The SEC remains the deepest conference in the first AP football poll released this weekend, but the Big Ten and Big 12 play stronger at the top after picking up respect, and recruits, after last year.
The SEC comes out on top if giving the conference 25 points for a first place team, 24 for a second place team etc. But when looking at the top two teams from each conference the SEC ranks as the third strongest:
| Conf | Pts (25-24-etc) | Top 2 team rankings |
|---|---|---|
| SEC | 92 | Bama 3rd, Auburn 6th |
| Pac 12 | 70 | Oregon 7th, USC 8th |
| Big 12 | 53 | TCU 2nd, Baylor 4th |
| Big Ten | 52 | Ohio St. 1st, Mich St. 5th |
| ACC | 40 | Flo State 10th, Clemson 12th |
Early last season it appeared the SEC would once again dominate and the Big Ten would be a laughing stock, particularly when Virginia Tech went into Ohio State for the upset. Most fans did not notice when things changed on September 20, when one of the worst teams in the Big Ten (Indiana) beat one of the best teams in the SEC (Missouri) on the road.
Nate Sudfeld, who we ranked ahead of Notre Dame football players and Indiana basketball players as the top athlete in Indiana at www.bestreturningplayers.com, threw for 252 yards to deliver the 31-27 shocker and from that point on the Big Ten went on a roll and the SEC struggled out of conference straight through Wisconsin’s upset of Auburn and Ohio State’s upset of Alabama.
While the SEC was much deeper than the Big 12, TCU’s manhandling of Mississippi behind the play of Kolby Listenbee (our top athlete in Texas), has helped result in respect that led the Big 12 to get the 2nd and 4th spot in the poll to basically match the Big Ten’s 1st and 5th as the top conference.
The Top 25 released Sunday is as follows:
| Rnk | Team | Conference |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Ohio State | Big Ten |
| 2 | TCU | Big 12 |
| 3 | Alabama | SEC |
| 4 | Baylor | Big 12 |
| 5 | Michigan State | Big Ten |
| 6 | Auburn | SEC |
| 7 | Oregon | Pac 12 |
| 8 | USC | Pac 12 |
| 9 | Georgia | SEC |
| 10 | Florida State | ACC |
| 11 | Notre Dame | Ind |
| 12 | Clemson | ACC |
| 13 | UCLA | Pac 12 |
| 14 | LSU | SEC |
| 15 | Arizona State | Pac 12 |
| 16 | Georgia Tech | ACC |
| 17 | Ole Miss | SEC |
| 18 | Arkansas | SEC |
| 19 | Oklahoma | Big 12 |
| 20 | Wisconsin | Big Ten |
| 21 | Stanford | Pac 12 |
| 22 | Arizona | Pac 12 |
| 23 | Boise State | MWC |
| 24 | Missouri | SEC |
| 25 | Tennessee | SEC |
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