Overview of the Week: A Quiet Start, a Fiery Finish
The AP Top 25 underwent one of its sharpest early-season shifts in years as two preseason giants, Texas and Penn State, tumbled out of the rankings after losses to unranked teams. The result is a rare moment in college football where the defending top duo begins October outside the poll, while fresh faces surge into the spotlight. Ohio State holds onto the top spot with 40 first‑place votes, and Miami ascends to No. 2 after a statement win at Florida State.
Dropped from the summit, Texas and Penn State join a growing list of programs that learned the hard way that preseason hype doesn’t guarantee a long season of perfection. The new landscape features a mix of traditional power, mid‑year climbers, and a few programs riding momentum from key late‑season performances.
Why Texas and Penn State Fell Out
Texas began the season as the preseason No. 1 for the first time in program history, but consecutive losses to unranked opponents ended their hopes of remaining in the top 25. Penn State, the other preseason No. 2, also dropped after a loss to UCLA, illustrating how quickly a season can pivot once a bellwether week ends. The volatility underscores the AP voters’ preference for recent performance and resume-building wins over the course of the season, rather than a single marquee victory from August.
Historical context only compounds the surprise. The AP preseason poll dates back to 1950, and there are only a handful of instances where No. 1 or No. 2 fell out of the rankings so early. The current week marks a rare occurrence where both top slots end up unranked as the calendar turns to October, a scenario that has happened only a few times in the last several decades.
Movers and Shifts: Who Joined the Top 10
In a significant reshuffle, Miami jumps back over Oregon to No. 2. The Hurricanes’ resume now features ranked wins over Notre Dame, USF, Florida, and Florida State, creating a compelling case that their early-season performance is as impressive as any in the country. Oregon slips to No. 3, a reflection of tough competition in the Pac‑12 and a clinical evaluation of the Ducks’ best victories this season.
The rest of the top 10 includes a tight grouping: Ole Miss, Texas A&M, and Oklahoma sit at Nos. 4–6, with Indiana at No. 7 and Alabama at No. 8 after beating Vanderbilt. Texas Tech and Georgia round out the top 10, marking the Red Raiders’ highest ranking since 2008 and signaling a potential turning point for Mike Leach’s illoslater era when Texas Tech was a national title contender in the early 2000s.
Resume and Results: How Voters Made Their Calls
Voters weighed not only the most recent results but the season’s larger arc. While Ohio State’s early-season dominance against Texas looked stellar at opening week, Florida’s upset of Texas rebalanced impressions, making Texas and Penn State less competitive on the “resume” side. The sentiment among many ballots favored teams with multiple solid wins and recent quality performances over those with a high-profile win at the start of the season but limited subsequent impact.
Additionally, several teams outside the top 10 earned votes and entered consideration, including Cincinnati, Texas, Penn State, Utah, Nebraska, USC, and others. Such vote totals suggest a competitive landscape where a handful of programs could position themselves for a late-season rise with a few key victories.
What’s Next: Big Weekahead Matchups
Looking ahead, the Red River Rivalry between No. 6 Oklahoma and Texas in Dallas remains a marquee non‑conference matchup with enormous implications for both programs’ trajectories. The schedule still features notable clashed in top‑25 contexts: No. 1 Ohio State at No. 17 Illinois, No. 7 Indiana at No. 3 Oregon, and No. 8 Alabama at No. 14 Missouri. Each game carries a different weight in shaping the rest of the season and could redefine the top of the rankings next week.
As the season progresses, the AP voters will continue to weigh how teams respond to adversity, injuries, and tougher schedules. For Texas and Penn State, the path back to the Top 25 will hinge on consistency, critical wins, and the ability to demonstrate that their early losses were anomalies rather than turning points in a decline.
Bottom Line
The week’s shakeup serves as a reminder that college football is a week‑to‑week sport where a few bad hours can erase a season’s early promise. With Ohio State maintaining its perch, Miami reasserting itself at No. 2, and several traditional powers jockeying for position, the AP Top 25 remains a dynamic snapshot of who currently owns momentum in the college football landscape.
