Alabama replaced Cincinnati as the nation’s No. 2 team Saturday, despite the Bearcats pulling away from South Florida.
The reason for the shakeup in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank? Cincinnati has won four straight games against teams with losing records. That all changes Saturday when Cincy faces off against 8-2 and previously ranked SMU.
Georgia remains the unanimous No. 1 team for the sixth consecutive week. Meanwhile, Oregon, Ohio State, Notre Dame, Michigan State, Michigan and Oklahoma State all climbed a spot following Oklahoma’s loss to Baylor.
Follow the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank each week of the season on Doing More Today.
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Poll Points
Alabama has the longest current streak of top-five appearances in the AP Top 25 at 29. Georgia is second after running its streak to 12 this week.
At third is Cincinnati at seven straight polls. Oklahoma had been next coming into this weekend at five straight, but with that snapped, the next-best top-five streak is Oregon with two straight polls.
Alabama holds the record for top-five appearances with 68 from 2015 to 2019.
Who’s In
The three teams entering the rankings this week had all been there earlier in the season.
- No. 21 Arkansas is back after beating LSU. The Razorbacks had a five-week run in the Top 25, reaching as high as No. 8 before three straight losses knocked them out. Three straight wins later, they’re back.
- No. 23 San Diego State returned after winning a crucial Mountain West game against Nevada. The Aztecs had a four-week stint in the rankings but have been out the past two.
- No. 24 Utah was preseason-ranked, dropped out after Week 2 of the regular season and has been back and out a couple of times. The Utes are back again after winning six of seven.
Who’s Out
- Auburn dropped out after blowing a 28-3 lead against Mississippi State to fall to 6-4.
- Penn State is out for the first time this season after losing to Michigan at home, the Nittany Lions’ fourth loss in the past five games.
- Coastal Carolina is out for the first time this season, snapping a streak of 22 weeks being ranked. The Chanticleers lost for the second time this season with injured quarterback Grayson McCall out of the lineup against Georgia State.
Conference Call
- SEC — 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 10, 16, 21).
- Big Ten — 5 (Nos. 5, 7, 8, 18, 19).
- ACC — 3 (Nos. 13, 20, 25).
- Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 9, 11, 12).
- Pac-12 — 2 (Nos. 4, 24).
- American — 2 (Nos. 3, 17).
- Conference USA — 1 (No. 15).
- Mountain West — 1 (No. 23).
- Sun Belt — 1 (No. 22).
- Independent — 2 (Nos. 6, 14).
Ranked vs. Ranked This Week
- 7 Michigan State at No. 5 Ohio State.
- 21 Arkansas at No. 2 Alabama.
- 4 Oregon at No. 24 Utah.