Alabama drops, Tennessee rises and James Madison enters in Week 7's AP Top 25

While six ranked teams lost, the top 10 teams prevailed in Week 6. What does that mean for this week’s AP Poll? Let's break down the changes and movement entering Week 7.

Here's the complete AP Top 25 poll (first-place votes in parentheses).

Week 7 AP Top 25 Poll

Georgia is the new No. 1, Ohio State is No. 2 and Alabama falls down to No. 3

For the second time this season, Georgia has taken the No. 1 spot from Alabama. The Bulldogs most recently defeated Auburn by a 32-point margin while the Crimson Tide defeated Texas A&M by four points without its starting quarterback and Heisman Trophy winner Bryce Young. The latest swap at the top of the AP Poll comes after Georgia earned 32 first-place votes. 

No. 2 is Ohio State lumped between the SEC powers, gaining 20 first-place votes this week, doubling last week’s 10. The Buckeyes outpaced Alabama by nine first-place votes and 18 total points.

👀 RECAP: Texas routs Oklahoma in historic victory, TCU tops Kansas in thriller and more from Week 6

Tennessee rises ahead of a big-time matchup

No. 6 Tennessee rose two spots from No. 8 last week after the Volunteers defeated then-No. 25 LSU in dominant fashion 40-13. Led by Heisman candidate quarterback Hendon Hooker, Tennessee has its highest regular-season ranking since 2005.

Up next for Tennessee is No. 3 Alabama, a school that the Volunteers haven’t beaten since 2006, going winless since the Crimson Tide hired Nick Saban as head coach. The Volunteers will have ESPN's College GameDay in town as they try to end their long losing streak.

GAMEDAY:  Locations, all-time appearances, most times hosting and more for College GameDay

UCLA and TCU highlight the biggest movers 

No. 11 UCLA and No. 13 TCU rose seven and four spots, respectively, after picking up ranked wins last week. The Horned Frogs knocked off an undefeated Kansas team in a game that came down to the wire and the Bruins knocked off a Utah team that was the preseason favorite for the Pac-12 title. 

Elsewhere, No. 16 Mississippi State rose seven spots, tied for the most of any team this week. No. 20 Utah and No. 22 Kentucky fell nine spots, the biggest drop of any team. The teams narrowly avoided joining the three teams (BYU, Washington and LSU) to drop from the poll.

🏆: College Football Playoff will expand to 12 teams in 2026, maybe sooner

An undefeated James Madison squad joins the rankings

There are 15 undefeated teams in FBS football and for the first time ever No. 25 James Madison joined the top 25. James Madison is ranked in the FBS poll for the first time ever, as the Dukes are playing in their first FBS season.

All undefeated teams are ranked except one, Coastal Carolina. The Chanticleers are 6-0 but are still searching to be ranked for the third consecutive year.

While 14 of the 15 undefeated teams are ranked this week, all will not remain unblemished as three games feature a pair of undefeated teams in Week 7.

UNDEFEATED TRACKER: Click or tap here to view the remaining undefeated FBS teams

Week 7 ranked matchups to watch

• No. 10 Penn State at No. 5 Michigan | 12 p.m. | FOX
• No. 15 NC State at No. 18 Syracuse | 3:30 p.m. | ACC Network
• No. 8 Oklahoma State at No. 12 TCU | 3:30 p.m. | ABC
• No. 3 Alabama at No. 6 Tennessee | 3:30 p.m. | CBS
• No. 16 Mississippi State at No. 22 Kentucky | 7:30 p.m. | SEC Network
• No. 7 Southern California at No. 20 Utah | 8 p.m. | FOX 

Alabama at Tennessee leads the exciting Week 7 slate that features two top-10 matchups. Adding to the excitement is No. 5 Michigan hosting No. 10 Penn State. With four more ranked vs. ranked games, the Week 7 slate is loaded with action.

🗓SCHEDULE: Click or tap here for game times, TV channels and scores from every game

Here are other games involving ranked teams that are worth highlighting:

• Minnesota at No. 24 Illinois | 12 p.m. | Big Ten Network
• No. 4 Clemson at Florida State | 7:30 p.m. | ABC

Overall, the latest AP Poll sets up an exciting Week 7.