Georgia seizes the No. 1 spot atop the AP Top 25 as Oklahoma upsets Texas

There are six games between ranked teams coming up next Saturday, none bigger than No. 4 Ohio State playing at fifth-ranked and defending national champion Indiana in the Big Ten game of the week.

The others are:

No. 2 Notre Dame plays at eighth-ranked BYU.

No. 6 Alabama plays at 14th-ranked Tennessee in the SEC.

No. 13 Missouri plays at ninth-ranked Mississippi in the SEC.

No. 16 Mississippi State plays at 22nd-ranked LSU in the SEC.

No. 18 Oklahoma State plays at 20th-ranked Houston in the Big 12.

Two more notable games:

No. 1 Georgia hosts Auburn in the SEC game known as "the Deep South's Oldest Rivalry."

No. 3 Miami hosts in-state rival Florida State in ACC action.

By DAVE ZELIO

If the College Football Playoffs were based on the latest AP rankings, they would open like this:

Coach Billy Napier's new team is essentially ranked higher than his previous one.

James Madison is receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and, in theory, is ranked 31st in the latest poll. That's one spot higher than Florida, which appears to be in a freefall after climbing as high as No. 8 under first-year coach Jon Sumrall two weeks ago.

Napier coached the Gators for four seasons (2022-25) and created little momentum in Gainesville, Florida. He might be better suited for the Group of Six, where he won big at Louisiana-Lafayette.

The Dukes are off to a 6-0 start for the first time since 2023. Former JMU coach Bob Chesney has UCLA 5-0 and ranks 12th.

There's a Big 12 showdown on the horizon, and it could end up being a top-10 matchup.

BYU remained No. 8 in the latest Top 25 poll, but fellow Big 12 heavyweight Utah made up ground by climbing one spot to No. 11. They play Nov. 7 in Salt Lake City.

It's looking more and more like a game that will decide a spot in the conference title game. Neither plays 10th-ranked Texas Tech during the regular season, potentially raising the stakes of their head-to-head matchup next month.

Utah is the only Football Bowl Subdivision team that's won every game this season by 14 or more points. The Utes also have scored at least 30 points in 11 consecutive games.

In the case of Florida and Oregon, they each now have two losses, which makes them really hard to rank over undefeated teams and even one-loss teams at this point. Voters move teams who lost based on a lot of factors. Who'd they lose to? How'd they lose? What did the rest of their resume look like before the loss? The same goes for wins.

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.

Northwestern debuted at No. 25 in the rankings on Sunday after beating Ball State 45-14.

The Wildcats' real movement started two weeks ago when they had defending national champion Indiana on the ropes on the road. The Hoosiers escaped 29-23, but Northwestern served notice that it was going to be a force in coach David Braun's fourth season.

The Wildcats followed up that near-miss with a thorough victory against Penn State, 34-13.

Now they're ranked and looking for more. They play Michigan State and Rutgers next. The real test: a three-game stretch against Oregon, Iowa and Ohio State that begins on Halloween.

Notre Dame and Miami haven't been ranked in the top three in any poll since 1993.

The No. 2 Fighting Irish moved up after bullying Stanford 58-7 on Saturday. It was Notre Dame's 16th consecutive win – all by 10 or more points.

The third-ranked Hurricanes moved up despite being on a bye. They host rival Florida State this Saturday.

Notre Dame and Miami play in South Bend, Indiana, on Nov. 7 – a game that could be used to help the College Football Playoff selection committee determine seeding before the postseason.

Friendly reminder: Oklahoma lost at Michigan, got blown out at Georgia and barely beat New Mexico. Not sure what else there is to say. Nonetheless, I will add this: Texas was indeed the No. 1 team, but many saw this coming from the Longhorns. Texas needed close to a miracle to beat Ohio State and really struggled offensively in wins against UTSA and Tennessee.

Texas did lose to a bad Oklahoma team, but the Longhorns hold one of the best wins this season over Ohio State. Voters are valuing that win so they aren't plummeting Texas. If the Longhorns didn't have that win, they'd probably drop significantly further.

No. 15 Kentucky might be the best story in college football that no one is talking about.

The Wildcats have won back-to-back Southeastern Conference games in overtime by the same score (35-34) and in similar fashion. That has resulted in their highest ranking since being No. 13 in 2022.

First-year coach Will Stein won the coin toss in the extra frame in both games, scored and called for 2-point conversions. The Wildcats made them both, knocking off South Carolina on the road and upsetting LSU and Lane Kiffin at home.

If you combine Kentucky's early season success – the Wildcats' only loss was to Alabama – with Oregon's slide, Stein might be the common thread. He was Oregon's offensive coordinator and QBs coach between 2023 and 2025.

He raised eyebrows at SEC Media Day in July when he called himself the No. 1 reason Kentucky was poised for a turnaround.

Notre Dame started the year three spots ahead of Miami, and to be honest, both have been stout all season. The Fighting Irish have won 16 consecutive games -- all by at least 10 points or more. Miami certainly has the better win, at Clemson. But the reality is Notre Dame and Miami play next month and will get to settle the debate on the field.

Georgia is No. 1 in the AP Top 25 for the first time since September 2024.

The Bulldogs moved up one spot in the poll after beating No. 6 Alabama 20-17 on Saturday night. It was Georgia's first win against Alabama in the regular season since 2007 and coach Kirby Smart's first victory in Tuscaloosa as the Bulldogs' coach.

The Bulldogs last claimed the No. 1 spot on Sept. 3, 2024, after beating Clemson 34-3 in a kickoff classic. They stayed there for two weeks and then dropped to No. 2 following a 13-12 win at Kentucky.

How long will this stint last? Georgia's upcoming schedule: Auburn, then a bye week, then Florida in Atlanta, and a trip to No. 9 Ole Miss followed by No. 13 Missouri.

You have to consider it. I think a perfect example is Ole Miss against Florida. The Rebels were without star running back Kewan Lacy. In regard to overtime wins, it's still a win but you have to consider the game went to overtime, meaning it was very close.

Remember when Florida was the flavor of the week in the Southeastern Conference?

The Gators climbed to No. 8 after thumping then-No. 4 Mississippi at home last month. They haven't looked the same since, getting pummeled at then-No. 25 Missouri and humiliated at home by South Carolina. The Gamecocks ended an eight-game skid in league play with a 38-19 stunner in the Swamp.

Florida (4-2, 2-2 SEC) is now out of the poll after being ranked 16th and faces Texas and Georgia over the next three weeks. The Gators play Oklahoma and Kentucky after that, meaning first-year coach Jon Sumrall's 4-0 start could be long forgotten by Thanksgiving.

Like Florida, Oregon is now outside the Top 25. UCLA beat the Ducks 17-15 on Saturday night.

Oregon (3-2, 1-1 Big Ten) turned the ball over seven times in the loss and saw its chances for making the College Football Playoff fade.

Texas' loss to Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry game dropped the Longhorns to No. 7 in the poll.

Arch Manning threw two interceptions in the fourth quarter, leading to 10 points for the underdog Sooners. His first interception was returned 42 yards for a touchdown by Peyton Bowen to give Oklahoma its first lead, 24-17. The second positioned the Sooners for a game-winning field goal on the final play.

Manning was hardly Texas' only issue. The Longhorns gave up a special teams touchdown when a blocked punt was recovered in the end zone. They also suffered defensive penalties that helped Oklahoma's sputtering offense score its only TD of the game.

Texas will try to bounce back at home Saturday against reeling Florida, which has been blown out in consecutive games.

Ask AP: What counts as a quality win?

No, but it will be considered a "quality loss." Voters clearly didn't punish the still sixth-ranked Crimson Tide for losing to then-No. 2 Georgia and it's likely the College Football Playoff selection committee will do the same when its first ranking drops in early November. Losing home or away to another top-10 team -- and in a close game -- shouldn't affect a team's postseason resume other than in the head-to-head column that's used for seeding.

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

There could be multiple factors why the SEC and Big Ten get so much attention. Voters could look at past postseason experience, nonconference 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 toward 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 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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.