Tag: Top 25

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

Posted on | by Field Level Media

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

Posted on | by Field Level Media

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

Sep 16, 2023; Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA; Michigan Wolverines cheerleader megaphone during the first half against the Bowling Green Falcons at Michigan Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports

Georgia still No. 1 in AP Top 25, but grip loosening

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The top seven teams in The Associated Press Top 25 remained unchanged from last week, although Georgia’s grip on No. 1 is starting to show some cracks.

The Bulldogs needed to rally Saturday night to secure a 27-20 win over unranked Auburn, and as a result grabbed just 35 of the 62 first-place votes.

No. 2 Michigan earned 12 first-place votes and No. 3 Texas took 10. No. 4 Ohio State earned one first-place vote compared to four for No. 5 Florida State. Both of those teams were idle.

Georgia held on to the No. 1 ranking for the 16th straight week.

No. 6 Penn State and No. 7 Washington also stayed put in the poll and were followed by No. 8 Oregon, No. 9 Southern California, which flipped spots from last week. No. 10 Notre Dame moved back into the Top 10 after a last-minute victory over Duke, who dropped from No. 17 to 19.

Among the top 10, Notre Dame (5-1) is the only team with a loss, that coming two weeks ago to Ohio State. The Buckeyes and Seminoles are 4-0, with the remaining Top 10 teams now 5-0.

LSU (3-2) had the biggest tumble of the week, dropping 10 spaces to No. 23 after a 55-49 loss to Ole Miss. The Rebels (4-1) climbed four pegs to No. 16.

Falling eight spots was Utah (4-1), which moved from No. 10 to 18 following a 21-7 loss to another Pacific-12 team, Oregon State. The Beavers (4-1) moved up four places to No. 15.

Moving into the Top 25 this week is Kentucky (5-0) after a 33-14 win against Southeastern Conference rival Florida, No. 22 last week. The Gators (3-2) fell out of the Top 25, as did idle Kansas (4-0).

Louisville (5-0) grabbed the remaining slot in the Top 25 after a 13-10 victory over fellow Atlantic Coast Conference team North Carolina State.

–Field Level Media

Sep 23, 2023; South Bend, Indiana, USA; Ohio State Buckeyes running back TreVeyon Henderson (32) celebrates his rushing touchdown with Ohio State Buckeyes offensive lineman Carson Hinzman (75) during the third quarter of their game against Notre Dame Fighting Irish at Notre Dame Stadium.

Ohio State climbs to No. 4 in Top 25 after win at Notre Dame

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Ohio State moved up in — and Colorado moved out of — the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll, released Sunday.

The Buckeyes (4-0) climbed two spots to No. 4 following their thrilling, final-second 17-14 victory over Notre Dame on Saturday.

Deion Sanders’ previously undefeated Buffaloes (3-1), who entered this weekend’s action ranked No. 19 last week, fell out of the Top 25 after being drubbed by then-No. 10 Oregon.

The Ducks moved up one spot to No. 9 after the win.

Georgia remained in the top spot and captured 55 first-place votes. The remaining eight votes were spread among five other 4-0 teams in the Top 10. No. 2 Michigan (one vote), No. 3 Texas (two), Ohio State (one), No. 5 Florida State (three) and No. 7 Washington (one) each garnered a first-place vote.

Six teams had not received first-place votes in a regular-season poll since Nov. 1, 2015.

Rounding out the Top 10 were No. 6 Penn State, No. 8 Southern California, Oregon and No. 10 Utah. Each of those teams are also 4-0.

With their loss to Ohio State, Notre Dame (4-1) dropped two spots to No. 11.

Alabama (3-1) rose a spot to No. 12 after defeating Ole Miss. The Rebels plummeted five spots to No. 20 after a 24-10 loss to Alabama.

Also dropping five places to No. 19 was Oregon State, which lost 38-35 to Washington State. The Cougars rose five places to No. 16 with the win.

Moving in to the Top 25 were a trio of 4-0 teams — No. 23 Missouri, No. 24 Kansas and No. 25 Fresno State.

Missouri is ranked for the first time since 2019. Kansas is ranked in back-to-back seasons for the first time since 2008-09.

Joining Colorado in falling from the rankings were UCLA and Iowa.

–Field Level Media

Georgia coach Kirby Smart at the first day fall football camp in Athens, Ga., on Thursday, Aug. 3, 2023.

Georgia tops preseason Top 25; Michigan, Ohio St. next

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Entering the 2023 season as it ended the last one, Georgia is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll released Monday.

Sixty of the 63 votes cast for the preseason poll listed Georgia at No. 1.

Michigan and Ohio State are ranked second and third, marking the first time since 2009 that Alabama wasn’t among the top three in the preseason poll. The Crimson Tide rank fourth, one spot in front of LSU.

After going 11-2 last season and entering five of the past seven seasons at No. 1 in the preseason poll, Alabama’s question marks in August include who will start at quarterback.

Georgia, 29-2 the past two seasons, is chasing a third consecutive national championship, and the Bulldogs are banking on another top-ranked recruiting class to be the salve for losing top performers on either side of the ball. The list of departures since the national title game in January is headlined by quarterback Stetson Bennett, tight end Darnell Washington, defensive tackle Jalen Carter, linebacker Nolan Smith and cornerback Kelee Ringo.

Ohio State lost to Georgia in the CFP semifinals and the Buckeyes are also in the group of power programs with a new quarterback.

Michigan returns J.J. McCarthy at quarterback and bids for a third CFP bid in three years, but the Wolverines are still looking for their first victory under the playoff format.

At No. 6 is USC, one of five Pac-12 programs in the Top 25, followed by Penn State and ACC favorites Florida State (No. 8) and Clemson (9).

Washington rounds out the top 10 ahead of the top-ranked Big 12 team, Texas.

TCU beat the Wolverines to play in the national title game and checks in at No. 17 in the 2023 preseason poll. The Horned Frogs are replacing Max Duggan at quarterback and a number of starters.

Independent Notre Dame is No. 13 and Tulane, representing the American Athletic Conference, is ranked 24th.

–Field Level Media

Georgia quarterback Stetson Bennett (13) warms up before the start of a NCAA college football game between Vanderbilt and Georgia in Athens, Ga., on Saturday, Oct. 15, 2022. News Joshua L Jones

Top six teams unchanged as Georgia leads AP Top 25

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Georgia is No. 1 for the third straight week and the top six teams held their spots in the Associated Press Top 25 college football poll released Sunday.

The Bulldogs (7-0) were idle this weekend and received 31 first-place votes. No. 2 Ohio State (7-0) got 18 votes and No. 3 Tennessee (7-0) earned 13.

Michigan (7-0), Clemson (8-0) and Alabama (7-1) round out the top six, with the Tigers receiving one first-place vote following a 27-21 win against Syracuse (6-1), who dropped two spots to No. 16.

The rest of the Top 10 — Top 11, actually — starts with No. 7 TCU (7-0), followed by Oregon (6-1), Oklahoma State (6-1), Southern California (6-1) and Wake Forest (6-1). The Trojans and Demon Deacons are tied at No. 10.

UCLA (6-1) fell three spots to No. 12 after a 45-30 loss to the Ducks.

No. 15 Ole Miss (7-1) plummeted eight places after a 45-20 setback at LSU (6-2), who rejoined the poll this week at No. 18.

No. 25 South Carolina (5-2) is ranked for the first time since 2018.

Texas and Mississippi State dropped out of the Top 25 after losses to Oklahoma State and Alabama, respectively.

The SEC has seven teams represented, followed by the ACC with five and the Big Ten and Pac-12 with four each.

–Field Level Media