Oregon went cross country. Iowa went across the state. And Arkansas welcomed a generations-old rival to town. For each of the three, the outcome was the same: Upsets that propelled major changes in the latest AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank.
Oregon stunned Ohio State 35-28 to vault eight spots from 12th to fourth in the rankings. It’s the highest ranking for the Ducks since 2014, when they finished second in the final poll after losing the inaugural College Football Playoff championship to … Ohio State.
In an in-state rivalry, Iowa dominated Iowa State 27-17. As a result, the Hawkeyes are now ranked fifth, the program’s highest ranking since 2015. And with a 2-0 start, Iowa has defeated back-to-back ranked foes for the first time since 1960.
Meanwhile, Arkansas blasted former Southwest Conference rival (and soon-to-be SEC rival) Texas 40-21, prompting a late-night party in Fayetteville.
There was no change at the top, however, where SEC favorites Alabama and Georgia continued to hold onto the top two spots. Alabama claimed 60 of the 63 first-place votes, as well.
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MORE FROM THE AP’s RALPH RUSSO
Who’s In
• No. 20 Arkansas gets a third straight home game, this one against Georgia Southern, before things get real in SEC play.
• No. 23 BYU, which appeared in every regular-season poll last season, returns after beating Utah for the first time in 10 meetings. Voters are buying in after taking a wait-and-see stance with a team that lost the No. 2 overall NFL draft pick (QB Zach Wilson) and eight defensive starters.
• Two solid wins to start the season, the latest against a surprisingly weak Washington, bring No. 25 Michigan back into the rankings. The Wolverines don’t hit the road until Oct. 2.
Who’s Out
• USC dropped out after a 42-28 loss to Stanford, which scored its most points against the Trojans in 10 years.
• Texas won’t have buyer’s remorse about its looming entry to the SEC, but new coach Steve Sarkisian’s 40-21 loss to an Arkansas team picked to finish second-to-last in the West surely had Longhorns fans gnashing their teeth.
• Utah’s two-week stay in the rankings is over. Its offense has converted just 4 of 17 third downs in two games.
Conference Call
The SEC has seven teams in the AP Top 25 for the first time since October 2020.
• SEC – 7 (Nos. 1, 2, 7, 11, 17, 20, 22)
• Big Ten – 5 (Nos. 5, 9, 10, 18, 25)
• ACC – 4 (Nos. 6, 15, 21, 24)
• Pac-12 – 3 (Nos. 4, 13, 19)
• Big 12 – 2 (Nos. 3, 14)
• American – 1 (No. 8)
• Sun Belt – 1 (No. 16)
• Independents – 2 (Nos. 12, 23).
Ranked vs. Ranked This Week
• No. 1 Alabama at No. 11 Florida. The Crimson Tide have won seven straight against the Gators
• No. 19 Arizona State at No. 23 BYU. The teams’ first meeting since 1998 is a prove-it game for the Sun Devils.
• No. 22 Auburn at No. 10 Penn State. The teams split two bowl matchups, but this is the first regular-season meeting.