In the first major shake-up of the college football season, the Southeastern Conference (SEC) has made history by occupying six of the top seven positions in the AP Top 25, a first in the 88-year history of the rankings. Notre Dame, after a shocking home loss, has fallen to No. 18.
Georgia remains at No. 1 with 54 out of 63 first-place votes. No. 2 Texas has moved up a spot following a dominant win over defending national champion Michigan and secured four first-place votes. This marks the Longhorns’ highest ranking since their second-place finish in 2009.
The Wolverines dropped to No. 17.
No. 3 Ohio State from the Big Ten slipped one position. Alabama, an SEC team, held steady at No. 4, while Mississippi advanced to No. 5. Missouri climbed three spots to No. 6, and Tennessee made a significant move from No. 14 to No. 7 after a decisive victory over North Carolina State.
The SEC’s dominance reflects its expanded roster, now including 16 teams with the additions of Texas and Oklahoma. This early-season shift highlights the potential of the superconference model.
Notre Dame’s 16-14 loss to Northern Illinois marked the first time a top-five team was defeated by an unranked team since Purdue’s victory over then-No. 2 Iowa on November 5, 2022. Northern Illinois, which secured its first top-five win in Mid-American Conference history, has entered the rankings at No. 25, marking its first appearance since 2013 and making it the first non-Power Four conference team to be ranked this season.
Completing the top 10 are No. 8 Penn State, No. 9 Oregon, and No. 10 Miami. Oregon fell two spots after a narrow comeback victory against Boise State.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PREVIOUS RANK |
| 1 | Georgia | 2-0 | 1 |
| 2 | Texas | 2-0 | 3 |
| 3 | Ohio State | 2-0 | 2 |
| 4 | Alabama | 2-0 | 4 |
| 5 | Ole Miss | 2-0 | 6 |
| 6 | Missouri | 2-0 | 9 |
| 7 | Tennessee | 2-0 | 14 |
| 8 | Penn State | 2-0 | 8 |
| 9 | Oregon | 2-0 | 7 |
| 10 | Miami | 2-0 | 12 |
| 11 | USC | 2-0 | 13 |
| 12 | Utah | 2-0 | 11 |
| 13 | Oklahoma State | 2-0 | 16 |
| 14 | Kansas State | 2-0 | 17 |
| 15 | Oklahoma | 2-0 | 15 |
| 16 | LSU | 1-1 | 18 |
| 17 | Michigan | 1-1 | 10 |
| 18 | Notre Dame | 1-1 | 5 |
| 19 | Louisville | 2-0 | 22 |
| 20 | Arizona | 2-0 | 20 |
| 21 | Iowa State | 2-0 | N/R |
| 22 | Clemson | 1-1 | 25 |
| 23 | Nebraska | 2-0 | N/R |
| 24 | Boston College | 2-0 | N/R |
| 25 | Northern Illinois | 2-0 | N/R |
Poll Points
Northern Illinois is one of four teams to join the rankings this week, including Nebraska at No. 23. The Cornhuskers are ranked for the first time since 2019 after a win over Colorado. They last maintained a sustained presence in the rankings in 2016 and have not finished a season ranked since 2012. Nebraska’s coach Matt Rhule and freshman quarterback Dylan Raiola aim to restore the program’s prominence.
Nebraska still holds the record for the longest streak of poll appearances with 348 weeks under coach Tom Osborne from 1981 to 2002. Alabama currently holds the second-longest streak with 264 consecutive weeks.
In and Out
Teams that dropped out of the rankings include Kansas, Iowa, Georgia Tech, and North Carolina State, all of which suffered losses.
No. 21 Iowa State moved into the rankings by defeating Iowa. Georgia Tech’s brief return to the AP Top 25 ended after a loss to Syracuse, while Boston College entered the rankings at No. 24 for the first time since 2018.
Conference Call
The only other instance of a conference holding four of the top five spots was the SEC on October 19, 2014, when Mississippi State was No. 1, Ole Miss was No. 3, Alabama was No. 4, and Auburn was No. 5.
Current rankings by conference:
– SEC: 8 teams (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, 15, 16)
– Big Ten: 6 teams (Nos. 3, 8, 9, 11, 17, 23)
– Big 12: 5 teams (Nos. 12, 13, 14, 20, 21)
– ACC: 4 teams (Nos. 10, 19, 22, 24)
– MAC: 1 team (No. 25)
– Independent: 1 team (No. 18)
Ranked vs. Ranked
Upcoming games include No. 20 Arizona facing No. 14 Kansas State in a nonconference match and No. 24 Boston College traveling to No. 6 Missouri in an unexpected ACC-SEC showdown.
