Utah’s climb to No. 3 and BYU’s spot at No. 7 set up a top-10 Holy War, but the biggest jolt in Sunday’s AP Top 25 came much earlier in the rankings. Ohio State tumbled out of the top 10 for the first time in five years, UCLA cracked the top five for the first time in 25 years, and New Mexico landed in the poll for the first time in program history.
Miami stayed at No. 1 for the third straight week after slipping past North Carolina 38-35, while Georgia moved up to No. 2.
Utah followed at No. 3, then Notre Dame and UCLA to round out the top five. The Hurricanes, who travel to Notre Dame on Saturday for a marquee top-five showdown, collected 62 of 70 first-place votes.
Georgia received seven and Utah got one.
Ohio State’s fall was dramatic. The Buckeyes slid from No. 2 to No. 11 after a 30-18 loss at Southern California, marking the fourth straight week that the No. 1 or No. 2 team has been beaten by an unranked opponent.
It was the first time Ohio State had been outside the top 10 since Sept. 26, 2021.
After beating Akron by 52 points, the Buckeyes were back in the top 10 the next week with a 39-point win over Rutgers and then stayed there for 86 straight polls.
UCLA’s rise has been one of the season’s cleanest surprises. The Bruins are 8-0 for the first time since 2005 under first-year coach Bob Chesney, and their 27-0 shutout of Nevada pushed them to No.
- That’s their highest ranking since they were No. 4 after a 6-0 start in 2001.
New Mexico’s breakthrough came at No. 22 after a 21-16 win at San Jose State. The Lobos, who have played football since 1892, are ranked for the first time ever. Jason Eck’s second season has produced New Mexico’s first 7-1 start since 1982, and the Lobos are now the only Mountain West team unbeaten in conference play.
The reshuffled poll also brought several fresh faces back in. USC returned at No. 18 after its win over Ohio State, the biggest of Lincoln Riley’s five seasons and a result that puts the Trojans back in the playoff conversation. Iowa re-entered at No. 21 after a 30-0 win over Wisconsin, and South Carolina checked in at No. 23 after winning three straight and climbing back into the rankings for the first time since September 2025.
A few teams fell out after damaging losses. SMU’s playoff path is fading unless it can win the ACC championship after a 30-27 last-minute loss at Syracuse.
Northwestern dropped out after leading into the fourth quarter at Oregon and not finishing the job. Oklahoma State also fell out after Iowa State got a short field for a walk-off field goal following unsportsmanlike conduct in a 51-49 shootout in Ames.
Wisconsin’s brief stay in the conversation ended with a humiliating loss at Iowa, sending Luke Fickell right back onto the hot seat.
There were a few other notable markers in the poll. Utah’s No. 3 ranking matches its highest since Oct. 18, 2015, when it was 6-0.
Indiana now owns the longest active streak of consecutive top-10 appearances at 22 weeks. The Mountain West had not had a ranked team since Boise State was No. 25 in the 2025 preseason poll, and the No. 2 team has now lost three straight weeks, something that hadn’t happened since 2007, when it happened twice.
The conference breakdown reflects how crowded the top 25 has become. The SEC leads with 10 ranked teams, followed by the Big 12 and Big Ten with five each. The ACC has two, while the Independent, Pac-12 and Mountain West each have one.
And the week ahead is loaded with ranked-on-ranked matchups: No. 1 Miami at No.
4 Notre Dame, No. 2 Georgia at No.
12 Mississippi, No. 7 BYU at No.
3 Utah, No. 8 Kentucky at No.
16 Tennessee, No. 10 Texas at No.
19 Missouri and No. 9 Alabama at No.
15 LSU.
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