Ohio State quarterback Luke Fahey, left, is tackled in the rain by Southern California safety Alex Graham, center, during the second half of an NCAA college football game Saturday, Oct. 31, 2026, in Los Angeles. (AP Photo/Ryan Sun)
By ERIC OLSON AP College Football Writer
Ohio State dropped out of the top 10 of The Associated Press Top 25 on Sunday for the first time in five years, UCLA entered the top five for the first time in 25 years and New Mexico earned the first ranking in program history.The Buckeyes plummeted from No. 2 to No. 11 following their 30-18 loss at Southern California, making it four weeks in a row the No. 1 or 2 team has lost to an unranked opponent.
Miami was No. 1 for the third straight week after escaping North Carolina with a 38-35 victory. Georgia moved up a spot to No. 2 and was followed by Utah, Notre Dame and UCLA.
The Hurricanes, who visit Notre Dame on Saturday for their much-anticipated top-five matchup, received 62 of 70 first-place votes from the media voting panel. Georgia got seven first-place votes and Utah got one.
Indiana slipped two rungs to No. 6 after a 23-16 overtime win over Minnesota. BYU, Kentucky, Alabama and Texas rounded out the top 10.
Ohio State hadn’t been out of the top 10 since Sept. 26, 2021. The Buckeyes slipped to No. 11 after beating Akron by 52 points and were back in the top 10 the next week after a 39-point win over Rutgers and stayed there for 86 consecutive polls.
UCLA is 8-0 for the first time since 2005 under first-year coach Bob Chesney. The Bruins stepped out of conference play and shut out Nevada 27-0. At No. 5, UCLA has its highest ranking since it was No. 4 following a 6-0 start in 2001.
New Mexico, which has been playing football since 1892, cracked the AP rankings for the first time at No. 22 following a 21-16 win at San Jose State. The breakthrough comes in Jason Eck’s second season and after the Lobos’ first 7-1 start since 1982.
In and out
In: No. 18 USC’s win over Ohio State was the biggest in Lincoln Riley’s five seasons and put the Trojans right back into the playoff hunt.
In: No. 21 Iowa continued its recent domination of Wisconsin with a 30-0 victory and is back in the poll after a one-week absence.
In: No. 22 New Mexico is the only Mountain West team unbeaten in conference play and is a serious contender for the Group of Six playoff spot.
In: No. 23 South Carolina’s season and Shane Beamer’s tenure with the Gamecocks were all but written off a month ago, but now they’ve won three straight and are ranked for the first time since September 2025.
Out: SMU’s playoff hopes, barring an ACC championship, are fizzling with its 30-27 last-minute loss at Syracuse.
Out: Northwestern led into the fourth quarter but couldn’t finish the job at Oregon.
Out: Oklahoma State gave Iowa State a short field for a walk-off field goal because of unsportsmanlike conduct and lost a 51-49 shootout in Ames.
Out: Wisconsin coach Luke Fickell, who got a one-week reprieve with a dominant win over USC, is back on the hot seat following the humiliating loss at Iowa.
Poll points
— No. 3 Utah has matched its highest ranking since Oct. 18, 2015, when it was 6-0.
— Indiana now holds the longest active streak of consecutive top-10 rankings, at 22 weeks.
— The Mountain West hadn’t had a ranked team since Boise State was No. 25 in the 2025 preseason poll. The Broncos are now in the Pac-12.
— The No. 2 team has lost three straight weeks. That’s a first since 2007, when it happened twice.
Conference call
SEC (10 ranked teams): No. 2 Georgia, No. 8 Kentucky, No. 9 Alabama, No. 10 Texas, No. 12 Mississippi, No. 15 LSU, No. 16 Tennessee, No. 19 Missouri, No. 23 South Carolina, No. 25 Florida.
Big 12 (5): No. 3 Utah, No. 7 BYU, No. 13 Texas Tech, No. 17 Houston, No. 24 Arizona.
Big Ten (5): No. 5 UCLA, No. 6 Indiana, No. 11 Ohio State, No. 18 USC, No. 21 Iowa.
ACC (2): No. 1 Miami, No. 14 Wake Forest.
Independent (1): No. 5 Notre Dame.
Pac-12 (1): No. 20 Boise State.
Mountain West (1): No. 22 New Mexico.
Ranked vs. ranked
No. 1 Miami at No. 4 Notre Dame: The teams have the same rankings they did in 1988 when they met in the memorable “Catholics vs. Convicts” game at Notre Dame Stadium, a 31-30 win for the Fighting Irish.
No. 2 Georgia at No. 12 Mississippi: Bulldogs looking to avenge last season’s 39-34 CFP quarterfinal loss in the Sugar Bowl.
No. 7 BYU at No. 3 Utah: The Holy War is a top-10 matchup and the winner takes command in the Big 12.
No. 8 Kentucky at No. 16 Tennessee: Volunteers have won five in a row against Kentucky, which has won six in a row and is tied with Georgia for the SEC lead.
No. 10 Texas at No. 19 Missouri: Longhorns and Mizzou meet for the first time as SEC members in what probably is a playoff knockout game.
No. 9 Alabama at No. 15 LSU: Both trying to stay alive for playoff. Crimson Tide have won three straight in series.
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