Big Ten

AP Top 25 Takeaways: Separating contenders and pretenders

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 9:23 p.m. ET

Highlighted by three games matching top-15 teams, this was the first weekend of the season to seriously separate College Football Playoff contenders and pretenders.

Feel free to take a seat at the adults' table No. 8 Auburn and No. 13 Wisconsin. You, too, No. 12 Texas. And No. 7 Notre Dame, even in a loss you looked like you belong.

We are looking for teams capable of disrupting the established upper tier in college football this season: No. 1 Clemson, No. 2 Alabama, No. 3 Georgia, No. 4 LSU, No. 5 Oklahoma and No. 6 Ohio State.

The Tigers, Badgers, Longhorns and Fighting Irish might — maybe — have the stuff to crash the party.

No. 11 Michigan, you're excused. Playoffs are the last thing coach Jim Harbaugh needs to be thinking about. His program seems to be at a crossroads. No. 15 UCF, which lost a regular-season game for the first time since 2016, will be joining the Wolverines on the don't-call-us-we'll-call-you list.

Might as well go in chronological order.

BULLISH BADGERS

A year after a season of great expectations went sideways for Wisconsin the country's most self-aware program is back on track. The Badgers never stray far from their successful player development blueprint. Build a big, strong offensive line. Put a workhorse tailback behind it. Play tough and disciplined defense. Wisconsin ripped off four straight 10-win seasons before sliding to 8-5 last year.

The Badgers are back. By beating down Michigan in Madison, the Badgers validated their dominant 2-0 start against weak competition.

"After the first two games, I feel like the world didn't want to say we were the best defense in the country," Badgers linebacker Zack Baun said. "(They said) we didn't have the best running back in the country and we didn't have the best O-line in the country. And we really made an effort to make a statement this game."

The Badgers finally did allow a point after nearly 11 quarters of shutout ball to start the season, and Jonathan Taylor ran for 203 yards, despite sitting out the second quarter with cramps. The Big Ten West looked wide open coming into the season, with Nebraska penciled in as the favorite. The Badgers still face the trickiest schedule in the West, including trips to No. 6 Ohio State and Nebraska, but they are clearly the favorites now.

That Oct. 26 meeting with the Buckeyes in Columbus, Ohio, might be a preview of the Big Ten championship game. Through four weeks, Wisconsin is the only team in the Big Ten that looks like it can challenge Justin Fields and Ohio State.

TEXAS TIGERS

Auburn was next up, taking care of No. 17 Texas A&M on the road. Auburn has made itself right at home in College Station, Texas, since the Aggies joined the Southeastern Conference, winning all four games there.

The Tigers now have two notable victories in the Lone Star State in September after rallying to beat No. 16 Oregon in Arlington to start the season.

To be fair, Auburn still looks too limited offensively to keep pace with super-charged Alabama and No. 4 LSU. The Tigers also draw both No. 3 Georgia and No. 9 Florida from the SEC East. But if there is going to be a third wheel in the West, Auburn and its nasty defensive line led by preseason All-American tackle Derrick Brown is it.

HORNS UP

Texas didn't beat a ranked foe. More like vanquishing a demon. Oklahoma State had won four straight overall against Texas and five straight in Austin. The Cowboys' dominance in the rivalry was symbolic of Texas' fall from grace.

The Longhorns, who two weeks ago played LSU toe-to-toe, took back the rivalry, with some timely defensive stops in their own territory and the third four-TD pass game of the season for Sam Ehlinger. On the Is Texas Back?-o-Meter, this was about an 8 out of 10.

NOTRE DAME'S ROAD

The Fighting Irish went to Athens as a two-touchdown underdog to face a Georgia team that has been trying to make the case it is the equal of Clemson and Alabama.

The Irish hung tough, but lost to a top-five team for the 11th straight time. There are no moral victories, but it wasn't that bad of a day for the Irish's playoff hopes. Suddenly, what was assumed to be difficult road games against Michigan and Stanford don't look so difficult for Notre Dame.

The Irish can't afford another loss but they will probably be favored in all their remaining games.