Georgia returned to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 poll on Sunday after dismantling Ole Miss 42-7 in Week 10. The Bulldogs hope to stay atop the rankings longer this time after being knocked out of the top spot after just one week at No. 1 last month by a loss to Auburn.
UGA’s convincing win combined with Miami’s loss to Notre Dame made the Bulldogs a clear pick at No. 1, while the Hurricanes fell to No. 5 after suffering their first loss. No. 2 Utah and No. 3 Notre Dame also received votes after strong wins that moved them up the rankings. Georgia is the betting favorite to win the national championship (+240 at FanDuel) after improving to 8-1 (6-1 SEC) with a commanding road victory against a quality championship opponent.
Ole Miss fell from No. 12 to No. 19 with this lopsided loss. The Rebels aren’t the only team in the preseason top 10 that is struggling to live up to expectations. Preseason No. 1 Ohio State moved from No. 11 to No. 21 after suffering a 41-28 home loss to Oregon. This is the first time since 1950 that the top two preseason teams (Oregon and Ohio State) have lost three of their first nine games.
Oregon moved from unranked to 18th after its road win over the Buckeyes. But both teams are 6-3 and on the outside looking in at the College Football Playoff picture heading into Week 11.
The full AP poll ahead of Week 11 is below.
AP Top 25 Poll
1 | Georgia (53) | 8-1 | 1,729 | 2 |
2 | Utah (12) | 9-0 | 1,675 | 3 |
3 | Notre Dame | 8-1 | 1,597 | 4 |
4 | UCLA | 9-0 | 1,542 | 5 |
5 | Miami | 8-1 | 1,430 | 1 |
6 | Indiana | 8-1 | 1,376 | 6 |
7 | Alabama | 7-2 | 1,334 | 9 |
8 | Texas | 7-2 | 1,253 | 10 |
9 | Tennessee | 7-2 | 1,177 | 9 |
10 | Texas Technology | 8-1 | 1,082 | 13 |
11 | Waking up forest | 8-1 | 1,067 | 14 |
12 | BYU | 7-2 | 1,041 | 7 |
13 | Kentucky | 7-2 | 897 | 8 |
14 | Houston | 7-2 | 803 | 17 |
15 | U.S.C. | 7-2 | 679 | 18 |
16 | Iowa | 7-2 | 659 | 21 |
17 | Boise State | 8-1 | 563 | 20 |
18 | Oregon | 6-3 | 517 | NR |
19 | Ole Mademoiselle | 6-3 | 415 | 12 |
20 | South Carolina | 6-3 | 399 | 23 |
21 | Ohio State | 6-3 | 349 | 11 |
22 | Arizona | 7-2 | 324 | 20 |
23 | New Mexico | 8-1 | 301 | 22 |
24 | LSU | 6-3 | 277 | 15 |
25 | EMS | 7-2 | 118 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Missouri 50, Duke 49, Oklahoma State 21, Liberty 14, Louisville 10, North Texas 2
SEC teams drop out
The number of SEC teams in this week’s AP Top 25 fell from 10 to eight after Missouri and Florida both withdrew from the poll following losses. The Tigers, who were No. 19, were the first to receive votes after their 34-20 loss to Texas. Florida was No. 25 but received no votes after losing two straight home games by more than 14 points for the first time since 1946. The Gators (5-4, 3-4) lost 23-7 to Oklahoma. No. 18 Oregon and No. 25 SMU came in to replace fallen SEC teams.
The consequences of the holy war
Utah moved up one spot to No. 2, marking the first time since 2008 that the Utes ranked this high in the poll. As one of only two undefeated teams in the sport, Utah cemented its legitimacy with a 28-20 victory over rival BYU in a highly anticipated Week 10 showdown. It was the Utes’ most important win of the season, and it moved them closer to a College Football Playoff appearance under coach Morgan Scalley. BYU fell five spots to 12th after suffering its second loss.
Ohio State’s rare low
The last time Ohio State was this low in the AP Top 25 was during the first month of the 2014 season, after the Buckeyes suffered a Week 2 home loss to unranked Virginia Tech. The loss dropped Ohio State from No. 8 to No. 22, and it wasn’t until November that the Buckeyes finally returned to the top 10. They won the national championship under coach Urban Meyer in the first year of the four-team CFP. This time around, just reaching the CFP – even in a 12-team format – will be an uphill battle.
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