AP Top 25: Texas jumps to No. 4 after beating ‘Bama; Pac-12 sets conference high with 8 ranked teams
Texas jumped seven spots to No. 4 in The Associated Press college football poll on Sunday after beating Alabama, and the Pac-12 became just the second conference to place as many as eight teams in an AP Top 25.
Georgia received 55 first-place votes to remain the clear No. 1. Michigan was No. 2, with two-first place votes. No. 3 Florida State received three first-place votes and moved up a spot.
Texas received two-first place votes after its biggest regular-season victory in years. The Longhorns are in the top five for the first time since starting the 2010 season at No. 5 and have their highest ranking since finishing No. 2 after losing the BCS championship game to Alabama in 2009.
Behind quarterback Quinn Ewers, Texas became the first team to beat Alabama by double-digits on its home field under coach Nick Saban.
The loss dropped Alabama seven spots to No. 10, its lowest ranking since early last November, when the Crimson Tide also were 10th.
Southern California moved up a spot to No. 5, giving the top five representation from each Power Five conference for the first time since Sept. 24, 2017. That top five was Alabama (SEC), Clemson (Atlantic Coast Conference), Oklahoma (Big 12), Penn State (Big Ten) and USC.
No conference has more teams than the Pac-12, which is in its last season with its current membership before 10 of its schools depart for other leagues in 2024.
Only the Southeastern Conference ever had placed as many eight teams in single AP Top 25, doing it 21 times with a record 10 in September 2015.
In this week’s AP Top 25, Washington is No. 8, Utah is 12th, Oregon is 13th and Oregon State is No. 16. Moving into the rankings are Washington State at No. 23 and UCLA at No. 24.
The Pac-12’s previous high was six ranked teams, achieved multiple times including last week.
Oregon State and Washington State are the only members of the conference committed to it beyond this school year and would like to preserve the Pac-12, but whether its Power Five status can preserved remains to be seen.
After Washington State beat Wisconsin on Saturday night, Cougars coach Jake Dickert noted his school’s unfortunate position.
“We belong in the Power Five,” Dickert told ESPN among a swarm of Cougars, who rushed the field in Pullman.
No. 6 Ohio State, No. 7 Penn State and No. 9 Notre Dame rounded out the top 10.
POLL POINTS
Alabama’s streak of top-10 rankings is now at 128, which dates to the 2015 season.
The Crimson Tide’s streak is the second-longest in AP poll history behind Miami’s 137 from 1985-93.
The next five longest streaks of appearing in the top five:
— Clemson, 97 from 2015-21.
— Nebraska, 96 from 1993-98.
— Florida, 81 from 1992-97.
IN
UCLA and Washington State were two of four teams to move into the rankings this week.
— No. 22 Miami is ranked for the first time since last September, when it fell out of the AP Top 25 after losing at Texas A&M. The Hurricanes beat the Aggies on Saturday to move back in and knock out A&M.
Miami and Florida State are both ranked in the regular season for the first time since Sept. 18, 2017.
— No. 25 Iowa slipped back in after falling out last week. The Hawkeyes beat Iowa State on Saturday.
OUT
Falling out along with Texas A&M were Wisconsin, which lost at Washington State, and Tulane, which lost at home to Mississippi.
Clemson also slipped out of the rankings, ending a streak of 21 straight appearances. The Tigers barely held on to a spot in the poll at No. 25 last week following an opening loss to Duke. Their rout of Charleston Southern on Saturday wasn’t enough to keep them ranked.
CONFERENCE CALL
With Tulane dropping out, there are no ranked teams from conferences outside the Power Five. The last time that happened was a little less than a year ago, though three Group of Five conference teams ended up finishing the season ranked.
Pac-12 — 8 (Nos. 5, 8, 12, 13, 16, 18, 23, 24).
SEC — 5 (Nos. 1, 10, 11, 14, 17).
ACC — 4 (Nos. 3, 20, 21, 22).
Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 2, 6, 7, 25).
Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 4, 15, 19).
Independent — 1 (No. 9).
RANKED vs. RANKED
No games match ranked teams this week.
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Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com
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AP college football: https://apnews.com/hub/college-football and https://apnews.com/hub/ap-top-25-college-football-poll