Alabama and Georgia are the only constants during this topsy-turvy college football season. They held down the top two spots for a fifth straight week in the AP Top 25, which is presented by Regions Bank.
Alabama received 53 of a possible 62 first-place votes Sunday, with Georgia — who blanked then-No. 8 Arkansas Saturday — picking up the rest. Georgia will engage in yet another Top 20 matchup when it plays Auburn next. The Bulldogs have won 12 of 15 in the series.
After those two teams, the movement up and down and in and out of the Top 25 was about what would be expected after a week in which nine ranked teams lost, including four in the top 10.
Through the first five weeks of the season, 34 ranked teams have lost, the most in poll history. Last week, the SEC had four teams in the top 10 and five of the top 12. Alabama and Georgia are the SEC’s only two in the top 10 this week.
Iowa leapfrogged Penn State to take the No. 3 spot after its 51-14 road win over previously unbeaten Maryland. The Hawkeyes have their highest ranking since 2015. Penn State beat Indiana 24-0 at home and remained No. 4.
No. 5 Cincinnati, coming off a 24-13 road win over Notre Dame, has its best ranking since Brian Kelly’s 2009 Bearcats were No. 4 in the first week of November.
Oklahoma, Ohio State, Oregon, Michigan and BYU round out the top 10.
Clemson’s 19-13 home win over previously unbeaten Boston College didn’t impress voters enough to keep the Tigers in the Top 25. Thus ends their streak of 107 consecutive weeks in the rankings. The last time the Tigers were unranked was the week of Oct. 5, 2014.
They are one spot out of the Top 25, 15 points behind San Diego State.
In & Out
- No. 16 Kentucky (5-0) is rewarded for its win over then-No. 10 Florida with its first ranking of the season.
- No. 21 Texas (4-1) beat TCU for its third straight victory and is back in for the first time in a month.
- No. 22 Arizona State (4-1) returns after wins over Colorado and UCLA.
- No. 24 SMU is 5-0 for a third straight season.
- No. 25 San Diego State (4-0) returns for the first time since November 2019.
- Clemson managed only one touchdown and four field goals against BC. The Tigers get a week off before facing a top-15 defense at Syracuse.
- Texas A&M got bounced for losing two in a row and Alabama comes calling this week.
- Fresno State is out following two weeks after committing six turnovers and blowing a two-touchdown lead in the fourth quarter against Hawaii.
- UCLA was ranked for three straight weeks but got bumped after losing two straight home games.
- Baylor couldn’t get its running game going against Oklahoma State and is out after a one-week appearance.
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