College Football

By the numbers: College basketball blue bloods make AP Top 25 history — in football

Updated Oct. 10, 2023 2:38 p.m. ET

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There is a period on the sports calendar that comes around every year in the month of November where the two most popular sports in the college landscape, football and basketball, overlap.

When that time arrives, fans of both sports are often faced with a decision: Focus on football and then shift to basketball, fully invest in basketball and leave football in the rearview, or attempt to devote your time to both sports.

For schools like UCLA, North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke and Kansas, the answer is often the following: All Basketball. All the time.

However, as the college football landscape continues to evolve and more parity comes into play, fans of those traditional college basketball powerhouse programs might find themselves a bit conflicted this fall.

For the first time in the college football AP poll era, all five college basketball blue bloods – UCLA, North Carolina, Kentucky, Duke and Kansas – are ranked in college football's AP Top 25 Poll at the same time.

UNC is the highest-ranked team of the group, riding a 5-0 record and slotted at No. 12 in the latest AP poll, but the other four programs have gotten off to strong starts on the gridiron as well. Duke sits at 4-1 and holds the No. 17 ranking, with its lone loss coming against Notre Dame in Week 5. UCLA is right behind, sitting at No. 18 with a 4-1 record after upsetting Washington State in Week 6. 

Kansas and Kentucky are both ranked near the bottom of the poll, but both programs have been impressive this season. The Jayhawks are 5-1 and climbed back into the top 25 at No. 23 following their 51-22 thrashing of UCF in Week 6. The Wildcats dropped to No. 24 this week after they fell to Georgia, 51-13, which was their first loss of the season. 

So, heading into the midway point of the 2023 college football season, is it possible all five of these blue blood programs can maintain success once college hoops gets underway in early November?

Here is a look at each team's season and how likely it is that each will finish in the top 25 in both football and basketball.

North Carolina Tar Heels

AP ranking: 12
Record: 5-0
Unit rankings: 500 yards per game (ninth in FBS), 36.6 points per game (T-18th); 334.6 yards allowed per game (35th), 19 points allowed per game (T-31st)
Odds to win ACC/national championship: +500/+10000

As mentioned earlier, North Carolina has had the strongest football season of the five college basketball blue bloods.

Drake Maye has led the way for the Tar Heels' offense this season, throwing for 1,629 yards, eight touchdowns and four interceptions to go with 174 rushing yards and four rushing scores. Maye is not alone in making the offense go. Omarion Hampton has been outstanding in the run game, rushing for 461 yards on 5.2 yards per carry and seven touchdowns. Nate McCollum (28 receptions for 355 yards and a touchdown) and Kobe Paysour (22 receptions for 282 yards and three touchdowns) have formed a solid wide receiver tandem, and the Tar Heels just added some talent to that group as Tez Walker was granted immediate eligibility, reversing course after the NCAA initially ruled he would have to sit out this season as a two-time transfer. Walker caught six passes for 43 yards in UNC's win over Syracuse.

Defensively, UNC has had mixed results this season. The Tar Heels are holding opponents to 19 points per game, which ranks fourth in the ACC, but they did surrender 34 points to Appalachian State in a narrow Week 2 victory. Kaimon Rucker leads the team with four sacks, while Alijah Huzzie already has three interceptions in five games. 

North Carolina's success on the football field this season wasn't unexpected. The program has had a solid turnaround following Mack Brown's return as coach in 2019, being ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll 31 times since his return to Chapel Hill. 

The Tar Heels currently have two ranked opponents remaining on their schedule, with both games coming at home (Oct. 14 vs. No. 25 Miami, Nov. 11 vs. No. 17 Duke). They close out their season with road games against Clemson and North Carolina State.

North Carolina college football history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 276
Bowl record: 15-22
Conference titles: 7
National titles: 0 

North Carolina college basketball history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 936
NCAA Tournament appearances: 52
Conference titles: 39 regular season, 26 tournament
National titles: 6

Combined college football and basketball wins: 3,025 (682 in college football, 2,343 in college basketball)

Duke Blue Devils

AP ranking: 17
Record: 4-1
Unit rankings: 404.2 yards per game (60th), 32.6 points per game (45th); 297.2 yards allowed per game (18th), 11.2 points allowed per game (fourth)
Odds to win ACC/national championship: +1700/+50000

While North Carolina has been successful on offense, Duke has found success on the defensive side of the ball this season.

The Blue Devils have been stout defensively, allowing just seven touchdowns through their first five games. They've also recorded eight turnovers (four interceptions, four forced fumbles), three of which came in a season-opening win over Clemson. Mike Elko's team has held all five of its opponents to 21 points-or-less this season.

Quarterback Riley Leonard has been the catalyst for Duke's offense. The junior QB has thrown for 912 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, while adding 326 rushing yards and four touchdowns on the ground. Riley suffered a high ankle sprain in Duke's loss to Notre Dame and is listed as day-to-day heading into a matchup against NC State on Saturday.

The Blue Devils control their own destiny to make the ACC title game as they don't have a conference loss. However, all three of their remaining ranked matchups will be on the road (Oct. 21 @ No. 3 Florida State, Oct. 14 @ Louisville, Nov. 11 @ No. 12 North Carolina). 

Duke college football history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 178
Bowl record: 7-8
Conference titles: 17
National titles: 0

Duke college basketball history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 872
NCAA Tournament appearances: 45
Conference titles: 23 regular season, 27 tournament
National titles: 5

Combined college football and basketball wins: 2,786 (513 in college football, 2,273 in college basketball)

UCLA Bruins

AP ranking: 18
Record: 4-1
Unit rankings: 458.8 yards per game (26th), 30.6 points per game (63rd); 254.2 yards allowed per game (fifth), 12.2 points allowed per game (T-eighth)
Odds to win Pac-12/national championship: +2000/+50000

Chip Kelly is on track for another winning season, but he's not winning in the way many college football fans are used to seeing him win. 

The Bruins' defense has been one of the best in the country this year, and they've been at their best in their two biggest games. UCLA's defense allowed just 14 points in a loss to No. 16 Utah in Week 4. Following a bye in Week 5, the Bruins' defense stepped up again in a win over then-No. 13 Washington State. They forced standout quarterback Cameron Ward to throw his first two interceptions of the season and gave up just 12 rushing yards in a 25-17 win. Through five games, the Bruins have 18 sacks and 13 takeaways. Defensive lineman Laiatu Latu has five sacks, while defensive back Alex Johnson has three interceptions. 

Freshman quarterback Dante Moore has the look of a future star. He has thrown for 1,139 yards, nine touchdowns and four interception through five games. Running backs Carson Steele and TJ Harden have rushed for 412 and 286 yards, respectively, with four total touchdowns. 

While the Pac-12 is a gauntlet to get through this year, UCLA only has two ranked matchups left on its schedule (Oct. 14 @ No. 15 Oregon State and Nov. 18 @ No. 10 USC).

UCLA college football history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 550
Bowl record: 16-20-1
Conference titles: 17
National titles: 1

UCLA college basketball history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 737
NCAA Tournament appearances: 52
Conference titles: 32 regular season, four tournament
National titles: 11

Combined college football and basketball wins: 2,600 (611 in college football, 1,989 in college basketball)

Can the Pac-12 send a team to the Playoff after UCLA's win vs. Washington State?

Kansas Jayhawks

AP ranking: 23
Record: 5-1
Unit rankings: 433.7 yards per game (39th), 36 points per game (T-24th); 369.8 yards allowed per game (69th), 25.5 points allowed per game (T-70th)
Odds to win Big 12/national championship: +2500/+50000

Lance Leipold has another solid offense in Lawrence this fall.

Big 12 Preseason Offensive Player of the Year Jalon Daniels has started where he left off last season. He has thrown for 705 yards, five touchdowns and an interception in three games this season as the Jayhawks have gone 3-0 in his starts. But Daniels hasn't been a beacon of health this season, missing Kansas' last two games due to a back injury.

Jason Bean has been solid in Daniels' absence. The senior signal-caller has thrown for 503 yards and four touchdowns without an interception this season. The Jayhawks have also gotten major help out of the backfield. Devin Neal has rushed for 593 yards on 7.7 yards per carry with six touchdowns, while Daniel Hishaw has totaled 413 yards on 6.9 yards per carry and six touchdowns. 

Similar to Elko at Duke, Leipold has overseen a quick turnaround at Kansas. After Kansas won just 20 games between 2010-20, Leipold has gotten the Jayhawks into the top 25 four times now in his three seasons at the helm. 

Kansas has one game remaining on its schedule against a ranked opponent, hosting No. 5 Oklahoma on Oct. 28.

Kansas college football history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 113
Bowl record: 6-7
Conference titles: 5
National titles: 0

Kansas college basketball history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 839
NCAA Tournament appearances: 51
Conference titles: 64 regular season, 16 tournament
National titles: 4

Combined college football and basketball wins: 2,928 (543 in college football, 2,385 in college basketball)

Kentucky Wildcats

AP ranking: 24
Record: 5-1
Unit rankings: 360.7 yards per game (87th), 33 points per game (T-41st); 349 yards allowed per game (46th), 21.2 points allowed per game (43rd)
Odds to win SEC/ national championship: +8500/+30000

Kentucky got hit with a hard dose of reality in Week 6, losing 51-13 to Georgia.

But Mark Stoops has another solid squad in Lexington this season. The Wildcats had a strong first five weeks of the season, with quarterback Devin Leary, running back Ray Davis and wide receiver Tayvion Robinson forming a capable trio on offense. Leary has thrown for 1,257 yards, 12 touchdowns and five interceptions this season. Davis has rushed for 653 yards and eight touchdowns, adding four receiving scores. Robinson has 21 receptions for 317 yards and three touchdowns. 

Out of the five college basketball blue bloods, Kentucky has been the one that has enjoyed the most success in football over the last five-plus seasons. Stoops has led the Wildcats to a winning season in six of the last seven years and his team has been ranked in the AP Top 25 Poll 33 weeks since 2018. The success Stoops has had at Kentucky even led to an internal debate on whether the university is a basketball or football school last year.

Kentucky's football team has a tough road ahead if it wants to finish the season ranked. The Wildcats have three ranked matchups remaining on their schedule, hosting two (Oct. 28 vs. Tennessee, Nov. 11 vs. Alabama) before closing its season at No. 14 Louisville. 

Kentucky college football history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 111
Bowl record: 12-10
Conference titles: 2
National titles: 0

Kentucky college basketball history:

Weeks spent ranked in AP Top 25 Poll: 949
NCAA Tournament appearances: 61
Conference titles: 56 regular season, 33 tournament
National titles: 8

Combined college football and basketball wins: 2,903 (526 in college football, 2,377 in college basketball)

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