Super 16 Poll: Vols Jump To 3rd, Tide Fall to 6th

October 16, 2022 by FWAA, NFF, CollegeFootballPoll.com

Georgia picked up 31-of-52 first-place votes and remained No. 1 for the second consecutive week after defeating Vanderbilt 55-0 at home in Week 7. The top ranking marks the 13th all-time appearance at No. 1 for the Bulldogs, which sets the record for second-most appearances in the top spot for the Super 16 poll.

First place votes also went to Ohio State (14), Tennessee (6) and Clemson (1).

No. 3 Tennessee rose to its highest ranking in the history of the poll after defeating Alabama 52-49 at home. Alabama dropped to No. 6 which marks the lowest ranking for the Crimson Tide since being ranked No. 9 on December 8, 2019.

No. 7 TCU landed its highest ranking since the Horned Frogs took the No. 4 spot on October 22, 2017. UCLA's No. 9 ranking marked the Bruins' highest position in the poll since being ranked No. 8 on September 27, 2015.

NC State and Mississippi State dropped out of the poll completely after suffering defeats on the road in Week 7. Syracuse and Utah joined the poll, claiming Nos. 13 and 15, respectively . Syracuse's appearance in the poll marks the first for the Orange since November 12, 2018.

The SEC and Pac-12 led all conferences with four teams each, followed by the Big Ten and ACC with three each and the Big 12 with two.

A panel of 52 FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers vote in the poll. Voters were selected to create a balanced geographical perspective and include CollegeFootballPoll.com's Dave Congrove.

Congrove's ballot kept Ohio State and Georgia at 1st and 2nd, but had substantial changes after that. He moved Michigan up from 4th to 3rd, Tenenssee from 8th to 4th, and Clemson from 7th to 5. He moved Alabama down from 3rd to 6th, just ahead of Ole Miss which moved up to 7th from 9th. He gave TCU a 4-spot rise from 12th to 8th, moved Oklahoma State down from 6th to 9th, and inched UCLA up from 11th to 10th. He dropped USC from 11th to 5th, added Syracuse at No. 12, raised Oregon one spot to 13th, promoted Kansas State from 16th to 14th, added Wake Forest at 15th and Utah at 16th.

Congrove dropped Penn State, NC State and Mississippi State. Going into the week, he had Penn State 10th, NC State 13th and Mississippi State 15th.

  Team Points 1st LW
1. Georgia (7-0) 799 21 1
2. Ohio State (6-0) 781 19 2
3. Tennessee (6-0) 718 10 6
4. Michigan (7-0) 690 1 5
5. Clemson (7-0) 628 -- 4
6. Alabama (6-1) 535 1 3
7. TCU (6-0) 481 -- 12
8. Ole Miss (7-0) 474 -- 9
9. UCLA (6-0) 410 -- 11
10. Oregon (5-1) 326 -- 13
11. Oklahoma State (5-1) 268 -- 8
12. USC (6-1) 253 -- 7
13. Syracuse (6-0) 169 -- --
14. Wake Forest (5-1) 161 -- 14
15. Utah (5-2) 140 -- --
16. Penn State (5-1) 107 -- 10

Others receiving votes:

Kansas State (44), Kentucky (30), Illinois (25), Texas (14), Florida State (7), Mississippi State (4), Cincinnati (4), North Carolina (1), Arkansas (1)

SCHEDULE (OCT. 22):
No. 1 Georgia is idle.
Iowa at No. 2 Ohio State
Tennessee-Martin at No. 3 Tennessee
No. 4 Michigan is idle
No. 13 Syracuse at No. 5 Clemson
Mississippi State at No. 6 Alabama
Kansas State at No. 7 TCU
No. 8 Mississippi at LSU
No. 9 UCLA at No. 10 Oregon
Texas at No. 11 Oklahoma State
No. 12 USC is idle
Boston College at No. 14 Wake Forest
No 15 Utah is idle
Minnesota at No. 16 Penn State

ABOUT THE FWAA-NFF SUPER 16 POLL: The FWAA-NFF Super 16 Poll was established at the conclusion of the 2013 season by long-time partners, the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the National Football Foundation (NFF). Voters rank the top 16 teams in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision, and the results will be released every Sunday of the 2022 season; the individual votes of all members will also be made public. The first regular season poll will be released on Tuesday, Sept. 6 (to account for Labor Day games), and the final poll will be released Sunday, Dec. 4. The pollsters consist of FWAA writers and College Football Hall of Famers who were selected to create a balanced-geographical perspective. The poll utilizes a computer program designed by Sports Systems, a TicketManager company, to compile the rankings.

ABOUT THE FWAA: Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of journalists, broadcasters, publicists, photographers and key executives in all areas of college football. The FWAA works to govern media access and gameday operations while presenting awards and honors, including an annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA, visit www.footballwriters.com.

ABOUT THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL FOUNDATION & COLLEGE FOOTBALL HALL OF FAME: Founded in 1947 with early leadership from General Douglas MacArthur, legendary Army coach Earl "Red" Blaik and immortal journalist Grantland Rice, The National Football Foundation & College Hall of Fame is a non-profit educational organization that runs programs designed to use the power of amateur football in developing scholarship, citizenship and athletic achievement in young people. Learn more at www.footballfoundation.org and follow us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @NFFNetwork.