AP College Football Poll 2015 Week 14: Oklahoma Runs the Gauntlet, Jumps to 3rd Overall
ByThe ACC had a strong finish to the regular season, placing three teams in the Top 10 of the Associated Press' college football poll.
Clemson (1) survived an upset scare against South Carolina to remain atop the poll, while North Carolina (8) jumped up three places and Florida State (10) rose four coming off a 27-2 beat down on Florida (18). Clemson and North Carolina will play for the ACC Championship on Saturday.
The Big Ten also placed three teams in the Top 10, with Iowa (4) sliding down one spot to be followed by Michigan State (5) and Ohio State (6). The SEC, Big 12, and Pac-12 each placed one team within the Top 10: Alabama (2), Oklahoma (3), and Stanford (7), respectively. Notre Dame (9) rounded out the Top 10.
But week 14 is likely just a precursor to a massive shakeup next week, after the conference championships (as follows):
ACC: Clemson vs. North Carolina
Big Ten: Michigan State vs. Iowa
Pac-12: Stanford vs. USC (24)
SEC: Alabama vs. Florida
AAC: Houston (17) vs. Temple (20)
The Big 12 has no championship game, giving its champion, Oklahoma, a bye week, but the Sooners' effectively won their conference in three consecutive weeks. After a 4-0 start, Oklahoma suffered an upset loss to Texas, before going on another 4-0 run.
In their final three weeks, they beat Baylor on the road, TCU at home, and Oklahoma State on the road. The Big 12 intentionally scheduled its best teams to play one another at the end of the season, and Oklahoma was the only one to win all three games.