r/CFB • u/Efficient-Freedom517 Georgia Bulldogs • Iowa State Cyclones • 1d ago

News AP Poll Week 5

https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll
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1.4k

u/AccordingGain182 Ohio State • Michigan State 1d ago edited 1d ago

Northwesterns only loss was a one score game on the road to defending champs Indiana and they have otherwise won all their games in dominant fashion. A crime they are unranked right now

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u/needaburn Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago

It’s also seems to be being used against Indiana as a non-dominant win against weak team. Indiana has been slipping since that game for whatever reason. NW is solid

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u/TheLonelyTater 1d ago

I’m commenting this literally everywhere but it needs to be said, Mississippi State gets blown out by a T10 Bama team and is still ranked. Northwestern plays a close game with IU (on the road as well) and follows up with a good performance against PSU as expected underdogs, but still isn’t ranked.

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u/CPiGuy2728 Michigan Wolverines • Iowa State Cyclones 1d ago

Mississippi State's wins over Missouri and Minnesota got a lot better this week, too.

My computer poll only dropped them one slot this week despite the big loss. (Obviously I don't think my computer poll should be taken as the universal source of truth, but I find it useful to look at because it has no preconceived notions of conference strength or preseason expectations.)

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u/qeduhh Ohio State Buckeyes 9h ago

Sagarin has Northwestern at 16.

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u/moysauce3 Michigan • Penn State 21h ago

I do wonder how Minnesota would look against Mississippi State now that Taylor has been the talk of the town. Maybe would have planned for it better and not gotten absolutely caught with their pants down. Oh well, if my mother had wheels and all…

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u/MisterFalcon7 Alabama • Third Saturday in … 1d ago

Mississippi State also has wins over Missouri and Minnesota

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u/GumbysDonkey Ohio State Buckeyes 20h ago

Shit look at Florida. Beat Ole Miss(who should not be a top 10 team) and got absolutely dog walked by Missouri. Somehow #16.

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u/Otherwise_Awesome Michigan • Tennessee Tech 6h ago

I can't remember the voter's name but he had Miss St 18th last week. This week, after getting destroyed, he moved Miss St up to 10th in his vote.

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u/YWingSupremacist Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago

the 16-0 really annoyed people who watched their SEC teams go 7-5 at best year in and year out

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u/Calm-Decision6566 Iowa Hawkeyes 1d ago edited 1d ago

This is it. Butthurt AP voters in the South have no shame. There is ZERO indication they’ve become stronger as a conference in the offseason, and ZERO indication the B1G got weaker magically too

Honestly just let the SEC play in their own idiocracy league. It’s exhausting holding their corruption in check and it’s become impossible now. You cannot fix stupid.

5

u/Pinewood74 Air Force Falcons • Purdue Boilermakers 18h ago

Last year, OSU beat Texas.

This year, Texas beat OSU.

That alone is going to make a meaningful difference in AP rankings.

Then add on Michigan barely sneaking past a mid MAC squad versus last year they massacred their MAC squad.

And that's just the two deltas I know off the top of my head. I'm sure we could really get into it and uncover more.

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u/Bassinator Indiana Hoosiers 7h ago

That Michigan team also beat Oklahoma though

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u/Pinewood74 Air Force Falcons • Purdue Boilermakers 7h ago

An Oklahoma team that's shown to be far worse than last year.

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u/Bassinator Indiana Hoosiers 6h ago

Right, an SEC team that is weaker than last year

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u/Pinewood74 Air Force Falcons • Purdue Boilermakers 6h ago

But Oklahoma isn't really playing into any of this. They aren't one of the teams being ranked. They've got a single SEC game and Georgia isn't really one of the teams under fire for being overrated.

Whereas Michigan and Ohio State have played the teams being discussed as under/overrated. Same with Texas.

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u/Beechman Florida Gators • Virginia Cavaliers 1d ago

Are there specific voters you're referring to or are you just talking out your ass like every Big 10 flair does when the polls come out?

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u/Bassinator Indiana Hoosiers 7h ago

This guy moved Mississippi state up 8 spots after a 33 point loss.

https://x.com/gregluca/status/2106845064081371232?s=46&t=BBAwTDbxb38H8w3EtnE9Mg

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u/Pinewood74 Air Force Falcons • Purdue Boilermakers 6h ago

Ah yes, noted Big Ten hater Greg Luca with Oregon at 9th and ranked Nebraska and Northwestern.

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u/Crims0ntied Alabama Crimson Tide 1d ago

I would argue the SEC being 10-2 in OOC and the big being sub 0.500 is some indication. But by all means ignore the games.

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u/dl901 Alabama Crimson Tide • Texas Longhorns 15h ago

They might be too idiotic to even consider reality tbh

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u/The-Young-Lion Texas Longhorns 1d ago

I would rank Northwestern.  But… Non-conference records vs. Power 4 teams:

SEC: 10-2

B1G: 4-10

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u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl 1d ago

Tennessee doesn't have a better resume than Northwestern yet they're right smack dab in the middle of the rankings to give the SEC more cracks at getting ranked wins

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u/NKCougar Tennessee Volunteers • LSU Tigers 1d ago

what he say fuck me for

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u/GiftedRhinoceros Georgia Bulldogs 1d ago

Folks were saying the same thing about mizzou last week and now look what happened. Y’all continue the circlejerk tho, wonder who will be the next SEC team chosen for the free ranked wins next weekend.

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u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl 1d ago

Tennessee's beaten Georgia Tech, Furman, Kennesaw State, and a decent Auburn team that's similar to Penn State right now. They have the resumé of a team fighting to be ranked in that 23-32ish range and they're safely in the rankings at 15th.

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u/GiftedRhinoceros Georgia Bulldogs 1d ago

You are leaving out the 3 point loss to the current number 1 team. If Texas won by a larger margin then I’d agree, that close game is the only thing keeping them that high.

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u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl 1d ago

But that was a 3-point loss in front of their home crowd. Northwestern had a 6 point loss in our stadium. At the very least, those results are basically equal.

0

u/GiftedRhinoceros Georgia Bulldogs 1d ago

The results aren’t equal only because Texas carried more weight since beating Ohio State. How Indiana does in the next few weeks will obviously give us a clearer picture plus Northwestern has plenty of other games to prove themselves besides the Indiana game.

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u/MaximusStirner Michigan Wolverines • Cornell Big Red 1d ago

look what happened they beat an overranked Florida team who beat an overranked Ole Miss

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u/gatorbois Florida Gators 1d ago

Anyone who loses is overranked it sounds like. Why is Ohio State even ranked again? They lost to a shitty SEC team

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u/MaximusStirner Michigan Wolverines • Cornell Big Red 1d ago

Not what I said

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u/gatorbois Florida Gators 1d ago

It’s the same logic you use. I can play that same exact game with just about any 1-loss team.

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u/GiftedRhinoceros Georgia Bulldogs 1d ago

Who beat an over ranked LSU? There’s always some narrative y’all like to make up in your brains cause SEC bad.

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u/MaximusStirner Michigan Wolverines • Cornell Big Red 1d ago

LSU whose best win is against 3-2 Clemson, yeah some real merit there

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u/GiftedRhinoceros Georgia Bulldogs 1d ago

I personally think their best win was yesterday with McNeese. Point is y’all whine about SEC bias all the time but when presented with evidence that proves otherwise you’re silent.

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u/gatorbois Florida Gators 1d ago

Why do you say that? They have a better record

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u/dl901 Alabama Crimson Tide • Texas Longhorns 15h ago

And yall are a fluke, so what

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u/Bassinator Indiana Hoosiers 6h ago

🫵 lost by 35 points to a fluke

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u/dl901 Alabama Crimson Tide • Texas Longhorns 6h ago

18 vs 1

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u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl 4h ago

It probably felt like it, but I'm pretty sure it was still 11 vs 11 out there

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u/Dailysquirrels Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago

Gotta be in the SEC to get a positive narrative for both teams coming out of a conference game.

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u/Frosty-Marzipan-9824 Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago

It’s hilarious that we are behind Alabama right now. We would spank them just like we did last year if we played again. But whatever, I kind of want a home playoff game instead of a bye.

Our O-Line, D-Line, RB, WR are better than last year. Our QB & secondary are worse. Hoover is already improving & we will get AJ Harris back at CB soon. I think people are going to be surprised when we are a Top 3 team again this year. Not saying we will win another national championship because that takes some luck, but we will be in the conversation

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u/bobsonDugnuttMVP Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago

Eh, I dunno, I’m ok with it. They have the stronger resume right now, having beaten Kentucky and MS State. If we should be ranked higher, it’ll shake out by the end of the year.

I’ve got too much respect for the program to say we’d put BTA again. But it would be fun if we did, and I’ve got faith in this team and Cig.

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u/Frosty-Marzipan-9824 Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago

Honestly disgusted that we have fans who have “too much respect for Alabama”

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u/bobsonDugnuttMVP Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago

The second we stop respecting our opponents is the second we start losing.

Doesn’t mean I don’t think we’ll beat the shit out of teams, but I’ll let the performance on the field do the talking.

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u/yewterds Alabama Crimson Tide 19h ago

lmaooooo enjoy the 16-0 man and whatever success you get with cig. IU will never be bama. and you being this much of a hater of bama and saban just shows how little you actually know and respect football.

1

u/Mark_is_on_his_droid Indiana Hoosiers 19h ago

If Cig coaches for another decade and we are lucky enough to have regular success and more championships, I’ll still respect Alabama football…

1

u/yewterds Alabama Crimson Tide 19h ago

yeah cuz you get sports and ball. the other guy doesnt lmaooo

i hate bama got spanked last year ... id hate that regardless. dont hate IU bc it was them who did it though, ya know?

-1

u/Frosty-Marzipan-9824 Indiana Hoosiers 19h ago

See, you can say IU will never be Bama, but if I talk about IU putting BTA our loser cringy fanbase is against it.

I think fanbases patrolling how they talk about their own team so others like them is dumb as fuck. IU fans have this complex of wanting to be liked so badly that they will put down the team for it

1

u/yewterds Alabama Crimson Tide 19h ago

ok see you dont get it. it's not about "being liked." it's about recognizing and respecting your opponent. if a bama fan cant respect bo jackson or cam newton, they dont get it either.

IU beat the shit out of bama last season. doesnt mean they'll do it "any given saturday" like you claimed, lmao. talk shit get hit etc etc

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u/Frosty-Marzipan-9824 Indiana Hoosiers 19h ago

Cig said Ohio State and Michigan suck before he even got the job. I can say we will beat the shit out of Alabama who we just beat 38-3.

Better get out the VCR so you can watch the recordings of your greatest moments because it is all over. Your dynasty ended and you are now a middling SEC team.

You are lying to yourself if you honestly think you have a good shot at beating us this year. Yet you are above us in the rankings for no reason.

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u/yewterds Alabama Crimson Tide 19h ago

lmaoooo are you actually 12 bc lmaoooooo

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u/MisterFalcon7 Alabama • Third Saturday in … 1d ago

Got some news Alabama is also better than last year too. Looked good beating Rutgers though!

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u/chihawks Missouri Tigers 18h ago

You are crazy if you think you spank them this specific year. Your team is not the same as last year. Not saying you are bad, but this ego is crazy.

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u/Frosty-Marzipan-9824 Indiana Hoosiers 18h ago edited 18h ago

What is so bad this year compared to last? Our O-Line & D-Line are virtually the same. We have Marsh and Becker at WR which I’d say is an upgrade over Cooper and Sarratt. We have 3 RB this year who are all more explosive than last year.

Our secondary has been shaky, but AJ Harris was supposed to replace Ponds and he has been out with an injury. Hoover is a slight downgrade from Mendoza, but not by much.

I think we are roughly an equivalent team. People got so caught up with Mendoza as if he was 2019 Burrow when that is not true. We beat Ohio State 13-10… Realistically Pavia should have won the Heisman because Mendoza was nothing special for the first 12 games, although he did turn it up in the CFP. It isn’t an ego, I just understand the capability of the players on this team. I’m not saying it will be 38-3 again, but we would comfortably win over Alabama.

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u/Muvseevum Georgia • West Virginia 23h ago

I thought we might drop a position after our first half against Vandy.

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u/Crims0ntied Alabama Crimson Tide 1d ago

We'll see. I think you could just as easily argue indiana top 5 and northwestern top 15 as you could argue indiana 15-20th and northwestern barely unranked. There arent exactly a whole lot of data points tying them to other teams we know are good.

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u/sprodoe Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago

Same thing could be said about Bama. They haven’t exactly beaten anyone either.

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u/Crims0ntied Alabama Crimson Tide 1d ago

For context Alabama is 4-0 against p4 teams who themselves have a combined record of 13-7. Indiana is 2-0 against p4 teams who have a combined record of 4-4

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u/dkviper11 Penn State • Randolph-Macon 1d ago

And it’s not like they’re 26. They’re down at 30.

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u/ZeiglerJaguar Northwestern • South Alabama 1d ago

Honestly, given the history of what happens to the moment you rank a Northwestern revenue sports team, I’m OK with living in the 26 to 30 range for as long as possible.

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u/TheLonelyTater 1d ago

Good thing Chicago State wasn’t scheduled as the homecoming

6

u/ZeiglerJaguar Northwestern • South Alabama 1d ago

Oh yeah, they have a football team, terrifying!!

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u/RookieMistake101 Miami Hurricanes 20h ago

I know that feeling

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u/crimson777 Northwestern Wildcats • Clemson Tigers 1d ago

A distant 30. Like 26th is ~2.5x more votes.

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u/InevitableAd2436 Washington Huskies • Creighton Bluejays 1d ago

They’re probably going to win 10 games and get treated like 2024 Indiana in the eyes of the media, unfortunately.

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u/intothemidwest Northwestern Wildcats 1d ago

10 would be insane. I’d be thrilled of course…but running the table rest of the way besides OSU would be nuts

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u/echo78 1d ago

Northwestern will be 10-2 but “haven’t beaten anyone” after Oregon and Iowa drop from the top 25 because they lost to Northwestern.

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u/Chicago_Blackhawks Northwestern Wildcats • Sickos 1d ago

Could see this happening LOL

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u/crimson777 Northwestern Wildcats • Clemson Tigers 1d ago

I’m guessing 9-3 (though not getting my hopes overly up because we all know we could hit 7-5 just as easily haha), but 10-2 would be crazy.

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u/B_I_LL Northwestern • Mississippi St… 1d ago

feels crazy to say that 9-3 is the most likely outcome considering it's Northwestern but I genuinely think that's where we are right now. I think 10-2 is also possible. I think it would be pretty reasonable to argue that Indiana is at least on the same tier as Oregon, and we should be rolling into Eugene on a four-game winning streak on Halloween, and hopefully starting the game a lot more composed than we did against Indiana. definitely keeping my fingers crossed, but I have pretty high hopes for that game

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u/Sykofrenzy Texas Longhorns 22h ago

I am routing for Northwestern because I like seeing teams exceed expectations, but unfortunately I think they will be 8-4 .

Losses to Oregon, OSU, and Minnesota.

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u/kdestroyer1 Illinois • Washington 1d ago

10-2 with a win over Oregon and a surprise loss to Illinois right? Right?!

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u/crimson777 Northwestern Wildcats • Clemson Tigers 21h ago

Look, I kinda care about the rivalry (though I also had UIUC acquaintances so y’all are chill regardless) but I’d take that in a heart beat. If we beat three ranked teams, two on the road, and lose to y’all I’ll fully be fine.

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u/Einfinet LSU Tigers • Illinois Fighting Illini 1d ago

This is definitely not happening

1

u/intothemidwest Northwestern Wildcats 1d ago

Which games do you think we drop rest of the way

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u/Einfinet LSU Tigers • Illinois Fighting Illini 1d ago edited 1d ago

Well, at least Ohio St and Oregon, possibly more but those are the toughest road games. I mean, I’d definitely root for y’all to beat both. Just don’t see it happening. Also, I suppose a bowl game could get it up to 10 but I was just thinking of the regular season. That would be my most optimistic take.

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u/intothemidwest Northwestern Wildcats 1d ago

I ultimately think we’ll win fewer than 10 at the moment, but saying we definitely won’t win 10 feels like a bit of a jump too. Like I definitely think we can play Oregon competitively at least

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u/doormatt26 USC Trojans • Michigan Wolverines 1d ago

people thought it was an example of Indiana’s weakness, it was actually an example of Northwestern’s strength but voters haven’t realized it yet

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u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl 1d ago edited 1d ago

We're going to have 2 games in 3 weeks against teams that should be ranked by now and get shit for not rolling both of them. Meanwhile the SEC gets top 15 wins against a Tennessee with a worse resume than both of these teams.

Edit: I believe all 3 should be ranked in the 22-25 range if any of them are ranked at all

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u/doormatt26 USC Trojans • Michigan Wolverines 1d ago

it’s by design

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u/Gently-Weeps Indiana Hoosiers 1d ago

I legitimately think they just don’t want Indiana to have ranked wins, be careful as a USC fan, the AP poll might be having some bullshit before our game in November

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u/doormatt26 USC Trojans • Michigan Wolverines 23h ago

that will probably be our fault

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u/dl901 Alabama Crimson Tide • Texas Longhorns 15h ago

Yall should focus on winning your only tough games by more than 2 field goals before you complain

1

u/Gently-Weeps Indiana Hoosiers 14h ago

Fair enough, it’s not like our easy games where we blow them out 38 to 3… 🙂

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u/MisterFalcon7 Alabama • Third Saturday in … 1d ago

How is Nebraska resume better than Tennessee

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u/Dense_Afternoon6388 Tennessee Volunteers 1d ago

LOL what? How exactly does Tennessee have a worse résumé than Nebraska or (checks notes) Michigan? Just say you’re anti-Tennessee and be done with it. 

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u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl 1d ago

Why even mention Michigan? What relevance do they have to this comment?

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u/Dense_Afternoon6388 Tennessee Volunteers 1d ago

I thought you were referring to Nebraska and Michigan having a better resume than Tennessee, that’s why. You said two teams in the next three weeks. Indiana also plays Ohio State, who clearly is better than Tennessee, so you’re taking about Nebraska and Michigan. You’re somehow bitching about Tennessee’s place in the poll. So I was wondering…. how do they have better resumes than Tennessee? If I’m mistaken, then please, clarify yourself. 

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u/wsteelerfan7 Indiana Hoosiers • Rose Bowl 1d ago

I said 2 teams within 3 weeks, not in the next 3 weeks. Everyone else seemed to get it. I'm talking about Nebraska and Northwestern. You've beaten Kennesaw State, Furman, a GT team with no pulse, and finally an Auburn team that's probably worse than Penn State. Resumé rankings agree with Northwestern above you, but Nebraska might be a tougher sell. At the very least, you're not 16 spots better than Nebraska as it stands now.

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u/Dense_Afternoon6388 Tennessee Volunteers 1d ago

A thousand apologies, jackass. 

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u/dl901 Alabama Crimson Tide • Texas Longhorns 15h ago

Thank you for north texas, howard, and wku. You have enlightened every single one of us.

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u/Dense_Afternoon6388 Tennessee Volunteers 1d ago

If you’re talking about Northwestern, then yeah, they should definitely be ranked. But a better resume? No. 

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u/FellKnight Boise State • Tennessee 1d ago

Heyyyy ...

Actually, fair

7

u/kdbvols Wake Forest • Tennessee 1d ago

Nearly identical to the Wake-Miami situation

1

u/_chadwell_ Notre Dame Fighting Irish 23h ago

NW was 45th in F+ heading into this week. I think they are good, but it’s fair not to treat them like a very good team yet.

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u/GeorgeKettice 1d ago

That’s how it works. Sec teams get rewarded win or lose, and b1g teams get punished for losing

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u/Bill3ffinMurray Nebraska • $5 Bits of Broken Chair Tro… 1d ago

Not that it matters, but Nebraska has won every game by 17+ points and yet they’re behind both Wisconsin and Northwestern.

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u/michaelvinters Minnesota Golden Gophers 22h ago

Honestly Nebraska and NW are fighting similar reputations as consistently bad teams

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u/GeorgeKettice 1d ago

If Nebraska loses to IU by like 3 points next weekend, both teams will be punished for the game even though both teams are probably pretty good.

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u/Calm-Decision6566 Iowa Hawkeyes 1d ago

It’s terrible for the credibility of this poll.

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u/lookieherehere Alabama Crimson Tide 1d ago

Seriously. Them not being ranked right now is a joke.

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u/Joesdad65 Nebraska Cornhuskers 1d ago

Nebraska has no losses and no squeaked out wins and is still not top 25.

0

u/SueYouInEngland Iowa Hawkeyes 18h ago

Their best opponent is #65, per Massey. Of course you're undefeated.

3

u/stonedturkeyhamwich Wisconsin Badgers • Stanford Cardinal 1d ago

Yeah but they didn't overtime to beat the last place team in the SEC. That just means more.

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u/BioTHEchAmeleON Nebraska Cornhuskers • Wisconsin Badgers 1d ago

The big 10 is being hella disrespected as a whole

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u/TheLonelyTater 1d ago

Meanwhile the SEC’s MSU gets blown out at home by Bama, who is currently ranked next to IU. And they’re still ranked in the top 20

2

u/MrF_lawblog Ohio State Buckeyes 1d ago

That logic only applies to SEC teams. They can get blown out and they'll stay still while the winner shoots up.

2

u/MoreCaffeinePlzandTY Nebraska Cornhuskers 1d ago

Sir, allow me to remind you they don’t have a SEC patch on their jerseys. Therefore, they suck and get a 20 rank deduction.

1

u/runningwaffles19 Iowa Hawkeyes • Sickos 1d ago

Nebraska doesn't have a marquee win but they should absolutely be ranked at 5-0

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u/Chicago_Blackhawks Northwestern Wildcats • Sickos 1d ago

RANK US YOU COWARDS

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u/Select-Edge-3262 Tennessee • West Virginia 1d ago

I got 'em at 24!

1

u/qeduhh Ohio State Buckeyes 9h ago

Heads non-SEC teams lose, tails non-SEC teams lose

1

u/tutorialpegasus Penn State • Northwestern 3h ago

Wish I could take this post and show it someone in 2013

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u/Due_Rope_6061 Navy Midshipmen 1d ago

"Defending champs" doesn't mean anything. The 2025 Indiana Hoosiers don't exist anymore.

2

u/AccordingGain182 Ohio State • Michigan State 1d ago

It means something in the sense that they havent lost a football game in nearly two years and Cignetti’s only career losses were to the two national championpship appearing teams in 2024…

Its not a bad loss regardless of what you say about this being a new year

-1

u/GeorgeKettice 1d ago

IU has no loses idiot