Frogs Climb in AP, Coaches Polls After Another Ranked Win

First and foremost, let me put this out there: I would much prefer that the Frogs stay ranked outside the top ten for the entire season, all the while going undefeated and getting to play the ‘they don’t respect us card’. I am quite sure that’s what Gary Patterson would prefer, as well.

But, that’s not the way these things work, well, not since we joined the Big 12 at least, so Coach P will need to find other ways to convince his team that they aren’t all that good and no one really thinks they can win the conference no matter how high they climb in the polls - and he has plenty of bulletin board material in that regard I am sure.

All that being said, there is still a clear dearth of respect for the Horned Frogs when it comes to the polls, as they climbed two spots to #6 in the AP and rose to #7 in the Coaches Poll Sunday after defeating formerly #23 West Virginia in Fort Worth Saturday. TCU remains firmly behind Penn State (#3), Georgia (#4), and Washington (#5), despite two of those teams to be without a single win over a ranked opponent this season (Penn State and Washington). The Frogs’ wins over then #6 Oklahoma State (on the road) and West Virginia should carry more weight than the Bulldogs’ victories over Notre Dame and Mississippi State - even if the Irish have looked good since losing by a point at home. The SEC East is so so so bad this year, and the West isn’t far behind, while the Pac 12 is pretty meh as well. The Big 12 is currently the top-ranked conference in Bill Connelly’s S&P Rankings, but it’s highly likely the conference cannibalizes itself over the next six weeks or so, and with only TCU looking like they have a legitimate shot to go undefeated - and I really don’t see any way that happens with trips to Manhattan, to Ames, to Norman, and to Lubbock remaining - it could very well be that the strongest conference in the country never sniffs the top four again.

As it currently stands, the SEC has three ranked programs, led by #1 Alabama (who escaped College Station with an uninspiring win), the ACC has four, led by second place Clemson, who has some injury issues to overcome, and the fast-rising NC State, who may have actually turned the corner in 2017. The Big 10 leads all Power Five Conferences with five ranked teams, with Penn State, Wisconsin, and Ohio State all in the top ten - though between them, they have all of zero wins against ranked opponents and one against P5 competition outside of conference play. The Pac 12 has three ranked teams, with Washington and Washington State still undefeated and Stanford slipping back in at #23 after beating Utah on the road. The Big 12 has four teams, with OU falling all the way from #3 to #12 with their home loss to Iowa State, Oklahoma State holding steady at #14, and Texas Tech making their debut as a ranked team at #24, though they don’t quite make the cut in the Coaches Poll.

There’s a lot of season left to go, of course, and most things will work themselves out - except the Badgers who may go all the way to the Big Ten Championship without facing a ranked opponent. The Big 12 has a pair of huge games this weekend to reaffirm their status - the Red River Rivalry between OU and Texas as well as a huge matchup between Texas Tech and WVU in Morgantown that will keep or return one team to the top 25.

Full AP Top 25 (October 8th):

1. Alabama (43)
2. Clemson (18)
3. Penn State
4. Georgia
5. Washington
6. TCU
7. Wisconsin
8. Washington State
9. Ohio State
10. Auburn
11. Miami (FL)
12. Oklahoma
13. USC
14. Oklahoma State
15. Virginia Tech
16. Notre Dame
17. Michigan
18. South Florida
19. San Diego State
20. NC State
21. Michigan State
22. UCF
23. Stanford
24. Texas Tech
25. Navy

Others receiving votes: Georgia Tech 39, West Virginia 26, Louisville 25, Utah 17, LSU 9, Florida 9, Kentucky 6, Iowa St. 5, Texas A&M 4, Memphis 2