Alabama seventy three to zero blow-out of Louisiana Monroe may have left fans of the Crimson Tide breathing easier. The Associated Press and its Top 25 college football ranking appeared only slightly impressed. The latest listing put Alabama at number nineteen, just two spots higher than the ranking of twenty one, following last Saturday’s loss to Florida State. It was the first season opening defeat for the Tide since 2001.
Ohio State, Penn State and LSU remained the top three teams in The Associated Press Top 25 college football poll Sunday, Oregon is back in the top five and South Florida is ranked for the first time in seven years. There was some movement inside the top 10, but the biggest changes came from Nos. 11 to 25.
Ohio State, whose 70-0 win over Grambling was among a bevy of weekend blowouts, received 57 of the 65 first-place votes from the media panel. Penn State got five first-place votes and LSU two. Number4 Oregon, which thrashed Oklahoma State, received the other first place-vote and flip-flopped with Georgia. The Bulldogs' uninspired win over FCS foe Austin Peay caused them to slip to Number 6 behind Miami.
Texas, Notre Dame, Illinois and Florida State round out the top 10, with the latter two teams in the top 10 for the first time this season. Oklahoma earned a five-rung promotion to Number 13, its highest ranking in two years, after its win over Michigan. The Wolverines dropped to Number23. Tennessee jumped seven spots to Number 15, and Number 16 Texas A&M and Number 17 each moved up three. The biggest upward mover was Number 18 South Florida, which was eight spots out of the Top 25 last week. The Bulls pulled the upset of the day with their 18-16 win over then-Number 13 Florida. That followed their 34-7 home win over then-Number 25 Boise State.
Number 24 Auburn and Number 25 Missouri cracked the rankings along with USF.
Auburn followed a two-touchdown win at Baylor with an easy victory over Ball State and are in the Top 25 for the first time under third-year coach Hugh Freeze.
Missouri, which appeared in all but two polls last season, is back in after a win over Border War rival Kansas.
Arizona State (12), Florida (13) and SMU (17) are out.
The Sun Devils erased a 17-point deficit and led in the final minute before losing at Mississippi State. Florida's loss put heat back on coach Billy Napier. SMU also blew a lead in the last minute and lost to Baylor in two overtimes. The Bulls’ ascent under third-year coach Alex Golesh is more of a revival than breakthrough. They have their first ranking since 2018 under Charlie Strong. Jim Leavitt had the 2008 team as high as Number10, and his 2007 team spent three straight weeks in the top 10 and was Number2 after a 6-0 start.
Number 10 Florida State, up four spots, has its highest ranking since it was Number10 in the 2024 preseason poll.
Number 9 Illinois has its first top-10 ranking since it was Number 7 in December 2001. Clemson, which trailed Troy 16-0 midway through the second quarter before winning 27-16, slipped from Number 8 to Number 12.Until Sunday, Alabama and Auburn had not appeared in the Top 25 at the same time since November 2021. The 16-team Southeastern Conference is the first league to have 11 teams in the Top 25.
