While the AP Top 25 saw no changes in the top six spots, there are adjustments that reflect what voters learned about the best teams in the country on Saturday. Of note is that while Georgia maintained its spot at No. 1 while off in Week 8, Michigan continues to gain momentum in challenging for the top spot. The voting points margin is as slim as its been all season (1536 to 1504), with a few more first-place votes switching hands. But in the consensus, it’s still Georgia at No. 1, followed by Michigan, Ohio State, Florida State, Washington and Oklahoma at the top of the rankings.
There is some shifting in the wake of Ohio State’s win against Penn State, which saw the Nittany Lions drop three spots to No. 10. That allowed for Texas and Oregon to each move up one spot, while Alabama jumped two spots to No. 9 following its strong second half performance in a rivalry win over Tennessee.
North Carolina had one of the biggest drops in the poll this week, tumbling from No. 10 to No. 17 after a loss to unranked Virginia. USC nearly fell out of the top 25 after its loss to Utah, landing at No. 24. Duke and Tennessee each dropped after losses as well, but only four spots each — to No. 20 and No. 21, respectively — after losing on the road to higher-ranked conference foes.
James Madison, now at 7-0 after a win against Marshall on Thursday night, cracked the top 25 for just the second time in school history. The Dukes made their AP poll debut in Oct. 2022 but lasted just one week in the rankings. They will put that new ranked status on the line next Saturday against ODU at home. JMU’s entry into the poll was made possible in part thanks to Iowa’s home loss to Minnesota, which bounced the Hawkeyes from the top 25.
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