After being left out of the AP Top 25 Poll for six weeks, this would finally have been the Oklahoma Sooners' chance to get a number next to their name again. But these Sooners have proven again and again that they're not worthy.
The Sooners again failed to win back-to-back games with an embarrassing 42-25 loss to South Carolina on Saturday in Norman that dropped them to 4-4. After that showing, it's hard to imagine I'll ever be projecting OU to be ranked again this season.
Instead, it will probably be South Carolina cracking the top 25 on Sunday while riding a three-game winning streak at 5-3. That would have been almost the same situation OU could have been in with a win on Saturday.
The usual chaos likely opened up five spots in the AP Top 25 to be taken by a new team when the next poll is unveiled on Sunday afternoon. The Gamecocks' blowout of OU, with a pair of ranked wins before that, should be enough to earn them one of those spots.
Those falling after losses include No. 19 SMU, No. 20 Northwestern, No. 22 Arizona, No. 24 Oklahoma State, and No. 25 Wisconsin. No. 17 Florida could also be in danger of slipping out right before hosting the Sooners on Saturday in The Swamp.
This isn't how I believe the rankings should be, but how I think the voters will fill out the next AP Top 25 Poll.
Projecting AP Top 25 Poll after Week 9
1. Miami
2. Georgia
3. Notre Dame
4. Utah
5. Indiana
6. UCLA
7. BYU
8. Kentucky
9. Alabama
10. Texas
11. Ohio State
12. Ole Miss
13. Texas Tech
14. Wake Forest
15. LSU
16. Tennessee
17. Houston
18. Missouri
19. USC
20. Boise State
21. Iowa
22. South Carolina
23. Oregon State
24. Florida
25. New Mexico
Obviously, the most shuffling will come down low, but No. 2 Ohio State losing to Lincoln Riley's USC 30-18 (ugh) will cause some change up top. Georgia should take that second slot after blowing out Florida.
No. 1 Miami almost became the fourth top-ranked team to suffer defeat this season before escaping North Carolina with a 38-35 victory. Even that close call shouldn't be enough to dethrone the Hurricanes before their trip to Notre Dame for a top-5 clash.
Like Georgia, fellow former OU opponents Kentucky, Texas, and, yes, New Mexico should continue to climb. The Lobos could be another beneficiary of winning through all the chaos that has engulfed college football. New Mexico hasn't lost since it visited Norman and is now 7-1 with a possible ranking in its near future. If Boise State loses while the Lobos win out, they could slip into the College Football Playoff as the Group of 6 representative. Oregon State is still lurking, too, though.
The new top 25 should also maintain future ranked matchups for the Sooners against Florida, Ole Miss, and Missouri. Based on what's ahead and what we saw from OU on Saturday, don't expect the Sooners to rise as a ranked team any time soon, no matter how much chaos ensues during the month of November.
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