The TCU Horned Frogs stayed at No.4 in this week’s Associated Press Top 25 College Football Poll after a dramatic 29-28 win over unranked Baylor Saturday.
The win was colossal for TCU amid a big weekend of college football highlighted by No.9 Tennessee’s blowout loss to unranked South Carolina that will shake up the college football playoff rankings.
Georgia again received 62 of the 63 first-place votes in the AP Top 25 as the top four teams held their places after playing varying degrees of close games Saturday.
No. 2 Ohio State received the other first-place vote. Michigan was No. 3 again after needing a field goal in the final seconds to defeat Illinois. Michigan and Ohio State will clash in their annual rivalry game this Saturday, the 20th time both teams are undefeated heading into the game.
USC takes Tennessee’s spot at No.5, its first time in the top five of the AP college football poll in five years. USC moved two spots after a thrilling victory over rival No.17 UCLA.
LSU stayed at No. 6. Clemson moved up two spots to No. 7. Alabama held at eighth, and Tennessee dropped four spots to No. 9 after losing 63-38 to South Carolina, the 63 points representing the most ever scored by an unranked team against a top-five AP team.
Oregon rounds out the top 10 after defeating No.14 Utah in the Pac-12’s other marquee game Saturday night.
Besides TCU, another Texas-based program made the top 25. No.24 Texas is the only new team in the week’s poll, back in the top 25 for the fourth time this season after a convincing win over Kansas led by Bijan Robinson.
Robinson rushed for a career-high 243 yards and four touchdowns in the 55-14 win over Kansas.
The Longhorns, who have not managed to stay ranked for more than two consecutive weeks, are temporary Kansas fans for the week as they need help to make the Big 12 Championship game.
Texas must win its season finale against Baylor and hope that Kansas defeats No.15 Kansas State for the Longhorns to clinch a spot to face TCU in Arlington for the conference title.
The only team to drop out of this week’s poll is also in the Big 12. Oklahoma State lost its rivalry game against Oklahoma 28-13 to drop to 7-4 and out of the rankings again.
Oklahoma scored all 28 points in the opening quarter as they clinched bowl eligibility with its rivalry win.
While the matchup of No.2 Ohio State against No.3 Michigan will take most of the headlines heading into the weekend of college football, there are also three other ranked vs. ranked matchups slated for this weekend.
No.5 USC has already clinched a spot in the Pac-12 title game, but it will look to keep its playoff hopes alive when it welcomes No.13 Notre Dame to Los Angeles. It is the first time both schools have been ranked for their annual matchup since 2017.
No.10 Oregon needs a road win over in-state rival No.22 Oregon State to clinch a spot in the Pac-12 championship game. It is the first matchup with both ranked since 2012.
No.19 Tulane is after a double-digit win season for the first time in 24 seasons, but they will have to end No.21 Cincinnati’s 32-game home winning streak in the Friday road game. The winner will host the American Athletic Conference’s championship game in their home stadium.
Entire AP Top 25:
Georgia (62), 11–0 Last Week: 1
Ohio State (1), 11–0 Last Week: 2
Michigan 11–0 Last Week: 3
TCU 11–0 Last Week: 4
Southern California 10–1 Last Week: 7
LSU 9–2 Last Week: 6
Clemson 10–1 Last Week: 9
Alabama, 9–2 Last Week: 8
Tennessee 9–2 Last Week: 5
Oregon 9–2 Last Week: 12
Penn State 9–2 Last Week: 11
Washington 9–2 Last week: 15
Notre Dame 8–3 Last Week: 18
Utah 8–3 Last Week: 10
Kansas State 8–3 Last Week: 19
Florida State 8–3 Last Week: 20
UCLA 8–3 Last Week: 16
North Carolina 9–2 Last Week 13
Tulane 9–2 Last Week: 21
Mississippi 8–3 Last Week: 14
Cincinnati 9–2 Last Week: 22
Oregon State 8–3 Last Week: 25
Coastal Carolina 9–1 Last Week: 23
Texas 7–4 Last Week: NR
UCF 8–3 Last Week: 17
Others receiving votes:
UTSA 85, South Carolina 44, Troy 34, Boise State 16, Illinois 12, Iowa 5, Louisville 5, South Alabama 3, Mississippi State 3, Oklahoma State 2, Arkansas 2, Purdue 2, Fresno State 1
