There was no offseason hangover for Georgia. The reigning nationals champion opened the season in overwhelming fashion, thumping preseason No. 11 Oregon 49-3.
The story was similar for No. 2 Alabama, which blanked Utah State, an 11-game winner last season; and No. 2 Ohio State, which pulled away in the second half to defeat Notre Dame 21-10. While there was a slight shuffling at the top, the real suspense is how the rest of the top 10 would shake out.
This marks the third season Regions is the sponsor of the AP Top 25. Each week, we’ll share the latest results on Doing More Today. Regions has no role in selecting teams (nor is Doug Segrest a writer for the Associated Press). Instead, a panel of 63 sports journalists from across the nation vote weekly.
MORE FROM RALPH RUSSO OF THE AP
Georgia moved up to No. 2 in the first Associated Press college football poll of the regular season, passing Ohio State, after the defending national champions dominated their opener.
Alabama remained No. 1 in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank released Tuesday, receiving 44 of 63 first-place votes from the media panel and 1,552 points.
The Bulldogs narrowed the gap on the Crimson Tide, receiving 17 first-place votes.
Ohio State slipped to No. 3 and received two first-place votes. Michigan moved up four spots to No. 4.
Clemson dropped a spot to No. 5.
Florida debuted at No. 12 after its thrilling victory at home against Utah on Saturday night. The Utes slipped six spots to No. 13 after the loss.
The rest of the top 10 was Texas A&M at No. 6, followed by Oklahoma, Notre Dame, Baylor and Southern California.
USC is in the top 10 for the first time since the final regular-season poll of 2017, when the Trojans were eighth.
The eighth-ranked Fighting Irish dropped three spots out of the top five after losing 21-10 at Ohio State.
Poll Points
Georgia has been ranked No. 1 or 2 in 15 of the last 17 polls, with the other two weeks at No. 3.
Since 2017, Georgia has been ranked No. 2 in the country 13 times and No. 1 nine times, all last season.
From 1981 — the season after Georgia won the national title — to 2016, the Bulldogs were ranked in the top two a total of 10 times.
In
- Florida’s jump from unranked to No. 12 is the biggest for an unranked team since the first regular-season poll of 2016, when Texas landed at No. 11 and Wisconsin at No. 10 after Week 1 victories.
- 24 Tennessee is ranked for the first time under second-year coach Josh Heupel.
Out
- Oregon’s humbling loss to Georgia sent the Ducks all the way out of the rankings. It’s the first time Oregon has been unranked in a poll for which it was eligible since the last regular-season AP Top 25 of 2020.
- Cincinnati dropped out after losing at Arkansas by a touchdown, its first regular-season loss since late in the 2019 season.
For the Bearcats, who made the College Football Playoff last year, it snapped a run of 45 consecutive poll appearances, which was the fifth-longest active streak in the country.
Conference Call
Florida and Tennessee moving into the rankings gives the SEC eight ranked teams, the most for a conference since the SEC had eight three times in 2020.
The record for ranked teams from one conference is 10 by the SEC early in the 2018 season. From 2011-18, the SEC had eight teams ranked in an AP Top 25 a total of 14 times.
SEC — 8 (Nos. 1, 2, 6, 12, 16, 20, 22, 24).
ACC — 5 (Nos. 5, 15, 17, 18, 23).
Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 3, 4, 14, 19).
Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 7, 9, 11).
Pac-12 — 2 (Nos. 10, 13).
Independents — 2 (Nos. 8, 21).
American — 1 (No. 25).
Ranked vs. Ranked
No. 9 Baylor at No. 21 BYU. Future Big 12 matchup.
No. 20 Kentucky at No. 12 Florida. The first time both will be ranked when they play since 2007.
No. 24 Tennessee at No. 17 Pitt. First SEC/ACC ranked nonconference matchup of the season.
Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com.