The nation's top two teams didn't play this past week, but there were still major changes in Sunday's new AP Poll. Here's what you need to know:
It's starting to get bunched up top. Alabama and Clemson are again Nos. 1 and 2, but Ohio State has moved into a tie for No. 3 with Georgia. It's the first tie inside the top 3 since Sept. 20, 2015 (Ole Miss and TCU). After UGA and Ohio State, LSU remains fifth. All top-5 teams have received first-place votes: Alabama (32), Clemson (15), Ohio State (10), Georgia (3) and LSU (2). Of those five, only LSU didn't have any a week ago.
Toward the back end, three teams are into the Top 25: No. 22 Baylor, No. 23 Memphis and No. 25 Cincinnati. The Bearcats' rise is notable, as they upset previously No. 18 UCF on Friday night to give the Knights their first AAC loss since Nov. 26, 2016 to South Florida. There are three ranked AAC teams — and none is UCF.
Moving up in the AP Poll
Florida has its highest ranking of the season after beating then-No. 7 Auburn, 24-13. The undefeated Gators had actually dropped two spots since the start of the season, as they were No. 8 in the preseason poll. But Saturday's impressive defensive performance vaulted Florida from No. 10 to No. 7. Florida has another big opportunity in Week 7 at No. 5 LSU.
Though Auburn has wins against No. 13 Oregon and No. 24 Texas A&M (and a win against 4-1 Tulane), the Tigers dropped five spots to No. 12. That made room for Penn State to join the top 10. The Nittany Lions won big against Purdue, 35-7, and now have a tough road game at Iowa.
Michigan also moved up three spots, as the Wolverines struggled offensively but were strong on defense to knock out Iowa, 10-3. Michigan is up to 16th, while Iowa fell to 17th.
Three seemed to be the magic number, as five teams moved up that many spots: Florida (to 7th), Michigan (to 16th), Wake Forest (to 19th), Virginia (to 20th) and SMU (to 21st).
College football rankings: AP Poll Top 25 for Week 7
|
RANK |
NAME |
RECORD |
POINTS |
PREVIOUS |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Alabama (32) | 5-0 | 1,503 | 1 |
| 2 | Clemson (15) | 5-0 | 1,433 | 2 |
| T-3 | Georgia (3) | 5-0 | 1,393 | 3 |
| T-3 | Ohio State (3) | 6-0 | 1,393 | 4 |
| 5 | LSU (2) | 5-0 | 1,352 | 5 |
| 6 | Oklahoma | 5-0 | 1,268 | 6 |
| 7 | Florida | 6-0 | 1,163 | 10 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | 5-0 | 1,105 | 8 |
| 9 | Notre Dame | 4-1 | 1,046 | 9 |
| 10 | Penn State | 5-0 | 958 | 12 |
| 11 | Texas | 4-1 | 947 | 11 |
| 12 | Auburn | 5-1 | 920 | 7 |
| 13 | Oregon | 4-1 | 828 | 13 |
| 14 | Boise State | 5-0 | 654 | 16 |
| 15 | Utah | 4-1 | 624 | 17 |
| 16 | Michigan | 4-1 | 618 | 19 |
| 17 | Iowa | 4-1 | 454 | 14 |
| 18 | Arizona State | 4-1 | 388 | 20 |
| 19 | Wake Forest | 5-0 | 380 | 22 |
| 20 | Virginia | 4-1 | 353 | 23 |
| 21 | SMU | 6-0 | 285 | 24 |
| 22 | Baylor | 5-0 | 260 | NR |
| 23 | Memphis | 5-0 | 189 | NR |
| 24 | Texas A&M | 3-2 | 165 | 25 |
| 25 | Cincinnati | 4-1 | 118 | NR |
Others receiving votes: Minnesota 80, Missouri 64, Appalachian State 61, Washington 54, Tulane 25, California 20, Michigan State 17, Arizona 11, UCF 9, USC 5, Iowa State 5, Pittsburgh 2.
On the outside — at least for now
Last week's No. 15 Washington, No. 18 UCF, No. 21 Oklahoma State and No. 25 Michigan State all dropped out of the Top 25 after losing in Week 6.
In receiving votes, 5-0 Minnesota is next in line with 80 votes — No. 25 Cincinnati has 118. After the Gophers are Missouri (64 votes) and Appalachian State (61).
UNDEFEATED TRACKER: Here are all of the remaining undefeated teams
Looking ahead to Week 7 games
This new poll sets the stage for what could be a season-changing Week 7. In many other years, Notre Dame playing Southern California and Clemson facing Florida State would be two of the biggest games of the week. This year, they're more of a complementary piece to a full plate:
- No. 6 Oklahoma vs. No. 11 Texas (in Dallas) | 12 p.m. Saturday | FOX
- No. 1 Alabama at No. 24 Texas A&M | 3:30 p.m. Saturday | CBS
- No. 10 Penn State at No. 17 Iowa | 7:30 p.m. | ABC
- No. 5 LSU vs. No. 7 Florida | 8 p.m. | ESPN
TV SCHEDULE: Game times and TV channels for Week 7 games — and beyond
