Miami, SMU benefit as Bama, Ole Miss fall in poll
Alabama and Ole Miss tumbled out of the top 10 of the Associated Press Top 25 poll on Sunday, while Miami and SMU moved into the top 10 following a chaotic weekend in the SEC and across college football in general.
Oregon is No. 1 for the sixth straight week and Ohio State, Texas and Penn State held their places behind the Ducks, who are the last unbeaten team.
The shuffling begins at No. 5, where Notre Dame returned for the first time since Week 2 after beating Army for its ninth straight win.
No. 6 Georgia and No. 7 Tennessee each moved up two spots, No. 8 Miami got a three-rung promotion and No. 9 SMU jumped four places for its first top-10 ranking since 1985. SMU has clinched a spot in the Atlantic Coast Conference title game and will play either at Miami if the Hurricanes win at Syracuse this week or No. 12 Clemson.
Indiana dropped from No. 5 to No. 10 following its first loss, 38-15 loss at Ohio State. The Buckeyes would play Oregon in the Big Ten championship game if they beat Michigan for the first time in four years this Saturday.
The Southeastern Conference’s hopes for landing four spots in the College Football Playoff took a hit with two of their teams losing as double-digit favorites. Texas, Georgia and Tennessee are the only SEC teams with fewer than three losses after Alabama lost 24-3 at Oklahoma and Mississippi lost 24-17 at Florida.
Alabama and Ole Miss each dropped six spots in the AP poll, the Crimson Tide to No. 13 and the Rebels to No. 15.
Texas A&M was the third SEC team to lose, 43-41 at Auburn in four overtimes. The Aggies tumbled five places to No. 20 but would play Georgia in the SEC championship game if they knock off Texas this week.
Losses by BYU and Colorado created a four-way tie for first in the Big 12.
No. 14 Arizona State, picked to finish last in the conference, handed BYU its second straight loss and is the highest-ranked Big 12 team. No. 17. Iowa State earned a five-rung promotion with its win at Utah. BYU is No. 19 and Colorado, which lost to Kansas, is No. 23.
If the four teams each finish 7-2 in conference play, it’s Iowa State vs. Arizona State in the Big 12 championship game.
No. 11 Boise State is first among the four ranked Group of Five teams. The Broncos got a one-spot bump despite struggling to beat a two-win Wyoming team. Tulane is No. 18, UNLV is No. 21 and Army is No. 25.
POLL POINTS
Oregon, which was idle, was the consensus No. 1 team for the fourth straight week. The Ducks will be unbeaten in the regular season for the first time since 2010 if they beat Washington at home Saturday.
Boise State’s ranking is its highest since it was No. 8 in the final poll of the 2011 season. Arizona State’s ranking is its highest since it was No. 12 in the final poll of the 2014 season.
Indiana-Ohio State was the final top-five matchup of the regular season. The five were the most in a regular season since 1996. There also were five in 1936 and 1943.
WHO’S IN; WHO’S OUT
No. 24 Missouri, a 39-20 winner at Mississippi State, returned to the Top 25 after a one-week absence.
Washington State‘s four-week run in the rankings ended with its second straight loss, 41-38 at Oregon State.
CONFERENCE CALL
SEC: 8 (Nos. 3, 6, 7, 13, 15, 16, 20, 24).
Big Ten: 5 (Nos. 1, 2, 4, 10, 22).
Big 12: 4 (Nos. 14, 17, 19, 23).
ACC: 3 (Nos. 8, 9, 12).
AAC: 2 (Nos. 18, 25).
Mountain West: 2 (Nos. 11, 21).
Independent: 1 (No. 5).
RANKED VS. RANKED
No. 16 South Carolina at No. 12 Clemson: It’s a Top 25 matchup for the first time since 2013. Clemson’s 16-7 victory in Columbia last year was the fourth of five straight wins to end the Tigers’ season.
No. 3 Texas at No. 20 Texas A&M: Stakes are high for the first meeting of longtime rivals since both were in the Big 12 in 2011. Winner goes to the SEC title game.
