigers had been ranked in the top 10 of the AP Top 25 for the last 97 weeks. That streak is over and the Tigers’ CFP chances likely are too.
Texas A&M had drawn some buzz as a challenger to Alabama in the SEC West this season. However, playing with a backup QB, the Aggies could not muster much offense and fell to rival Arkansas 20-10.
The Aggies and Razorbacks switched spots between No. 8 and No.15. However, it will be difficult for the Razorbacks to remain in the top 10 with a trip to Georgia on tap next week.
Michigan football opponent falls out of top 25
Speaking of struggling offenses, Wisconsin again failed to convert its scoring opportunities into touchdowns and committed five turnovers in its 41-13 loss to Notre Dame.
Four of those turnovers were interceptions from quarterback Graham Mertz, two of which were brought back for pick-sixes in the closing minutes to break the game open. The Badgers were No. 18 and fell out of the top 25 while Notre Dame moved up to No. 9. Hopefully, the Badgers continue to struggle on offense when the Wolverines head to Madison next week.
No.14 Iowa State and No. 21 North Carolina both lost to unranked teams away from home and fell out of the top 25. Baylor moved up to No. 21 after beating Iowa State.
As for the rest of the Big Ten, Penn State beat Villanova 38-17 and now sits at No. 4 this week. Ohio State thumped Akron 59-7 with starting quarterback CJ Stroud sidelined but fell a spot in the rankings to No. 11.
5 things we learned against Rutgers. dark. Next
The real story was that Akron managed to score a touchdown. Michigan State needed overtime to stave off Nebraska 23-20 and improve to 4-0. The Spartans moved up three spots to No. 17. October 30th will be a fun one.