Here are the 5 biggest winners and losers of college football this week
▲ No. 7 Florida Gators — Up 2 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
Even though South Carolina was unranked heading into its matchup against Dan Mullen and the then-No. 9 Florida Gators, the Gamecocks were certainly trending up after pulling off a major upset against the then-No. 3 Georgia Bulldogs on the road the week prior. Still, South Carolina couldn't carry that momentum into Saturday's matchup, with the Gators walking away with the 38-27 win and a two-spot jump in the AP Poll.
▲ No. 6 Penn State Nittany Lions — Up 1 spot in the AP Top 25 Poll
The then-No. 7 Nittany Lions came to play against the then-No. 16 Michigan Wolverines, jumping out to a 21-0 lead and holding Jim Harbaugh's squad scoreless until the end of the first half. Michigan tried to climb its way back into it, but Penn State held on for the 28-21 win and gained another spot in the rankings.
▲ No. 12 Utah Utes — Up 1 spot in the AP Top 25 Poll
Then-No. 13 Utah defended their home field against Arizona State and sent the Sun Devils packing with a decisive 21-3 win. The Utes aren't slated to face another ranked opponent during the regular season, so No. 12 could be as high as we see them rise this year.
▲ No. 3 Ohio State — Up 1 spot in the AP Top 25 Poll
No. 3 Ohio State leapfrogged over the defending champion Clemson Tigers to make the AP Poll podium this week. The Buckeyes delivered a serious beating to the hapless Northwestern Wildcats, holding them to just a field goal while racking up a whopping 52 points at Ryan Field. Ohio State will head back to the Horseshoe to take on the No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers — the Buckeyes' toughest test of the season thus far.
▲ No. 21 Appalachian State Mountaineers — Up 3 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
No. 21 Appalachian State may get overlooked because they don't compete in a Power Five conference, but the Mountaineers are making their case as serious college football contenders. They took down Louisiana-Monroe by a 42-point margin Saturday and have averaged 43 points per game thus far this season. In a few weeks, Appalachian State will head south to Columbia to take on South Carolina, and we'll get to see what this Mountaineer squad is really made of.
▼ No. 13 Wisconsin Badgers — Dropped 7 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
The Badgers — who had climbed to No. 6 in last week's AP Poll — suffered their first defeat of the season to Big Ten bottom-dweller Illinois. They'll look to bounce back and climb back into the top 10 against the No. 20 Iowa Hawkeyes.
▼ No. 4 Clemson Tigers — Dropped 2 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
The Clemson Tigers are reigning college football champions and, through eight weeks of play, no team has been able to topple them. Still, Dabo Swinney's squad has shown some weaknesses, especially in its close call against North Carolina a few weeks back. Still, it's somewhat surprising that the Tigers would drop a spot this week after thoroughly thrashing Louisville.
▼ No. 24 Arizona State Sun Devils — Dropped 7 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
Arizona State had a chance to boost its standing on its trip to Salt Lake City this week. But instead of threatening to upset the then-No. 13 Utah Utes, the Sun Devils floundered and failed to score a single touchdown. The showing cost them seven spots in the AP Poll.
▼ No. 22 Boise State Broncos — Dropped 8 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
The Boise State Broncos have been enjoying a banner season, but a surprise upset at the hands of unranked Brigham Young may have impeded their success. They dropped eight spots in this week's AP Poll and, with no ranked opponents on their schedule for the rest of the regular season, may be resigned to the upper end of the rankings for the foreseeable future.
▼ No. 19 Michigan Wolverines — Dropped 3 spots in the AP Top 25 Poll
Jim Harbaugh has failed to usher his Michigan Wolverines to their former glory in his tenure as head coach at his alma mater. This season has been no exception, with the No. 19 Wolverines taking down opponents their expected to beat and failing to compete against the upper echelons of the Big Ten. Michigan lost 28-21 at No. 6 Penn State after falling behind by three touchdowns in the first half, and now the Wolverines are once again grappling with a season that fails to meet expectations.
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