AP Top 25: Ohio State jumps Michigan, moves to No. 2. Washington, FSU flip-flop at Nos. 4-5

Following a week of unbeaten matchups, Ohio State surpassed Michigan to secure the No. 2 spot in The Associated Press college football poll as announced on Sunday. This comes just a week before the upcoming top-five clash between the two Big Ten rivals. Alongside this change, No. 4 Washington and No. 5 Florida State swapped positions.

Georgia continues to hold the No. 1 rank and received a season-high of 61 first-place votes. This marks the 23rd week that the Bulldogs have remained at the top, trailing behind the record held by Southern California (2003-05) by only 10 weeks, making it the second-best streak in the history of the poll.

Michigan, previously in the No. 2 spot since preseason, dropped to No. 3 after playing a close game. The Wolverines, who played without their suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh, managed to secure a victory against Maryland with a score of 31-24.

Ohio State, which received a first-place vote, achieved this shift after a remarkable performance, blowing out Minnesota in their latest game.

Washington made a notable advancement, securing a position one rank higher after winning 22-20 on the road against Oregon State, who subsequentially dropped five spots to No. 15. This marks the Huskies’ highest ranking since reaching No. 4 in 2016, their lone playoff season.

Florida State suffered a notable blow, dropping a spot in the rankings after beating FCS North Alabama 58-13, during which quarterback Jordan Travis sustained a serious injury to his lower left leg. This has raised concerns for the team and fans alike.

Other notable movements in the rankings include Alabama and Missouri holding their spots, while Oregon moved up to No. 6, Texas to No. 7, and Louisville to No. 9 after their victories. Missouri managed to move up to No. 10 in the rankings.

POLL POINTS

The matchup between Michigan and Ohio State will be the 13th top-five match, setting a record for the most top-five matchups in any rivalry. Out of these games, the Buckeyes have emerged victorious in 7 of them.

Another notable rivalry is Oklahoma-Texas, which has had ten top-10 matchups, following Michigan and Ohio State with the most double-digit matchups among rivalries. Nebraska and Oklahoma are next in line with eight top-10 matchups to their credit.

IN-N-OUT

Utah, previously at No. 16, has plummeted from the rankings after a 42-18 loss at Arizona. Similarly, North Carolina, following a loss against Clemson, also fell out of the top 25. On the other hand, No. 23 Toledo (10-1) made its way into the poll for the first time this season, marking a significant achievement after five years. Additionally, Iowa clinched the Big West championship, securing the No. 20 spot.

CONFERENCE CALL

The AP Top 25 poll now includes schools from non-Power Five conferences, with four teams making it to the rankings. This includes No. 18 Tulane from the American Athletic Conference, No. 22 Liberty from Conference USA, and No. 24 James Madison from the Sun Belt. JMU sustained its position in the poll despite losing its first game of the season to Appalachian State in overtime.

The rest of the rankings are dominated by conferences such as SEC (6), Pac-12 (4), Big 12 (4), Big Ten (4), ACC (2), American (1), Conference USA (1), Sun Belt (1), Mid-American (1), and Independent (1).

RANKED vs. RANKED

The upcoming week will see exciting matchups, including No. 2 Ohio State at No. 3 Michigan and No. 15 Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon, bringing anticipation and excitement to college football fans.

___

Stay updated with the latest news and insights from Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP. Enjoy listening via http://www.appodcasts.com and receive alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season by signing up here.