Oregon retained its position as the No. 1 team in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll for the fourth consecutive week on Sunday. The Ducks, now 10-0 after pulling away from Maryland over the weekend, remained a unanimous No. 1 for the second week in a row.
Ohio State climbed one spot to No. 2, while Texas experienced a two-rung jump to No. 3. Penn State moved up to No. 4, narrowly ahead of No. 5 Indiana. Tennessee followed closely at No. 6, just three points behind.
Penn State, which was ranked No. 6 last week, surged into the top five after a comfortable win over Washington. Indiana, coming off a narrow 20-15 victory over Michigan for their school-record 10th win, moved up from No. 8 to its highest ranking since being No. 4 in the final poll of the 1967 season.
The top 10 also included BYU, Notre Dame, Alabama, and Mississippi. Notably, the SEC has four teams in the top 10 and nine overall in the AP Top 25, while the Big Ten has four teams in the top five for the first time in history.
Georgia and Miami faced significant drops. The Bulldogs fell from No. 2 to No. 11 after a 28-10 defeat at Mississippi, marking their first time out of the top 10 since late in the 2020 season. Miami’s 28-23 loss at Georgia Tech saw them plummet from No. 4 to No. 12.
The implications of these losses for their College Football Playoff bids will become clearer on Tuesday night when the selection committee releases its second rankings. Currently, Georgia is the fifth-highest ranked SEC team, while Miami remains the highest-ranked ACC team.
Mississippi’s 28-10 victory over Georgia resulted in the biggest jump, moving them from No. 16 to No. 10. Ole Miss showcased a dominant defensive performance against Georgia’s Carson Beck, following Jaxson Dart’s record-setting game against Arkansas.
LSU’s playoff aspirations were extinguished with a 42-13 home loss to Alabama, dropping the Tigers from No. 14 to No. 21.
No. 18 Colorado is in a strong position to control its playoff destiny, sitting one game behind unbeaten BYU in the Big 12. Since they don’t play each other in the regular season, a potential conference championship matchup could be on the horizon if both teams win out.
Boise State dropped one spot to No. 13 but remains the highest-ranked Group of Five team after a 28-21 win over Nevada.
South Carolina debuted in the Top 25 at No. 23 after consecutive victories over ranked Texas A&M and Vanderbilt teams, marking their first appearance since the end of the 2022 season. Missouri, at No. 24, made a return with a late touchdown against Oklahoma, while Tulane, ranked No. 25, entered the Top 25 for the first time under first-year coach Jon Sumrall after winning seven straight games.
Exiting the rankings were Iowa State, Pittsburgh, and Vanderbilt. Iowa State suffered its second straight loss against a two-win Kansas team. Pitt was soundly defeated by SMU and later lost at home to Virginia. Vanderbilt has dropped two of its last three games.
The spread of teams in the rankings is as follows: SEC with nine (Nos. 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 15, 21, 23, 24), ACC with four (Nos. 12, 14, 17, 22), Big Ten with four (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5), Big 12 with three (Nos. 7, 18, 20), AAC with two (Nos. 16, 25), Mountain West with one (No. 13), Pac-12 with one (No. 19), and Independents with one (No. 8).
Upcoming ranked matchups include No. 6 Tennessee visiting No. 11 Georgia, where Volunteers QB Nico Iamaleava is expected to return after missing the second half against Mississippi State. Tennessee seeks to break a seven-game losing streak to Georgia, having not scored more than 21 points against them in that stretch.
Additionally, No. 24 Missouri will face No. 23 South Carolina, with the Tigers aiming to extend their five-game winning streak in the series. The Gamecocks have the opportunity to defeat a third consecutive ranked opponent.
