Ohio State has finally regained its preseason ranking in the AP Top 25.
Following the Buckeyes' victory yesterday against the Michigan State Spartans by a final score of 49-20 that included over 600 total yards of offense, Ohio State moved up to No. 2 in the AP Poll to mark the team's first rise in either set of rankings this season.
The AP Top 10 saw a significant shake-up after Week 6's results that included Alabama nearly losing at home on the final play of its game versus Texas A&M and a dominant performance from Tennessee. The Crimson Tide fell to No. 3 overall after surviving a final drive from the Aggies, while Georgia reclaimed its spot as the top team in the country. The Volunteers moved up to No. 6 ahead of their meeting with Alabama next week.
After back-to-back underwhelming performances against divisional opponents, Michigan finally lost ground in the AP Poll in favor of Clemson. The Tigers earned their rise by defeating Boston College 31-3 after consecutive wins over ranked opponents in the weeks prior.
The USA TODAY Coaches Poll saw far less movement, as none of the top-10 teams saw any gains or losses in rank. However, the remaining schools on the list all saw a change in their position while Cincinnati, Texas, and North Carolina all earned numbers next to their names after entering the previous week unranked.
UCLA and Mississippi State tied for the most positive change in the AP Top 25, rising seven spots each to No. 11 and 16, respectively. Utah and Kentucky tied for the largest drops after losses that saw the Utes fall to No. 20 and the Wildcats to No. 24. Perhaps most significantly, James Madison entered the AP Top 25 after accepting an invite just last November to move up to the FBS and join the Sun Belt.
As for the Coaches Poll biggest changes, the Bruins once again led with a move of seven spots up to No. 12, while Kentucky slid nine spots down to No. 22 after their upset loss at home to South Carolina.
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | CONFERENCE | PTS | TREND | WEEK 6 RESULT |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | GEORGIA | 6–0 | SEC | 1,535 (32) | +1 | vs Auburn W 42-10 |
| 2 | OHIO STATE | 6–0 | Big Ten | 1,507 (20) | +1 | @ Michigan State W 49-20 |
| 3 | ALABAMA | 6–0 | SEC | 1,489 (11) | -2 | vs Texas A&M W 24-20 |
| 4 | CLEMSON | 6–0 | ACC | 1,348 | +1 | @ Boston College W 31-3 |
| 5 | MICHIGAN | 6–0 | Big Ten | 1,319 | -1 | @ Indiana W 31-10 |
| 6 | TENNESSEE | 5–0 | SEC | 1,232 | +2 | @ LSU W 40-13 |
| 7 | USC | 6–0 | Pac-12 | 1,214 | -1 | vs Washington State W 30-14 |
| 8 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 5–0 | Big 12 | 1,150 | -1 | vs Texas Tech W 41-31 |
| 9 | OLE MISS | 6–0 | SEC | 1,061 | - | @ Vanderbilt W 52-28 |
| 10 | PENN STATE | 5–0 | Big Ten | 974 | - | vs Northwestern W 17-7 |
| 11 | UCLA | 6–0 | Pac-12 | 907 | +7 | vs Utah W 42-32 |
| 12 | OREGON | 5–1 | Pac-12 | 893 | - | @ Arizona W 49-22 |
| 13 | TCU | 5–0 | Big 12 | 819 | +4 | @ Kansas W 38-31 |
| 14 | WAKE FOREST | 5–1 | ACC | 748 | +1 | vs Army W 45-10 |
| 15 | NORTH CAROLINA STATE | 5–1 | ACC | 746 | -1 | vs Florida State W 19-17 |
| 16 | MISSISSIPPI STATE | 5–1 | SEC | 589 | +7 | vs Arkansas W 40-17 |
| 17 | KANSAS STATE | 5–1 | Big 12 | 559 | +3 | @ Iowa State W 10-9 |
| 18 | SYRACUSE | 5–0 | ACC | 393 | +4 | vs Wagner W 59-0 |
| 19 | KANSAS | 5–1 | Big 12 | 330 | - | vs TCU L 38-31 |
| 20 | UTAH | 4–2 | Pac-12 | 328 | -9 | @ UCLA L 42-32 |
| 21 | CINCINNATI | 5–1 | AAC | 257 | +3 | vs South Florida W 28-24 |
| 22 | TEXAS | 4–2 | Big 12 | 150 | - | @ Oklahoma W 49-0 |
| 22 | KENTUCKY | 4–2 | SEC | 150 | -9 | vs South Carolina L 24-14 |
| 24 | Illinois | 5–1 | Big Ten | 117 | - | vs Iowa W 9-6 |
| 25 | James Madison | 5–0 | Sun Belt | 105 | - | @ Arkansas State W 42-20 |
| RANK | TEAM | RECORD | PTS | 1st VOTES | PREV | CHANGE |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | ALABAMA | 6–0 | 1540 | 35 | 1 | — |
| 2 | GEORGIA | 6–0 | 1516 | 18 | 2 | — |
| 3 | OHIO STATE | 6–0 | 1477 | 10 | 3 | — |
| 4 | MICHIGAN | 6–0 | 1354 | – | 4 | — |
| 5 | CLEMSON | 6–0 | 1328 | – | 5 | — |
| 6 | SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA | 6–0 | 1219 | – | 6 | — |
| 7 | OKLAHOMA STATE | 5–0 | 1197 | – | 7 | — |
| 8 | TENNESSEE | 5–0 | 1168 | – | 8 | — |
| 9 | MISSISSIPPI | 6–0 | 1075 | – | 9 | — |
| 10 | PENN STATE | 5–0 | 992 | – | 10 | — |
| 11 | OREGON | 5–1 | 885 | – | 12 | +1 |
| 12 | UCLA | 6–0 | 815 | – | 19 | +7 |
| 13 | NC STATE | 5–1 | 808 | – | 14 | +1 |
| 14 | WAKE FOREST | 5–1 | 776 | – | 15 | +1 |
| 15 | TEXAS CHRISTIAN | 5–0 | 765 | – | 18 | +3 |
| 16 | KANSAS STATE | 5–1 | 539 | – | 20 | +4 |
| 17 | MISSISSIPPI STATE | 5–1 | 533 | – | 23 | +6 |
| 18 | SYRACUSE | 5–0 | 424 | – | 21 | +3 |
| 19 | UTAH | 4–2 | 364 | – | 11 | -8 |
| 20 | KANSAS | 5–1 | 290 | – | 17 | -3 |
| 21 | CINCINNATI | 5–1 | 248 | – | NR | +5 |
| 22 | KENTUCKY | 4–2 | 219 | – | 13 | -9 |
| 23 | BAYLOR | 3–2 | 210 | – | 22 | -1 |
| 24 | TEXAS | 4–2 | 155 | – | NR | +10 |
| 25 | NORTH CAROLINA | 5–1 | 99 | – | NR | +15 |
