Georgia moved up to No. 1 in The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday after its win at Alabama, Texas dropped six spots to No. 7 after its loss to rival Oklahoma and Oregon is unranked for the first time in four years after losing for the second time in a month.
The Bulldogs, who had been No. 2 for five straight polls while rolling off five straight lopsided wins, went on the road and beat Alabama 20-17 with the help of what appeared to be a missed pass-interference call in the end zone late in the game.
Georgia received 66 first-place votes from the panel of 70 media members after its first victory in Tuscaloosa since 2007 and ascended to the top of the poll for the first time since Sept. 8, 2024.
Notre Dame, which tuned up for this week’s top-10 matchup at BYU with a 58-7 rout of Stanford, moved up one spot to No. 2. The Irish got one first-place vote and have their highest ranking since they were No. 2 in the final poll of the 2024 season.
No. 3 Miami, which received two first-place votes, is followed by Ohio State and Indiana. The Hoosiers, who received the remaining first-place vote, got a two-spot promotion after their narrow win at Nebraska.
Alabama remained No. 6, and Texas, BYU, Mississippi and Texas Tech completed the top 10.
Oregon came into the season with its highest preseason ranking ever at No. 2. The Ducks’ turnover-fueled 17-15 home loss to UCLA dropped them to 3-2 and knocked them out of the poll for the first time since they went from No. 11 to unranked following a 49-3 loss to Georgia in the 2022 opener.
No. 12 UCLA and No. 15 Kentucky got the biggest promotions. The Bruins moved up nine spots with their win over Oregon, and the Wildcats went from unranked to No. 15 with their 35-34 overtime win over LSU, which dropped from No. 10 to No. 22.
In and out
- Kentucky, which dropped out last week after beating South Carolina, is back in the poll with its highest ranking since early October 2022.
- No. 21 Wake Forest is 5-1 and ranked for the first time since late October 2022.
- No. 25 Northwestern, at 4-1, earned its first ranking under fourth-year coach David Braun.
- Oregon hadn’t lost two of its first five games since the 2016 team opened 2-5 and finished 4-8.
- Florida has gone from No. 8 to No. 16 to out of the rankings in two weeks after its 38-19 home loss to South Carolina.
- Pittsburgh, which was No. 25, managed just one touchdown in eight second-half possessions in a 21-17 home loss to North Carolina.
Poll points
- This is the second time in three years there have been three or more No. 1 teams in the first six polls. Georgia, Texas and Alabama took turns holding the top spot in the first six polls in 2024. The only other time in the Top 25 era that three teams had been No. 1 at this point of a season was 1990.
- Notre Dame and Miami, dubbed “Catholic vs. Convicts” rivals since their classic game in 1988, haven’t been together in the top three since Nov. 9, 1993.
- Texas’ six-spot fall from No. 1 to No. 7 matched its drop after a season-opening loss to Ohio State last year.
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Conference call
- SEC (9 ranked teams): No. 1 Georgia, No. 6 Alabama, No. 7 Texas, No. 9 Mississippi, No. 13 Missouri, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 15 Kentucky, No. 16 Mississippi State, No. 22 LSU.
- Big Ten (6): No. 4 Ohio State, No. 5 Indiana, No. 12 UCLA, No. 17 Iowa, No. 19 USC, No. 25 Northwestern.
- Big 12 (5): No. 8 BYU, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 11 Utah, No. 18 Oklahoma State, No. 20 Houston.
- ACC (3): No. 3 Miami, No. 21 Wake Forest, No. 24 SMU.
- Pac-12 (1): No. 23 Boise State.
- Independent (1): No. 3 Notre Dame.
Ranked vs. ranked
- No. 4 Ohio State at No. 5 Indiana: Ohio State plays its second top-five matchup of the season. Indiana won the last meeting 13-10 in the 2025 Big Ten championship game, when the Hoosiers were No. 2 and the Buckeyes were No. 1.
- No. 2 Notre Dame at No. 8 BYU: It’s the first top-10 matchup at LaVell Edwards Stadium. The Cougars won the last time Notre Dame visited in 2004.
- No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 LSU: It’s the first time the teams have met as ranked opponents since 2018.
- No. 6 Alabama at No. 14 Tennessee: The Crimson Tide lost the last two times they visited Knoxville. The big question for the Volunteers is who will start at quarterback.
- No. 13 Missouri at No. 9 Mississippi: Motivation will be no problem for Mizzou QB Austin Simmons. He began last season as the Rebels starter, got hurt, recovered and stayed on the bench behind Trinidad Chambliss.
- No. 18 Oklahoma State at No. 20 Houston: This will be the first time these teams meet as ranked opponents.