The University of South Florida is no longer in the AP Top 25, hurting its chances of securing an automatic berth in the College Football Playoff.
The Bulls were ranked 18th but dropped out Sunday after their 34-31 loss at Memphis — a game in which they led by 14 points in the fourth quarter.
Prior to the loss, USF (6-2, 3-1 in the American Conference) was the only Group of Five team in the poll, which is based on a vote by The Associated Press’ panel of reporters and broadcasters. The five highest-ranked conference champions earn bids in the CFP field.
They were also ranked
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USF received 22 votes, while Memphis (7-1, 3-1) is ranked 25th.
The 12-team playoff is seeded by the CFP committee, which doesn’t release the first of its six rankings until Nov. 4. However, AP is using its poll to create a “mock” bracket.
The top four seeds remain unchanged on the College Football Playoff bracket based on The Associated Press Top 25, but three of the four first-round matchups would change and Memphis returned as the Group of Five representative, replacing USF.
- No. 9 seed Vanderbilt at No. 8 seed Georgia Tech. Winner vs. No. 1 Ohio State.
- No. 12 seed Memphis at No. 5 Georgia. Winner vs. No. 4 Alabama.
- No. 10 seed Miami or BYU at No. 7 Mississippi. Winner vs. No. 2 Indiana.
Only slight alterations were required on the mock bracket because the significant changes in the AP poll came toward the bottom.
Ohio State, Indiana, Texas A&M and Alabama would be the top four seeds as the Nos. 1-4 teams in the AP poll. The top four seeds receive a first-round bye.
Miami and BYU tied for No. 10 in the poll, meaning those two teams had to be listed as possibilities to be 10th or 11th in the seeding.
The Southeastern Conference would have five of the 12 teams on the bracket. The Big Ten would have three teams, the Atlantic Coast Conference would have two and the Big 12 and American one each.
USF also dropped out of the weekly coaches poll, with two American Conference teams ranked — Navy at 23rd and Memphis at 25th.
The Bulls are now in a four-way tie for third places in the American Conference behind Navy and Tulane.
After a bye next weekend, USF hosts Texas-San Antonio on Thursday, Nov. 6, at 7:30 p.m.
The Bulls travel to Navy on Nov. 15 before wrapping up the regular season against UAB and Rice.
Information from the Associated Press was used in this report.
