AP Top 25: New Mexico Makes History as Miami Holds No. 1
Miami is still on top, but the rest of the AP poll shook again. Beaten 30-18 at USC, Ohio State tumbled from No. 2 to No. 11 and fell out of the top 10 for the first time since 2021. Georgia, Utah and UCLA moved up, while New Mexico entered the Top 25 for the first time in program history. Two days before the first College Football Playoff rankings, here is what the new AP Top 25 tells us.
Miami holds firm, Georgia and Utah climb
Miami (8-0) is No. 1 for the third straight week. Despite a hard-fought 38-35 win at North Carolina, the Hurricanes received 62 of 70 first-place votes, three more than the previous week. Georgia (7-1), which beat Florida 27-8 in Atlanta, moved up to No. 2 with seven first-place votes. Utah (8-0), a 49-25 winner at Cincinnati, jumped from No. 6 to No. 3 and received the other first-place vote. According to the AP, the Utes matched their highest ranking since 2015.
Notre Dame (7-1) moved up one spot to No. 4 after beating Navy 35-13. UCLA (8-0) reached the top five for the first time since 2001, per the AP. Under first-year coach Bob Chesney, the Bruins are 8-0 for the first time since 2005. Their latest win, 27-0 over Nevada, showcased a defense that allowed only 176 yards.
Defending national champion Indiana slipped two spots to No. 6 despite its 23-16 overtime win over Minnesota. The Hoosiers still own the longest active top-10 streak (22 weeks), and they owe part of it to an Irishman. Paddy McAteer, a former Gaelic football goalkeeper from Mullaghbawn in County Armagh, sent the game to overtime with a 60-yard field goal as time expired. According to the Irish site Balls.ie, it was the longest in program history.
Elsewhere in the top 10, the moves were mostly mechanical. BYU (7-1), which held off Arizona State 27-20 a week after its loss at UCF, moved up one spot to No. 7, as did idle Kentucky (No. 8) and Alabama (No. 9). Texas (6-2) entered the top 10 after routing Mississippi State 31-3. Further down, Texas Tech (No. 13) held its spot after a tight 34-26 win over Arizona, Wake Forest (No. 14) stayed put after a 51-7 rout of Virginia, and Missouri jumped from No. 23 to No. 19 with a 34-10 win at Arkansas.
Ohio State takes the biggest fall
Ohio State (6-2) took the biggest hit of the week, dropping nine spots from No. 2 to No. 11. Without injured starting quarterback Julian Sayin, the Buckeyes turned to true freshman Luke Fahey for his first career start. They gained 464 yards at the Coliseum but scored only one touchdown. According to the AP, Ohio State is out of the top 10 for the first time since September 2021, ending a run of 86 consecutive polls inside the top 10.
The trend goes beyond the Buckeyes. Ohio State is the 11th top-10 team to lose in the past three weeks, and No. 2 has now lost three weeks in a row, a first since 2007, per the AP. USC (7-2) went the other way: unranked last week with just 7 points, the Trojans are back at No. 18. The AP called it the biggest win of Lincoln Riley's five seasons in Los Angeles.
New Mexico makes history
The surprise of the day came from the Mountain West. New Mexico (7-1) debuted at No. 22, the first AP ranking in program history. The Lobos won 21-16 at San Jose State and are 7-1 for the first time since 1982. Their coach, Jason Eck, is only in his second season. The Mountain West once again has a ranked team.
The Lobos also count a Frenchman on their roster: offensive lineman Malik Aliane (No. 51), a Rouen native who learned the game with the Léopards before a stop at New Mexico Military Institute on his way to Albuquerque.
Iowa (No. 21) and South Carolina (No. 23) also entered the poll. The Hawkeyes shut out Wisconsin 30-0, and the Gamecocks have won three straight, including a 42-25 win at Oklahoma. Four teams dropped out: SMU, beaten 30-27 at Syracuse; Northwestern, overtaken 34-26 by Oregon; Oklahoma State, a 51-49 loser at Iowa State; and Wisconsin. Florida, beaten by Georgia, slid from No. 17 to No. 25. The SEC has 10 ranked teams, while the Big 12 and the Big Ten have five each.
What the poll means for the College Football Playoff
The College Football Playoff selection committee releases its first rankings Tuesday night. The AP poll plays no part in its process, but it offers a sense of the pecking order. With two losses, Ohio State has almost no margin left. Boise State (No. 20) and New Mexico (No. 22) are now competing to be the top team outside the major conferences, the team chasing the bracket spot reserved for that group. Boise State, which nearly blew a 25-point lead against Texas State before winning 46-45, is also awaiting word on quarterback Maddux Madsen, who was hurt near his left knee.
Next Saturday brings six ranked-versus-ranked matchups. Miami visits Notre Dame (No. 1 vs. No. 4), Georgia goes to Ole Miss, Utah hosts BYU in the Holy War, Kentucky travels to Tennessee, Texas visits Missouri and Alabama heads to LSU. Plenty can still change before December.
The full AP Top 25 (Week 10)
Miami (8-0)
Georgia (7-1)
Utah (8-0)
Notre Dame (7-1)
UCLA (8-0)
Indiana (8-1)
BYU (7-1)
Kentucky (7-1)
Alabama (6-2)
Texas (6-2)
Ohio State (6-2)
Ole Miss (6-2)
Texas Tech (7-1)
Wake Forest (7-1)
LSU (6-2)
Tennessee (6-2)
Houston (6-2)
USC (7-2)
Missouri (6-2)
Boise State (7-1)
Iowa (6-2)
New Mexico (7-1)
South Carolina (5-3)
Arizona (6-2)
Florida (5-3)
