AP Top 25 Risers and Fallers: Indiana can hang with the big boys

The AP Top 25 Poll for Week 11 shows a shift in the college football landscape. The playoff picture has changed, and there are now some teams in the discussion who could crash the party.

Others have seen their hopes fade with recent results.

Let’s look at how things shook out.

Rising: Notre Dame

Last week's ranking: No. 4. This week: No. 2.

The Fighting Irish did something no team had done in in more than three years — they defeated Clemson during the regular season. It took two overtimes to do it, but fans were treated to a thrilling contest that saw the Notre Dame defense stand tall in the second overtime, on the strength of consecutive sacks.

In its first win over a No. 1 team in nearly 30 years, Notre Dame was able to fight back and tie the game on the final drive, after it squandered a 23-10 lead.

The Irish defense was gashed through the air, but it absolutely shut down Clemson’s run game (34 yards on 33 attempts). The Irish also limited Clemson to just four third-down conversions in 15 attempts and forced three turnovers.

These teams will likely get a rematch in the ACC Championship Game, but it looks unlikely that Notre Dame will have a loss on its record if that happens. The remaining four games look like little more than speed bumps on the way to an 11-0 regular season.

Falling: Michigan

Last week's ranking: No. 23. This week: unranked.

This week, 38 teams received at least one vote in the AP Poll. Michigan was not one of those teams.

For the first time since November of 2017, the Wolverines find themselves outside the Top 25. This comes after a 38-21 defeat to Indiana, a game they trailed 24-7 at the half.

The Wolverines struggled to run against the Hoosiers and gained only 13 yards on 18 carries. They also converted just three of 11 third-down attempts, and the Michigan defense allowed 460 yards.

With a ranked game against Wisconsin scheduled for this weekend, the Wolverines could be looking at a 1-3 start to the season.

If that happens, Jim Harbaugh’s seat won’t just be hot. It will be on fire.

Rising: Indiana

Last week's ranking: No. 13. This week: No. 10.

The Hoosiers have jumped into the top 10 for the first time. Indiana has scored at least 36 points in all three of its wins and has victories over two ranked teams.

Quarterback Michael Penix Jr. has been terrific, and he averages 250 yards passing per game, with a 7-1 touchdown-interception ratio. He has also rushed for two scores on 12 carries.

Indiana has performed well, despite an inability to run the ball. The Hoosiers average fewer than 90 rushing yards per contest, and they rushed 38 times for only 118 yards against Michigan. That could be an issue against their next two opponents, as Michigan State and Ohio State will provide much tougher challenges for the passing game.

While a 5-0 start is unlikely, this Indiana team is flying high and has shown it can hang with the big boys of the Big Ten.

Falling: Georgia

Last week's ranking: No. 5. This week: No. 12.

Georgia offense simply was not able to keep up with the Florida Gators on Saturday.

Quarterback Stephen Bennett was benched, after he completed just five of his 16 pass attempts for 78 yards, and backup D’Wan Mathis did not perform much better. Between them, they completed just 30% of their throws and threw three interceptions. Georgia only gained 12 first downs and a pair of third-down conversions.

The glaring weakness behind center was evident against Kentucky, and it bit the Bulldogs hard against the Gators.

Their remaining four games will likely see them favored, but Missouri will present a challenge this weekend. If the Bulldogs don’t figure out a way to fix their passing attack, they could be falling again in next week’s poll.

Rising: Northwestern

Last week's ranking: unranked. This week: No. 23.

The Wildcats have a 3-0 record, after a 21-13 win over Nebraska.

The Wildcats have rushed for more than 200 yards per game this season, and their bend-but-don’t-break defense has held three opponents to just 36 points combined.

That effectiveness will be tested against Purdue this weekend, as the Boilermakers average 27 points per game. However, Northwestern should be able to run against Purdue's porous defense and move up the rankings again next week.

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