AP Top 25: Ohio State Surpasses Michigan to Reach No. 2, While Washington and FSU Exchange Positions at Nos. 4-5

Latest College Football Rankings: Ohio State at No. 2, Michigan Drops to No. 3

After surpassing Michigan, Ohio State has advanced to the second spot in the Associated Press college football poll. This movement comes a week prior to the Big Ten rivals playing another cracking top-five matchup. In this reshuffle, the fourth position is now occupied by Washington, which switched places with No. 5 Florida State.

Georgia retains the top spot for the 23rd consecutive week, receiving a season-high 61 first-place votes. This is the second-longest streak in the history of the poll and is just 10 weeks shy of the record held by Southern California from 2003 to 2005.

Top Five Teams Hold Their Ground

The top five teams, all undefeated, have held their spots for five consecutive weeks, improving their records to 11-0. However, this order saw a change on Sunday. Michigan slipped to the third spot after playing a closely contested match, despite being ranked No. 2 since the preseason. The Wolverines, without their suspended head coach Jim Harbaugh, managed to secure a 31-24 victory against Maryland.

Ohio State earned one first-place vote after a convincing victory against Minnesota. Coach Ryan Day lauded the team’s focus in the post-match conversation.

Football Playoff Standings: Washington and Florida State Switch Places

Washington achieved a narrow 22-20 victory on the road against Oregon State, resulting in their climb to the fourth spot. The Huskies now hold their highest ranking since 2016, the year they had their solo playoff season and the Pac-12’s last representation in the College Football Playoff.

Florida State fell one place despite beating FCS North Alabama 58-13. The team suffered a significant blow as their quarterback, Jordan Travis, was stretchered off the field due to a serious lower left leg injury.

The rest of the top 10 remained unchanged, with No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Alabama, No. 9 Louisville celebrating victories, and Missouri climbing to No. 10.

Michigan-Ohio State: A Matchup of Top-Five Teams

Michigan and Ohio State’s rivalry game will see a top-five team matchup for the 13th time, the most for any rivalry. The Buckeyes hold a 7-4-1 record in these games. The upcoming season’s game holds the same rankings as last year, with both teams undefeated, Ohio State at No. 2 and Michigan at No. 3. The Wolverines had won The Game for two consecutive seasons.

Buckeyes quarterback Kyle McCord expressed the team’s excitement and determination to change the narrative this year.

Changes in College Football Rankings

Utah (7-4) dropped out of the AP Top 25 for the first time this season following a 42-18 loss at Arizona. This marked the end of their 33 straight poll appearances dating back to the 2021 season. Moving into the poll for the first time this season was No. 23 Toledo (10-1), marking their first ranking since Nov. 1, 2015. Iowa also re-entered at No. 20 after securing the Big Ten West championship with a 15-13 victory against Illinois.

College Football Conference Breakdown

Toledo’s entry takes the number of non-Power Five conference schools in the Top 25 to a season-high four. The Rockets from the Mid-American Conference join No. 18 Tulane from the American Athletic Conference, No. 22 Liberty from Conference USA and No. 24 James Madison from the Sun Belt. SEC, Pac-12, Big 12, and Big Ten have representation of 6, 4, 4, and 4 teams, respectively.

Upcoming Ranked vs. Ranked Matches

The highly anticipated No. 2 Ohio State vs. No. 3 Michigan match takes place on Saturday. This matchup is a record-holder for the most ranked matches (49) and top-10 matches (26). Also, keep an eye out for the sixth meeting between No. 15 Oregon State and No. 6 Oregon on Friday.

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