Tag: Top 25

Oct 4, 2025; Pasadena, California, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions head coach James Franklin (middle) looks on after defeated by UCLA Bruins 42-37 at Rose Bowl. Mandatory Credit: Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

Penn State, Texas freefall out of AP Top 25; Miami new No. 2

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Miami slid past Oregon for the No. 2 spot behind Ohio State in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 poll, while preseason favorites Penn State and Texans now can be located in the “others receiving votes” category.

The Nittany Lions and Longhorns entered the weekend Nos. 7 and 9, respectively, before their second losses of the season sent them tumbling out of the rankings altogether. Penn State lost 42-37 in a stunner at previously winless UCLA, and Texas fell 29-21 at unranked Florida.

Texas and Penn State were Nos. 1 and 2 in the preseason poll. That makes three of the preseason top four now unranked, as they join Clemson (No. 4 before the season), which is 2-3 and still unranked.

Ohio State held onto the No. 1 mantle after thrashing Minnesota 42-3, while Miami added to its resume with a 28-22 victory at then-No. 18 Florida State. The Seminoles are now No. 25.

The Hurricanes’ away win boosted them past idle Oregon, which beat Penn State on the road last week.

Idle Ole Miss remained No. 4, and Texas A&M moved past Oklahoma for the No. 5 spot with a 31-9 victory over Mississippi State.

Following the Sooners and idle Indiana, Alabama, Texas Tech and Georgia all advanced two spots to round out the top 10. Alabama beat previously undefeated Vanderbilt (which dropped from No. 16 to No. 20), Texas Tech remained spotless with a road win over Houston and Georgia controlled Kentucky.

The two newcomers this week are American Conference teams Memphis (6-0) and South Florida (4-1) at Nos. 23 and 24, respectively. Memphis is 2-0 in the American after rolling past Tulsa 45-7, and South Florida — which was ranked 18th for one week last month — crushed Charlotte 54-26 in its league opener.

As for Texas and Penn State, they have the second- and third-most votes of teams outside the top 25, at 111 and 97, respectively. Cincinnati (129 votes) was the first team out after it knocked off previously unbeaten Iowa State, 38-30.

The full AP Top 25 is below:

1. Ohio State (5-0)
2. Miami (5-0)
3. Oregon (5-0)
4. Ole Miss (5-0)
5. Texas A&M (5-0)
6. Oklahoma (5-0)
7. Indiana (5-0)
8. Alabama (4-1)
9. Texas Tech (5-0)
10. Georgia (4-1)
11. LSU (4-1)
12. Tennessee (4-1)
13. Georgia Tech (5-0)
14. Missouri (5-0)
15. Michigan (4-1)
16. Notre Dame (3-2)
17. Illinois (5-1)
18. BYU (5-0)
19. Virginia (5-1)
20. Vanderbilt (5-1)
21. Arizona State (4-1)
22. Iowa State (5-1)
23. Memphis (6-0)
24. South Florida (4-1)
25. Florida State (3-2)

–Field Level Media

Ole Miss running back Kewan Lacy (5) celebrates after scoring a touchdown during a college football game between Ole Miss and LSU at Vaught-Hemingway Stadium in Oxford, Miss., on Saturday, Sept. 27, 2025. Ole Miss defeated LSU 24-19.

Oregon, Ole Miss rewarded for Top-4 wins with Top-4 rankings

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Oregon and Ole Miss parlayed Top-4 victories into Top-4 rankings in the latest AP Top 25 poll, released Sunday afternoon.

Oregon supplanted Miami at No. 2 just behind top-ranked Ohio State – a 24-6 winner over Washington – while Miami is now third, and Ole Miss is fourth.

The Ducks defeated previous No. 3 Penn State in Happy Valley 30-24 in overtime on Saturday to get to 5-0 this year. The Rebels likewise stayed undefeated (5-0), upending previous No. 4 LSU, 24-19.

No. 4 is Ole Miss’ highest ranking since 2015.

Penn State fell to seventh, while the Tigers are now 13th.

Texas A&M climbed to sixth after its 16-10 win over Auburn, while Indiana moved up to eighth after defeating Iowa 20-15.

Oklahoma rose to fifth and Texas rose to ninth during bye weeks.

Georgia’s 24-21 loss to Alabama knocked the Bulldogs down to 12th, two spots below the aforementioned Crimson Tide, and their lowest ranking since 2020.

Florida State, despite its dominant Week 1 win over Alabama, was the week’s biggest dropper after its 46-38 overtime loss to Virginia. The Seminoles are now 18th after dropping 10 spots, while Virginia made its first poll debut in six years at No. 24.

Arizona State also reentered the poll at No. 25 after beating TCU Friday night.

TCU and Southern Cal fell out of the rankings.

The full top 25 is as follows:
1. Ohio State (4-0)
2. Oregon (5-0)
3. Miami (4-0)
4. Ole Miss (5-0)
5. Oklahoma (4-0)
6. Texas A&M (4-0)
7. Penn State (3-1)
8. Indiana (5-0)
9. Texas (3-1)
10. Alabama (3-1)
11. Texas Tech (5-0)
12. Georgia (3-1)
13. LSU (4-1)
14. Iowa State (5-0)
15. Tennessee (4-1)
16. Vanderbilt (5-0)
17. Georgia Tech (5-0)
18. Florida State (3-1)
19. Missouri (5-0)
20. Michigan (3-1)
21. Notre Dame (2-2)
22. Illinois (4-1)
23. BYU (4-0)
24. Virginia (4-1)
25. Arizona State (4-1)

–Field Level Media

Sep 20, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Florida Gators wide receiver Aidan Mizell (11) handoffs the football to running back Mark Fletcher Jr. (4) against the Florida Gators during the fourth quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-Imagn Images

Miami rises to No. 2, Oklahoma enters top 10 in AP poll

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The top four teams in the AP Top 25 poll underwent some reshuffling Sunday, as Miami rose two spots to No. 2 after a thorough win over rival Florida.

Idle Ohio State remained No. 1, but the Hurricanes moved past Penn State and LSU for the second spot. Penn State also had the weekend off and LSU defeated FCS opponent Southeastern Louisiana 56-10.

Miami (4-0) held the Gators to 141 total yards, seven first downs and an 0-for-13 rate on third-down conversion attempts. The Hurricanes also relied on their running game, with Mark Fletcher Jr. and CharMar Brown combining for 196 yards and three touchdowns.

Georgia and Oregon remained Nos. 5 and 6, and Oklahoma jumped four places to No. 7 after defeating Auburn 24-17. Auburn dropped from the No. 22 ranking last week to the first team out of this week’s poll.

Rounding out the top 10 were Florida State, Texas A&M and Texas. Florida State slipped one spot despite beating Kent State 66-10; Texas dropped from No. 8 to No. 10 after a 55-0 win over Sam Houston.

The biggest riser and faller were Indiana and Illinois, respectively. The Hoosiers steamrolled the Fighting Illini 63-10 in one of the few ranked-versus-ranked matchups of the week.

That pushed Indiana up eight spots to No. 11, while Illinois plummeted 14 spots to No. 23, thanks to its first loss of the season.

Similarly to Indiana, Texas Tech enjoyed a big bump in the poll after earning its fourth win of the season in convincing fashion, 34-10 at then-No. 16 Utah. The Red Raiders climbed five spots to No. 12 this week.

The two teams to enter the top 25were TCU (No. 24) and BYU (No. 25), both 3-0. The Horned Frogs took down SMU 35-24, and the Cougars won 34-13 at East Carolina. Utah and Auburn dropped out.

The full top 25 is as follows:
1. Ohio State (3-0)
2. Miami (4-0)
3. Penn State (3-0)
4. LSU (4-0)
5. Georgia (3-0)
6. Oregon (4-0)
7. Oklahoma (4-0)
8. Florida State (3-0)
9. Texas A&M (3-0)
10. Texas (3-1)
11. Indiana (4-0)
12. Texas Tech (4-0)
13. Ole Miss (4-0)
14. Iowa State (4-0)
15. Tennessee (3-1)
16. Georgia Tech (4-0)
17. Alabama (2-1)
18. Vanderbilt (4-0)
19. Michigan (3-1)
20. Missouri (4-0)
21. Southern California (4-0)
22. Notre Dame (1-2)
23. Illinois (3-1)
24. TCU (3-0)
25. BYU (3-0)

–Field Level Media

Sep 6, 2025; Gainesville, Florida, USA; South Florida Bulls place kicker Nico Gramatica (7) kicks a field goal to win the game against the Florida Gators during the second half at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Pendleton-Imagn Images

Top 25: South Florida cracks poll for first time in seven years

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South Florida is part of the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time since 2018 after recording back-to-back victories over ranked teams.

The Bulls are No. 18 in the latest poll, released Sunday, while Ohio State, Penn State and LSU remained as the three best teams in the land. The Buckeyes received 57 of the 65 first-place votes.

South Florida pulled off a last-second 18-16 victory over then-No. 13 Florida on Saturday. In their opener, the Bulls mauled then-No. 25 Boise State 34-7.

Now South Florida shoots to become the first team since Miami in 1987 to beat three straight ranked opponents to start the season. Coincidentally, the Bulls visit the Hurricanes on Saturday.

There are a record 11 Southeastern Conference teams in the poll. The Big Ten is next with six.

Ohio State beat Grambling 70-0 to stay atop the poll. Penn State routed FIU 34-0 and LSU beat Louisiana Tech 23-7.

Oregon moved up two spots to No. 4 after demolishing Oklahoma State 69-3. Miami is No. 5 after an easy 45-3 win over Bethune-Cookman.

Georgia dropped two spots to No. 6 after a 28-6 win over Austin Peay. Texas is No. 7 after a 38-7 win over San Jose State. No. 8 Notre Dame had a bye, and Illinois and Florida State round out the top 10.

South Carolina is No. 11, while Clemson fell four spots to No. 12 after it needed to overcome a 16-point deficit to notch a 27-16 win over Troy.

Oklahoma is No. 13, followed by Iowa State, Tennessee, Texas A&M and Ole Miss.

After South Florida at No. 18, Alabama and Utah round out the top 20.

Texas Tech is No. 21, followed by Indiana. Michigan lost 24-13 to Oklahoma and fell eight spots to No. 23.

Auburn and Missouri entered the poll at the bottom with wins over Ball State and Kansas, respectively.

Arizona State (No. 12), Florida and SMU (No. 17) fell out with losses. The Sun Devils lost 24-20 at Mississippi State on a long touchdown pass with 30 seconds left and SMU blew a 14-point, fourth-quarter lead to lose 48-45 in double overtime to Baylor.

–Field Level Media

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

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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

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

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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

Georgia running back Nate Frazier (3) scores a touchdown during the second half of the NCAA Aflac Kickoff Game against Clemson in Atlanta, on Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024.

Top 25 roundup: No. 1 Georgia crushes No. 14 Clemson

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Carson Beck completed 23 of 33 passes for 278 yards and a pair of touchdowns as the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs steamrolled the No. 14 Clemson Tigers 34-3 in Atlanta.

Georgia outscored Clemson 28-3 in the second half, extending its regular-season winning streak to 40 games. Nate Frazier added 83 rushing yards and a score for the Bulldogs, who won their third straight in the series.

Clemson was outgained 447-188, as junior quarterback Cade Klubnik was 18-for-29 for 142 yards. He also threw an interception to Malaki Starks.

Georgia outgained Clemson 160-76 in the first half, with the Bulldogs gaining 126 through the air and the Tigers 54. The Clemson offense managed just two first downs in the opening half to Georgia’s eight.

The 31-point loss was the Tigers’ largest defeat since a 51-14 loss to Florida State in 2013. Georgia now leads the all-time series 44-18-4.

No. 8 Penn State 34, West Virginia 12

Drew Allar threw for three second-quarter touchdowns and 216 yards as the Nittany Lions drilled the host Mountaineers.

Harrison Wallace caught two scores in the second period, while Kaytron Allen caught one. Allar was 11 of 17 for Penn State, which outgained West Virginia 457-246. Nicholas Singleton ran for a 40-yard score and finished with 114 yards on the ground for the Nittany Lions.

Garrett Greene hit on 15 of 28 attempts for 161 yards for the Mountaineers, who gained only 85 yards on 37 rushes and made just 4 of 14 third downs.

No. 15 Tennessee 69, Chattanooga 3

Redshirt freshman Nico Iamaleava threw for three first-half touchdowns and running back Dylan Sampson reached the end zone three times before halftime as the Volunteers crushed the visiting Mocs.

Dont’e Thornton Jr. made two of the early touchdown catches, with Tennessee scoring on its first seven possessions.

Iamaleava finished 22-for-28 for 314 passing yards — all in the first half. For the game, 14 different Volunteers made at least one reception.

No. 17 Oklahoma State 44, South Dakota State 20

Ollie Gordon II ran for two touchdowns and caught a touchdown pass as the host Cowboys ended the Jackrabbits’ 29-game winning streak.

Gordon, last season’s Doak Walker Award winner, totaled 104 rushing yards on 27 carries and added four receptions for 42 yards. Alan Bowman threw for 267 yards and three touchdowns. He completed 25 of 34 passes, including 13 consecutive at one point.

Mark Gronowski, last season’s Walter Payton Award winner as the top player in the FCS, threw for 264 yards, two touchdowns and one interception for South Dakota State, which has won back-to-back FCS championships.

No. 25 Iowa 40, Illinois State 0

Leading 6-0 at halftime, the Hawkeyes opened the second half with a score and dominated the rest of the way in Iowa City, Iowa.

Hawkeyes QB Cade McNamara completed 13 of 14 passes for 177 yards and three scores in the second half and was 21-of-31 passing for 251 yards in his first appearance since tearing the ACL in his left knee against Michigan State on Sept. 30, 2023.

The Redbirds were outgained 492 total yards to 189 as Iowa assistant head coach Seth Wallace served as Iowa’s interim coach in place of suspended Kirk Ferentz.

–Field Level Media

Nov 25, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines cheerleader celebrates a touchdown against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the first half at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Michigan ascends to No. 1 in AP poll; Georgia plummets to No. 6

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Michigan moved to No. 1 in the Associated Press Top 25 poll for the first time since 1997, with Georgia relinquishing its long grip on the spot after its loss to Alabama on Saturday.

The latest poll was released Sunday, just an hour before the College Football Playoff committee was set to determine which four teams would vie for the national championship.

Michigan received 51 first-place votes, and No. 2 Washington was rewarded with the other 11. They were followed by No. 3 Texas and No. 4 Florida State.

The CFP selection committee agreed with the top three finishers in the AP poll. However, the committee selected one-loss Alabama over undefeated Florida State as the No. 4 team into the playoff.

Alabama climbed three spots to No. 5 in the AP poll after defeating Georgia 27-24 in the SEC championship game. Georgia had won 29 straight games and sat atop the Top 25 for 24 straight weeks amid back-to-back CFP titles.

Ohio State fell a spot to No. 7 and were followed in the Top 10 by Oregon, Missouri and Penn State.

–Field Level Media

Nov 18, 2023; Columbus, Ohio, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes head coach Ryan Day walks into Ohio Stadium behind Brutus Buckeye prior to the NCAA football game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers.

AP Top 25: Georgia stays at No. 1; Ohio State, Michigan trade places

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Ohio State overtook Michigan to capture the No. 2 spot in the Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday, as the bitter rivals prepare to meet next weekend in Ann Arbor, Mich.

The Wolverines, without suspended coach Jim Harbaugh, earned their 1,000th program victory on Saturday against Maryland but dropped one spot to No. 3.

Georgia, which has sat atop the poll all season, remained No. 1 and earned 61 of 62 first-place votes, with the remaining vote going to the Buckeyes.

Washington, after a 22-20 win over then-No. 10 Oregon State, rose a spot to No. 4, trading places with No. 5 Florida State. The Seminoles defeated North Alabama on Saturday but lost their starting quarterback, Jordan Travis, to an apparently serious left leg injury.

Each of the teams in the top five is 11-0. The College Football Playoff committee, which ultimately determines the four teams that will contest for the national championship, will issue its updated rankings on Tuesday.

This week, the CFP had Georgia at No. 1, followed by Ohio State, Michigan, Florida State and Washington.

The AP Top 25 ranking for the No. 6 through 9 teams remained unchanged Sunday, with No. 6 Oregon followed by Texas, Alabama and Louisville — a quartet of 10-1 teams.

Oregon State (8-3) plummeted five spots to No. 15.

Moving up one spot to No. 10 was Missouri, followed by Penn State, Ole Miss and Oklahoma, all 8-2. LSU (9-3) stands at No. 14.

With losses Saturday, James Madison (10-1) plunged six spots to No. 24, with Tennessee falling four positions to No. 25.

The biggest riser was No. 19 Kansas State (8-3), which climbed four places after defeating Kansas.

Falling out of the Top 25 for the first time this season is Utah, which was ranked No. 16 before its 42-18 loss at Arizona. The Wildcats (8-3) assumed the No. 16 position.

Also out is North Carolina following a loss to Clemson.

No. 20 Iowa rejoined the Top 25 with a win over Illinois that clinched the Big Ten west division title. Entering the poll for the first time was Toledo (10-1) at No. 23.

–Field Level Media

Nov 4, 2023; Piscataway, New Jersey, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes wide receiver Marvin Harrison Jr. (18) catches a 4-yard touchdown in front of Rutgers Scarlet Knights defensive back Robert Longerbeam (7) during the second half of the NCAA football game at SHI Stadium. Ohio State won 35-16.

No. 1 Georgia, top teams hold places in AP Top 25

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The Associated Press Top 25 voters and the College Football Playoff committee disagree when it comes to the order of the top three teams in the nation.

In the most recent AP Top 25 poll, released Sunday, Georgia held on to the No. 1 spot, followed by Michigan and Ohio State. That’s the same result as last Sunday’s poll but a variance of the first CFP standings when they were announced Tuesday, which had Ohio State at No. 1, followed by Georgia and Michigan.

All three teams won Saturday to move to 9-0. They are followed by another pair of 9-0 teams — No. 4 Florida State and No. 5 Washington.

The top nine were unchanged from last week. No. 6 Oregon is followed by Texas, Alabama and Penn State in a collection of 8-1 teams. No. 10 Ole Miss moved up one spot when previous No. 10 Oklahoma fell to 17 following its rivalry loss to Oklahoma State.

Notre Dame (7-3) fell 10 places to No. 22 following its loss to unranked Clemson. Southern California dropped out of the Top 25 for the first time in the Lincoln Riley era as the Trojans now have lost three of their last four games — surrendering an average of 45.8 points per game.

In contrast to the Irish and Trojans was Oklahoma State (7-2), which had yet to be ranked this season but entered the poll at No. 15.

Three other teams moved into the rankings this week — No. 23 Arizona, No. 24 North Carolina and No. 25 Liberty. Arizona has bested three straight ranked opponents following its win Saturday over UCLA. Liberty is 9-0.

The Bruins fell out of the poll, as did previously unbeaten Air Force and Kansas State, which lost in overtime to Texas.

–Field Level Media