After Ohio State, the defending national champion, dominated its season opening, Georgia rose to No. 2 in the inaugural Associated Press college football poll of the regular season, surpassing the Buckeyes.
Alabama maintained its top spot in the AP Top 25 presented by Regions Bank, which was revealed on Tuesday. Alabama received 1,552 points and 44 of 63 first-place votes from the media panel.
The Bulldogs’ lead over the Crimson Tide has shrunk after their 49-3 victory over Oregon on Saturday. Georgia received 17 votes for first place.
Ohio State garnered two first-place votes despite dropping to No. 3. Up four spots to No. 4, Michigan.
Clemson fell to No. 5 by one position.
Following its exciting victory over Utah at home on Saturday night, Florida made its debut at No. 12. After the defeat, the Utes dropped six spots to No. 13.
For the first time since the last regular-season poll of 2017, when the Trojans were ranked ninth, USC is among the top 10.
After losing 21-10 against Ohio State, the eighth-ranked Fighting Irish fell three positions out of the top five.
POLL RESULTS
In 15 of the last 17 polls, Georgia has been ranked first or second, and third the other two weeks.
Since 2017, Georgia has finished last season rated No. 2 in the nation 13 times and No. 1 nine times.
The Bulldogs were ranked in the top two a total of 10 times between 1981, the season after Georgia won a national championship, and 2016.
IN
Since Texas and Wisconsin were rated No. 11 and No. 10 after victories in Week 1 of 2016, Florida’s rise from unranked to No. 12 is the largest for an unranked team.
No. 24 Josh Heupel, Tennessee’s second-year coach, has the Volunteers ranked for the first time.
OUT
The Ducks fell all the way to the bottom of the rankings after their humiliating loss to Georgia. Since the last regular-season AP Top 25 of 2020, Oregon hasn’t been unranked in a poll for which it was eligible.
Cincinnati withdrew after suffering its first regular-season defeat since late in the 2019 campaign, a touchdown loss against Arkansas.
It ended a string for the Bearcats, who qualified for the College Football Playoff last season, of 45 straight appearances in polls, the fifth-longest active streak in the nation.
CONFERENCE CALL
Florida and Tennessee moving into the rankings gives the SEC eight ranked teams, the most for a conference since the SEC had eight three times in 2020.
The record for ranked teams from one conference is 10 by the SEC early in the 2018 season. From 2011 to ’18, the SEC had eight teams ranked in a AP Top 25 a total of 14 times.
SEC — 8 (Nos. 1, 2, 6, 12, 16, 20, 22, 24).
ACC — 5 (Nos. 5, 15, 17, 18, 23).
Big Ten — 4 (Nos. 3, 4, 14, 19).
Big 12 — 3 (Nos. 7, 9, 11).
Pac-12 — 2 (Nos. 10, 13).
Independents — 2 (Nos. 8, 21).
American — 1 (No. 25).
THIS WEEK’S RANKED vs. RANKED
No. 9 Baylor at No. 21 BYU. Future Big 12 matchup.
No. 20 Kentucky at No. 12 Florida. The first time both will be ranked when they play since 2007.
No. 24 Tennessee at No. 17 Pitt. First SEC/ACC ranked nonconference matchup of the season.
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