Georgia is the new top team on Brett McMurphy’s AP Top 25 ballot after Week 10, taking over the No. 1 spot after Miami’s loss at Notre Dame.
The Bulldogs move into first after hammering Ole Miss 42-7, while unbeaten Utah and UCLA slide into the next two spots. Notre Dame rises to No. 4, with Miami dropping to No. 5 after its defeat in South Bend.
McMurphy also added four new teams to his ballot this week: Oregon, South Carolina, Duke and Oklahoma State.
Georgia’s jump to No. 1 came on the back of a dominant showing against Ole Miss. Nate Frazier ran for 106 yards, and Gunner Stockton was sharp through the air, throwing for 186 yards and four touchdowns. Since the loss to Auburn, Georgia has beaten Florida and Ole Miss by a combined 69-15.
Utah stayed perfect at 9-0 by outlasting BYU 28-20 in the Holy War. Devon Dampier was involved in all four touchdowns, passing for 177 yards and two scores while adding 89 rushing yards and two more touchdowns.
Braden Pegan caught both of Dampier’s touchdown passes and finished with 86 receiving yards. The Utes have now won 15 straight, the longest active streak in the country.
UCLA also kept rolling, moving to 9-0 after a 34-20 win over Minnesota. Ty Dieffenbach threw for 303 yards and three touchdowns on just eight completions, an eye-popping 38 yards per completion.
Aidan Mizell had two catches, and both went for 75-yard touchdowns, while Semaj Morgan added a 54-yard grab. Wayne Knight chipped in 109 rushing yards and a score.
Notre Dame’s 31-24 win over Miami was the kind of result that reshapes the top of the ballot. CJ Carr threw for 319 yards and three touchdowns as the Irish held off the then-No. 1 team.
Micah Gilbert caught nine passes for 98 yards, and Jordon Faison added six receptions for 77. McMurphy noted the win all but locks up a playoff spot for Notre Dame if the Irish win their final three games.
Miami’s first game without injured receiver Malachi Toney ended in a loss, even though Darian Mensah finished with 302 passing yards and three touchdowns after a slow start. Cooper Barkate caught 10 passes for 118 yards and two scores, Elija Lofton had seven catches for 113 yards and a touchdown, and Mark Fletcher ran for 57 yards on 13 carries.
Indiana stayed put at No. 6 after not playing last week and now turns to USC on Saturday. McMurphy called it a close one, and he pointed out that the Hoosiers have won four of their five Big Ten games decided by one score. He also noted that Nick Marsh and Charlie Becker lead the Big Ten in yards per reception, at 17.61 and 17.5, respectively.
Alabama climbed to No. 7 after a 31-13 win over LSU, even though the Tigers outgained the Crimson Tide by nearly 200 yards. Keelon Russell threw for 206 yards and three touchdowns, and Rico Scott had three catches for 67 yards, including a 57-yard reception that set up Alabama’s go-ahead touchdown while the Tide trailed 13-10 in the third quarter.
Texas sits at No. 8 after pulling away from Missouri 34-20. Arch Manning passed for 297 yards and three touchdowns, Raleek Brown ran for 85 yards and a score on 17 carries, and Emmet Mosley led the team with five catches for 85 yards. The Longhorns have now won three straight since back-to-back losses to Oklahoma and Florida.
Tennessee rounds out the top 10 after a 34-6 win over Kentucky in Knoxville, where the Vols broke things open with a 21-0 fourth quarter. DeSean Bishop carried 25 times for 109 yards and a touchdown, Daune Morris added 85 rushing yards, and George MacIntyre was held to 125 passing yards.
Kentucky fell to No. 10 after the loss, with Kenny Minchey throwing for 224 yards. Willie Rodriguez caught six passes for 81 yards, and Kenny Darby added seven receptions for 69 yards.
The rest of McMurphy’s ballot includes Texas Tech at No. 12 after a 53-48 win over West Virginia, Houston at No. 13 after beating Cincinnati 31-24, USC at No. 14 after not playing, Iowa at No. 15 after a 24-10 win at Northwestern, Wake Forest at No. 16 after a 77-0 rout of Merrimack, Arizona at No. 17 after edging TCU 29-28, Oregon at No. 18 after its 41-28 win at Ohio State, Ohio State at No. 19 after the loss to Oregon, Ole Miss at No. 20 after falling to Georgia, Boise State at No. 21 after a 64-38 win at Colorado State, South Carolina at No. 22 after beating Texas A&M 17-9, New Mexico at No. 23 after a 31-3 win at Nevada, Duke at No. 24 after a 41-3 win at NC State, and Oklahoma State at No. 25 after a 66-28 win at Kansas State.
In Other News...
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For a Kentucky team still alive with three games left, the frustration is easy to understand. The Wildcats have enough football remaining to keep chasing a College Football Playoff path if they can win out, but a defeat like this one lingers because it invites the question of what might have been had those calls gone the other way. [Read more 🡒]
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Kentucky checking in at No. 13 is still a sign of national relevance, but it also underscores how much tighter the margin has become in the College Football Playoff race. With the SEC crowding the top of the poll, the Wildcats are no longer just trying to stay visible, they are trying to keep pace in a field where every result seems to reshape the picture. [Read more 🡒]
Kentuckys Biggest Concern From The Win Wont Go Away Before Kansas
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Perimeter defense is the part that will linger now, especially with Kansas next on the schedule. Kentucky can survive a night like this when its size and paint scoring hold up, but the margin gets much thinner if opponents keep getting that many clean looks from outside. [Read more 🡒]