Even without an AP top-25 matchup on the schedule, we knew that college football would give us some wild games. Two top-10 teams went down, and a nine overtime game was played.
As with all weekends when the slate looks bleak, we were blessed with multiple surprises, and the new AP-Top 25 reflects that.
Georgia remains at No. 1 following their bye week, and Cincinnati says number two in the poll after beating Navy 27-20.
The biggest story is Alabama jumping Oklahoma in the standings.
The Crimson Tide — who were ranked No. 4 coming into the weekend — are now ranked No. 3 after beating Tennessee 52-24. Alabama took three quarters to break away from the Vols but scored four touchdowns in the fourth quarter to break the game open.
And while Alabama wasn’t overly impressive, their win coupled with Oklahoma’s struggles with one-win Kansas was enough for the Crimson Tide to overtake the Sooners in the standings.
Oklahoma entered the fourth quarter training 17-14, but two fourth-quarter touchdowns by running back Kennedy Brooks and one unreal play by quarterback Caleb Williams allowed Oklahoma to escape Lawrence, Kansas, with a 35-23 win.
“I don’t care who you’re playing,” OU head coach Lincoln Riley said. “If you don’t seize momentum early in a road football game, you’re gonna be in for a dogfight, and we were. When we’re not playing well it’s close. We’re tired of being close. We’ve got to push it over the edge.”
OU has struggled to put teams away so far this season, with five of their eight wins being by one score.
Ohio State remains at No. 5 after a dominant performance against Indiana. The Buckeyes have now won five straight following their loss to Oregon at home by an average margin of 41.6 points. Speaking of Oregon, the Ducks managed to escape Los Angeles with a 34-31 win, and move up three spots to No. 7. Penn State lost in nine overtimes to Illinois, sending them plummeting in the polls to No. 20.
Michigan remains undefeated and at No. 6 after a 33-7 win against Northwestern. The Wolverines now prepare for their biggest game of the season — a matchup with in-state rival No. 8 Michigan State in East Lansing.
Iowa and Ole Miss round out the top-10.
Oklahoma State dropped from No. 8 to No. 15 after losing to unranked Iowa State in Ames, Iowa. The loss ended the Cowboys’ undefeated season and put the Cyclones back in the top-25, landing at No. 22.
Wake Forest (13), SMU (19), San Diego State (21), and UTSA (23) remained undefeated.
The complete Associated Press Top-25 can be seen below.
- Georgia (63)
- Cincinnati
- Alabama
- Oklahoma
- Ohio State
- Michigan
- Oregon
- Michigan State
- Iowa
- Ole Miss
- Notre Dame
- Kentucky
- Wake Forest
- Texas A&M
- Oklahoma State
- Baylor
- Pittsburgh
- Auburn
- SMU
- Penn State
- San Diego State
- Iowa State
- UTSA
- Coastal Carolina
- BYU
Joe Morgan is the Sports Reporter for The Daily Wire. Most recently, Morgan covered the Clippers, Lakers, and the NBA for Sporting News. Send your sports questions to [email protected].