For the first time in almost two decades, there is a tie at No. 2 in the AP Top 25. Both Ohio State and Tennessee have exactly 1,500 points, although the Volunteers have 18 first-place votes to the Buckeyes’ 15.
Other than Tennessee technically moving up from No. 3 to No. 2, there wasn’t any movement in the top eight. Beyond the top eight, the poll gets interesting.
Oregon, USC, and UCLA round out the top 10. The Pac-12 is tied with the SEC for most teams in the top 10, with three teams each.
Depending on which Big 12 fan you ask, it was either a great week or a terrible week. TCU remains the highest-ranked Big 12 team at No. 7, and Kansas State jumped nine spots to No. 13. That big jump, however, came at the expense of Oklahoma State.
The Cowboys fell nine spots after losing to K-State, 48-0, in the biggest loss of the Mike Gundy era. They did not have the biggest fall this week. That honor goes to Wake Forest, who fell 10 spots after losing to Louisville, 48-21.
There are a few new faces in the poll this week. The Liberty Flames are back for the first time since 2020, and the Oregon State Beavers are ranked for the first time since 2013.
Two teams fell out of the rankings, and both call the SEC East home. Kentucky and South Carolina are unranked. The Wildcats hadn’t been unranked all season.
There are some very interesting top-10 matchups on the schedule this week. Alabama is heading to Death Valley to take on LSU. Brian Kelly’s Tigers are very much in play for the SEC West title. They beat Ole Miss two weeks ago. If they beat Alabama, they’ll be in control of the division.
As we get closer to College Football Playoff time, the margin for error is only getting smaller. If LSU beats Alabama, the Tide’s hopes of returning to the playoff are dead.
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