Ohio State Buckeyes quarterback Will Howard (18) celebrates during the second half of the NCAA football game against the Indiana Hoosiers at Ohio Stadium in Columbus on Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024. Ohio State won 38-15.

Oregon still No. 1, but AP Top 25 reshuffled after slew of upsets

Oregon, Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held on to their spots atop the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll, issued Sunday, but the same can’t be said for the rest of the teams after a day of upsets on Saturday.

The Ducks (11-0) were idle but remain the unanimous No. 1 team ahead of the three 10-1 squads. Among them, Ohio State posted the biggest win, sending previously undefeated Indiana (10-1) plummeting five spots to No. 10 after its 38-15 triumph.

But the Hoosiers weren’t the only team in a freefall.

Alabama (8-3) dropped six places to No. 13, and Ole Miss (8-3) also fell six rungs to No. 15 after losses to unranked Oklahoma and Florida, respectively. No. 19 BYU (9-2) and No. 20 Texas A&M (8-3) found themselves seven spots lower following defeats.

And Colorado (8-3) and Army (9-1) — teams that had College Football Playoff aspirations — both plunged seven places.

The topsy-turvy day also saw the Top 10 reorganized, with Notre Dame (10-1) moving up one place to No. 5, followed by Georgia (9-2) and Tennessee (9-2).

No. 8 Miami (10-1) and No. 9 SMU (10-1) each entered the Top 10, followed by Indiana.

Missouri (8-3) moved back into the Top 25, following its 39-20 win over Mississippi State. Washington State (8-3) fell out of the Top 25 after its 41-39 loss at Oregon State.

The CFP selection committee will announce its rankings, which ultimately will be used to determine the postseason field, on Tuesday.

The rest of the Top 25:
11. Boise State (10-1)
12. Clemson (9-2)
13. Alabama (8-3)
14. Arizona State (9-2)
15. Ole Miss (8-3)
16. South Carolina (8-3)
17. Iowa State (9-2)
18. Tulane (9-2)
19. BYU (9-2)
20. Texas A&M (8-3)
21. UNLV (9-2)
22. Illinois (8-3)
23. Colorado (8-3)
24. Missouri (8-3)
25. Army (9-1)

–Field Level Media

Notre Dame wide receiver Jayden Thomas (83) celebrates a touchdown during a NCAA college football game against Virginia at Notre Dame Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024, in South Bend.

Notre Dame edges up to No. 6 in AP Top 25

A lack of upsets at the top of college football resulted in little movement at the top of the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Sunday, as Oregon remained undefeated and keeps its hold on the No. 1 ranking after avoiding an upset at Wisconsin.

The Ducks (11-0) prevailed 16-13 in Madison, Wis., while No. 2 Ohio State (9-1), No. 3 Texas (9-1) and No. 4 Penn State (9-1) all won as well, preserving the top four. Indiana (10-0) remained No. 5 after a bye week.

Previous No. 6 Tennessee lost to Georgia, and previous No. 7 BYU was upset by Kansas, opening the door for Notre Dame (9-1) to move up to No. 6 with its 35-14 blowout of Virginia.

The Fighting Irish have barely been tested since their shocking upset loss to Northern Illinois in Week 2, only once winning by less than 18 (31-24 vs. Louisville on Sept. 28). That could change soon with next weekend’s game against No. 18 Army (9-0).

Four SEC schools round out the Top 10 with identical 8-2 records: No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Georgia, No. 9 Ole Miss and No. 10 Tennessee.

BYU (9-1) fell seven spots to No. 14 after losing for the first time this season, landing one spot below a team it beat earlier this year, SMU (9-1), who survived an upset bid from Boston College.

Arizona State (8-2) rejoined the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2021 at No. 21 after its 24-14 road win at previous No. 20 Kansas State. Other newcomers included No. 22 Iowa State (8-2), No. 23 UNLV (8-2) and No. 24 Illinois (7-3).

Kansas State, LSU, Louisville and Missouri all fell from the rankings following losses.

The third in-season edition of the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings will be released Tuesday night.

The full AP Top 25 poll after Week 12:
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Indiana
6. Notre Dame
7. Alabama
8. Georgia
9. Ole Miss
10. Tennessee
11. Miami
12. Boise State
13. SMU
14. BYU
15. Texas A&M
16. Colorado
17. Clemson
18. Army
19. South Carolina
20. Tulane
21. Arizona State
22. Iowa State
23. UNLV
24. Illinois
25. Washington State

–Field Level Media

Nov 9, 2024; Bloomington, Indiana, USA; Indiana Hoosiers quarterback Kurtis Rourke (9) passes the ball in the second half against the Michigan Wolverines at Memorial Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-Imagn Images

Indiana moves to No. 5 in AP Top 25; Oregon still on top

Oregon was ranked No. 1 in the country by the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the fourth week in a row, while Big Ten counterpart Indiana stole the show by climbing to No. 5.

The last time Indiana football reached the top five of the poll was in 1967. Both the Ducks and the Hoosiers are 10-0 after Oregon cruised 39-18 past Maryland and Indiana defeated defending national champion Michigan 20-15.

Ohio State, Texas and Penn State, each 8-1, occupy the second through fourth spots of the poll. Tennessee (8-1), BYU (9-0), Notre Dame (8-1), Alabama (7-2) and Ole Miss (8-2) round out the top 10.

Indiana rose three places thanks to Georgia and Miami falling out of the top 10. The Bulldogs (7-2) dropped from second to 11th in the poll after Ole Miss beat them 28-10 in Oxford, Miss. Miami (9-1) slipped from fourth to 12th due to its first loss of the season, 28-23 at Georgia Tech.

By beating its SEC rival, Ole Miss moved up six spots, the largest rise in the poll this week.

There were three newcomers to the poll: South Carolina, Missouri and Tulane in Nos. 23-25, respectively. South Carolina knocked out then-No. 24 Vanderbilt 28-7 on the road at Nashville, Tenn.

The other teams to drop out of the rankings were then-No. 17 Iowa State, which lost at Kansas, and then-No. 18 Pitt, which lost at home to Virginia.

The second in-season edition of the College Football Playoff committee’s rankings will be released Tuesday night.

The full AP Top 25 poll after Week 11:
1. Oregon
2. Ohio State
3. Texas
4. Penn State
5. Indiana
6. Tennessee
7. BYU
8. Notre Dame
9. Alabama
10. Ole Miss
11. Georgia
12. Miami
13. Boise State
14. SMU
15. Texas A&M
16. Army
17. Clemson
18. Colorado
19. Washington State
20. Kansas State
21. LSU
22. Louisville
23. South Carolina
24. Missouri
25. Tulane

–Field Level Media

Oct 12, 2024; Eugene, Oregon, USA; Oregon Ducks mascot The Duck in the middle of the crowd storming the field after the game against the Ohio State Buckeyes at Autzen Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Craig Strobeck-Imagn Images

Top 25 poll: Oregon strengthens hold on No. 1 ranking

Oregon held on to its No. 1 ranking in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday, and this time it was a unanimous choice for the top spot.

This is the third consecutive week at No. 1 for Oregon (9-0), which posted a 38-17 win at Michigan, and the last poll before the College Football Playoff selection committee issues its first rankings this week.

Georgia (7-1), which defeated rival Florida on Saturday, stayed at No. 2, followed by Ohio State (7-1). The Buckeyes rose a spot after handing then-No. 3 Penn State its first loss, 20-13 in Happy Valley.

Miami (9-0) and idle Texas (7-1) also moved up one place and completed the top five, with the Nittany Lions (7-1) slotting in at No. 6, down three spots.

Rounding out the top 10 were Tennessee (7-1), Indiana (9-0), BYU (8-0) and Notre Dame (7-1).

The Hoosiers moved into the top 10, rising five places from No. 13.

The biggest gain in the rankings went to SMU (8-1), which climbed seven places to No. 13 after routing previously undefeated Pitt (7-1).

Taking the biggest plunges of the week were No. 15 Texas A&M (7-2, down five), No. 17 Iowa State (7-1, down six), No. 19 Clemson (6-2, down eight), No. 22 Kansas State (7-2, down five) and No. 23 Pitt (7-1, down five).

Entering the Top 25 were No. 24 Vanderbilt and No. 25 Louisville, both 6-3. Vanderbilt defeated Auburn 17-7 to become bowl-eligible for the first time since 2018 and Louisville toppled Clemson 33-21 on the road.

Dropping out of the poll were Illinois (6-3) and idle Missouri (6-2).

The full AP Top 25 poll after Week 10:
1. Oregon
2. Georgia
3. Ohio State
4. Miami
5. Texas
6. Penn State
7. Tennessee
8. Indiana
9. BYU
10. Notre Dame
11. Alabama
12. Boise State
13. SMU
14. LSU
15. Texas A&M
16. Ole Miss
17. Iowa State
18. Army
19. Clemson
20. Washington State
21. Colorado
22. Kansas State
23. Pitt
24. Vanderbilt
25. Louisville

–Field Level Media

Sep 2, 2024; Tallahassee, Florida, USA; Florida State Seminoles head coach Mike Norvell before the game against the Boston College Eagles at Doak S. Campbell Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Melina Myers-USA TODAY Sports

Florida State falls out of AP Top 25 after two upset losses

Florida State took a historic tumble out of the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll on Tuesday after starting the season 0-2 as a preseason top-10 team.

The Seminoles were double-digit favorites but lost a Week 0 game to Atlantic Coast Conference rival Georgia Tech in Ireland, then fell to league foe Boston College on Monday night at home.

FSU is just the third squad to go from preseason top-10 to unranked in the first regular-season rankings since the poll expanded to 25 teams in 1989, joining Michigan in 2007 and Clemson in 2008.

“I’m sick to how this season started,” FSU coach Mike Norvell said after the 28-13 loss to Boston College. “Tonight, I failed in preparing the team to go out and respond.”

No. 1 Georgia remained atop the poll, receiving 57 first-place votes following its opening 34-3 rout of then-No. 14 Clemson, which fell to No. 25 in the first regular-season poll.

The Southeastern Conference has three teams in the top four, with Georgia, No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Alabama. Ohio State received the other five first-place votes and is No. 2.

Notre Dame moved up to spots to No. 5 after knocking then-No. 20 Texas A&M out of the rankings in their season opener.

The SEC has five squads in the top 10, with Mississippi staying at No. 6 and Missouri up two spots to No. 9.

Oregon fell from No. 3 to 7 after a narrow win over Idaho. Penn State remained at No. 8, and Michigan fell one spot to No. 10.

Miami moved up seven spots to No. 12 after pounding host Florida, and Southern California jumped 10 spots to No. 13 after defeating LSU, which fell five places to No. 18.

Georgia Tech (2-0), with wins over Florida State and Georgia State, is No. 23 and ranked for the first time since 2015.

The rest of the AP Top 25 poll:

11. Utah
12. Miami
13. Southern California
14. Tennessee
15. Oklahoma
16. Oklahoma State
17. Kansas State
18. LSU
19. Kansas
20. Arizona
21. Iowa
22. Louisville
23. Georgia Tech
24. N.C. State
25. Clemson

–Field Level Media

Duck fans show their support for Oregon quarterback Bo Nix and coach Dan Lanning during the game against Oregon State.

AP Top 25: Oregon hits No. 5, Ohio State falls to No. 6

Ohio State’s loss to Michigan sent the Buckeyes plummeting four spots to No. 6, making room for Oregon to move into the first five of the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday.

Georgia held the No. 1 spot for the 24th straight week, gaining 52 of 62 first-place votes. The other 10 votes went to Michigan, who defeated Ohio State 30-24 and rose one place to No. 2.

Washington moved to No. 3, with Florida State also climbing one rung to No. 4.

The top four teams all are 12-0.

Georgia, Michigan, Florida State and Washington all have cemented berths in their respective conference championship games. The Huskies will meet No. 5 Oregon (11-1) in the Pac-12 title game Friday at Las Vegas.

This is the first time the Pac-12, which is set to disband after this season as 10 teams defect to other leagues, had two teams in the top five since the last ranking of the 2016 season.

The College Football Playoff committee ultimately determines the four teams that will compete for the national championship, and its latest rankings will be unveiled on Tuesday.

Following No. 6 Ohio State are two other 11-1 teams — No. 7 Texas and No. 8 Alabama.

No. 9 Missouri and No. 10 Penn State, both 10-2, round out the top 10.

With a loss to Kentucky, Louisville fell out of the top 10 and dropped six places to No. 15. That allowed No. 11 Ole Miss to move up one place, followed by Oklahoma, LSU and Arizona.

Also dropping six spots was No. 21 Oregon State, which lost 31-7 to Oregon.

Out of the Top 25 this week are Kansas State and Tennessee. They were replaced by No. 21 North Carolina State and No. 25 SMU.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; Athens, Georgia, USA; A general overall view of Sanford Stadium during the game between the UAB Blazers and the Georgia Bulldogs. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia stays No. 1 as top five in poll remains unchanged

Georgia strengthened its position at the top spot of AP Top 25 as the first five places remained unchanged.

After the Bulldogs (8-0) defeated Florida 43-20 on Saturday, they received 48 of the 63 first-place votes, up 10 from a week ago. They earned 1,553 points overall.

Michigan (8-0) remained in the No. 2 spot after a bye week, getting nine first-place votes, after receiving 19 a week ago, and 1,494 points overall.

Ohio State (8-0), Florida State (8-0) and Washington (8-0) rounded out the top five. Ohio State pulled off a 24-10 victory over Wisconsin, Florida State had an easy time with Wake Forest 41-16 and Washington escaped with a 42-33 win over Stanford.

Oregon (7-1) moved up two spots to No. 6, while Texas (7-1) remained No. 7. No. 8 Alabama (7-1) moved up a spot, as did No. 9 Penn State (7-1). Oklahoma (7-1) dropped four spots to No. 10 after a 38-33 loss to Kansas.

The next five spots all moved up in the poll with Ole Miss (7-1) at No. 11, followed by Notre Dame (7-2), LSU (6-2), Missouri (7-1) and Louisville (7-1), which jumped three spots to No. 15.

Oregon State (6-2) dropped five spots to No. 16 after a 27-24 loss to Arizona, followed by No. 17 Air Force (8-0), No. 18 Utah (6-2), No. 19 Tennessee (6-2) and No. 20 UCLA (6-2), which pulled off a 28-16 victory over Colorado behind a stout defense.

Tulane (7-1), Kansas (6-2), James Madison (8-0), Southern California (7-2) and Kansas State (6-2) round out the poll. Kansas and Kansas State both entered the rankings, while USC made its return after a 50-49 victory over Cal.

Rivals Duke and North Carolina both dropped out of the poll following defeats.

–Field Level Media

Jan 14, 2023; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs fans at the national championship celebration at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia continues hold on No. 1 spot in AP Top 25

Georgia retained the No. 1 spot in the latest AP Top 25 poll for a ninth straight week this season, but No. 2 Michigan is closing the gap.

The Bulldogs received 38 of 63 first-place votes and 1,536 total points in the poll released Sunday, while the Wolverines earned 19 votes and 1,504 points. No. 3 Ohio State (1,454) and No. 4 Florida State (1,408) each received three first-place votes.

Dating back to its national championship 2022 season, Georgia has occupied the top spot for 19 straight weeks, the third-longest streak in the poll’s history.

No. 5 Washington and No. 6 Oklahoma held their positions from a week ago.

Among the top six, Michigan is 8-0, while the remaining teams are 7-0.

Rounding out the top 10 are No. 7 Texas (6-1), followed by Oregon (6-1), Alabama (7-1) and Penn State (6-1).

The Nittany Lions fell three places after their 20-12 loss to Ohio State. The Crimson Tide returned to the Top 10, replacing North Carolina (6-1), which tumbled seven slots to No. 17 following its loss to unranked Virginia.

Southern California (6-2) plummeted six places to No. 24 after its last-second 34-32 loss to Utah. The Utes (6-1) rose a spot to No. 13.

Southeastern Conference teams LSU (6-2) and Missouri (7-1) each climbed four places to No. 15 and No. 16, respectively.

No. 20 Duke (5-2) and No. 21 Tennessee (5-2) fell four rungs after losses.

Making its season debut in the poll is No. 25 James Madison (7-0). Falling out was Iowa, which lost a Big Ten conference game to unranked Minnesota on Saturday.

–Field Level Media

Oklahoma fans cheer during the Red River Rivalry college football game between the University of Oklahoma Sooners (OU) and the University of Texas (UT) Longhorns at the Cotton Bowl in Dallas, Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023. Oklahoma won 34-30.

Oklahoma and Louisville soar, Notre Dame plummets in AP Top 25

Oklahoma’s big win over Texas in the Red River Rivalry and Notre Dame’s big loss in prime time on Saturday shuffled the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday.

Georgia remained No. 1 for the seventh consecutive week and secured 50 of 63 first-place votes after defeating Kentucky 51-13. No. 2 Michigan (11 first-place votes) held steady after a rout of Minnesota, and No. 3 Ohio State and No. 4 Florida State each moved up a spot and grabbed a first-place vote after lopsided wins over conference foes.

The Sooners, who defeated previously No. 3 Texas 34-30 with a final-minute touchdown, were one of the week’s biggest risers, climbing seven spots to No. 5 and joining Georgia and Michigan at 6-0. Ohio State and Florida State are 5-0.

No. 6 Penn State, No. 7 Washington and No. 8 Oregon, all idle and 5-0, retained their rankings from last week. Texas (5-1) slid to No. 9, while Southern California (6-0) dropped a place to No. 10 after a three-overtime win over Arizona.

Alabama (5-1) held at No. 11, and North Carolina (5-0) and Ole Miss (5-1) each used wins to move up to Nos. 12 and 13, respectively.

Then came Louisville (6-0), which eked into the poll last week at No. 25 but advanced 11 spots to No. 14 after defeating visiting Notre Dame 33-20. The Irish (5-2) plummeted out of the Top 10, falling 11 places to No. 21. Louisville’s win ended Notre Dame’s 30-game, regular-season winning streak against teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference.

The voters penalized Miami (4-1) for its inexplicable last-minute decision not to take a knee and run out the clock with 36 seconds left at the Georgia Tech 30. Instead, the Hurricanes ran a play, turned the ball over on a fumble and allowed the Yellow Jackets to score with 2 seconds left, handing Miami a 23-20 conference loss.

Washington State (4-1) tumbled six places to No. 19 after a 25-17 loss to UCLA, and Kentucky dropped four spots to No. 24 after the big defeat by Georgia.

Moving into the poll at No. 23 was Kansas (5-1) following its victory over UCF. Moving out was Missouri, last week’s No. 21, which fell to LSU.

–Field Level Media

Jan 14, 2023; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs fans at the national championship celebration at Sanford Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia ranked No. 1 in preseason coaches poll

Two-time defending national champion Georgia will open the 2023 season ranked No. 1 in the coaches poll.

Georgia received 61 of 66 first-place votes in the USA TODAY Sports AFCA Coaches Poll released Monday.

Coach Kirby Smart’s Bulldogs open the season against Tennessee-Martin on Sept. 2 in Athens, Ga.

No. 2 Michigan has its highest preseason ranking since the poll was introduced in 1991.

No. 3 Alabama received four first-place ballots and No. 4 Ohio State picked up the other one.

LSU checks in at No. 5, giving the SEC three of the top-five slots.

Southern California, Penn State, Florida State, Clemson and Tennessee round out the top 10.

The rest of the poll published Monday:

11. Washington
12. Texas
13. Notre Dame
14. Utah
15. Oregon
16. TCU
17. Kansas State
18. Oregon State
19. Oklahoma
20. North Carolina
21. Wisconsin
22. Ole Miss
23. Tulane
24. Texas Tech
25. Texas A&M

–Field Level Media