Penn State holds at No. 2 in AP college football poll; No. 6 Oregon is up next
Texas A&M made a big jump into the top 10 of the rankings after its dramatic win at Notre Dame. Oregon slipped two spots to No. 6 despite a 20-point road win against Northwestern.
Fresh off a 52-6 rout of Villanova, Penn State remained in the No. 2 spot behind Ohio State in the Associated Press college football poll on Sunday. The Nittany Lions (3-0) will have a bye this week before they host No. 6 Oregon on Sept. 27.
Texas A&M made a big jump into the top 10 of the rankings after its dramatic win at Notre Dame, and the Irish became the first team since 1988 to stay in the Top 25 with an 0-2 record.
Ohio State, Penn State, and LSU remained the top three teams, with Miami moving up to No. 4 and Georgia to No. 5 even after a close call at No. 15 Tennessee.
Oregon slipped two spots to No. 6 despite a 20-point road win against Northwestern and was followed by Florida State, Texas, Illinois, and the Aggies.
Georgia Tech, Vanderbilt, and Southern California made their season debuts in the Top 25.
Ohio State tussled with Ohio into the middle of the third quarter of a 37-9 win and received 55 first-place votes, two fewer than last week. Penn State got five first-place votes, LSU got two, Miami got three, and Oregon got one. The Hurricanes’ first-place votes are their first since getting three on Nov. 19, 2017.
Alabama was rewarded for its 24-point home win against Wisconsin and moved up five spots to No. 14. Voters didn’t punish Tennessee for its overtime home loss to Georgia and kept the Volunteers No. 15.
Texas A&M was promoted six spots after it overcame a scary injury to safety Bryce Anderson, a blocked punt returned for a touchdown, and 13 penalties to win, 41-40, on Marcel Reed’s fourth-and-goal pass to Nate Boerkircher with 11 seconds left.
The Aggies, who opened with solid wins over UTSA and Utah State, are 3-0 for the first time since 2021 and have their highest ranking since they were No. 10 entering November last season.
Notre Dame has lost its first two games, both against ranked opponents, by a total of four points. The Irish lost, 27-24, at Miami and had an open date before Texas A&M visited. They fell from No. 8 to No. 24.
In and out
Georgia Tech, coming off its win over Clemson, is 3-0 for the first time since 2016, and its No. 18 ranking is its highest since 2015.
No. 20 Vanderbilt’s 24-point win at South Carolina earned the Commodores their highest ranking since they started 5-0 in 2008.
No. 25 USC has its first ranking since the first week of last October.
South Carolina (11), Clemson (12), and South Florida (18) are out.
The Gamecocks were down 14-7 late in the first half when quarterback LaNorris Sellers was knocked out of the game with a concussion. Clemson, ranked No. 4 in the preseason, hasn’t been 1-2 since 2014.
South Florida’s weeklong stay in the Top 25 ended with its 49-12 loss at Miami.
Poll points
1. Texas and Texas A&M are in the top 10 together for the first time since Sept. 20, 2020. Excluding the pandemic season, it’s the first time since Oct. 2, 1978.
2. USC has been ranked at least once in 24 straight seasons, the sixth-longest streak in the nation.
3. No. 17 Texas Tech’s ranking is its highest since it was No. 15 entering November 2013.
Ranked vs. ranked
No. 17 Texas Tech at No. 16 Utah: The Red Raiders’ 58 points per game lead the nation, but now the Behren Morton-led 600-yards-per-game offense gets its first real test on the road. Utah has limited each of its first three opponents to under 250 yards.
No. 22 Auburn at No. 11 Oklahoma: Tigers QB Jackson Arnold started 10 games for the Sooners over the previous two seasons. His replacement at OU, John Mateer, is one of the leading candidates for the Heisman Trophy.
No. 9 Illinois at No. 19 Indiana: A matchup of top-10 offenses and defenses. Indiana has scored 156 points against three weak opponents. The Illini have played a light, but better, schedule and have allowed just 22 points over three games.