The new AP Top 25 college football poll is out. With the Ohio State Buckeyes and Penn State Nittany Lions off this week, SEC and ACC powers took center stage Saturday.
Before that, on Friday, the Oregon Ducks crushed the Purdue Boilermakers.
The Miami Hurricanes again got a test on the road. Led by Cam Ward‘s 319 yards passing and four touchdowns, they outscored the Louisville Cardinals 52-45.
The Tennessee Volunteers climbed back into the top 10 with a win over the rival Alabama Crimson Tide. The Texas Longhorns and Georgia Bulldogs faced off in a top-five matchup with the Bulldogs holding on in the second half for a 30-15 win.
What does it all mean for the new AP Top 25? Let’s break down the rankings.
Stats courtesy of ESPN Research.
All times Eastern
Previous ranking: 2
2024 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Purdue 35-0
Stat to know: Dillon Gabriel completed 80% of his passes for the fourth time this season. That’s the most such games in the FBS.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Illinois, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Previous ranking: 5
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Texas 30-15
Stat to know: Georgia joined South Carolina in 2010 (which defeated No. 1 Alabama) as the only teams in the past 20 years with seven sacks vs. the AP No. 1 team.
What’s next: Nov. 2 vs. Florida (in Jacksonville), 3:30 p.m., ABC/ESPN+
Previous ranking: 3
2024 record: 6-0
Week 8 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday at Wisconsin, 7:30 p.m., NBC
Previous ranking: 4
2024 record: 5-1
Week 8 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday vs. Nebraska, 12 p.m., Fox
Previous ranking: 1
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Lost to Georgia 30-15
Stat to know: The 15-point loss was the third-largest by an AP No. 1 team at home since 1982.
What’s next: Saturday at Vanderbilt
Previous ranking: 6
2024 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Louisville 52-45
Stat to know: Miami scored 50 points for the fourth time this season, breaking a tie for the most such games in a season in program history.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Florida State, 7 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 11
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Alabama 24-17
Stat to know: The Vols did not score in the first half for the second straight week. But they won both games to become the first SEC team to win consecutive games despite being held scoreless in the first half in both since Georgia in 2006 vs. Colorado and Ole Miss.
What’s next: Nov. 2 vs. Kentucky
Previous ranking: 8
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Arkansas 34-10
Stat to know: LSU forced three turnovers (two fumbles, one interception) against the Razorbacks. It was LSU’s FBS-leading fourth game forcing that many turnovers.
What’s next: Saturday at Texas A&M
Previous ranking: 10
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Virginia 48-31
Stat to know: Clemson has scored 40 or more points in each of its past four games against Virginia, the longest streak by either school in series history.
What’s next: Nov. 2 vs. Louisville
Previous ranking: 9
2024 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated UCF 38-35
Stat to know: The Cyclones have started 7-0 for the first time since 1938. They ended that season by tying Kansas State and losing against Oklahoma.
What’s next: Nov. 2 vs. Texas Tech
Previous ranking: 13
2024 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Oklahoma State 38-35
Stat to know: BYU is 7-0 for only the fifth time in the AP poll era (1936).
What’s next: Saturday at UCF
Previous ranking: 12
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Georgia Tech 31-13
Stat to know: Riley Leonard and Jeremiyah Love are the first Notre Dame teammates to each record seven or more rushing scores over the team’s first seven games of the season since Brandon Wimbush and Josh Adams in 2017.
What’s next: Saturday at Navy, noon
Previous ranking: 16
2024 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Nebraska 56-7
Stat to know: The 56 points is the most Indiana has ever scored against Nebraska. The previous high was 54, scored in three straight games from 1943 to 1945.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Washington, noon, BTN
Previous ranking: 14
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Mississippi State 34-24
Stat to know: Mike Elko is the first Texas A&M coach to start 6-1 in his first season with the Aggies since D.V. “Tubby” Graves in 1918.
What’s next: Saturday vs. LSU
Previous ranking: 7
2024 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Lost to Tennessee 24-17
Stat to know: Alabama has lost multiple games before November for the first time since 2007, Nick Saban’s first season. The 16-season streak was the longest streak in SEC history and was tied with Nebraska from 1982 to 1997 for the longest streak by any FBS team in the poll era (since 1936).
What’s next: Saturday vs. Missouri
Previous ranking: 17
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated West Virginia 45-18
Stat to know: This was the Wildcats’ ninth game with 40-plus points since the start of last season (third this year), the most among Big 12 teams during that span.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Kansas
Previous ranking: 15
2024 record: 5-1
Week 8 result: Idle
What’s next: Friday at UNLV, 10:30 p.m., CBSSN
Previous ranking: 18
2024 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Idle
What’s next: Saturday vs. Oklahoma, noon
Previous ranking: 20
2024 record: 6-0
Week 8 result: Idle
What’s next: Thursday vs. Syracuse, 7:30 p.m., ESPN
Previous ranking: 22
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Michigan 21-7
Stat to know: This was Illinois’ first win in an AP-ranked matchup with Michigan since 1983.
What’s next: Saturday at Oregon, 3:30 p.m., CBS
Previous ranking: 19
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Auburn 21-17
Stat to know: Missouri overcame an 11-point deficit entering the fourth quarter. It’s the largest comeback by Missouri, entering the fourth quarter, since 2011.
What’s next: Saturday at Alabama
Previous ranking: 21
2024 record: 6-1
Week 8 result: Defeated Stanford 40-10
Stat to know: SMU won its 12th straight conference game (3-0 this season) dating to 2022 (in the AAC). That’s the second-longest active conference win streak in FBS behind former conference foe, Tulane, which has won 13 consecutive.
What’s next: Saturday at Duke, 8 p.m., ACC Network
Previous ranking: 23
2024 record: 7-0
Week 8 result: Defeated East Carolina 45-28
Stat to know: In the game, QB Bryson Daily became the first player in Army history with one passing touchdown and five rushing scores.
What’s next: Nov. 2 vs. Air Force, noon, CBS
Previous ranking: 25
2024 record: 6-0
Week 8 result: Defeated Charlotte 51-17
Stat to know: Navy scored at least 30 points for the sixth straight game, tying the longest single-season streak in program history. The Midshipmen also had six-game streaks in 2007 and 2010.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Notre Dame, noon
Previous ranking: NR
2024 record: 5-2
Week 8 result: Defeated Ball State 24-14
Stat to know: Diego Pavia was responsible for at least 290 yards of total offense for the fourth game this season.
What’s next: Saturday vs. Texas