Georgia took No. 1 in the latest AP Top 25 rankings for the second time this season after Miami’s loss to Notre Dame.
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 for its 28-20 win over rival and then-top 10 ranked BYU, and the Fighting Irish’s 31-24 win over Miami pushed them up one rung to No. 3.
UCLA is 9-0 for the first time since 1998 and moved up to No. 4. It’s the Bruins’ highest ranking since their 2001 team was No. 4 following a 6-0 start.
Miami, which held the No. 1 ranking for three weeks, fell to No. 5 after its first loss. Indiana, Alabama, Texas, Tennessee and Texas Tech completed the top 10.
Here are the latest rankings and analysis:
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).
