Georgia took No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25 rankings for the second time this season after a wild weekend that followed the first College Football Playoff rankings of the year.
The Bulldogs turned in one of the most dominant performances of the season in a 42-7 victory at Mississippi on Saturday. Unbeaten Utah moved up one spot to No. 2 with its 28-20 win over rival and then-No. 10-ranked BYU.
Notre Dame’s 31-24 win over Miami pushed them up one rung to No. 3, while the Hurricanes fell to No. 5 after their first loss. That makes Miami the fourth No. 1 team to get knocked out of the top spot, the most in a single season since 2008.
UCLA, which is 9-0 for the first time since 1998, moved up to No. 4.
Further down in the poll, Ohio State’s free fall continued. A 41-28 home loss to Oregon sent the Buckeyes to No. 21 and put the Ducks back on the map at No. 18.
Only one team — No. 6 Indiana, which was idle — remained in the same spot it had a week ago in the Top 25.
See what to look for this season in the analysis below.
Here are the latest rankings and analysis:
Ask a voter: Predictions for the College Football Playoff semifinals?
Way to put me on the spot! I’ll take Georgia, Notre Dame, Miami and Alabama.
Only Indiana stayed put
By MAURA CAREY
Only one team stayed put after a chaotic Week 10 in the AP Top 25, and that was Indiana.
Every other team reshuffled, however. Miami fell from No. 1 to No. 5, and previous Nos. 2-4 each moved up a spot.
The Hoosiers had the week off, but they weren’t the only ones with a break. USC was also idle but benefited from Ole Miss, Missouri and Ohio State losing, pushing the Trojans up three spots to No. 15.
Indiana and USC are two of the three highest-ranked Big Ten teams behind an undefeated UCLA that cracked the top five this week.
Ask a voter: What does a team’s schedule do for the top 25?
I think it’s the same as how an AP class boosted your GPA in high school. It gives you a boost, but at the end of the day, if you have all C’s in your classes, maybe it’s time to drop down to the honors courses.
You can play all the tough opponents you want, but you still have to win the games.
Ohio State slots in at its lowest rank since 2014
By MAURA CAREY
The Buckeyes fell 10 spots to No. 21 after a 41-28 upset loss to Oregon this week. It’s Ohio State’s lowest ranking since 2014, when the Buckeyes fell to No. 22 two weeks after losing to Virginia Tech.
Ohio State went on to win the next 13 games that year, including the National Championship.
And then there were 8
By MAURA CAREY
The SEC, which has led the nation in ranked teams all season, still holds that distinction. But the conference is down to eight teams in the AP Top 25 after starting the week with 10.
Missouri dropped out after a 34-20 loss to Texas, falling from No. 19. The Tigers are now 6-3 overall and 3-3 in SEC play, very likely shutting the door on a College Football Playoff berth. Florida also tumbled out after a 23-7 home loss to a struggling Oklahoma team. At 5-4 after back-to-back losses, a bowl game is Florida’s ceiling this year.
Inside Miami’s week: Tim Reynolds goes behind the scenes
By TIM REYNOLDS
“I wish it had been a touchdown.”
That was University of Miami President Joe Echevarria’s reaction outside the locker room on Saturday night following the Hurricanes’ controversial 31-24 loss to Notre Dame.
The postgame frustration in South Bend was only a small part of a turbulent week for Miami. The Hurricanes lost standout receiver Malachi Toney to an ankle injury leading up to their biggest test of the season, then saw their unbeaten season come to an end in a game that came down to a disputed fourth-quarter catch.
AP’s Tim Reynolds spent much of the week behind the scenes with the then-No. 1 Hurricanes. Take a look inside Miami’s week here.
Week 10 separated SEC contenders
By MAURA CAREY
After much offseason debate following Lane Kiffin’s mid-playoff departure, neither LSU nor Ole Miss is in particularly stellar standing to make the 12-team playoff.
Both teams fell to 6-3 in Week 10 after losses to Alabama and Georgia. Alabama was the only three-loss playoff team last year, and the third loss stemmed from the SEC championship game, which the committee ruled was not enough to count against them.
Georgia is the only one-loss SEC team. Alabama, Kentucky, Texas and Tennessee each sit at 7-2.
South Carolina, Ole Miss, LSU and Missouri are each 6-3.
Ask a voter: Walk us through your top 10 this week
I had to go through each conference this week and pull out which teams actually deserve a vote. Then I had to rank those teams. Once I got down to a 25-team pool that I was fine with, I went about slotting each team into a ranking. I made sure head-to-head took priority this week , and I made sure no three-loss teams were on the playoff bubble.
I think Georgia’s dominance this season has been like any other team and, although I think officiating got in the way, that win at Alabama is a strong complement to a dominant win in Oxford.
Utah isn’t too far behind in terms of dominance this year and its two ranked wins are just behind Georgia’s, in my opinion. If someone said Utah’s win at Colorado should lift it past Georgia, considering the Bulldogs’ home loss to Auburn, I wouldn’t argue with them.
Notre Dame showed me it’s one of maybe five teams that can actually win a national championship, and so did Miami. When the Hurricanes get Malachi Toney back, that’ll be the most dangerous passing attack in the country. I just worry about their defense.
And having undefeated UCLA anything lower than five would’ve been criminal. That is the best team in the Big Ten and I’m not sure it’s a debate (side note: imagine if we had a Pac-12 this year with UCLA, USC, Utah, BYU, Arizona, Oregon and Boise State).
Utah reaches new heights
By MAURA CAREY
Utah’s No. 2 ranking is the program’s highest regular-season spot in the AP Top 25. The Utes last ranked No. 2 at the end of the 2008 season after a perfect 13-0 campaign that ended with a 31-17 Sugar Bowl win over Alabama.
Utah finished behind Florida in the AP Top 25 that year. Before this season, the Utes hadn’t seen a top-five ranking since 2019.
Conference breakdown
By MAURA CAREY
The SEC has eight ranked teams in the AP Top 25 this week: No. 1 Georgia, No. 7 Alabama, No. 8 Texas, No. 9 Tennessee, No. 13 Kentucky, No. 19 Ole Miss, No. 20 South Carolina and No. 24 LSU.
The Big Ten has six teams in the mix: No. 4 UCLA, No. 6 Indiana, No. 15 USC, No. 16 Iowa, No. 18 Oregon and No. 21 Ohio State.
The Big 12 has five in the poll: No. 2 Utah, No. 10 Texas Tech, No. 12 BYU, No. 14 Houston and No. 22 Arizona.
The ACC has three ranked teams: No. 5 Miami, No. 11 Wake Forest and No. 25 SMU.
No. 17 Boise State is the Pac-12’s sole ranked team, and No. 23 New Mexico is the only ranked team in the Mountain West. No. 3 Notre Dame is independent.
How the votes are counted
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
For decades, voters called, emailed and faxed their votes to the AP and ballots were tabulated by hand.
Now voting happens online, and the count is automated first before AP checks for miscues.
The poll operates on a 1-to-25-point system, with the No. 1 team receiving 25 points down to the 25th team receiving 1 point. In between, the poll lists the teams with the most points from 24 down to 2. Teams that receive votes but not enough to make the top 25 are noted separately.
Georgia reclaims No. 1
By MAURA CAREY
The Bulldogs have reclaimed the No. 1 ranking in the AP Top 25 after a three-week hiatus, but it wasn’t a unanimous decision.
Georgia received 53 first-place votes this week after a 42-7 rout of Ole Miss – a game the Bulldogs entered as narrow 3.5-point favorites. No. 2 Utah received 12 first-place votes following its 28-20 win over then-No. 7 BYU. And Notre Dame claimed five first-place votes after knocking off Miami.
Ask a voter: Do you bias traditionally successful teams?
I couldn’t care less about tradition.
What Derek Jeter did for the Yankees isn’t going to do anything for Aaron Judge’s teams, and Michigan’s history doesn’t automatically make it a better team today than Indiana.
I care about who you’ve played, who you’ve beaten and what my eyes tell me about your team.
AP Top 25 temperature check
By MAURA CAREY
Heating up: Georgia (1), Utah (2), Notre Dame (3), UCLA (4), Alabama (7), Texas (8), Tennessee (9), Texas Tech (10), Wake Forest (11), Houston (14), USC (15), Iowa (16), Boise State (17), Oregon (18), South Carolina (20), Arizona (22), SMU (25).
Cooling down: Miami (5), BYU (12), Kentucky (13), Ole Miss (19), Ohio State (21), New Mexico (23), LSU (24), Missouri (OUT), Florida (OUT).
Holding steady: Indiana (6).
Ask a voter: When it comes to resumes, how do you balance Utah vs. Notre Dame?
This one was rather easy. Do I think Notre Dame would win the head-to-head? Yes.
But Utah has the better resume.
Most importantly, they have a common opponent in BYU. Notre Dame lost to the Cougars, who have lost twice since then, and Utah won.
AP Top 25 poll rankings
1. Georgia
2. Utah
3. Notre Dame
4. UCLA
5. Miami (Fla.)
6. Indiana
7. Alabama
8. Texas
9. Tennessee
10. Texas Tech
11. Wake Forest
12. BYU
13. Kentucky
14. Houston
15. USC
16. Iowa
17. Boise State
18. Oregon
19. Ole Miss
20. South Carolina
21. Ohio State
22. Arizona
23. New Mexico
24. LSU
25. SMU
Others receiving votes: Missouri, Duke, Oklahoma State, Liberty, Louisville, North Texas.
Ask a voter: What happens to the ACC in the CFP if Wake Forest wins out?
I have spent the last month figuring out if there is a path for the ACC to have two playoff teams. (Louisville’s two-game losing streak a few weeks ago really messed that up.)
I think the ACC would need Miami and the winner of Wake Forest-SMU on Saturday to win out. And the winner of that game would have to beat Miami in the ACC title game.
Wake Forest rolls to 77-0 win over Merrimack
By MAURA CAREY
Redshirt freshman quarterback Steele Pizzella stepped in for banged-up Gio Lopez at quarterback and led Wake Forest to a 77-0 win over FCS Merrimack. Pizzella threw for 432 yards and three touchdowns and rushed for 63 yards and a score – all in the first half.
He became the first Demon Deacon to pass for 400+ yards since Hank Bachmaier in 2024. Wake Forest finished the day with 730 yards of total offense.
Wake Forest (8-1, 5-1 ACC) is second in the Atlantic Coast Conference standings behind top-ranked Miami.
Ask a voter: Why would Notre Dame be ranked higher than Utah?
This felt like a week of three-team tiebreakers. Notre Dame/Utah/BYU and Alabama/Kentucky/Tennessee were the two scenarios I cared about the most.
The resume has to matter right now, and there’s no point in playing the games if head-to-head doesn’t matter. I have the Utes at No. 2, Notre Dame No. 3 and BYU at No. 12.
Tennessee’s defense overpowers Kentucky
By MAURA CAREY
One of the more surprising teams of the season, Kentucky, couldn’t find its momentum against Tennessee in a 34-6 loss on Saturday.
A strong Vols defense kept the Wildcats from the end zone and forced three turnovers. Dejuan Lane picked off Kentucky quarterback Kenny Minchey on his second drive, setting the tone for the rest of the game.
Minchey turned the ball over for a second time as Tennessee safety Qua Moss forced a fumble late in the third quarter. It was Moss’s second forced fumble of the contest.
Senior linebacker Arion Carter had a standout day with 13 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for losses and a quarterback hurry.
Ask a voter: Where will Oregon land?
The Ducks got off to too slow a start to make the playoffs. We are not at a point in the year where any three-loss teams should be in the top 12, especially Oregon.
Oregon should be ranked in the 20s, maybe the high teens, but the losses to Oklahoma State and Illinois ended its season weeks ago.
Longhorns notch sixth straight ranked win
By MAURA CAREY
The Longhorns boosted their CFP resume on Saturday with a 34-20 win over No. 19 Missouri, marking the program’s sixth straight win over an AP Top 25 opponent.
In one of Arch Manning’s best performances of the season, the quarterback threw for 297 yards and three touchdowns, a combination that paired well with a dominant Longhorns defense.
Texas cornerback Graceson Littleton ended Mizzou’s hopes of a comeback after coming up with an interception with 1:41 remaining. Raleek Brown ran it in for the game-winning touchdown 16 seconds later.
The Longhorns have now knocked off then-No. 1 Ohio State, No. 14 Tennessee, No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 19 Missouri.
Oklahoma wins big in the swamp
Oklahoma played what coach Brent Venables described as its best four quarters this season in a 23-7 road defeat of Florida on Saturday.
It was Oklahoma’s first game of the season with Jason Witten serving as interim offensive coordinator, and the Sooners offense did the job.
Quarterback John Mateer completed 21 of 33 passes for 207 yards and a pair of short touchdown passes, but a 20-play touchdown drive that took 12:45 off the clock in the fourth quarter proved to be the difference-maker for the Sooners.
After back-to-back losses, the once playoff hopeful Gators are now out of the conversation.
Kiffin’s dry spell against Alabama extends to 0-5
By MAURA CAREY
Lane Kiffin rolled up to Tiger Stadium with Shaquille O’Neal, Angel Reese, Paul Skenes and Kevin Costner, but no amount of star power could help LSU on Saturday in a 31-13 loss to Alabama.
Keelon Russell’s toughness was on full display as the Alabama quarterback fought through an ankle injury that required a short stint in the injury tent. He completed 17 of 24 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns.
LSU quarterback Sam Leavitt threw for 380 yards, but an interception, missed field goal and four failed fourth-down attempts held the Tigers to just 13 points.
Kiffin is now 0-5 against Alabama as a head coach.
Ohio State stumbles again
Oregon is beginning to find its groove with Dylan Raiola leading the charge, but the same can’t be said for an Ohio State team also operating under its backup quarterback.
The Buckeyes lost their second straight and third overall as the preseason No. 1 team stumbled to a 41-28 loss to preseason No. 2 Oregon on Saturday.
Ohio State took an early 14-point lead, which Oregon responded to by scoring on four of the next five drives to take full control of the game.
The loss leaves UCLA, Indiana, Iowa and USC as the last Big Ten teams standing in the playoff picture and not in three-loss purgatory.
Who decides the rankings?
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
AP Top 25 voters are writers and broadcasters who cover college football.
AP employees do not vote, but they do choose the voters, and they seek wide representation from all over the country. This season, there are 69 voters.
The focus begins with voter representation in states with a Bowl Subdivision school, and the total number of voters from each state increases with the number of FBS teams. There are also spots reserved for national voters.
The AP allows broad latitude for voters to determine their rankings. They are urged to base their votes on performance, not reputation or preseason speculation (except, of course, for the always provocative preseason poll); to avoid regional bias, for or against; to pay attention to head-to-head results; and to make significant changes if desired.
Georgia rolls past Ole Miss
By MAURA CAREY
One of the more highly anticipated Southeastern Conference matchups of the season ended in a blowout, as Georgia cruised to a 42-7 defeat of Ole Miss on Saturday night.
The Bulldogs dominated on both sides of the ball, forcing two turnovers and sacking quarterback Trinidad Chambliss five times while allowing just one score. Quarterback Gunner Stockton accounted for five total touchdowns, four passing and one on foot.
Three of Stockton’s four touchdown passes belonged to receiver Talyn Taylor. The Bulldogs found success in the running game, outrushing a Kewan Lacy-less Ole Miss team 295-66.
It was Georgia’s fifth win by 35 points or more over a top-10 team in the CFP era (since 2014).
