College Football Rankings See Major Shifts Following Upsets

The latest AP Top 25 college football rankings have revealed significant changes following a dramatic weekend of upsets. Notably, four top-11 teams, including last week’s No. 1, Alabama, suffered losses to unranked opponents. Vanderbilt secured a historic 40-35 victory against the Crimson Tide, marking their first win over Alabama since 1984 and their first win over a top-five team after 61 attempts.

This upheaval has resulted in Texas ascending to the No. 1 spot after previously sitting at No. 2. The Longhorns garnered 52 first-place votes. Close behind them is Ohio State, which moved up from No. 3 to No. 2, collecting nine first-place votes following their win against Iowa. Oregon and Penn State, both undefeated, follow Texas and Ohio State, rising in the rankings to No. 3 and No. 4 respectively.

Georgia, despite a recent loss, holds the No. 5 position, surpassing Alabama, who fell to No. 7 after their shock defeat. Miami (FL) also moved up after clinching a narrow win against California, positioning themselves at No. 6.

The notable movements include Tennessee dropping four spots to No. 8 after their loss to Arkansas and Ole Miss climbing back into the top 10 at No. 9 following a rebound from a previous week’s loss to Kentucky. Rounding out the top 10 is Clemson, which has maintained a strong streak since losing to Georgia in the season opener.

Further down the rankings, Michigan fell 14 places to No. 24 following their loss, while Texas A&M made the biggest leap, soaring ten spots to No. 15 after defeating Missouri 41-10. Joining the rankings are Pittsburgh at No. 22 and SMU at No. 25, with the former maintaining an undefeated record in the ACC and the latter securing a win against Louisville.

The shifts in this week’s rankings reflect a dynamic start to October, with several teams, including Pittsburgh, Miami, Indiana, Texas, and BYU, retaining undefeated records. As the season progresses, these fluctuations highlight the competitive nature and unpredictability of college football.