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

Ohio State Climbs AP College Football Poll Rankings

In a recent announcement on Sunday, Ohio State surpassed Michigan, securing the No. 2 spot in The Associated Press college football poll. This comes a week before a crucial Big Ten rivalry game, an exciting top-five matchup. Also in the line-up of changes, No. 4 Washington traded places with No. 5 Florida State.

Georgia Maintains Top Spot Anew

Georgia held on to its position as No. 1, garnering a season-high of 61 first-place votes. With a 23-week lead, the Bulldogs managed to secure the second-longest streak in the poll’s history. The record, however, is held by Southern California with a 33-week run from 2003 to 2005.

Top Five Teams: A Change of Order

The top five unbeaten teams have maintained their positions for five successive weeks. All advanced to 11-0 on Saturday, but the order underwent changes on Sunday. Michigan, holding the No. 2 spot since the preseason, slipped after its closest game yet. The Wolverines managed to beat Maryland 31-24, even without their suspended head coach, Jim Harbaugh.

Ohio State, on the other hand, earned a first-place vote following a decisive victory over Minnesota. Furthermore, Washington managed a narrow 22-20 win against Oregon State on the road. This caused the latter to drop five places to No. 15, while Washington climbed a spot. This is Washington’s highest ranking since they reached No. 4 in 2016, which was also their only playoff season and the last time the Pac-12 had a team in the College Football Playoff.

Florida State Suffers Major Setback

Despite defeating FCS North Alabama 58-13, Florida State saw a decrease in ranking. More worrying, however, was the serious lower left leg injury sustained by their quarterback, Jordan Travis.

Rising Star and Steady Performers

No. 6 Oregon, No. 7 Texas, No. 8 Alabama, and No. 9 Louisville all held their current positions following their victories. Missouri, on the other hand, advanced to No. 10.

Michigan – Ohio State Rivalry Stats

This will mark the 13th top-five matchup between Michigan and Ohio State, the most in any rivalry to date. In these games, the Buckeyes have secured seven wins, suffered four lost games, and one tie.

The only other rivalry with double-digit top-five matchups is Oklahoma-Texas. These teams have met 10 times as part of the top-10 lineup. Following them are Nebraska and Oklahoma with eight top-10 matchups.

Rankings Shift: In and Out

Utah, with a 7-4 record, dropped out of the AP Top 25 for the first time this season. Their ranking plummeted from No. 16 after a 42-18 loss to Arizona. Consequently, the Wildcats climbed to the 16th spot.

Utah’s 33-week poll appearances streak, dating back to 2021, was broken. This was the fifth-longest active streak behind Alabama, Georgia, Ohio State, and Michigan. Following another loss to Clemson, North Carolina also fell out of the ranking.

Entering the poll, on the other hand, were No. 23 Toledo and No. 20 Iowa. The Rockets appear for the first time this season and for the first time since Nov. 1, 2015. Iowa, after a 15-13 victory against Illinois, clinched the Big West championship and secured a place in the ranking.

Ranked vs. Ranked: Upcoming Matches

The No. 2 Ohio State is scheduled to face No. 3 Michigan on Saturday. This rivalry leads in ranked matchups (49 to date) and top-10 matchups (26 to date). Another exciting game to look forward to is No. 15 Oregon State at No. 6 Oregon on Friday.

Follow Ralph D. Russo at https://twitter.com/ralphDrussoAP and listen at http://www.appodcasts.com. Get alerts on the latest AP Top 25 poll throughout the season. Sign up here. For more college football news, visit https://apnews.com/hub/college-football.