Oregon was the No. 1 team in The Associated Press’ poll of the Top 25 football teams for the fourth straight week on Sunday, as Penn State and Indiana moved into the top five, Georgia and Miami dropped out of the top 10 and four other ranked teams lost. He adjusted the rankings with a month remaining in the regular season.
No team this season has finished at No. 1 for more consecutive weeks than Oregon State, which pulled away from Maryland over the weekend to improve to 10-0 and is unanimously No. 1 for the second straight week.
Ohio State moved up one spot to second place and Texas moved up two spots to third place. Penn State finished in fourth place, one point behind fifth-place Indiana, with Tennessee just three points behind in sixth place.
Penn State, ranked sixth last week, returned to the top five after a comfortable win over Washington. The Hoosiers, who beat Michigan 20-15 for a record 10th win and their first victory by fewer than 14 points, rose from No. 8 to their highest seeding since they were No. 4 in the final poll of the 1967 season.
Following Tennessee in the top 10 were BYU, Notre Dame, Alabama and Mississippi. The SEC has four teams in the top 10 and nine teams overall in the AP Top 25 while the Big Ten has four teams in the top five for the first time in history.
Georgia and Miami declined. The Bulldogs lost 28-10 at Mississippi and moved from No. 2 to No. 11, their first time outside the top 10 since late in the 2020 season. The Hurricanes’ 28-23 loss to Georgia Tech sent them from No. 4 to No. 12.
How those losses will affect their bids for a spot in the College Football Playoff will be known Tuesday night when the selection committee releases its second seeding. Georgia is the fifth-highest-ranked Southeastern Conference team in the AP Poll, and Miami remains the highest-ranked team in the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Poll points
Mississippi State received the biggest upgrade, from No. 16 to No. 10. The Rebels put on a dominant defensive performance against Carson Beck and the Bulldogs a week after Jackson Dart set school passing records in a blowout of Arkansas.
LSU’s playoff hopes were dashed with a 42-13 loss at home to Alabama. The Tigers fell from 14th to 21st.
No. 18 Colorado controls its destiny in the playoff chase. The Buffaloes alone are ranked second in the Big 12, one game behind undefeated BYU, and the second-highest ranked team in the conference in the AP Poll. They do not meet in the regular season. If they both run the table, they will play in the conference championship game.
Boise State fell one spot to 13th and remains the top-ranked team in the Group of Five after its 28-21 win over Nevada with three wins.
In and out
No. 23 South Carolina, which has beaten top-ranked Texas A&M and Vanderbilt teams in consecutive weeks, is in the top 25 for the first time since the end of the 2022 season.
No. 24 Missouri beat Oklahoma on a late fumble comeback for a touchdown and returns after a one-week absence.
No. 25 Tulane, winner of seven in a row, made its debut in the Top 25 under first-year coach John Sumrall.
Iowa State, Pittsburgh and Vanderbilt withdrew.
The Cyclones’ second straight loss came to a Kansas team that entered with two wins. Pitt, which had been beaten badly by SMU a week earlier, lost at home to Virginia. Vanderbilt has lost two of the last three.
Group call
SEC – 9 (Nos. 3, 6, 9, 10, 11, 15, 21, 23, 24).
ACC – 4 (Nos. 12, 14, 17, 22).
Big Ten – 4 (numbers 1, 2, 4, 5).
Major 12 – 3 (numbers 7, 18, 20).
AAC — 2 (No. 16, 25).
Western Mountain – 1 (No. 13).
Pac 12-1 (No. 19).
Independent – 1 (No. 8).
Rank versus rank
-no. 6 Tennessee at No. 11 Georgia: Volunteers QB Niko Emaleva is expected to return after not playing the second half against Mississippi State. The Vols never scored more than 21 points during their seven-game losing streak against the Bulldogs.
-no. 24 Missouri at No. 23 South Carolina: The Tigers have won five straight games in the series. The Gamecocks have a chance to beat an opponent for the third straight game.
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