AP top 25 poll: Texas, Utah take big leaps after wins in latest college football rankings
Utah and Texas both made big strides in the latest Associated Press top 25 poll after victories over their top 15 opponents this weekend.
Utah, the only undefeated team in the Big 12, moved up to No. 6 after a 21-13 victory over Houston on Saturday night. The Utes were one of the biggest players of the week after ranking 10th last week.
The same was true for Texas, which moved from No. 19 to No. 11 after its 34-27 victory over Ole Miss. The Rebels fell to No. 12 from No. 7 after the loss to the Longhorns.
BYU’s time in the top three was short-lived. The Cougars, who moved to No. 2 after a win over Notre Dame last week, fell to No. 8 after a double overtime loss to unranked Central Florida.
Texas Tech also saw a steep drop to 13th after losing to Cincinnati.
AP Poll
Rank | Team | Points |
|---|---|---|
1 | Miami (FL) 7-0 | 1,735 (59) |
2 | Ohio State 6-1 | 1,681 (10) |
3 | Georgia 6-1 | 1,511 |
4 | Indiana 7-1 | 1,459 |
5 | Notre Dame 6-1 | 1,458 |
6 | Utah 7-0 | 1,413 (1) |
7 | UCLA 7-0 | 1,398 |
8 | BYU 6-1 | 1,325 |
9 | Kentucky 7-1 | 1,185 |
10 | Alabama 6-2 | 1,063 |
11 | Texas 5-2 | 966 |
12 | Ole Miss 5-2 | 871 |
13 | Texas Tech 6-1 | 861 |
14 | Wake Forest 6-1 | 822 |
15 | LSU 6-2 | 813 |
16 | Tennessee 6-2 | 662 |
17 | Florida 5-2 | 556 |
18 | Houston 6-2 | 491 |
19 | SMU 6-1 | 440 |
20 | Boise State 6-1 | 422 |
20 | North West 6-1 | 422 |
22 | Arizona 6-1 | 400 |
23 | Missouri 5-2 | 329 |
24 | Oklahoma State 5-2 | 180 |
25 | Wisconsin 5-2 | 125 |
Others receiving votes: Iowa 76, New Mexico 41, Cincinnati 11, Oregon State 10, South Carolina 8, Minnesota 7, USC 7, UTSA 1, Virginia Tech 1
The SEC is a battleground
Georgia remains the top-ranked team in the SEC at third, but chaos has once again reared its ugly head within the conference. The next two highest-ranked teams in the SEC a week ago – No. 7 Ole Miss and No. 11 Tennessee – both lost on Saturday. No. 9 Kentucky and No. 10 Alabama moved into the top 10 after those losses, but it’s clear that the College Football Playoff selection committee will have an extremely difficult time evaluating the top teams in the SEC.
The SEC has four teams ranked Nos. 9 through 12, including the Wildcats, who are ranked one spot ahead of a team they lost to earlier this season. The schedule hasn’t even gotten to November yet, and yet there are no undefeated SEC teams and only two one-loss teams remain in Kentucky and Georgia. Prepare for a glut of three-loss SEC teams, all with their own strengths and weaknesses.
Wisconsin Accessories
Early this season, CBS Sports pundits voted for which coaches held the hottest seats and ranked Baylor’s Dave Aranda, Florida State’s Mike Norvell, Maryland’s Mike Locksley and Wisconsin’s Luke Fickell among the top four. Aranda and Locksley have since been fired, while Norvell occupies the hottest spot in college football.
Fickell? They are now a top-25 team after a win over USC on Saturday. This is Wisconsin’s first appearance in the AP Top 25 since September 2023. Wisconsin’s decision to invest more in its roster and give Fickell an extra chance has paid off in 2026 so far. The Badgers are 5-2, with additional wins over Penn State and Michigan State.
With a manageable schedule that includes games against Maryland, Rutgers and Purdue, there’s a good chance Fickell leads the Badgers to eight or nine wins this season.
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