Notre Dame and Clemson Join Alabama and Georgia at Top of AP Poll

SEC powerhouses Alabama and Georgia remain on top of the AP Poll, while Notre Dame and Clemson have moved into the third and fourth slots. The Crimson Tide and Bulldogs are both 9-0 this season; Georgia Beat South Carolina 24-10 last Saturday while Alabama beat LSU 24-10. Those two are in line to be in the SEC Championship Game, but pitfalls remain. Georgia is at #14 Auburn (7-2 ) on Saturday and Alabama is at #16 Mississippi State (7-2)

Notre Dame continues its rise, up two spots to #3 after a beating a tenacious Wake Forest team by a score of 48-37. Notre Dame has a serious test on Saturday, playing at #7 Miami (8-0). These two schools had a memorable rivalry back in the 70s and 80s (remember the days of Catholics vs. Convicts?) then took a 20 year break before resuming the series in 2010. Clemson moved up to #4 after beating then #20 North Carolina State 38-31. Oklahoma (8-1) jumped up two spots to #5 after a wild 62-52 win over then #11 Oklahoma State.

#6 Wisconsin (9-0) won at Indiana 45-17 but still dropped two places. The Badgers have not had a strong schedule, but will host Iowa (6-3, 3-3 in the Big Ten) and Michigan (7-2, 4-2) over the next two Saturdays. Iowa dealt Ohio State (7-2, 5-1) what could be a fatal blow to the Buckeye’s College Football Playoff chances by beating them 55-24. Penn State (7-2, 4-2) is in the same boat after losing at Michigan State (7-2, 5-1) 27-24. Michigan State now figures prominently in the Big Ten East race. The Big Ten’s chances for one of the four College Football Playoff slots may rest on Wisconsin; if the Badgers finish the regular season undefeated and win the Big Ten Championship game, they might be hard to ignore.