The fab five of Florida State, Oregon, Alabama, Oklahoma and Auburn continue to be the pack leaders in the latest AP Top 25 poll and remain favorites to populate the four-team field in the first College Football Playoff.
South Carolina made the biggest jump up the rankings, moving up 10 spots to No. 14 following a thrilling, edge-of-your-seat victory over Georgia. USC defense fell apart against Boston College, and that resulted in an eight-spot drop to No. 17.
There's life at the bottom of the AP poll. If you look closely at the "others receiving votes" portion of the program, an FCS team has snuck into the national consciousness of the poll voters. North Dakota State, the pride of Fargo and the three-time defending national champions (impressive when you consider that NDSU actually goes through a 24-team playoff to earn its championships), earned three votes (North Dakota State also received votes in the CFB 24/7 Top 25 Power Rankings this week).
The AP poll could experience some shakeup next week. Kansas State hosts Auburn on Thursday and Florida State hosts Clemson on Saturday in showdowns involving ranked teams.
The AP poll is voted on by sportswriters. While the placement of teams might generate some heated debate among fans on sports talk radio, in campus dorm rooms, around the watercooler, at the local coffee shop or local sports emporium, it is necessary to note that the AP poll is for entertainment purposes only. Unlike during the BCS era, the AP poll no longer factors into the arithmetic of which teams get to play for the national championship. Complicated formulas factoring in polls and computer rankings have zero bearing on the four-team College Football Playoff field, which instead will be determined by a 13-person selection committee.
The entire order of the AP poll:
Others receiving votes: North Carolina 82, Duke 55, Mississippi State 55, Virginia Tech 54, Penn State 51, East Carolina 44, TCU 42, Pittsburgh 40, Florida 31, Marshall 28, Boston College 22, Washington 14, West Virginia 14, Cincinnati 10, Virginia 6, Arizona 3, Arkansas 3, North Dakota State 3, Louisville 2.
Follow Jim Reineking on Twitter @jimreineking.
