Oregon held onto its top spot for the fourth consecutive week in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll released Sunday, as Penn State and Indiana surged into the top five, and Georgia and Miami tumbled out of the top 10. Losses by four other ranked teams further shuffled the standings with just a month remaining in the regular season.
Oregon, the only team to maintain the No. 1 ranking for more than three consecutive weeks this season, improved to 10-0 after a decisive victory over Maryland. This marks the second week in a row that the Ducks have been the unanimous top choice.
Ohio State climbed to No. 2, while Texas moved up two places to No. 3. Penn State rose to No. 4, narrowly edging out No. 5 Indiana, with Tennessee close behind at No. 6.
Penn State, which was No. 6 the previous week, reclaimed a top-five position following an impressive win over Washington. The Hoosiers achieved a school-record 10th win by defeating Michigan 20-15, moving up from No. 8 to their highest ranking since they were No. 4 at the end of the 1967 season.
Rounding out the top 10 are BYU, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Mississippi. The SEC boasts four teams in the top 10 and nine in the AP Top 25 overall, while the Big Ten has four teams in the top five for the first time in its history.
Georgia and Miami experienced steep declines. The Bulldogs fell to No. 11 after a 28-10 loss to Mississippi, marking their first exit from the top 10 since late in the 2020 season. Miami’s 28-23 defeat at Georgia Tech dropped them from No. 4 to No. 12.
The impact of these losses on College Football Playoff aspirations will be clearer when the selection committee releases its updated rankings on Tuesday night. Georgia is now the fifth-highest-ranked team from the Southeastern Conference, while Miami remains the top-ranked team in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Mississippi made the largest leap, moving from No. 16 to No. 10 after a dominant defensive showing against Georgia. LSU’s playoff dreams were dashed with a 42-13 home loss to Alabama, plummeting them from No. 14 to No. 21.
No. 18 Colorado holds its playoff fate in its own hands. The Buffaloes are second in the Big 12, trailing only unbeaten BYU. If both teams win out, they would face off in the conference championship game.
Boise State slipped one position to No. 13 but remains the highest-ranked Group of Five team following a 28-21 win over Nevada.
South Carolina, coming in at No. 23, is back in the Top 25 for the first time since the end of the 2022 season after victories over ranked Texas A&M and Vanderbilt teams. Missouri, now No. 24, re-entered the rankings following a dramatic late touchdown to beat Oklahoma.
Tulane, on a seven-game winning streak, debuted in the Top 25 at No. 25 under first-year coach Jon Sumrall. Iowa State, Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt fell out of the rankings after losses to Kansas, Virginia, and recent poor performances, respectively.
In terms of conference representation, the SEC leads with nine teams, followed by the ACC and Big Ten, each with four teams. The Big 12 has three teams, the AAC two, and the Mountain West and Pac-12 each have one, along with one independent team.
Key upcoming matchups include No. 6 Tennessee visiting No. 11 Georgia, where Volunteers quarterback Nico Iamaleava is expected to return after not playing the second half against Mississippi State. Missouri will face South Carolina, with the Gamecocks aiming for a third straight win against a ranked opponent.
