Miami moves up to No. 3 while Georgia and the Irish are 1 and 2 in the AP Poll

Georgia takes over the top spot

Georgia returned to No. 1 in the AP Top 25 after a gritty 20-17 win at Alabama, ending a five‑poll stretch at No. 2. The Bulldogs received 66 first‑place votes following their first victory in Tuscaloosa since 2014. The game turned on a late sequence that included what appeared to be a missed pass interference call in the end zone, helping Georgia secure its sixth straight win and its first No. 1 ranking since September 2024 followed by Notre Notre Dame and Miami in the rankings.

Notre Dame moved up to No. 2 after a 58-7 rout of Stanford, earning one first‑place vote ahead of its top‑10 matchup with BYU. The Fighting Irish now hold their highest ranking since finishing No. 2 at the end of the 2024 season.

Miami climbs into the top three

Miami continued its rise, landing at No. 3 and picking up two first‑place votes. The Hurricanes sit behind only Georgia and Notre Dame, marking their first top‑three appearance since the early 1990s. Ohio State and Indiana round out the top five, with the Hoosiers earning the final first‑place vote after edging Nebraska on the road.

Alabama stayed at No. 6, while Texas dropped six spots to No. 7 following its rivalry loss to Oklahoma. BYU, Mississippi and Texas Tech completed the top 10.

Oregon falls out; UCLA and Kentucky surge

Oregon’s slide was one of the weekend’s biggest storylines. The Ducks, who began the season at No. 2, fell out of the poll entirely after a 17-15 home loss to UCLA. It marked Oregon’s first unranked appearance since 2022 and continued a rough month that included two losses in five games.

UCLA jumped nine spots to No. 12 with its win, while Kentucky made one of the largest leaps of the season, climbing from unranked to No. 15 after a dramatic 35-34 overtime victory over LSU. The Tigers dropped from No. 10 to No. 22.

New teams enter the rankings

Wake Forest returned to the poll at No. 21, earning its first ranking since late October 2022. Northwestern entered at No. 25, giving fourth‑year coach David Braun his first appearance in the Top 25.

Kentucky also rejoined the rankings after briefly falling out last week despite beating South Carolina. The Wildcats now hold their highest position since October 2022.

Florida, Oregon and Pittsburgh fall out

Florida’s rapid decline continued as the Gators dropped out of the poll entirely. Two weeks ago they were No. 8; last week No. 16; now they’re unranked after a 38-19 home loss to South Carolina.

Pittsburgh also exited the poll after scoring just one touchdown on eight second‑half possessions in a 21-17 loss to North Carolina.

Notes and trends

This season marks the second time in three years that three different teams have held the No. 1 spot within the first six polls. Georgia, Texas and Alabama each spent time at the top in 2024, and the only other season with similar early volatility was 1990.

Notre Dame and Miami, long linked by their “Catholic vs. Convicts” rivalry, appear together in the top three for the first time since November 1993.

Texas’ six‑spot fall from No. 1 to No. 7 matches its drop after losing to Ohio State in last year’s opener.