NATIONAL RANKINGS

3 teams make big jump, but all Georgia teams take a hit in national rankings

15 state teams are in at least one national ranking.

Cartersville coach Conor Foster — pictured during the Purple Hurricanes' August game against Hiram — has his 6-0 team No. 1 in the GHSA's Class 5A rankings and tied for first place in its region. (Erik S. Lesser for the AJC)

By Chip Saye

1 hour ago

Cartersville, Grayson and Gainesville made the biggest jumps in a week that was otherwise unfriendly to Georgia teams in the national high school football rankings.

Cartersville, the No. 1 team in AJC Varsity’s Georgia Class 5A rankings, moved up 24 spots to No. 52 in the Massey Ratings. The Purple Hurricanes are 6-0 after a 50-0 victory over previously unbeaten Cass last week and are tied for first place in Region 7-5A with Cedartown, their opponent this week.

Full list of Thursday GHSA football games, several moved for Hurricane Isaias

Grayson climbed 23 spots to No. 61 in the Sports Idol Nation poll after a 10-9 victory last week over Miami’s Carol City, which was ranked in the Top 50 nationally. The Rams are 3-3 but have losses to North Gwinnett, Sandy Creek and Buford, all of which are undefeated and ranked in the Top 40 of at least one national poll.

Gainesville moved up 22 spots to No. 73 in the Massey Ratings after a 34-5 victory over Roswell, which has held Top 100 national ranking this season. Gainesville has won four straight since opening the season with losses to Top 50 national teams Buford and East St. Louis of Illinois.

The rest of the news was not so good for Georgia teams.

Fifteen of the state’s teams were ranked in the Top 100 (or Top 25, depending on the poll) in at least one of the nine polls considered by AJC Varsity, and all of them dropped in at least one poll. That includes Cartersville, Grayson and Gainesville but also Georgia’s consensus top three teams — Buford, Carrollton and Thomas County Central.

Buford fell one spot in the Massey Ratings, Mister Football Composite and USA Today rankings but remains in the Top 8 in all nine polls. Carrollton fell two spots in the Massey Ratings and NationalHSFB.com rankings, and Thomas County Central dropped two spots in one poll and one spot in two others.

Here is where Georgia teams stand in several national polls. The numbers on the left are this week’s rankings; the numbers in parentheses are last week’s rankings.

2 of the top 10 GHSA football games this week moved to Thursday

MaxPreps

(Full Top 100 list)