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Yes, Texas defeated UCLA and South Carolina on back-to-back days in November at the Players Era Championship. The now one-loss Longhorns, however, unsurprisingly dropped below the Bruins and Gamecocks in the latest AP Top 25 poll.
How the order of No. 2 South Carolina, No. 3 UCLA and No. 4 Texas both does and doesn’t make sense encapsulates much of the top 25 after another week of upsets. Do good wins, “good” losses or bad losses matter more? In the aggregate, it appears voters have punished teams for bad losses, sometimes even more than for good wins, while giving established teams the benefit of the doubt for a “good” loss.
Here’s how the top 25 shook out, with first-place votes denoted in parentheses, movement from last week’s poll tracked in brackets and teams entering (or re-entering) the poll identified with an asterisk:
And here’s a look at the poll from the perspective of the Power Four conferences:
Based on the agitation expressed by several SEC coaches, it might be surprising that the conference is dominating the top 25. Half of the top 10 belongs to the SEC, with four more teams claiming a spot in the poll. Alabama, rewarded for their win over Kentucky, is the newest entrant, leaping into the poll at No. 21.
Nine ranked teams guarantees more consequential contests that, depending on voters assessments, may or may not lead to subsequent standings shake ups.
Much to head coach Vic Schaefer’s chagrin, the No. 4 Longhorns are heading to South Carolina to play the No. 2 Gamecocks on Thursday. No. 6 LSU and No. 13 Oklahoma then meet on Sunday, along with Alabama hosting No. 20 Tennessee. Still-undefeated Vanderbilt, now up to No. 5, must dismiss Mississippi State on Thursday. Coach Yo and No. 18 Ole Miss will need to avoid an upset at Georgia on Sunday to earn the status they believe they deserve. No. 7 Kentucky, likewise, better take care of business against Florida on Thursday and Mississippi State on Sunday.
Big respect for the Big Ten
No. 3 UCLA and No. 8 Michigan are the Big Ten’s only top-10 representatives, as Maryland’s loss to Ohio State, their second in the their past four games, sent the Terrapins just outside the top 10 to No. 12.
Maryland’s relatively mild slide indicates voters’ overall respect for the Big Ten, with No. 11 Iowa, No. 14 Ohio State and No. 15 Michigan State also inside the top 15. Illinois made their entrance into the top 25 at No. 25, belatedly rewarded for their win over Maryland and not punished for their loss to Ohio State. Nebraska, likewise, suffered no consequences for losing to UCLA, inching up to No. 24.
The newly-ranked Illini will have to earn their keep, as they visit Ann Arbor for a showdown with Michigan on Thursday. Nebraska likewise will be tested in the state of Michigan on Thursday, with the Huskers facing the Spartans. Michigan State then travels to Iowa on Sunday for another ranked contest.
With three-straight losses, USC could not be saved from a slide out of the top 25. Washington’s overtime loss to Purdue similarly saw the Huskies sacrifice their spot in the poll.
The Trojans will have a chance to reclaim a ranking with a win over Maryland on Thursday. For the Terrapins, they’ll follow up the game in the Galen Center with battle against the Bruins in Pauley Pavillon on Sunday. If their trip to Southern California is successful, the Terps’ stay outside the top 10 will be brief.
Big disrespect for the Big 12
Despite sitting with just one loss, with that loss coming in overtime in a tough schedule spot, TCU remains on the fringe of the top 10 at No. 10, still below multi-loss squads from the SEC, Big Ten and ACC. The Horned Frogs’ status hints at voters’ overall skepticism of the quality of the Big 12. Texas Tech likewise remained locked in at No. 17, seeing no boost for staying undefeated against lower-tier opponents.
Considering the undefeated Red Raiders remain outside the top 15, it’s somewhat surprising that Iowa State, after three-straight losses, only fell to No. 19. With one good win over Iowa, a “good” loss to Baylor and two bad losses to Cincinnati and West Virginia, the Cyclones seem to have a similar resume to now-unranked USC. The grace given to Iowa State also contrasts with the assessment of the Baylor team that beat them. Despite going 2-0 last week, Baylor dipped from No. 16 to No. 18, seemingly slightly dinged for a too-close-for-comfort win at Colorado.
None of the Big 12’s ranked teams meet in the week ahead, although TCU travels to votes-receiving West Virginia on Wednesday.
The ACC is almost an afterthougt
Reflective of the, “What have you done for me lately?,” mindset that seems to determine a team’s standing, Notre Dame, after dropping out of last week’s poll, is back in at No. 23, buoyed by their big win over North Carolina. The Tar Heels, in contrast, now join their fellow Triangle dwellers, Duke and NC State, outside of the top 25.
That leaves Louisville as the only other ranked ACC team, rising to No. 9 after perfunctory wins over two weaker ACC opponents. Fittingly, a clash between the conference’s two ranked squads is scheduled for Thursday, with the Cardinals visiting the Irish in South Bend.
