AP Top 25 poll preview: ACC opens up with Louisville, Virginia losses, paving way for Georgia Tech

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The biggest winner in Week 11 of college football didn't touch the field this week. Despite being idle, Georgia Tech is set to reclaim the Atlantic Coast Conference lead after losses by No. 12 Virginia and No. 14 Louisville.

The action continued in the Big 12, as No. 8 BYU at No. 9 Texas Tech squared off in a showdown between the conference's top two contenders. Texas Tech came out on top and is set to leapfrog the Cougars in the rankings, taking sole possession of the conference.

No. 2 Indiana narrowly avoided its first loss of the season and a potentially significant drop in the rankings in a last-minute thriller against Penn State. Fernando Mendoza found Omar Cooper Jr. in the end zone with 36 seconds remaining, carrying Indiana to the 27-24 win.

Iowa played No. 6 Oregon tough, but the Hawkeyes fell just short in the final moments as the Ducks kicked a game-winning field goal. The 18-16 loss marks Iowa's third of the season and jeopardizes its playoff path.

– Texas Tech handed BYU its first loss of the season on Saturday, defeating the Cougars with a convincing 29-7 win. The Red Raiders rank directly below BYU in the AP Top 25 and College Football Playoff rankings and are poised to move up.

— The rankings could shift in No. 18 Miami's favor after the Hurricanes' 38-10 rout of Syracuse on Saturday.

— No. 16 Georgia Tech could capitalize on the losses by Virginia and Louisville to return to the highest ranking in the ACC.

– BYU will drop after a loss in what was the first top-10 matchup for a Big 12 conference game since 2021.

— No. 19 Missouri lost 38-17 to No. 3 Texas A&M. The Tigers trailed in all four quarters and were outplayed on both sides of the ball in their first outing after quarterback Beau Pribula's season-ending injury. It marks Missouri's third loss this season.

– No. 22 Memphis lost 38-32 to unranked Tulane on Friday night. Memphis trailed for the majority of the game, tying it twice in the first quarter and early in the second. The Tigers scored 15 straight points in the fourth quarter, but Tulane held them off for the win.

— No. 14 Louisville lost in a 29-26 overtime thriller to California. The Cardinals tied it in the fourth quarter, but settling for a field goal in overtime wasn't enough as California answered back with a touchdown to win it.

— No. 24 Washington's stint in the AP Top 25 will be short-lived after a 13-10 loss to Wisconsin. The Huskies cracked the rankings last week despite being idle.

— No. 12 Virginia failed to find the end zone in a 16-9 loss to Wake Forest. The Cavaliers lost quarterback Chandler Morris early in the game to an injury from a hard hit and couldn't get momentum rolling offensively under quarterback Daniel Kaelin.

— James Madison is two spots out of the AP Top 25, and a 35-23 win against Marshall, paired with a Memphis loss to Tulane, could be enough to crack the rankings. It was a solid performance for a Dukes' team that believes it's worthy of consideration for the CFP’s Group of Five spot.

— Iowa nearly pulled off the upset against No. 6 Oregon, taking the lead with 6:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. Oregon answered with a game-winning field goal with three seconds on the clock, solidifying the 18-16 victory. Iowa came in at No. 20 in the initial College Football Playoff rankings.

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