Oregon has found its way back into the upper reaches of the college football landscape, climbing to No. 5 in the latest Associated Press poll after a 15-point win over Southern California, a victory that stitches together a fifth straight triumph and strengthens its case for the College Football Playoff. Above it, the order held still in a way that speaks to how settled the sport's summit has become, with Ohio State remaining first for a thirteenth consecutive week. Beneath the headlines, the season's ledger is quietly being rewritten by ranked rivals and rising programs, and the weekend ahead
Oregon Climbs Back Into AP Top Five as Ohio State Holds No. 1 Despite Georgia Tech's Slide
Oregon is back in the top five.
Mark
Nothing changed at the top, so why does Oregon at No. 5 matter?
Mimi
It's their best ranking since Oct. 5, and it comes from beating USC by 15, which was a ranked opponent. It's their fifth straight win, so the playoff resume got stronger.
Mark
The top three have held for six weeks. Is that a settled picture?
Luke
For the poll, yes. But the poll isn't the playoff. The source notes the CFP committee's own rankings differ, with Michigan at 18 there and 15 here, for example.
Mimi
And the next week is full of ranked games, so that stability could end quickly.
Mark
Which game is the biggest test?
Mimi
Ohio State at Michigan. The Buckeyes have lost four straight to the Wolverines, and a fifth would be the longest such run since the 1920s.
Luke
Worth saying that history doesn't predict Saturday. It's context, not a forecast.
Mark
What about Georgia Tech's fall?
Mimi
Eight spots to No. 23 after losing 42-28 to Pittsburgh, and now they host Georgia, which hasn't lost in Atlanta to them since 1999.
Luke
What the report doesn't tell us is how voters weighed each loss. We see the results, not the reasoning behind individual ballots.
O Pulso
- Oregon surged past idle Mississippi to No. 5, its highest perch since early October, after dispatching then-No. 16 USC by 15 points.
- Ohio State holds No. 1 for a 13th straight week, but Indiana's seven first-place ballots keep the top spot from feeling untouchable.
- Georgia Tech tumbled eight places to No. 23 following a 42-28 home defeat to Pittsburgh, and its slide shows how quickly ranked standing can slip away.
- The ACC and SEC crowd the poll, with five teams from the ACC and eight from the SEC, while SMU returns at No. 25 for the first time since September.
- This weekend's rivalry games, from Ohio State at Michigan to Texas A&M at Texas, could reshuffle the top of the poll and the playoff picture in a single afternoon.
Oregon has found its way back into the upper reaches of the college football landscape, climbing to No. 5 in the latest Associated Press poll after a 15-point win over Southern California, a victory that stitches together a fifth straight triumph and strengthens its case for the College Football Playoff. Above it, the order held still in a way that speaks to how settled the sport's summit has become, with Ohio State remaining first for a thirteenth consecutive week. Beneath the headlines, the season's ledger is quietly being rewritten by ranked rivals and rising programs, and the weekend ahead, with its heated rivalries, promises to test whether these standings are fixed or merely pausing.
Oregon is back among the top five. In the Associated Press college football poll released Sunday, the Ducks jumped idle Mississippi to No. 5, their highest ranking since early October. The climb followed a 15-point win over then-No. 16 Southern California, their fifth straight victory and a useful boost to their playoff resume.
At the top, almost nothing moved. Ohio State stayed first for the 13th straight week, collecting 58 first-place votes and sitting 53 points ahead of Indiana, which earned seven first-place ballots. Texas A&M and Georgia held their places beneath them. The Buckeyes now head to Michigan, a team that has beaten them four years running.
Farther down, the movement was sharper. Georgia Tech fell eight spots to No. 23 after a 42-28 home loss to Pittsburgh, while the Panthers returned to the poll at No. 24. SMU re-entered at No. 25 after a 32-point win over Louisville, and the Mustangs can reach the ACC title game with a win at California.
The ACC placed five teams in the rankings, with Miami rising to No. 13 after a road win over Virginia Tech. The SEC leads all conferences with eight ranked teams. Among Group of Five programs, James Madison remained the highest at No. 20.
The coming weekend is packed. Ohio State visits Michigan, Texas A&M visits Texas with an SEC title berth on the line, Georgia visits Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt seeks a first 10-win season at Tennessee, and Miami visits Pittsburgh in a matchup where both teams are fighting for narrow paths to the ACC championship.
Oregon is back in the top five. In the Associated Press college football poll released Sunday, the Ducks leapt past idle Mississippi to No. 5, their highest spot since they stood at No. 3 in the Oct. 5 poll. The move followed a 15-point victory over then-No. 16 Southern California, Oregon's fifth straight win and a boost to its College Football Playoff resume.
At the very top, nothing moved. Ohio State, Indiana and Texas A&M held the first three places for a sixth consecutive week, and Georgia stayed at No. 4 for the second week running. Behind Oregon and Mississippi come Texas Tech, Oklahoma, Notre Dame and Alabama.
Ohio State is No. 1 for the 13th straight week. The Buckeyes drew 58 first-place votes and sit 53 points clear of Indiana, which was first on seven ballots. Texas A&M collected the one remaining first-place vote. Ohio State now travels to No. 15 Michigan, a team that has beaten it four years in a row.
The biggest drop belonged to Georgia Tech. Beaten 42-28 at home by Pittsburgh, the Yellow Jackets fell eight places to No. 23, their second loss in three games. Pittsburgh, which has three losses, landed one spot behind them at No. 24 after bouncing back from a 22-point home loss to Notre Dame; it returns to the poll after a one-week absence. SMU re-entered at No. 25 for the first time since Sept. 2, having beaten Louisville by 32 points for a third straight win. The Mustangs can get back to the ACC championship game with a victory at California. Missouri (No. 23) and Houston (No. 25) dropped out.
Those moves gave the ACC five ranked teams for the second time this season, the other being the Nov. 9 poll. Miami, a 17-point road winner over Virginia Tech, rose a spot to No. 13 and is the league's top-ranked team. Virginia climbed two places to No. 17. It is the fourth straight year the ACC has had five teams ranked in at least two polls. Texas also has five ranked teams for a second consecutive week, which the state had not managed in back-to-back polls since 2016.
Among Group of Five programs, Sun Belt member James Madison stayed highest at No. 20, up one place after rallying to beat Washington State 24-20. North Texas of the American Conference is No. 21, one spot ahead of Tulane, which was the only Group of Five team in the CFP selection committee's rankings last week, at No. 24.
By conference, the SEC leads with eight ranked teams: Texas A&M, Georgia, Ole Miss, Oklahoma, Alabama, Vanderbilt, Texas and Tennessee. The ACC and Big Ten each have five, the Big 12 has three, the American has two, and Notre Dame and James Madison account for one apiece.
The coming week is loaded with ranked matchups. Ohio State (11-0) visits Michigan (9-2) on Saturday; the Buckeyes have not lost five straight to their rival since dropping six in a row from 1922 to 1927. On Friday, No. 3 Texas A&M (11-0) visits No. 16 Texas (8-3), with a win locking up the Aggies' place in the SEC title game; Arch Manning threw six touchdowns against Arkansas for the Longhorns. Also Friday, No. 4 Georgia (10-1) plays at Georgia Tech (9-2); the Bulldogs have won seven straight in the series and haven't lost in Atlanta to the Yellow Jackets since 1999. On Saturday, No. 12 Vanderbilt (9-2) seeks a first 10-win season in program history at No. 18 Tennessee, where it is 12-41-2 all-time, with only four of those wins in the last 50 years. And No. 13 Miami (9-2) visits No. 24 Pittsburgh (8-3), with both teams holding narrow paths to the ACC title game.
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