Heels back in AP poll, Clemson falls to No. 4 after close win

Joshua S. Kelly—USA Today Sports
Oct 15

Michigan had the weekend off and moved up to No. 3 in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll released on Sunday.The Wolverines swapped places with now-No. 4 Clemson. The No. 3 ranking is Michigan’s highest since 2006.The Wolverines, who received one first-place vote, annihilated Rutgers 78-0 on Oct. 8 in their most-recent game.Alabama and Ohio State remain No. 1 and 2, respectively.Michigan’s move gives the Big Ten two of the three highest-ranked teams. The Wolverines play at Ohio State on Nov. 26.The Crimson Tide received 60 of the 61 first-place votes after trouncing Tennessee 49-10. Alabama has won 19 consecutive games.The outcome led to the Volunteers falling from No. 9 to No. 18.Clemson dropped a spot after a close call against unranked North Carolina State. The Tigers prevailed 24-17 in overtime and nearly lost in regulation but North Carolina State’s Kyle Bambard missed a 33-yard field goal on the final play of regulation.Washington remained fifth, followed by Texas A&M and Louisville. Nebraska moved up to No. 8 — its highest ranking since early in the 2011 season.No. 9 Baylor and Wisconsin round out the Top 10.Houston is 11th while undefeated West Virginia moved up eight spots to No. 12. Florida State is No. 13.Boise State of the Mountain West is 14th after remaining unbeaten. Western Michigan of the Mid-American Conference also is unscathed and stands at No. 20.Florida is No. 15, followed by Oklahoma and Arkansas.One-loss Utah checks in at No. 19.Auburn is No. 21 and North Carolina returns to the Top 25 at No. 22 after upsetting Miami.The Hurricanes, who were ranked 16th, have lost consecutive games to drop out of poll.Virginia Tech, ranked 17th last week, also fell out of the rankings after losing to Syracuse.Ole Miss dropped 11 spots to No. 23 after falling to Arkansas. The Rebels are the first 3-3 team to be ranked since Oklahoma was No. 25 during the 2009 campaign.Navy is No. 24 and LSU re-enters the rankings at No. 25.