AP Top 25 Poll: Georgia moves to No. 1 in college football rankings after edging Alabama in SEC showdown
Georgia claimed the No. 1 spot in the new AP poll on Sunday after outlasting Alabama 20-17 in an SEC showdown on Saturday. The Bulldogs earned 66 of 70 first-place votes while moving into first place for the first time since the 2024 season.
Beating Alabama validated UGA after a light start to the 2026 season by the Bulldogs. Georgia’s first three SEC opponents were the three lowest-scoring offenses in the league, and facing the Crimson Tide marked a test for UGA’s defense. They passed that test to improve to 6-0 (4-0 SEC) heading into a Week 7 home game against Auburn.
Texas fell six spots to No. 7 after falling to Oklahoma in the Red River Showdown. The Longhorns were one of three SEC schools to suffer major falls this week. LSU fell 12 spots to 22nd after losing at Kentucky, and Florida dropped out of the poll after falling to South Carolina.
Kentucky rose the most in this week’s poll, moving from unranked to 15th. Right behind was UCLA, which moved up nine spots after beating Oregon on the road. The Ducks were eliminated from the ballot after falling to 3-2.
Northwestern ranked for the first time since 2020
Northwestern jumped in the AP poll for the first time since 2020 after improving to 4-1 with a 45-14 victory over Ball State. This marks an important step in returning the program to relevance after a messy end to coach Pat Fitzgerald’s tenure ahead of the 2023 season. Fourth-year coach David Braun led the Wildcats to victories in two of his first three seasons and re-established the program as a threat in the Big Ten. The Wildcats were the first team left out of this week’s coaches poll.
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David Cobb
Conference Breakdown
Florida dropped out of the ballot, but Kentucky entered to replace the Gators and keep the SEC’s contingent of ranked teams at nine. That’s the most among all conferences, followed by the Big Ten with six and the Big 12 with five. The Big Ten has three other teams – Wisconsin, Oregon and Nebraska – in the top four in the “others receiving votes” category.
The ACC has three teams in the poll after Pitt fell and was replaced by No. 21 Wake Forest. The Demon Deacons were on a notable uptick after improving to 5-1 with a win at NC State on Saturday.
Setting the Stage for Week 7
With Indiana coming in at No. 4 and Ohio State at No. 5, that cements this week’s showdown between the Hoosiers and Buckeyes as a top-five battle. With Notre Dame at No. 2 and BYU at No. 8, a Week 7 matchup between the Fighting Irish and Cougars will be a top-10 matchup. With Tennessee remaining at No. 14 and Alabama at No. 7, their matchup against the SEC will be a top-15 matchup.
Week 7 AP Top 25
| RANK | SCHOOL | REC | L.W. | SPT |
| 1 | Georgia (66) | 6-0 | 2 | 1,745 |
| 2 | Notre Dame (1) | 6-0 | 3 | 1,630 |
| 3 | Miami (2) | 5-0 | 4 | 1,594 |
| 4 | Ohio State | 5-1 | 5 | 1,508 |
| 5 | Indiana (1) | 6-0 | 7 | 1,461 |
| 6 | Alabama | 5-1 | 6 | 1,372 |
| 7 | Texas | 4-1 | 1 | 1,371 |
| 8 | BYU | 5-0 | 8 | 1,237 |
| 9 | Ole Mademoiselle | 4-1 | 9 | 1,135 |
| 10 | Texas Technology | 5-0 | 11 | 1,132 |
| 11 | Utah | 5-0 | 12 | 1,073 |
| 12 | UCLA | 5-0 | 21 | 951 |
| 13 | Missouri | 5-1 | 14 | 882 |
| 14 | Tennessee | 5-1 | 15 | 706 |
| 15 | Kentucky | 5-1 | NR | 655 |
| 16 | Mississippi State | 4-1 | 17 | 650 |
| 17 | Iowa | 5-1 | 20 | 621 |
| 18 | Oklahoma State | 4-1 | 18 | 604 |
| 19 | Southern California | 6-1 | 19 | 505 |
| 20 | Houston | 5-1 | 22 | 380 |
| 21 | Waking up forest | 5-1 | NR | 326 |
| 22 | LSU | 4-2 | 10 | 274 |
| 23 | Boise State | 5-1 | 23 | 268 |
| 24 | EMS | 4-1 | 24 | 142 |
| 25 | Northwest | 4-1 | NR | 112 |
Others receive votes: Wisconsin 92, Oregon 86, Arizona 82, Nebraska 65, Oklahoma 44, James Madison 29, Florida 9, Duke 5, New Mexico 3, Oregon State 1
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