Stanford, Utah and UCLA are in the latest Associated Press Top 25 Poll, giving the Pac-12 three ranked teams for the third consecutive week. Stanford slides one spot to No. 9 while Utah remains at No. 13 and UCLA hops up to 22.
It doesnt get more nerve-racking than your College Football Playoff hopes staying alive on a missed field goal as time expires, but the Cardinal will take the 30-28 victory in Pullman and run with it (speaking of running, Kevin Hogan sure did a lot of that last night when it mattered most to help the Card get its seventh win). The narrow dub cost Stanford one spot in the poll, as Notre Dame took its place at No. 8 after a close win at now-No. 23 Temple (Notre Dame received 1,019 voting points to Stanfords 1,014, so it was close). Up next for the Card is a trip to Boulder for its final road game of the season. Escape Folsom and the Cardinal will have a great shot to boost its CFP rsum while staying in the friendly confines of Stanford Stadium.
Utah took care of business at home on Halloween, bouncing back from the loss at USC with a 27-12 win over program friend Gary Andersen and Oregon State. Everyone ahead of the Utes either won or was on a bye, so Utah remains at No. 13. The 7-1, 4-1 Utes still have control of its own destiny in the South and can secure a winning conference record by winning in Seattle next weekend.
UCLA got all it could bargain for in a slim 35-31 win over Colorado, needing to come back in the fourth quarter after blowing an 18-point lead to the pesky Buffs. Thanks to Temples close loss and Dukes the-band-is-on-the-field-esque loss to Miami, UCLA jumped up two spots to No. 22 and can crack the top 20 potentially by beating Oregon State in Corvallis next weekend (itll need some help from other teams losing). Despite having two losses in conference play, UCLA can advance to Santa Clara just by winning out since it still has Utah on its schedule.
You can call the Trojans the No. 27 team in the AP nation if you like, as USC received the second-most votes of anyone not in the top 25 with 57 voting points. Additionally, Cal received four after its 27-21 home loss to USC and Washington State nabbed one after losing the home heartbreaker to Stanford.
Heres the AP Top 25 in full:
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Ohio State (39)
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Baylor (6)
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Clemson (6)
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LSU (5)
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TCU (4)
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Michigan State
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Alabama (1)
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Notre Dame
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Stanford
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Iowa
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Florida
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Oklahoma State
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Utah
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Oklahoma
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Memphis
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Michigan
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Florida State
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Houston
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Ole Miss
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Toledo
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North Carolina
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UCLA
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Temple
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Mississippi State
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Texas A&M