Oregon ascended to the No. 1 position in The Associated Press college football poll for the first time in 12 years, becoming the fourth team to claim the top ranking this season. This change follows Texas’ home loss to Georgia.
Vanderbilt re-entered the rankings at No. 25, marking its first appearance since the 2013 season, while defending national champion Michigan fell out after suffering its second consecutive loss, leaving it with a 4-3 record.
Oregon maintained its unbeaten status, securing a one-point victory over Ohio State and achieving its first road shutout in 32 years with a 35-0 win against Purdue. The Ducks received 59 out of 61 first-place votes. Meanwhile, Georgia moved up three spots to No. 2 after defeating Texas 30-15, claiming the remaining two first-place votes.
No. 3 Penn State and No. 4 Ohio State retained their positions after being idle over the weekend. Texas dropped to No. 5, having been held 28 points below its scoring average by Georgia.
Miami, after a thrilling victory against Louisville, remained at No. 6, while Tennessee surged four spots to No. 7 following its win over Alabama. The top 10 was completed by LSU, Clemson, and Iowa State.
This season has seen no team hold the No. 1 ranking for more than three consecutive weeks. Georgia started the season at the top but fell after a narrow win against unranked Kentucky. Texas held the No. 1 spot for two weeks before Alabama took over after defeating Georgia, only to be upset by Vanderbilt the following week, allowing Texas to return to the top for another two weeks.
Chip Kelly was at the helm of the only other Oregon teams that achieved No. 1 ranking status. The 2012 Ducks, led by Heisman Trophy winner Marcus Mariota, held the top spot for one week in November after starting the season 10-0 but later lost to Stanford. The 2010 Ducks, who lost to Auburn in the BCS title game, spent six weeks at No. 1.
Notably, this is the first season since 2012 in which four teams have played a game as the No. 1 team. Oregon was one of the four teams in 2012, along with Southern California, Alabama, and Notre Dame. Other seasons with four or more No. 1 teams since 2000 include 2007 (4), 2008 (6), and 2010 (4).
Tennessee’s 24-17 victory over Alabama resulted in significant shifts in the rankings, as the Volunteers moved up from No. 11 to No. 7. Alabama dropped eight spots to No. 15, its lowest ranking since 2010. Texas’ defeat by Georgia marked the first time a No. 1 team lost at home to a top-five opponent since Miami defeated Florida State 17-16 in 1991.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PREVIOUS RANK |
| 1 | Oregon | 7-0 | 2 |
| 2 | Georgia | 6-1 | 5 |
| 3 | Penn State | 6-0 | 3 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 5-1 | 4 |
| 5 | Texas | 6-1 | 1 |
| 6 | Miami | 7-0 | 6 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 6-1 | 11 |
| 8 | LSU | 6-1 | 8 |
| 9 | Clemson | 6-1 | 10 |
| 10 | Iowa State | 7-0 | 9 |
| 11 | BYU | 7-0 | 13 |
| 12 | Notre Dame | 6-1 | 12 |
| 13 | Indiana | 7-0 | 16 |
| 14 | Texas A&M | 6-1 | 14 |
| 15 | Alabama | 5-2 | 7 |
| 16 | Kansas State | 6-1 | 17 |
| 17 | Boise State | 5-1 | 15 |
| 18 | Ole Miss | 5-2 | 18 |
| 19 | Pitt | 6-0 | 20 |
| 20 | Illinois | 6-1 | 22 |
| 21 | Missouri | 6-1 | 19 |
| 22 | SMU | 6-1 | 21 |
| 23 | Army | 7-0 | 23 |
| 24 | Navy | 6-0 | 25 |
| 25 | Vanderbilt | 5-2 | N/R |
Vanderbilt’s return to the rankings follows its victory over Ball State, bringing its record to 5-2 and marking the Commodores’ best start since 2008. Michigan’s loss to Illinois, where they scored only 7 points, ended its streak of being ranked in 54 consecutive polls since 2021.
