It was a turbulent week in the Associated Press Top 25 college football rankings, as Texas reclaimed the No. 1 spot after a brief hiatus, sparked by Vanderbilt’s stunning upset of Alabama.
Vanderbilt, huge underdogs, shocked the Crimson Tide, causing Alabama to plummet from first to seventh. This marks the steepest fall for a top-ranked team since Ohio State dropped to 11th in 2010 after losing to Wisconsin.
Texas, which had a bye week, earned 52 of 61 first-place votes and became the first team in two years to alternate in and out of the top spot within three polls. They also became only the third team since 2008 to achieve the No. 1 ranking without playing that week.
Ohio State secured a victory over Iowa, earning nine first-place votes and moving up to second. Oregon and Penn State both climbed three spots to third and fourth, respectively, while Georgia held steady at fifth.
Big 12 Football Power Rankings: BYU, Colorado Rise — Utah, UCF Fall (Week 6)
After a controversial ending on a Hail Mary two weeks ago, Miami made headlines again as the Hurricanes overcame a 25-point deficit to defeat California 39-38. With the win, Miami moved up two spots (No. 6) in the polls.
The chaos extended beyond Alabama, with six out of 18 AP Top 25 teams suffering defeats to unranked foes—marking the highest rate of such losses since October 2020. Alabama was one of four top-11 teams to fall to unranked opponents, a first since 2016.
Tennessee dropped from fourth to eighth after losing to Arkansas, while Michigan fell from tenth to twenty-fourth after losing to Washington. USC’s defeat at Minnesota knocked them out of the rankings entirely.
In the week’s only Top 25 matchup, Texas A&M triumphed over Missouri, lifting the Aggies from a tie for 25th to 15th, while Missouri fell from ninth to 21st.
Double-digit drops by Missouri, Michigan and USC mark the first time since Nov. 13, 2016, that three teams fell 10 or more spots in the same poll. That week it happened to Auburn (8 to 18), Texas A&M (10 to 23) and North Carolina (15 to receiving votes).
Big 12 Gaining Ground
Just like last week, only four Big 12 teams are ranked, with Iowa State leading the way at No. 11, with BYU (No. 14), Utah (No. 16) and Kansas Sate (No. 18) following close behind.
While the Big 12 doesn’t have any teams in the Top 10, the good news is that the conference contenders didn’t have a loss during upset Saturday. The Cyclones moved up five spots, BYU moved up 3 spots, and Utah and Kansas State moved up two spots each.
The Big 12 was likely looking at just one conference representative if the playoffs started last week, but thanks to the upsets, it’s projected that the Big 12 will have two representatives now.
Top 25 Conference Call
SEC: 9 (Nos. 1, 5, 7, 8, 9, 13, 15, T-18, 21)
Big Ten: 6 (Nos. 2, 3, 4, T-18, 23, 24)
Big 12: 4 (Nos. T-11, 14, 16, T-18)
ACC: 4 (Nos. 6, 10, 22, 25)
Mountain West: 1 (No. 17)
Independent: 1 (No. T-11)
Who’s In; Who’s Out
SMU (5-1) was rewarded for knocking off Louisville on the road and enters the rankings at No. 25. The Mustangs have appeared in the Top 25 all but one season (2022) since 2019. Louisville (3-2) has lost two of three and dropped out.
Pittsburgh won at North Carolina to start 5-0 for the first time since 1991 and enters the rankings at No. 22 for its first appearance in two years.
USC (3-2) has lost two of its first three Big Ten games and is out, as is UNLV, whose first-ever Top 25 appearance was spoiled by an overtime home loss to Syracuse.
Big 12 Football Power Rankings: BYU, Colorado Rise — Utah, UCF Fall (Week 6)
