College Football Week 6: Georgia Ascends to No. 1 in AP Poll, Texas Tumbles, and Big Ten Contenders Surge

A dramatic weekend in college football produced a seismic shake-up in the latest Associated Press Top 25 poll. Following a 20-17 victory over Alabama in Tuscaloosa, the Georgia Bulldogs claimed the No. 1 ranking, earning 66 of 70 first-place votes.

Georgia’s ascension comes on the heels of previously top-ranked Texas falling 27-24 to unranked Oklahoma in the Red River Rivalry. The Longhorns tumbled six spots down to No. 7, completely reshaping the upper tier of the rankings as undefeated powerhouses and surprise dark horses surge into the top 10.

The AP Top 10 Breakdown

Undefeated Notre Dame (6-0) and Miami (5-0) each picked up first-place votes to move into No. 2 and No. 3, respectively. Meanwhile, Indiana earned a first-place vote of its own and crashed the top five at No. 5 after improving to 6-0.

Major Risers and Shocking Surges

• Kentucky (Unranked to No. 15): The Wildcats delivered the biggest leap of the week. After moving to 5-1, Kentucky bypassed the bottom tier of the poll entirely, entering the Top 25 directly at No. 15.
• UCLA (No. 21 to No. 12): The Bruins vaulted nine spots following a statement road win over Oregon, establishing themselves as a legitimate force in the Big Ten race at 5-0.

New Entries

Three new teams crashed the AP Top 25 party this week:

No. 15 Kentucky (5-1): Surged in as the SEC’s ninth-ranked program.

No. 21 Wake Forest (5-1): Joined the rankings after securing a gritty road victory over NC State.

No. 25 Northwestern (4-1): The Wildcats entered the AP Poll for the first time since 2020 after defeating Ball State 45-14, marking a major milestone for coach David Braun.

Freefalls and Unranked Dropouts

• Texas (No. 1 to No. 7): The Longhorns suffered the steepest fall among top-five teams, dropping six spots following their late-game collapse against Oklahoma.
• LSU (No. 10 to No. 22): The Tigers plummeted 12 spots after picking up their second loss of the season (4-2).
• Oregon (Dropped Out): After being upset by UCLA at home and falling to 3-2, the Ducks dropped out of the rankings entirely, leading the “others receiving votes” category.
• Florida & Pittsburgh (Dropped Out): Losses over the weekend pushed both the Gators and Panthers out of the top 25.

Conference Landscape & What’s Ahead

The SEC leads all conferences with 9 ranked teams, followed by the Big Ten with 6, the Big 12 with 5, the ACC with 3, the Pac-12 with 1 (Boise State at No. 23), and 1 Independent (Notre Dame at No. 2).

The new rankings set up a massive slate of high-stakes matchups next week:

• Top-5 Big Ten Showdown: No. 4 Ohio State battles No. 5 Indiana in a game with massive conference title implications.
• Top-10 Non-Conference Battle: No. 2 Notre Dame puts its undefeated record on the line against No. 8 BYU.
• SEC Clash: No. 6 Alabama looks to bounce back as they prepare to take on No. 14 Tennessee.