{"id":818757,"date":"2025-01-10T10:12:53","date_gmt":"2025-01-10T16:12:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/10\/ap-top-25-alabama-ole-miss-plunge-as-smu-enters-top-10-for-first-time-since-1985\/"},"modified":"2025-01-10T10:12:53","modified_gmt":"2025-01-10T16:12:53","slug":"ap-top-25-alabama-ole-miss-plunge-as-smu-enters-top-10-for-first-time-since-1985","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/newsycanuse.com\/index.php\/2025\/01\/10\/ap-top-25-alabama-ole-miss-plunge-as-smu-enters-top-10-for-first-time-since-1985\/","title":{"rendered":"AP Top 25: Alabama, Ole Miss plunge as SMU enters top 10 for first time since 1985"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Alabama<\/a> dropped out of the top 10<\/a> \u2014 again \u2014 and Indiana fell five spots to No. 10 Sunday in the AP Top 25<\/a> college football poll after eight ranked teams lost on Saturday. The Crimson Tide falling helped SMU move into the top 10 for the first time since 1985, pre-NCAA \u201cdeath penalty<\/a>,\u201d and that high this late in a season for the first time since 1984.<\/p>\n

Oregon<\/a> is the unanimous No. 1 for a fourth straight week, with Ohio State<\/a> at No. 2, Texas at No. 3 and Penn State<\/a> at No. 4 for the third consecutive week.<\/p>\n

Notre Dame<\/a> moved up to No. 5 and Georgia<\/a> jumped two spots to sixth as losses by Indiana<\/a>, Alabama<\/a> and Ole Miss shook up the top 10. The Crimson Tide fell six spots to No. 13 after their third loss of the season, 24-3 at Oklahoma<\/a>. The Rebels\u2019 third loss \u2014 24-17 at Florida<\/a> \u2014 sent them tumbling six spots to No. 15.<\/p>\n

Tennessee<\/a> is No. 7, Miami No. 8 and SMU<\/a> up to No. 9 ahead of Indiana. The Hoosiers (10-1) were routed 38-15 at Ohio State<\/a> and have still not beaten a top-five opponent since 1967. Boise State moved up to No. 11 after edging Wyoming<\/a> for its best ranking since 2011. Clemson<\/a> moved back up five spots to No. 12.<\/p>\n

Alabama, which spent a week at No. 1 in late September, has lost three regular-season games for the first time since 2010. Its 16-year streak of finishing in the AP top 10 could be in danger.<\/p>\n

Others receiving votes: Kansas State 98, Memphis<\/a> 46, Syracuse<\/a> 37, Louisville<\/a> 24, Washington State<\/a> 10, Duke<\/a> 6, Louisiana<\/a> 5, Florida<\/a> 4, LSU<\/a> 2, Georgia Tech<\/a> 2<\/em><\/p>\n

In and out<\/h2>\n

Despite all the losses, only one team fell out of the rankings: Washington State dropped what amounted to the Pac-12 championship game against Oregon State<\/a> and then fell out of the Top 25.<\/p>\n

Missouri<\/a>, which has been yo-yoing in and out of the rankings in the past few weeks, slipped back in at No. 24.<\/p>\n

The SEC leads all conferences with eight teams in the Top 25, followed by five from the Big Ten, four from the Big 12, three from the ACC, two from the American, two from the Mountain West and one independent.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n

\"go-deeper\"<\/p>\n

\n

GO DEEPER<\/p>\n

Big 12 title game scenarios: Untangling the P4’s most crowded race<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

Big 12 shuffle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Arizona State<\/a>\u2019s late-season surge continued with a victory against BYU<\/a> that pushed the Sun Devils to No. 14 in the poll, their best showing since finishing 12th in 2014.<\/p>\n

BYU<\/a>, which peaked at No. 7 this season, is down to No. 19 after two consecutive losses. Iowa State<\/a> moved up five places to No. 17. And Colorado<\/a> fell seven spots to No. 23 after it lost to Kansas on Saturday<\/a>. The Jayhawks\u2019 wins against Iowa State, BYU and Colorado this month mark the first time they\u2019ve won three in a row against ranked opponents since 1968.<\/p>\n

Arizona State, Iowa State, BYU and Colorado enter the final weekend of the regular season tied for first place in the conference, each owning a 6-2 conference record. In a College Football Playoff bracket based on this week\u2019s AP poll, Boise State<\/a> would get a bye, while Arizona State would be the No. 12 seed. \u2014 Ralph Russo, national college football writer<\/em><\/p>\n

How Matt voted<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Eight ranked teams losing felt like an opportune time to hit reset on the ballot and reevaluate some of my decisions.<\/p>\n

\u2022 With the SEC head-to-head bottleneck<\/a> of last week broken up, I felt free to move up Georgia and put it on the same tier as Texas \u2014 prompting me to rank the Bulldogs ahead of the Longhorns. I acknowledge it looks odd after a forgettable win over UMass<\/a>, but 1.) There\u2019s no longer a need to keep Georgia behind Alabama or Ole Miss, and 2.) Even with one more loss, Georgia\u2019s resume is clearly better than Texas\u2019. The Bulldogs beat Texas, Clemson<\/a> and Tennessee by double digits, while Texas\u2019 best win is against \u2026 Michigan? Oklahoma? Vanderbilt? This will all be resolved, of course: Georgia will meet the winner of Texas-Texas A&M<\/a> in the SEC title game in two weeks.<\/p>\n

\u2022 OK, Notre Dame<\/a> fans: I\u2019ve held the Irish back because of their loss to Northern Illinois, but there\u2019s no holding the Irish back now. I bumped them up to sixth after their ninth consecutive win, a blowout of the previously unbeaten Army<\/a>. As other teams survive close calls or flop in upset losses, Notre Dame has strung together dominant performances. That NIU game was a long time ago, and it feels like it.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

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\"go-deeper\"<\/p>\n

\n

GO DEEPER<\/p>\n

Sampson: Notre Dame showing no signs of letting up on ruthless march to the Playoff<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2022 The trickiest teams to compare might be 10-1 Indiana, Miami<\/a> and SMU<\/a>, none of which have a true statement win. I stuck with the Hoosiers in front at No. 8 on my ballot, as they\u2019ve been the most dominant this season, but their offensive output against Ohio State and in the second half against Michigan<\/a> is concerning.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Most of my ballot is fairly close to the poll, with nobody both in the poll and on my ballot separated by more than three spots. The biggest difference is I have Kansas State<\/a> ranked 21st \u2014 ahead of the Colorado team it beat \u2014 but UNLV<\/a> is in the actual rankings in that spot. Still, there\u2019s nothing I have a strong disagreement with this week. \u2014 Matt Brown, college sports managing editor and AP Top 25 voter<\/em><\/p>\n

What to watch in Week 14<\/h2>\n

Rivalry weekend is here, and for the first time since 2017, Ohio State versus Michigan is not a matchup of two ranked teams. The Buckeyes and Wolverines have played as ranked teams 49 times, topping Oklahoma<\/a>-Texas (44) for the most of any rivalry. An unranked Michigan team has not beaten Ohio State since a 28-0 shutout of the No. 5 Buckeyes in 1993.<\/p>\n

It will also be the first time since Nick Saban\u2019s first season in 2007 that Alabama isn\u2019t ranked in the AP top 10 for the Iron Bowl against Auburn<\/a>.<\/p>\n

There will still be two matchups of ranked teams:<\/p>\n

No. 16 South Carolina<\/a> at No. 12 Clemson:<\/strong> The Palmetto State rivals meet for the first time as ranked teams since 2013, when the No. 10 Gamecocks beat the No. 6 Tigers.<\/p>\n

No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M:<\/strong> It\u2019s the first meeting between the rivals since 2011 and the first ranked meeting since 2004 \u2014 and a spot in the SEC title game against Georgia is on the line<\/a>. The Aggies are 1-15 against top-five Longhorns<\/a> teams, winning only in 1975 while ranked No. 2 themselves.<\/p>\n

Elsewhere at the top of the poll, No. 1 Oregon hosts Washington<\/a>, No. 4 Penn State hosts Maryland<\/a>, No. 5 Notre Dame visits USC<\/a> and No. 6 Georgia hosts Georgia Tech.<\/p>\n

Required reading<\/h2>\n