Georgia is back on top of the AP Top 25 for the first time since 2024 after a hard-fought 20-17 win over Alabama. The Bulldogs’ edge came courtesy of the Longhorns’ upset loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game.
UCLA and Kentucky are the week’s biggest climbers. The Bruins jumped to No. 12 after forcing seven turnovers in an upset against Oregon, while Kentucky returned to the poll at No. 15 after another overtime thriller. They beat LSU 35-34 on a two-point conversion. LSU fell from No. 10 to No. 22, and Oregon and Florida dropped out of the rankings.
Stick around for live updates, analysis and voter Q&A.
Here’s what to know:
Georgia takes over: The Bulldogs are the new No. 1. Notre Dame, Miami and Ohio State each moved up a spot to round out the top four.
Biggest risers: UCLA climbed nine spots to No. 12, while Kentucky reentered the rankings at No. 15 and Northwestern made its debut at No. 25.
Out of the poll: Oregon and Florida fell out of the rankings, while LSU dropped 12 spots to No. 22
AP Top 25 rankings
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
1. Georgia
2. Notre Dame
3. Miami (Fla.)
4. Ohio State
5. Indiana
6. Alabama
7. Texas
8. BYU
9. Ole Miss
10. Texas Tech
11. Utah
12. UCLA
13. Missouri
14. Tennessee
15. Kentucky
16. Mississippi State
17. Iowa
18. Oklahoma State
19. USC
20. Houston
21. Wake Forest
22. LSU
23. Boise State
24. SMU
25. Northwestern
Ask a voter: What about the Big 12 and ACC?
There could be multiple factors why the SEC and Big Ten get so much attention. Voters could look at past postseason experience, non-conference matchups or simply they just think the teams in the SEC and Big Ten are better. It’s based on voter preference. The Big 12 is a bit more well represented throughout the poll, but neither the Big 12 nor the ACC are represented towards the top of the rankings. That could change after this week’s matchup between Notre Dame and BYU, and then when Notre Dame plays Miami. Miami and BYU seem to be the top teams in their conferences.
Spencer Ripchik is a college football reporter for The Dominion Post and is among the youngest and newest Top 25 voters. You can follow him on X: @ripchikspencer.
Kentucky pulls it off again in overtime
By MAURA CAREY
Kentucky handed No. 10 LSU its second loss in a 35-34 thriller. The Wildcats’ gamble to go for two in overtime paid off for the second straight week, this time at the expense of the Tigers.
Kentucky running back C.J. Baxter scored on a 1-yard run, and quarterback Kenneth Minchey ran untouched for the game-winning 2-point conversion.
Coach Will Stein also opted for the two-point conversion against South Carolina in Week 5, which led to a near identical 35-34 overtime win over the Gamecocks.
Ask a voter: Why is Notre Dame ranked so highly?
There are voters who use the “eye test” in their rankings, meaning that based on what they’ve seen on the field, no matter the opponent, they are worthy of a top ranking. Notre Dame is one of the few remaining undefeated teams and hasn’t really come close to losing. Based on the eye-test factor and its perfect record, the Irish are one of the top teams every week. But resume and quality wins are favored more heavily than eye test, which is why Notre Dame hasn’t been ranked No. 1 yet this season.
Indiana improves to 6-0 — barely
By MAURA CAREY
No. 7 Indiana remained unbeaten but needed a fourth-quarter rally and two late defensive stops to escape Nebraska with a 20-17 win.
The defending national champions erased an 11-point fourth-quarter deficit with back-to-back touchdown drives. Quarterback Josh Hoover connected with Nick Marsh on both, first for a 75-yard score, then on a fourth-down conversion for a 44-yard touchdown.
A great day for Venables, Beamer and Smart
It was a bad day for No. 1 Texas and No. 16 Florida. It was, however, a very good day for Brent Venables and Shane Beamer.
It was a pretty good day for Kirby Smart and No. 2 Georgia, too.
Georgia’s 20-17 win against Alabama gave Smart a 3-7 record against the program he could not beat for many years when the stakes were highest.
Venables and Beamer also picked up much-needed wins that could ease the pressure building around their programs. Oklahoma knocked off No. 1 Texas with a 27-24 Red River Rivalry upset, and South Carolina cruised to a 38-19 win against No. 16 Florida on the road.
Ask a voter: Who did you drop this week?
This week, I dropped Florida, LSU and Oregon out of the top 25 because I feel like at this point in the season, it’s hard to put two-loss teams in the top 25. I also dropped Pitt, who was on the bubble last week after losing to North Carolina. That left room for new additions, including Wake Forest (5-1), Arizona (5-1), Wisconsin (4-1) and the undefeated James Madison Dukes (6-0). All have worthy resumes for being in the top 25.
Oklahoma didn’t need its offense to take down No. 1 Texas
By MAURA CAREY
It’s been a tough season for Oklahoma’s offense and quarterback John Mateer. The Sooners knocked off No. 1 Texas with a 27-24 Red River Rivalry win, but it wasn’t necessarily the offense that fueled the win.
Oklahoma’s first touchdown was a blocked punt from Danny Okoye, which Dakoda Fields scooped up and returned for a touchdown.
Sooners’ Peyton Bowen later had a 42-yard pick-six to give Oklahoma its first lead of the outing.
Oklahoma’s sole offensive score was a two-yard rushing touchdown from Lloyd Avant on a drive that started near midfield.
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.
UCLA trumps Oregon
By MAURA CAREY
No. 21 UCLA remained undefeated with a 17-15 win over No. 13 Oregon in a messy, turnover-filled outing. The Ducks threw two interceptions and lost five fumbles, the last coming on their final drive with less than a minute left.
UCLA quarterback Nico Iamaleava had 162 yards and two interceptions before sitting out the second half with a lower leg injury. Ty Dieffenbach took over under center and threw for 43 yards and a touchdown as the Bruins look to move up in the rankings.
Oregon backup quarterback Dylan Raiola’s heroic performance against USC felt like a distant memory as he completed just 6-of-18 passes for 43 yards and two interceptions before being replaced by Brock Thomas.
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.
Upheaval on tap for Top 25
By DAVE ZELIO
Six teams in the AP Top 25 lost over the weekend, which always portends a shakeup in the rankings.
But it’s who lost that suggests today’s poll is going to get an overhaul: No. 1 Texas, No. 6 Alabama and No. 10 LSU all went down, pretty much guaranteeing a new team at the top of the rankings. No. 2 Georgia is a likely candidate.
Amid the intrigue is how far voters will drop Texas (which lost in overtime against its archrival) and Alabama (which lost by 3 points to Georgia after at least one controversial decision by the officiating crew).
There may be some new faces, too. Teams like Wake Forest, Northwestern and Kentucky all have 1 loss each and stirring victories on their resumes already.
